Hey there all! I'm new here, and boy am I glad I found this site! It's nice to find a bunch of fire-mouths like myself! 
I'm also new to growing any kind of plant. I looooooove everything spicy. (Having no one steal my food is an added bonus XD). The idea to start growing my own started when I had my first orange hab not too long ago. I had finally found something that I could consider spicy! The next day I headed to the local nursery and bought 3 of these awesome plants. They were small, a nice dark green color with no flowering.
I made the rookie mistake of trying to grow them under an aquarium light and ended up with some pretty leggy plants. They did, however grow VERY fast. I would have to raise the light every day or so. The leaves were always very perky. Perfectly straight out and looking from the top it was very symmetrical. After a bit, they hit a plateau and there they stayed.
Frustrated, I set out to make a hydroponic system for them, in hopes that it would help stimulate some better growth. I chose an ebb and flow system and used the same light, leaving the smallest plant by the window in its original soil and container (I know, I know.). The transition didn't seem to phase them and they both flowered once or twice, always dropping in a day or two. Much of this was probably because of lack of nutrient in the water as well as lighting. I would have bought both of those but one of my snakes needed a vet visit, and being a broke college student, I didn't have any money to spare. The plants grew straight up most of the way and then branched into a V. They are very, very leggy.
About 3 weeks ago, I went out and bought two more orange hab plants, but this time they already had a lot of peppers growing, yet were half the size of mine. I bought three good sized pots with some miracle grow soil and put the two new, and one old plant into their new homes. This didn't seem to have much effect on the new peppers, but WOW did it do wonders for my original potted hab! It's filling out everywhere! Leaves with branches with leaves coming off of those, it's growing like crazy! It's growing not only at the top, but also all the way down middle. I'm also seeing the beginnings of a bunch of flowers; you know, where they look like bulbs. I'm hoping to grow a couple clones of that plant since there will be PLENTY of places I could cut off.
Today I got myself a CFL and a large bowl-shaped reflector for the hydro setup. All the rest are in the window.
I'm hoping all goes well and I will have more habs than I will know what to do with! Hopefully.
Nice meeting you all.
Pita
I couldn't help myself.
I'm also new to growing any kind of plant. I looooooove everything spicy. (Having no one steal my food is an added bonus XD). The idea to start growing my own started when I had my first orange hab not too long ago. I had finally found something that I could consider spicy! The next day I headed to the local nursery and bought 3 of these awesome plants. They were small, a nice dark green color with no flowering.
I made the rookie mistake of trying to grow them under an aquarium light and ended up with some pretty leggy plants. They did, however grow VERY fast. I would have to raise the light every day or so. The leaves were always very perky. Perfectly straight out and looking from the top it was very symmetrical. After a bit, they hit a plateau and there they stayed.
Frustrated, I set out to make a hydroponic system for them, in hopes that it would help stimulate some better growth. I chose an ebb and flow system and used the same light, leaving the smallest plant by the window in its original soil and container (I know, I know.). The transition didn't seem to phase them and they both flowered once or twice, always dropping in a day or two. Much of this was probably because of lack of nutrient in the water as well as lighting. I would have bought both of those but one of my snakes needed a vet visit, and being a broke college student, I didn't have any money to spare. The plants grew straight up most of the way and then branched into a V. They are very, very leggy.
About 3 weeks ago, I went out and bought two more orange hab plants, but this time they already had a lot of peppers growing, yet were half the size of mine. I bought three good sized pots with some miracle grow soil and put the two new, and one old plant into their new homes. This didn't seem to have much effect on the new peppers, but WOW did it do wonders for my original potted hab! It's filling out everywhere! Leaves with branches with leaves coming off of those, it's growing like crazy! It's growing not only at the top, but also all the way down middle. I'm also seeing the beginnings of a bunch of flowers; you know, where they look like bulbs. I'm hoping to grow a couple clones of that plant since there will be PLENTY of places I could cut off.
Today I got myself a CFL and a large bowl-shaped reflector for the hydro setup. All the rest are in the window.
I'm hoping all goes well and I will have more habs than I will know what to do with! Hopefully.
Nice meeting you all.
Pita
I couldn't help myself.
