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pics Binganero's Grow... Um... Story (Pics)

Binganero

Binganero

Well, its about that time. I can't really call it a grow log quite yet, so I will call it my grow story.

I haven't kept up a grow log, but here is a picture book of my first growing season. I hope to update this thread as the season progresses.

I have grown from seed:
Bhut Jolokia
Cayenne
Long Red Cayenne
Tabasco
Orange Habanero
Bolivian Rainbow
Jalapeno Early

It started out FAR too early for my zone (again... first year grower here) in mid January in my closet with some seeds, peat pots, and some Jump Start systems.
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A few weeks later.
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A few weeks later.
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I had to pinch back my plants a few times before March and had about three rounds of bud-nipping before they were let loose outside.

I put the peppers into 14" pots and put them outside in the sunny corner about three weeks ago (late April). I have had to move them in and out with some cold nights here and there, but it has been worth it.
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I started a thread a few weeks ago that asked about growing peppers in partial shade (Link). The spot that the peppers are in gets about 3 hours of sun in the late morning and about 3 hours of sun in the evening with partial sun the rest of the day.

I will be back in a few minutes with some close-ups of the peppers.

I hope you are enjoying so far!
 
My pepper corner... turns out I have alot more room than I thought and will have a ton more pepper variety and quantity next year!
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My two Bhuts.
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First unpinched buds on the Bhuts... They took 5 weeks longer than everything else to germinate.
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More coming.
 
My four Orange Habaneros... lots of pickling, sauce and powder for me!
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They all look like this. Tons of peppers and even more flowers!
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My four Jalapenos.
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They all are PACKED with pepper pods. This guy is only 12" tall and I counted 25 pods already.
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This is where I need help. I have been giving them diluted ferts (MG Tom fert) every other week or so, and they have done no growing... just pepper producing! Will they grow when I start to pick these off???

Thanks for the help!

More coming.
 
One of two Long Reds. 30+ pods on both at this point.
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One of two Bolivian Rainbows. These were both looking pretty sickly a while ago when I asked about some pests that were apparently eating the roots (Link). Well, the Azatrol did the job, and the plants are thriving! I haven't tasted these peppers yet, but they are really cool plants. I am contemplating bonsai-ing one this winter.
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My smaller cayenne. This is the same one that was almost dead in the same thread that I linked above... a victim of root-eating pests. Also saved and now thriving!
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This is the larger of my two Cayennes. Also weighed down by pepper pods. Also worried about this one with no vertical growth. Still, an impressive little bugger.
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I think I have one more post worth of photos...
 
Ok... continuing on. One of two Tabascos. Finally has some little pods forming!
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Finally, my tomato corner! Brandywine, Beefsteak, Ace 55, and Red Pear also grown from seed, plus a Black Cherry and Sungold given to me by a friend who raised them from seed.
(The Topsy Turvy was a gift from my soon-to-be mother-in-law. I am interested to see how it does)
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Again, this is my first year growing, so if anyone has any recommendations, advice, or general constructive criticism, please feel free. I really have enjoyed learning and don't plan on stopping now!

Also, HUGE thanks to those who have been kind enough to give or trade (when I could) for new seed varieties. I have not planted any of them this year, but I am SO pumped to see more varieties of peppers next year.

I will keep this thread updated as the season goes along.

I hope you enjoy!

Thanks.

Bing
 
Binganero said:
This is where I need help. I have been giving them diluted ferts (MG Tom fert) every other week or so, and they have done no growing... just pepper producing! Will they grow when I start to pick these off???
Click to expand...


Dang, I should have those kinds of problems... ;)

Stuff looks great from here.

I reckon they'll grow as they need to. Might need to adjust the fert some, but I'll leave that commentary for others.

Getting pods is why ya grew them, so I'd be happy. :D
 
Looking Great Bing...!

Some pinch the early flowers so the plant grows bigger before it is allowed to flower but I leave them for an early crop, probably cost me production in the long run but it's worth it in my book. So yes if you pick the pods the plant will turn it's attenion to growing bigger and producing more pods...

Thanks for sharing...
 
I have been giving them diluted ferts (MG Tom fert) every other week or so, and they have done no growing... just pepper producing! Will they grow when I start to pick these off???
Click to expand...

I pulled all the not-quite-ripe pods some plants to get some more growth out of them. Since you have 4 plants, maybe try an experiment and pick the fruit off 2 of them to see what the difference is? The others will give you an early crop. I'm keeping some of mine in small containers to ripen a few fruit sooner and potting others up for more budding.


Oh, and beautiful dense branching you got there. :D
 
great looking plants and a good looking area to grow in...

do the pots you have them in have holes in the bottom?...reason I asked is a lot of my containers (I only grow in containers) had roots grown into the soil out of the bottom of the pot last year and I noticed they were healthier and needed watering less often than the other plants...during the season, check the bottom of your pots every so often and if you see roots starting to come out of the holes in the bottom of the pots, I would recommend taking them off the cement (or wood) squares you have and sitting them directly on the ground to allow the roots to grow directly into the soil...JMO...
 
Looking good Bing. I think as a general rule plants either put their energy into pods or growth. I had two Japones last year and they were both around the same size early. One got savaged badly by a hornworm caterpillar and fell way behind. While the undamaged plant cranked out some pods, the damaged plant just repaired itself and made mad vegetation. It went on to outproduce the plant that was undamaged and was probably about 6inches taller. I think you should try the experiment that Carol suggested.
 
They're looking good to me! Check your fertilizer and see if it's mainly for producing pods or growth.

The numbers represent N-P-K. The N stands for Nitrogen - It provides plants with the ability to produce more chlorophyll, which in turn allows plants to grow quickly. With each additional nitrogen application, plants will grow taller and develop a darker green color. P stands for Phosphorous which aids in root development and increases flowering ability and bloom size. Then we have K or Potassium. It guards the plant against diseases and aids in drought protection and cold tolerance. It also serves a role in improving root development and helps in the process of photosynthesis.

Courtesy of Learn 2 Grow. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...ilizer&usg=AFQjCNH5o79kwHKQy_VgBzFFJEZ16CcuNw
 
Thanks for the compliments guys/gals! I am hooked to say the least!

Split - I have been pinching for some time now. I was hesitant to do it again, so I just let them go. We will see how they grow from here.

Carol - Good idea. I am going to pull the fruit off of the two smallest ones and see how they do. Maybe they will surpass the larger two.

AJ - I put the plants on slate for stability and to keep any pests out of the soil. This may have been paranoia, but somehow while indoors, some of them got ravaged with what I think were some sort of gnat or thrip larvae in the soil. They are sitting on mulch, so would letting roots grow out of the bottom (yes there are holes in the bottoms of the pots) into the mulch be OK (pH/nutrient pros/cons)?

Again, thanks! The small bit of success that I have seen so far can be credited to you kind folks and everything I have learned here.

Bing
 
Excellent job and nice setup! Very healthy plants also.

Have you tried one of those jalapenos yet? Are you going to let them go to red ripe or pick early?
 
Binganero said:
Split - I have been pinching for some time now. I was hesitant to do it again, so I just let them go. We will see how they grow from here.
Click to expand...

I do notice my first pods are my best..."-)
 
Binganero said:
AJ - I put the plants on slate for stability and to keep any pests out of the soil. This may have been paranoia, but somehow while indoors, some of them got ravaged with what I think were some sort of gnat or thrip larvae in the soil. They are sitting on mulch, so would letting roots grow out of the bottom (yes there are holes in the bottoms of the pots) into the mulch be OK (pH/nutrient pros/cons)?
Click to expand...

If it were me and I saw roots emerging from the pots, I would push the mulch back and sit the pots directly on the soil...mine were sitting directly on the grass last year and of course the grass died under the pots, but it was almost always moist down there...I think the roots were just seeking moisture...I didn't bother with the pH or anything 'cause I still watered/fertilized the container and what leaked out went to the roots that had grown out of the holes...

here is a pic of the 7 pots and scorpions that had roots growing out of the bottom of the pots last year...scorpions on the left and I am reaching into one of the 7 pot plants..this picture was taken on 22 August...by the end of the year, they were at least head high

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Update!!! OK... so it has been a few weeks. Here are some updated pictures and after I am done posting, I have a few questions that I was hoping to get some help with.

I picked a few runt habaneros and a single Long Red Cayenne that ripened early, but today was the first real harvest!

Here we go! NOTE: The white powder is diatomaceous earth... I have been battling earwigs and slugs with all the rain we have gotten.

First, my pepper corner.
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One of four orange habs.
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First officially ripe tabasco! Little, but has a kick!
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Almost-ripe Cayennes! I picked them anyway.
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