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CaneDog - Off-Season Season 2018/19

Thought I'd post a few pics of what I have going on indoors this off-season.  I used to do a winter indoor grow about every season, but this will be my first in a couple years now.  I went a bit over-board with the number of plants, as usual, but I've culled a few already and I have expansion room if needed.
 
I'm using a handy little extra walk-in closet to start things out. Keeps temp well and makes it easy to chill and work with the plants.
 
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Most everything's potted up into 1g Boxer Browns now.  Here's a few of this season's players.
 
Baha Goat
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Fatalii
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Bhut Jolokia White - topped it early on as it was already wanting to branch like crazy
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Butch T
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Kathumby starting to bud up
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And this guy is a 7 Pot White that sprouted late right up against another plant, so I yanked it out.  It had what seemed like only about 2mm of root still attached, but I stuck it in Kratky and it not only survived but seems fairly happy.
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CD
 
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Feels like lots of waiting right now.  I have a handful of varieties planted I'm anxious to see germinate, so that's probably why.
 
Have had good activity with the rocoto starts. Aji Largo, De Seda, GR Variant, Costa Rica Red (Pendant), Rojo San Camilla, and Large Yellow have all germinated - and most at or near 100%.  San Isidro has not (day 16!).
 
Currently ripe or showing color on pods are Tobago Scotch Bonnet (yellow), Bhut Jolokia Indian Carbon, Scotch Brain, Kathumby, and Baha Goat. It'll be time to harvest and save seeds on some soon.
 
Graft is starting to bloom, but not ready for pods yet.
 
That's about all I have right now.
 
I had a couple sprouts that were "extras" in containers with others, so I yanked them out of the dirt and stuck them in vials with water to develop roots.  I didn't cut the stems, instead I simply pulled them up getting a little bit of root with each seedling.  Neither had true leaves when I pulled them, just cotyledons, but they've done well.  Last time I moved a plant from kratky to dirt it suffered a pretty big setback, but it was well older. I'm hoping by moving these while they're still really young they'll transition better than the established plant did.
 
First one is a Jalapeno Zapotec.  I think it's been in water for 2 weeks.  I'll have to check whether I noted the date.
 
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The second one has a side story. I planted an Eximium 1491 and a Tovarii on Nov 7th. They were each on a marked side of the same solo cup, but as of about 10+/- days ago (about 10 weeks since planting the seeds) neither had sprouted.  So, I used the dirt in the solo cup to top off the pot on a larger pepper plant whose roots were getting exposed. I've used the dirt from cups with ungerminated seeds for potting up other plants before and I always get some sprouts as a result.  I thought I'd give it a shot here and see what happened.  Within about a week I saw a sprout in the container, which I plucked up and put in water. After another 4 days it has the beginning of true leaves and the roots look good enough to try a transplant, so here it goes.  Looks like it's the Tovarii that made it.
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Both are potted up now with a mix of starter mix and lightly amended soil.
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Baggie tent to keep the humidity high initially and I tucked them away with a little indirect light.  Hoping I moved them soon enough that they don't suffer shock from the transfer. This cut or pluck to kratky has worked quite well for getting extra seedlings out of a container without disturbing the seedling that will stay and from my experience, if I get a decent piece of root the seedling will surpass the one left in the soil.  Now I want to find out how well they can be quickly transitioned back to soil.
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Had a couple things I was experimenting with In January and I think both are over now.
 
The first, a seed germination experiment, appears to be a total bust - http://thehotpepper.com/topic/70211-canedog-off-season-season-201819/?p=1600995
 
I chose seeds of CGN 19198 that were new, but I hadn't germinated before thinking this wild variety would be a little slower to pop than many others providing more separation in the results.  I planted 2 other containers of the seed a day or two after starting the two pairs in the experiment, but nothing from any of the plantings has germinated in about 5 weeks. I chucked the experiment seeds because they didn't look great and were a pain to keep moist, but I'll keep the two plantings in starter mix a while longer to see if anything happens. I planted plenty of seeds after these that germinated in the interim, including a handful of slower wild varieties, so I'm leaning toward thinking the seed isn't particularly viable.  I probably try a variation of this experiment again in the future, but with modified parameters.
 
The other experimenting was as much a success as the first was a bust.  Basically, I tried cutting and pulling early sprouts out of the soil (where I had multiple seeds pop in the same solo cup) and transferring them to vials of water to grow roots before transferring them back to the soil.  Results were generally as expected, pulled seedlings with more/longer roots developed faster than less root material > cuttings with no root material cut farther below the crown > those cut nearer the crown. What was cool to learn was that even the one taken earliest (only just open cotyledons) and cut closest the crown, a Jalapeno Zapotec, survived and started to develop multiple roots by the 2 week mark.  This one was so young and small when cut and cut so close to the crown I didn't think it would make it (the cotelydons dropped and it looked pretty rough for a while) but here are the roots today. No pic of the leaves, but though small, they look green and healthy.
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The other thing that was cool to see was that when I planted 2 of these (both pulled, not cut, but I'm assuming that doesn't make a difference once they've rooted) back into soil, they adjusted quickly and showed no apparent shock from the move.  I kept baggies over them for 2 days, but now they're out and not at all wilting.
 
JZ - this one had the biggest roots when pulled and really took off with growth.
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Tovarii - this one had a decent piece of tap root when pulled up and the beginnings of two lateral roots, so a decent structure, but nothing great.  It had grown in much less than the JZ at the time of transplant.
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Anyhow, I guess my takeaway is that either pulling or cutting will work. Pulling and getting roots does better and grows faster than cutting them out, but also is more likely to disturb the roots of the seedling(s) still in the container. If they're transplanted to soil shortly after developing roots in the water they seem to take the transplant well, but I suspect the longer they're left in the water and the more foliage they have on transplant the more potential for shock and set-back there is.
 
Some other pics, because why not?
 
Rocoto De Seda.  These are from Fall 2018 seed from an OW rocoto I've had a few years now and really like.  I think it may not make it through this OW, so I started some ISO seed from a netted pod.  Was very impressed with how quickly they germinated and how solid the seedlings appear.
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My one Rhomboideum looks to be strengthening.  3 / 5 of these germinated very quickly (day 7 in dirt), but they were all very weak. Two immediately shriveled and died, but this one survived.  It's just a little bit wobbly-stemmed still, but getting stronger daily and looks like its making it.
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Lances popped 3/5 on day 13 and another on day 17 and were freaking tiny.  It's almost 3 weeks since the first 3 popped and they're starting to put on size.  I see some cupping on the two with the biggest leaves, which I'll want to think about.  These guys grow in the cloud forests, so my low humidity grow room this year probably isn't doing them any favors.
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That's it for now.  Lots of peppers ripe and getting close to harvest.  Just trying to give them plenty of time for the seeds to get in their best shape.
 
PaulG said:
Glad to see you had success rooting the cuttings, CD.
They all look great.
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Can't thank you enough for sharing that technique.  I would never have thought it worth the risk to try, but I haven't seen it fail even once - and I really pushed the envelope with that last little one. Who know, maybe I'll start to get competent with bigger cuttings now too.  :rolleyes:
 
Ghost Pepper Revolution said:
I agree with Paul, its good to see cuttings success cuz I had a hard time last year and none rooted.
Congrats canedog
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Thanks man.  I've had a hard time with pepper cuttings myself and I'd like to have a method to do them consistently. I think the seedlings likely have more of a hormone concentration to get the job done consistently that the older ones.
 
HI CD..Very  happy to see all the progress ....more so the Wilds "taking  root"  that's  is fantastic...you know  the feeling  when those start popping,
half the battle won...I am almost there with my grow list..have a few I'm really excited about.
2 years ago rooted a piece that  broke off a Lanceolatum  plant & glad  I did as  the Mother plant did not make it.
Con't success with all the seedlings/plants as they  get to adult stage.
 
As Paul  rightly says "Every Pod a Victory! :onfire: 
 
wiriwiri said:
HI CD..Very  happy to see all the progress ....more so the Wilds "taking  root"  that's  is fantastic...you know  the feeling  when those start popping,
half the battle won...I am almost there with my grow list..have a few I'm really excited about.
2 years ago rooted a piece that  broke off a Lanceolatum  plant & glad  I did as  the Mother plant did not make it.
Con't success with all the seedlings/plants as they  get to adult stage.
 
As Paul  rightly says "Every Pod a Victory! :onfire:
Click to expand...
 

Thanks wiriwiri!  Hope your grow list fully pans out for you this season.  Well-said by Paul and at this time of year with things still waiting to germinate every sprout can seem like a victory! 
 
Lots of interesting talk about grafting happening right now so I figured it's as good a time as any for an update on the CFG21500 + 7 Pot White wedge graft.  That it's now setting fruit on the scion and starting to flower on the rootstock doesn't hurt either!
 
First pic is a whole-plant shot.  Still quite small.  Was under T5HO for most of its life, but moved under an HLG100 for the last maybe 10 days.  Both do a pretty good job of keeping the growth compact. I'll be happy to get this guy out under the natural sun soon and see how it develops.
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This one a little tilted to show the amount of blossoming and fruit set coming from the scion.
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And here showing that the CGN21500 rootstock is getting into gear too and starting to open flowers.
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Finally, a bit closer view of the graft point and lignification.
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Feeling pretty good about how this one is doing and looking forward to seeing the peppers develop.
 
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