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Dragon49's 2019 Grow Log

I started to sow a month ago and finally have something to show for it.  Here is the story before I get to the pictures:
 
Back in 2014, I got to enjoy the exquisite flavor and perfect heat of a Pimenta de Neyde x Bhut Jolokia - F6 Open Pollinated. I saved some seeds and grew it out the following year.  I only grew one plant, but it grew true and produced 220 pods in a 5 gallon bucket.  I had some pods tested and they came in at 158,400 SHU.   Excellent heat, but far from deadly and a perfect compliment to the sweetness.  I saved those seeds, but took a four-year break from growing from seeds.  The cool thing about that plant is that it grew literally right next to a Yellow 7 Pot and I'm welcoming a cross.  I labeled seeds from different pods with different batch numbers, so I can keep track of what grows true and what crosses.  
 
I neither have a lot of room to grow, nor resources to isolate, so I'm only growing one plant this year.  Worried about the viability of my four-old seeds (stored well, except for climate control) I initially tried to sprout 14 - 9 in soil and 5 with the wet paper towel method.  After nearly three weeks - almost nothing!  Some tails popped up, but I planted them prematurely and the baby roots shriveled up and died.  I took some forum advice and soaked these and some other seeds in a (1/9) hydrogen peroxide to water solution for twenty-four hours, before returning them to a wet paper towel.  I checked nine days later and only one had sprouted, but it was a big, healthy root:
 
R4QACgN.jpg

 
After the initial transplant:
 
DH4Dor1.jpg

 
I got excited this morning when I saw evidence of phototropism and knew the transplant took:
 
wGvveKv.jpg

 
 
The plant now:
 
SVWlyQ2.jpg

 
 
When I came home from work, I found this had finally popped out after sitting in soil for along time:
 
k9zDZTK.jpg

 
 
I'm giving this one away, but will post pics while it remains in my possession.
 
 
 
 
Hey, Mark, your BJ x PdN is starting to look good!
IMG_1902.JPG

 
Correction to previous pic - seedling planted on 5/12.
 
I wish this damn thing would either grow or die, but it just tortures me in limbo!  I have a feeling that at the end of the season it will remain small and without pods, and I’ll have the dilemma of either having to kill it, or to take it home and be responsible for it.
 
EIrhokG.jpg

 
 
dragon49 said:
I wish this damn thing would either grow or die, but it just tortures me in limbo!  I have a feeling that at the end of the season it will remain small and without pods, and Ill have the dilemma of either having to kill it, or to take it home and be responsible for it.
 
EIrhokG.jpg

 
It looks great considering!

That is a lot of soil for it to fill with roots. Maybe
put it in a small container for awhile and feed
the roots.
 
PaulG said:
It looks great considering!

That is a lot of soil for it to fill with roots. Maybe
put it in a small container for awhile and feed
the roots.
I can't imagine I'm stunting the growth by giving the roots more room than they could possibly fill.  Perhaps there is some harm as maye the soil will not properly pack around the roots.  In any event, I'm not at the garden much and I'm not bothering family members to attend to it all, except to water if needed.
 
I am saddened to report that my Pepper plant has passed away.  
 
In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan illustrated how plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic needs, such as food and attractive surroundings.  We finalize the symbiosis by helping the plants reproduce.  I was trying to be part of the system, but I made some mistakes and a number of forces conspired against my goal.  I learned some things and will be back at it again.  I collect Chile Pepper seeds.  I have thousands from 147 varieties and at least one will be sure to grace the garden next year.
 
@PaulG - You are welcomed and encouraged to keep posting updates and pictures from the plant I sent you.
 
Thanks to everybody for all of the encouragement and support.
 
 
 
How old are the oldest you have? Do you have a way
of germinating the old seeds with more success?
 
Will miss your running commentary on the plant!
And will post a pic now and then!
 
PaulG said:
How old are the oldest you have? Do you have a way
of germinating the old seeds with more success?
 
Will miss your running commentary on the plant!
And will post a pic now and then!
My oldest seeds are either from either 2007 or 2008.  I'm less worried about germination, now that I learned the peroxide/water soak trick.  I also found this online, and am thinking about buying it:
 
https://monstergardens.com/super-seed-soak-kit.html
 
I called the company and really liked the rep that I spoke with.  He praised the product, but was honest and told me that old, crappy, brown seeds probably wouldn't sprout.  
 
I can afford new seeds, but it is so much more romantic to grow from my own collection.
 
Now that I remember how slowly the PDN X Bhuts grow, (and your pics confirm it) if I want to grow some out next season, I'll get them started before the spring.  For anything that I plan on growing out at the family garden, I need something that won't be too big to transport, so I'll have to keep that factor in mind.
 
I'm also thinking about a fun side idea for a mystery grow.  I have at least one Ziploc of seeds labeled "unknown."  I started that collection when I found seeds lying around that I had forgotten to store and label.  Later on, I made an informal policy to add at least one seed to the collection from every purchased seed pack and I also added some from my own pods.  It would be interesting to grow one out and either add it to my main 2020 GLOG, or a separate one.
 
The prospects of next year's successful grow has cheered me up!
 
I need to get to sleep now.  Good night.
 
Here is the BJ cross. The stalk crown is about 18
inches tall. The whole plant has to be pushing 36 inches.
36E06BCC-6A6B-4E0B-9763-4D1C547C7454.jpeg


Here is the canopy.
9F2053B2-FE63-4FA3-B094-EB05F7E8F014.jpeg


This is the slowest growing plant I have seen. The
flowers have been budding for a week or ten days
and none of them are beginning to open yet.
 
PaulG said:
Here is the BJ cross. The stalk crown is about 18
inches tall. The whole plant has to be pushing 36 inches.
attachicon.gif
36E06BCC-6A6B-4E0B-9763-4D1C547C7454.jpeg

Here is the canopy.
attachicon.gif
9F2053B2-FE63-4FA3-B094-EB05F7E8F014.jpeg

This is the slowest growing plant I have seen. The
flowers have been budding for a week or ten days
and none of them are beginning to open yet.
Ty,
 
I seem to remember that the parent plant also took forever to grow.  I hope the weather holds out in the PNW. :)
 
dragon49 said:
Ty,
 
I seem to remember that the parent plant also took forever to grow.  I hope the weather holds out in the PNW. :)
Yeah, and really long inter-nodal spaces

I measured today, stalk crown 17 inches,
total height 40 inches
 
The sibling of my dead Pimenta de Neyde x Bhut Jolokia (F8- probably stable if it didn’t cross) possibly crossed with a Yellow 7 Pot) is now 50 inches tall! It flowered nearly two months ago but has not produced any pods. Paulg who is taking care of it thinks it has a 50% chance of surviving the winter.
 
I just checked my old logs and see that this is a SLOW grower. Once the mother plant sprouted, it took 315 days to produce ripe pods!  At this consistent rate, the Pacific Northwest plant will not produce ripe pods until at least next March - probably not until a few months later, as I think it may need more sun and daylight.
 
Many thanks to Paulg for the picture and update, and most importantly for all of the care!
 
2QhxMrK.jpg
 
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