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First Pepper Growing Attempt 2014

Hello
 
Decided to publicly post my attempts at growing peppers this year. Would appreciate any advice given.
 
So I am currently growing 
 
2 Aji Limons (one planted on the 27th February, the other on 4th March)
1 Numex Twilight (planted on 4th March)
1 7-Pot ( planted 4th March I think)
1 Bulgarian Carrot (planted 4th March)
1 Pumpkin Pepper (planted 27th February)
1 Habanero (planted 27th February)
1 Jamaican Hot Chocolate (planted 27th February)
1 Bhut Jolokia (planted 27th February)
1 Bird's Eye Pepper (planted 27th February)
1 Chimayo (which germinated but later found to have died due to damping off)
 
Habanero and Pumpkin Pepper were the first to hook which was on the 4th March. Aji Limon on 5th March. JHC and Bird's Eye on the 7th March. Bhut on the 8th March. Bulgarian carrot on the 9th March. Numex on 10th March. 7-pot on 14th March. 
 
Seeds were planted in potting mix.
"Seed & Potting Mix 
Seed & Potting Mix is a soil-less mixture used for raising seeds and striking cuttings. It is free from weed seeds and diseases and contains all the ingredients for fast and uniform germination and assures strong root development. It also contains vermiculite and peat moss to prevent drying out. Suitable for germinating all types of seed."
 
"Horti Soil
Is a natural product of humus which is made on the maturation by intense bacteria action of a mixture of Organic matter, peat moss, medium loam, and supplemented with Inorganic Superphosphate, Muriate of Potash, Limestone, essential trace elements and fungicide. It will improve soil structure, has higher water holding capacityand will supply adequate nutrients, auxins for promoting plant growth resulting in healthy and disease-free plants."
 
And repotted into my own mixture of 2 parts said potting mix, 3parts garden soil (horti soil mentioned above), 1/4 part zeolite and 1/3 part water. (once again, i do not have any experience at all and just winging it. >.< )
 
They were all put under 1 8W 6700k CFL light in a low tech self made grow box measuring 32cm x 22cm x 22cm (i know;its tiny) the moment they hook.
 

 

 
Then quickly repotted to individual cups once they sprouted. All survived the transplants.
 

BHUT (picture taken on the 25th March)
Messed up cots is again due to helmet head removal. I was worried as it looked to be stunted in growth and almost shrivelling. So i removed the helmet head and repotted to new soil. It was previously in a rectangular container with Pumpkin Pepper. Anyways, its doing well now. 
 

Aji Limon (picture taken on the 25th March)
 

7-Pot (picture taken on the 25th March)
This is put under clip-on reading lights which are LED and run on batteries. Did this because I had no more space in my growbox and also for experimental purposes.
 

JHC (picture taken on the 25th March)
Messed up cots are due to attempts at removing helmet head.
 

Pumpkin Pepper (picture taken on the 25th March)
 

Numex Twilight (picture taken on the 25th March)
 

Bulgarian Carrot (picture taken on the 25th March)
 

Habanero (picture taken on the 25th March)
 
I didnt include a picture of Bird's Eye because i ripped off both cots and new true leaf from trying to remove helmet head. So their existence is still currently in question. Seedlings were all placed 4 inches below the light. Some are showing purpling of stems but no purpling on leaves. I have read that they grow out of this. So we shall see.
 
Watering schedule: I am currently bottom watering them and the most recent watering was 2 days ago. I let them dry out (pumpkin pepper even went as far as to fold its leaves over each other) before watering. Also dig under the top layer to check for moisture.
 
As you can see, some are coming to a month from day of germination and while they are doing well i suppose ( apart from Aji with its curled down leaves), I am a little worried as to why they are taking so slow when other people's bhuts look so much bigger than mine at 21days.
 
So.. Are my worries justified? I do know that some of the hotter peppers take longer to grow. Do I need to be fertilising them already? As I have not done so because i figured the soil has enough nutrients already. I only have chicken dung, Seaweed Extract NPK 4-3-2+TE and NPK 21-21-21 foliar fertiliser at the moment. Keep in mind that we don't have access to any Home Depot and things are somewhat limited here. Also my cups are see-through. Do they need to be covered at the sides? Does that affect plant growth as I have read that roots wont grow so well if they are exposed to light or something along that line.
 
I hope I have covered every detail that you might need for your analysis. Thank you guys for your future input!
 
Click to expand...
Also try using bottled spring water for the first few months.
 
Dasani: pH 5.6
Dasani water also comes from public water sources rather than natural aquifers, but after filtration, Dasani is more taste-focused. The water has a few additives such as magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, and trace amounts of sodium minerals. The pH of this water was approximately 5.6.
Arrowhead Spring Water: pH 6.8
Arrowhead is sourced from multiple springs around the United States, so the pH could vary. For this particular test it measured slightly below neutral pH at 6.8.
 
Also note if you add nutes to the water it will lower it...you may need to start with a 7.5 water.
 
My Aji Limon with the leaf problem is getting worse. The stem is getting limp and leaf turning grey. I checked the underside and found nothing.

So i did what heefy suggested and tipped the plant out. Soil was crumbly but still had abit of moisture.





Also took a picture of the root system.



Also will use dasani in the future because it is readily available here. Thanks dreamweaver!
 
I'm afraid that numex twilight might have gotten infected by the same leaf thing. But its only been there recently. Unless its just trying to get rid of te cotys. Now i'm worried. Sigh
Dreamweaver said:
Also try using bottled spring water for the first few months.
 
Dasani: pH 5.6
Dasani water also comes from public water sources rather than natural aquifers, but after filtration, Dasani is more taste-focused. The water has a few additives such as magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, and trace amounts of sodium minerals. The pH of this water was approximately 5.6.
Arrowhead Spring Water: pH 6.8
Arrowhead is sourced from multiple springs around the United States, so the pH could vary. For this particular test it measured slightly below neutral pH at 6.8.
 
Also note if you add nutes to the water it will lower it...you may need to start with a 7.5 water.
Click to expand...
Actually.. Why do i have to use bottled water if you dont mind me asking?
Could it be... Early blight? >.<
 
Ugh that poor plant looks like it's on it's last breath. Roots look GREAT... which makes me think you have a nitrogen deficiency.
 
I normally wouldn't give tiny sprouts any nutrients but in this case I might break that rule and give them a shot of liquid fertlizer diluted 50% from what the instructions call for. Go for something high in nitrogen, 8-4-4, 12-8-8, etc. 
 
Sry to here that...they are very fragile for the first month or so.
 
You might want to try some sort of hydro to get them to the transplant age.
 
Let me help you out here.  First problem I notice is the clear cups.  Wrap them in some duct tape so the roots aren't getting any light.  You are really babying these tiny seedlings.  Yellowing usually occurs from over watering.  You really shouldn't need any nutes at this time.  Let your soil mix dry out almost completely before adding any type of moisture.  PH'd water isn't exactly necessary for soil and soil-less grows.  They are geared more towards Hydroponic grows.    
 
What kind of nutes are in your mix if there is any at all?  N-P-K? 
 
What are your temps outside?
 
Are all your seedlings outside or still under the light you have?
 
Help me understand what your doing and what has been done so I can further help you.  I can't take all the advice being thrown at you.
 
Jamison said:
Let me help you out here.  First problem I notice is the clear cups.  Wrap them in some duct tape so the roots aren't getting any light.  You are really babying these tiny seedlings.  Yellowing usually occurs from over watering.  You really shouldn't need any nutes at this time.  Let your soil mix dry out almost completely before adding any type of moisture.  PH'd water isn't exactly necessary for soil and soil-less grows.  They are geared more towards Hydroponic grows.    
 
What kind of nutes are in your mix if there is any at all?  N-P-K? 
 
What are your temps outside?
 
Are all your seedlings outside or still under the light you have?
 
Help me understand what your doing and what has been done so I can further help you.  I can't take all the advice being thrown at you.
Click to expand...
Will tape the cups up soon. I did ask whether i needed to and those who replied said i didnt need to so i didnt.

I do not think that i am overwatering and i make sure to check the mix has dried out before i water. In fact my bird's eye died because i didnt water enough.

There are fertilizers in my mix but the NPKs were not stated.

Temps outside are between 30-32degrees C and temps inside the box are 31-32degrees C without the fan blowing in.

Most of them are outside. Some like my bhut, habanero and Jamaican Hot Chocolate are still inside. With one black prince.
 
Possibly sun burnt if outside in that heat at that early stage, in my opinion, I put my larger seedlings in full sun at much less heat and they curled up readying to die so took them back inside in a controlled environment and are now thriving... its hard to know exactly in your situation so I m just guessing.:(
 
rory said:
Possibly sun burnt if outside in that heat at that early stage, in my opinion, I put my larger seedlings in full sun at much less heat and they curled up readying to die so took them back inside in a controlled environment and are now thriving... its hard to know exactly in your situation so I m just guessing.:(
Click to expand...
It could be? But.. The numex twilight that is affected by it also, is still hanging on. Maybe cos i foliar sprayed it with diluted seaweed extract. I'm just thankful its surviving.

The rest of the peppers outside are doing well. They're starting to snap out of the stalled growth stage and putting out new leaves. Very excited about that.
 
Just would like say that almost all the peppers and tomatoes i have outside have snapped out of the stalling phase and putting out new growths. Exciting stuff.

Faith restored.
 
Ah ha! Good to hear :)
 
I ran into the same problem hehe, up-potted and am trying to source a more neutral potting soil :P
 
So... Habanero's cotys just wilted on me. They were yellow for a while but suddenly wilted today. But it has (or rather has been having for a really long while) new growth that has not gotten bigger. Just a tiny sprout. Puzzled about that. Sigh.

The only thing i like to look at in my God forsaken grow box is.. My bhut. Its not showing any obvious sign of growing. But its not showing any sign of dying either. Its just green and small happily sitting there.

My black prince is just looking sad and down. Not very prince-like at all.

JHC has that one true leaf and a tiny growth that is not getting bigger. Cotys both gone. Its still surviving i guess. Sigh.
Also... How difficult is it just to get jalapeno seeds?! Good grief! They dont sell fresh jalapenos here and i cant find anyone on amazon to sell me some seeds. Ugh!

Tomato seeds too! I got excited looking at the flame and cherokee purple and tigerella seeds but when i wanted to check out my purchase.. It says item cant be shipped to my address! Ughhhh!!
 
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