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first time growing: trinidad scropions

kyle11rex

kyle11rex

Hey all, this is my first time growing hot peppers, so why not start with one of the hottest?
My setup is nothing extraordinary, so be easy on me.

Was going to make a complete enclosure, but this is what I ended up with..
Still planning on covering the top and sides:
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Anyway, this was 11 days in, taken days ago:
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When I get home tonight, I'll upload some new pics.
 
Just an idea for you if ya want a easy way to insulate and keep the light in lowes and home depot sell this double sided aluminum bubble wrap type stuff works wonders with the PVC piping it's like 20$ for a 4' x 25' roll

From my iphone
 
Be careful not to get those lights too close. If I recall they do a great job, but can get pretty hot.
 
I'll have to look into the bubble wrap, but for now I'm using space blankets since I already have it.
As far as the lights go, my plants are currently about 12 inches from the light and seem to be doing fine.
These bulbs actually don't throw off much heat.

I've been giving them about 15 hours of light a day, is that too much or too little?
And I usually spray them down with a water bottle in the morning and evening, should I be giving them more water?

this is how they look as of 2 days ago:
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You can give them 24 hrs of light for the first 3-5 weeks or so.

Be careful you don't give them too much water once they get going.. Chinense like it dry.

You probably want to move your lights a little closer to them as well. I have the same lights, and my Chinense seem to do well with the lights about 4-6" away.
 
Yeah the bowls can be found at any major home improvement store, got mine at Home Depot for like $8

Read around yesterday about these plants (which I should have done in the very beginning)
Someone tell me if I got this right:
This strain likes a warm and dry environment and can go days without being watered?
That being said, I cut a few holes at the bottom of the cups for more drainage.

And for the first 4-5 weeks, I can keep them under direct light 24/7?
These bulbs are only 100w equiv, so I'm thinking about adding a 3rd.

Anyway, here's a few pictures from yesterday.
The scrops made a few friends:

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And we seem to be doing well, green, sturdy and growing really fast
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View of the garden in the backyard which my brother threw together, should be a very veggie summer!
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Thanks for all the kind words and advice!
 
Watering: will depend on your local weather conditions (i.e. humidity), but when I have mine in those little party cups I water them maybe once every 5 days. Sometimes more, but often less. The plants will let you know when they need water.. they will start to wilt and look droopy. It's better to err on the side of underwatering than overwatering. An underwatered plant recovers very quickly, an overwatered plant is much more problematic.

Light: That's plenty of light for just 5 plants. And yes. Keep light on them 24/7 until you are ready to start giving them some natural light.
 
Buy an automatic timer, it will do wonders. Yes for now you can go 24/7 with the lights. Like said, once they are 3-6 weeks oldish, set the timer to run 16 hours on and 8 hours off. Plants need a "sleep" time to properly do their thing.

What are you using for grow media? Coco coir?
 
i read in the "Complete Chile Pepper Book" that growing the plants too far from there indoor light source can make them tall and spindly. pages 121 and 122. Those lights you are using look like they might burn up your plants though if they are too close together. I'm using cheap shop lights with 16$ fluorescent tubes that i picked up at a hydro store here in Colorado. (the stores are every where out here) I have my plants almost touching the bulbs. I'm about to invest in a Sunleaves Pioneer VIII bloom 8 tube fluorescent light fixture. When it's time to bloom i have a 1000 w light with a metal halide to hps conversion bulb. Most people grow marijuana in this stae with a grow room i however grow chiles. I thank the guy who lived in my house before me for putting up such a nice grow room in my attic. I'm very lucky. I just pray i can get the temps right to grow my chiles.
 
Right now the dirt I'm using is still the stuff that came with the starting kit, they were little cubes that expanded when water is added.
I also mixed some earthworm castings in with it.

Just picked this up today: 420w equiv
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I know it's such a beast! Uses 105w. 6500k at 5800 lumnes.

So I just spent the last 3 hours finishing up the enclosure (happy birthday to me!)
Hope you guys like it:

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And here are the second set of leaves coming in!
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