Four-Pepper False Start Glog

While I'm (successfully) growing plenty of herbs at the moment, the important stuff is obviously the peppers... and, since I'm pretty sure I baked the first set of seeds I attempted to germinate due to underestimating the power of my seedling heat mat after moving it into the grow tent, we're calling that a swing and a miss and moving on with Batch #2.
 
Tomorrow night they'll get the coffee-filter-in-a-baggie treatment and a hopefully-more-comfortable place in a lovely fluffy towel on the mat.

 

[internationalfish]

Glad you escaped any real wind damage, to too bad
here either, a few tree branches here and there.
 
Happy trails, 'Fish  Hope your plants survive
in your absence.

 
Thanks! I'm not too worried. The little guys are looking just fine on their fourth day; no one's even drooping.
 

From the above photo, I'd say the old rule of thumb
"green veins, yellow leaves" might apply. Means nutrient
deficiency, (perhaps N?)

I hadn't heard of this, and looking it up, I'm not sure whether it's the same. I grabbed a few pictures of the alma that's showing it the most; do you think this could be nitrogen deficiency?
 

 

 

 

 
It's no problem for me to up the fertilizer in my watering mix if this seems like a nutrient deficiency. Thank you for the input!

 

[CaneDog]

Hey iFish.  That's what it looks like.  You have some general minor deficiencies going on, which I figured your next nute dose would take care of.  Looking at post #97, the generalized chlorosis on the bigger older leaves (upper shelf top left and right) is nitrogen and the interveinal Chlorosis (upper shelf top middle and lower right) is Magnesium.  Upper shelf has a little heat or water stress happening too.  Lower shelf is rocking it out of the park.

 

[PaulG]

What are you feeding them now?  You don't want
to wind up over-feeding.  Sometimes if a plant has
a few yellow leaves, I just cut them off. Quite often
the problem doesn't go any farther.  Since these are
recent transplants, it might be a little adjustment to
their new growing conditions.

 

[internationalfish]

Hey iFish.  That's what it looks like.  You have some general minor deficiencies going on, which I figured your next nute dose would take care of.  Looking at post #97, the generalized chlorosis on the bigger older leaves (upper shelf top left and right) is nitrogen and the interveinal Chlorosis (upper shelf top middle and lower right) is Magnesium.  Upper shelf has a little heat or water stress happening too.  Lower shelf is rocking it out of the park.

 
OK. So it sounds like I just need to up the dosage a bit; I've already raised the light and opened up the vent further to cool it down a little in there.
 

What are you feeding them now?  You don't want
to wind up over-feeding.  Sometimes if a plant has
a few yellow leaves, I just cut them off. Quite often
the problem doesn't go any farther.  Since these are
recent transplants, it might be a little adjustment to
their new growing conditions.

 
I use, I believe, a 6/10/5 fertilizer (because that's what my wife already had a bunch of, and for some reason the local places don't seem to carry even-ratio fertilizers), plus a cal/mag supplement. This isn't a new issue; they were doing this before the transplant, so I think it's likely to be something I'm doing or not doing rather than just stress from that.

 

[CaneDog]

I think Paul's point is a really good one - just because the plant is deficient it doesn't necessarily mean the soil is - and it sounds like what you're talking about is a gradual increase, nothing drastic.  They look a little dry - did they get dry while you were in Korea?  Dehydration can exacerbate deficiencies.  So can damage to the root hairs and such during transplant.  Also, if they get a bit dry be sure to water them with a little plain water first and give them time to soak some up before fertilizing.  7-9-5 Dyna-gro Grow is super close to your numbers and I've used it at times with fine results.  I also use CalMag+ regularly.  Bottom line is I think you've been doing the right things so I'd just be careful to move slowly with fine-tuning things and watching for the feedback.

 

[PaulG]

 
OK. So it sounds like I just need to up the dosage a bit; I've already raised the light and opened up the vent further to cool it down a little in there.
 I use, I believe, a 6/10/5 fertilizer (because that's what my wife already had a bunch of, and for some reason the local places don't seem to carry even-ratio fertilizers)

You might try to find a fertilizer with more Nitrogen (the first number). Alaska Fish Fertilizer (5-1-1) is good. When my plants are young I give them fish fert only. At the point when they start to get larger, I begin adding some of their Mor-Bloom (0-10-10) product to the fish fertilizer. Many commercial products have similar routines.

 

[internationalfish]

I think Paul's point is a really good one - just because the plant is deficient it doesn't necessarily mean the soil is - and it sounds like what you're talking about is a gradual increase, nothing drastic.  They look a little dry - did they get dry while you were in Korea?  Dehydration can exacerbate deficiencies.  So can damage to the root hairs and such during transplant.  Also, if they get a bit dry be sure to water them with a little plain water first and give them time to soak some up before fertilizing.  7-9-5 Dyna-gro Grow is super close to your numbers and I've used it at times with fine results.  I also use CalMag+ regularly.  Bottom line is I think you've been doing the right things so I'd just be careful to move slowly with fine-tuning things and watching for the feedback.

 
OK, understood. No, there was no watering at all while we were away.
 

You might try to find a fertilizer with more Nitrogen (the first number). Alaska Fish Fertilizer (5-1-1) is good. When my plants are young I give them fish fert only. At the point when they start to get larger, I begin adding some of their Mor-Bloom (0-10-10) product to the fish fertilizer. Many commercial products have similar routines.

 
I'll definitely look, but my options seem to be really limited. I tried ordering the actual brand-name CalMag from the US only to have it stopped on the way out by US customs, and Japan... doesn't seem to have a lot of options. If I had room to grow outdoors, I'd be in the perfect place to fertilize with high-quality fish and seaweed products, but I'm about 3% of the way to being able to afford a significant outdoor gardening space anywhere close to Tokyo.
 
Nothing is dying, and it's not like these plants have been growing in a consistent environment, so I'm not going to change anything too rapidly. I'll go with slightly higher fertilizer concentrations (and more nitrogen if at all possible [edit: and the water-only pre-feeding, thanks, CD]), and after I get back in January and they get potted down, I should have plenty of time to observe them on a reasonable schedule.
 
Really appreciate the feedback, guys.

 

[PaulG]

There was a grower on the forum a number of years
back (3/5King I think) who put a little fish in each grow
hole when he potted up.  Excellent source of nitrogen
as it breaks down. His plants were awesome.
 
You should be able to get some fish parts in Japan. Make
a hydrosolate tea with the fish parts, and you will have a
good food source for your plants.
 
Here's a how-to link. There is a lot of other info on the forum.

 

[internationalfish]

I've read that thread. It's really cool, but there's a lot more than just fish parts going on there... between the expense of gathering all that stuff and the likelihood that my office will end up smelling like Aquaman's nutsack, it's not something I've really considered doing.

 

[PaulG]

I've read that thread. It's really cool, but there's a lot more than just fish parts going on there... between the expense of gathering all that stuff and the likelihood that my office will end up smelling like Aquaman's nutsack, it's not something I've really considered doing.

I wouldn't go our and buy a bunch of stuff either.  
Maybe just try and DIY it with what's available.
 
Do you have any friends there who garden a little
to get advice from? they must deal with the same
issues, or have sources for something not so
expensive. Maybe someone who has a fish tank
and needs to swap out the water. Chicken manure?
 
Just some thoughts.  Just keep a steady course and
don't do anything too drastic by way of remediation.
Small steps and time are probably the best way to go,
like CD says.

 

[internationalfish]

I wouldn't go our and buy a bunch of stuff either.  
Maybe just try and DIY it with what's available.
 
Do you have any friends there who garden a little
to get advice from? they must deal with the same
issues, or have sources for something not so
expensive. Maybe someone who has a fish tank
and needs to swap out the water. Chicken manure?
 
Just some thoughts.  Just keep a steady course and
don't do anything too drastic by way of remediation.
Small steps and time are probably the best way to go,
like CD says.

 
Unfortunately, I don't know anyone else here who grows anything. Chicken manure, no way; if we were in Korea, it'd be perfect, because my wife's aunt actually keeps chickens (we had fried laid-this-morning eggs while we were there; holy crap, those were good). I think I might have friends with fishtanks; I'll ask around. Thanks again!
 
Upped the nute concentration a bit and watered today, so hopefully everyone will be happy.
 
I just potted my two devil's tongue white sprouts, they're looking good. Hopefully those do well; still nothing from the fish pepper seeds. If those just don't come up, I'm thinking I'll probably go with one of your recommendations and start either some datil or goronong.

 

[Robot Mode]

International Fish, probably wouldn't hurt to order a fertilizer with more N as I am sure you could find a sweet spot and keep it by switching or combining with your current fertilizer. They really are not looking like they need to much.
 
I am jealous that you are able to get your Devils tongue white to germinate because mine is still on the heat pad.
 
Also inst cutting up a fish for nutrients inhuman as a fellow fish yourself?

 

[PaulG]

Upped the nute concentration a bit and watered today, so hopefully everyone will be happy.
 
I just potted my two devil's tongue white sprouts, they're looking good. Hopefully those do well; still nothing from the fish pepper seeds. If those just don't come up, I'm thinking I'll probably go with one of your recommendations and start either some datil or goronong.

I think that your plants will be fine.
They were prolly just a bit hungry.
Lean and mean - that's the ticket!  
 

Also inst cutting up a fish for nutrients inhuman as a fellow fish yourself?

 
I didn't mean to be non-pc 

 

[internationalfish]

International Fish, probably wouldn't hurt to order a fertilizer with more N as I am sure you could find a sweet spot and keep it by switching or combining with your current fertilizer. They really are not looking like they need to much.
 
I am jealous that you are able to get your Devils tongue white to germinate because mine is still on the heat pad.

Yeah, hopefully I can find a more even fertilizer.

The devil's tongue white sprouted without issue for me. Are you watching the temp carefully?
 

I think that your plants will be fine.
They were prolly just a bit hungry.
Lean and mean - that's the ticket!

Yeah, they seem fine. And the almas are budding like CRAZY.
 

Also inst cutting up a fish for nutrients inhuman as a fellow fish yourself?

That's fair, yeah. But after Grandpa Jaws (RIP) swam into our gene pool, my branch of the family tree got a little more... cutthroat.

 

[internationalfish]

In the best internet forum spirit of Pics or BS, a couple little clusters of alma buds.
 

 
Also found some 6-6-6 fertilizer to replace the current stuff with.

 

[CaneDog]

New nutes, sweet!  They'll be growing like the Devil soon!

 

[internationalfish]

New nutes, sweet!  They'll be growing like the Devil soon!

 
The dad joke is strong with this one. I approve. 

 

[internationalfish]

Back from a rather mixed experience in Thailand. Not a place I'm planning on going back to, but I guess at least I have another Asian country under my belt.

The peppers did really well. I did end up getting a little mold in a couple places, as the measures I took to keep the little ones hydrated worked better than I actually wanted.

The choco habs kept bushing up very nicely, and the alma paprika are still budding -- and now flowering -- like pollen is going out of style. I have a couple of redeliveries scheduled over the next few hours, and hopefully one of them is a set of two-gallon bags to move these into.

These devil's tongues were below the soil when I left, but had sprouted... I was 50/50 on whether they'd just wilt and die, but they came out looking great.

The ghost continues to grow like a perfectly normal plant, while the UFO continues to act like the freaking alien it clearly is.

The CGN 21500s also just keep going and looking great. Nice little set of shrubs; can't wait to get them potted up and see how well they produce over the next few months.

These lemon drops are kind of doofy. They don't seem to be doing badly, just... doofily.
 
So that's where we're at. Of the two fish pepper seeds I had germinating, one seems to have either entirely or almost entirely stagnated while I was gone, and the other never did get going. My patent-pending Water Longevity Measures also resulted in lower tent temps, which I should have realized but didn't, so we'll see if that little guy gets back on the horse or not over the next few days.

 

[CaneDog]

Welcome back iFish!  Looks like things held up well why you were away.  Those 21500's are looking great.

 

[Chilidude]

Most likely will try that coffee filter germination next season and them put them directly to coco coir once thet germinate.