• Blog your pepper progress. The first image in your first post will be used to represent your Glog.

Mezo`s "super hots" Glog including the 'big' solar dehydrator.

The is thread with the humungous solar dehydrator. :D

solardehydrator3.jpg


G-Day, im Mez or Mezo & im new to this part of Australia having come from Perth (Western Australia) where growing chili peppers is so easy (except the heat).

I live in the border ranges in northern New South Wales (bordering Queensland) and its a mixed bag of temperate & tropical conditions, the summers are very hot, wet & humid, the winters are dry & sunny.



Average daily temps.

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And average monthly rainfall.

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Aussies reading this will already know this, but people in other country's probably paint a picture of Australia as a hot dry/dusty land but this is far from the truth, up north its full blown tropics with a wet season & 100% humidity (yuck). Down south its freezing cold & snow during winter, out west its a dry heat like in the Mediterranean & in the middle of Australia is desert country.

So im now growing for the first time "Super hots" and for a very important reason, whilst working away in Perth i had a double heart attack wich has left me permanently disabled, sadly they are unable to operate on me (bypass/stent) as its to far gone, so having worked all my life (Electrician) im now at the age of 45 claiming a disability pension & i hate not being able to work.

Now i take shovel fulls of dam tablets to keep my heart pumping & id rather not be taking any but right now there no option i have to take them or ill drop dead on the spot. After much reading i found out that cayenne powder has all sort of benefits to your health & well being, especially to your cardio vascular system. I had read that cayenne powder can stop a heart attack in its track & i put this to the test (twice) and yes it does work where the medication (Nitrolingual) had no effect.

So anyone reading this who spots a friend having a heart attack just flick some chili powder in a glass of water as fast as you can & get them to drink in right down, fast. It works within 30 seconds of drinking it & it saved me from two more attacks already.

So there's my life story in a nutshell & some sound advice on how to save a heart attack victims life.
And this ladies & gentlymen is why im growing "Super Hots" to make high heat cayenne powder for cooking to improve my circulation/remove fats & as a "just in case of emergency"

OK on with the first of my "Hots" the Bhut Jolokia, the reason i chose this was simple i just Googled "whats the hottest chili" and up popped the result, however further reading on the interweb i found threads from this forum & names like the Butch T, the Douglah & Brain Strain.

So ive ordered them from pepperlover.com after so many people gave such great reviews, Bhut in the meantime lets look at my Jolokia`s.

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Bhut6.jpg


Must admit i just love the shape & color of these babies.
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More soon,

Mezo.
 
[sup]oh man-thanks for that pod porn.....AWESOME! I just might have to borrow one of those shots for a screen saver. I meant to comment on the screen-I do the same- keeps the ants from setting up shop, and ranching aphids for the most part. I think the real barrier to avocadoes here is they don't like wet feet, and 12"down we sit on hard clay.[/sup]

Yep Avo`s like a well draining soil, so clay would not be good for the roots.

Great update Mezo! Your dehydrator is working overtime for you! I have to get sprayed in the face with pepper spray every year to stay "certified" to carry it...still don't understand that requirement, once in enough for anyone to remember the experience for the rest of their life.

Now that is a stupid requirement, that stuff is whey more powerful than a Bhut Jolokia, it gave me a pain in my chest when it happened (heart) im guessing it was adrenalin surging & that was the cause, i had blurred vision in my left eye for most of the day.

Mezo.
 
Quick update, im about a third my way through potting & have chewed through almost nine 35ltr bags of potting mix. :shocked:

It doesn't look like ive done anything when you see the pics, Bhut trust me there's a shit load of work gone in to this.

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pottingup9.jpg


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Ive only got half a bag of mix left & hundreds of plants to pot up.

Mezo.
 
Whilst i was slicing one of these babies one squirted in to my eye. :fireball:

I ripped of my gloves & quickly poured some Olive oil in to my hand in straight in to my burning eye, it works,,
says Mezo with one eye shut typing away. :fireball:

Holy crap! Need to grab a pair of lab specs :mouthonfire:

Glad the seeds made it to you. Let me know how you get on with germination.

Ben.
 
Let me know how you get on with germination.

I will be doing yours shortly Ben, im just waiting on Davids lot to spring in to life.

Yeah that stuff in your eye, bit like a lemon that squirts you only 100 times worse. :fireball:

Mezo.
 
Well ive used up all my potting mix, almost nine bags gone (i said that yesterday i know but im still amazed) so here`s the shocked smiley again. :shocked:

Some good news with Davids seedlings, two of the "Super Scorps" have started to sprout. :party:

So twiddling me thumbs & late this arvo (afternoon) i decided to bung some of Ben`s Hungarian Cherrie`s or is it Cherry`s? on to jiffy`s & see how i go, lucky for me Ben sent a shit load so i first put in around 24 & then thought of my cuz & doubled that to 48.

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Ive had an issue with holes in my plants? my firecrackers & now my Black Prince tomatoes, i found the culprits (many of them)

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And how small are these little buggers?

caterpillar2.jpg


So i traced them back to my Asparagus plants (160 of them) they are covered in them & now they have a taste for chilli.

So im not going to spray (waste of money) im just squishing them as i see them, the Asparagus is going to chopped back to ground level in a few weeks & the ferns are going on the compost pile (winter).

Mezo.
 
Well two of Davids "Super Scorps" have started to sprout,,,

superscorp1.jpg


superscorp2.jpg


But a few of the Jiffy`s have developed a case of measles?

spottyjiffy.jpg


Obviously its some kind of fungi, hard as hell & i im unable to scrape them off.

Might be due to the fact its been raining for almost two weeks, just the odd glimpse of the sun between clouds.
But hey ho there`s a good few days of sun starting on the weekend (much needed) for growing & drying.

weather1.jpg


Mezo.
 
Hey Mezo here's something that might be good for your bug problem

http://thehotpepper.com/topic/29158-got-aphids/#entry589516

I don't know how your setup is Oz so far as Starbucks are concerned but they give their used grounds, which is what you want according to the article at the link, away for free as Grounds For Gardens. When I made up my soil mix for my seeds I made 10% of the mix used coffee grounds and I haven't had a single bug on any of my seedlings. Oh, and they have been outside, exposed, the entire time. I also used the Coffee Juice he talkes about on the entire yard and it seems the bug zapper is having an easier year this year. Usually by now in Florida we'd be swatting at the Mosquito's and other pests but not so much this year. The plus here is that the coffee doesn't harm or deter the beneficial insects. Give it a read it's really quite interesting.

Cheers,
RM
 
Hey Mezo here's something that might be good for your bug problem

http://thehotpepper....ds/#entry589516

I don't know how your setup is Oz so far as Starbucks are concerned but they give their used grounds, which is what you want according to the article at the link, away for free as Grounds For Gardens. When I made up my soil mix for my seeds I made 10% of the mix used coffee grounds and I haven't had a single bug on any of my seedlings. Oh, and they have been outside, exposed, the entire time. I also used the Coffee Juice he talkes about on the entire yard and it seems the bug zapper is having an easier year this year. Usually by now in Florida we'd be swatting at the Mosquito's and other pests but not so much this year. The plus here is that the coffee doesn't harm or deter the beneficial insects. Give it a read it's really quite interesting.

Cheers,
RM

That is interesting, ive saved the PDF. There`s no Coffee shops around here though (country Australia) all the Cafe Latte lot are in the main city (2hrs away) but i can ask my mate to call in one & ask if they have any spare & try it.

I like the idea of the spray as well, i don't wan to go pouring chemicals on my plants for one its dam expensive & cannot be good for you in the long term.

Cheers, Mezo.
 
These "Super Scorps" are a strain that Alabama Jack has been improving for years. (IIRC), they started as seeds from Trinidad, and he has been growing them, and trying to improve upon them. In his words, he thinks they have some 7-pot in their ancestry...but they are hotter than the standard scorp. I have pods that just started turning red as of this week, so I'm looking forward to mid/late May!
 
OK, Mezo, your grow out is just fabulous, and you look mahvelous, dahling :D
Old and **cked is a status that takes effort to achieve, and should be worn
like a mantle of pride! GO, all you (us) old and **cked guys!

I am always fascinated by other folks' use of tools and making things from
left over materials. We humanoid life forms have opposable (green) thumbs
for a reason! You are a very creative and skilled guy, and have a great style
to your grow log; keep it up, bro! I won't wait so long to come back again!
 
Hey Mezo, What are these "Super Scorps" you're growing? Can't find any info on it.

Hey Sy, yep like me when i got them i was scratching my WTF? Super Scorps??

Like LunchBox says below, originally from Alabama Jack & are now spreading to all corners of the planet. :drooling:


I have pods that just started turning red as of this week, so I'm looking forward to mid/late May!

Be nice to see some pics of them.


OK, Mezo, your grow out is just fabulous, and you look mahvelous, dahling :D
Old and **cked is a status that takes effort to achieve, and should be worn
like a mantle of pride! GO, all you (us) old and **cked guys!

I am always fascinated by other folks' use of tools and making things from
left over materials. We humanoid life forms have opposable (green) thumbs
for a reason! You are a very creative and skilled guy, and have a great style
to your grow log; keep it up, bro! I won't wait so long to come back again!

Thanks Paul, it has aged me for sure (heart attack) i was once a strong tradesman but now i feel 70 yrs old.
Main problem i have is getting through to people my condition, i hear so many times "Well you look OK"

Im hoping i can make a return to some form of work part time at least, but its not going to be anything so physical like my old profession, my doctor did warn me "find another career as your chosen one will kill you" he said as he checked my blood pressure 260/155 (beat that anyone).

A nice big lotto win would be handy right now, as it would for most people around the world living through this time.

Mezo.
 
Lunchbox: Thanks for the Super Scorp info - I might hit you up for some seeds for next season.

Mezo: The Lotto win would be nice & You will get that chunk of land with Mt Chilli Pepper!!!
 
Mezo: The Lotto win would be nice & You will get that chunk of land with Mt Chilli Pepper!!!

We was just driving in to the property after the weekly shop, i sighed & looked up that mountain (still for sale Sy) and said "Ahh yes Mt Chilli Pepper" its got a nice ring to it eh guys, id have one of them big ol signs like on the Hollywood hills.

So i spent one dollar on a ticket for Tuesdays OZ Lotto (70 million) it wouldn't change me in the fact id still be growing chilli`s (a lot more though) & id still be tossing around restoring old motorbikes, may be tempted by a Bugatti Veyron though. :party:

Wake up Mez (slap slap) stop dreaming

M.
 
Well its been a busy Sunday for me, went to pot some hab's & thought where am i going to put them?
Winters knocking on the door so i decided now is the time to tidy up the tent & move everything inside.

So first thing i cleaned everything out, all the leftover crap from building the dyer & stuff that was in my road.

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bigmove3.jpg


My Asparagus (160 of them) had a swift haircut ready for winter, they were full of caterpillars anyhow & was jumping on to the other plants.

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Then came the big move of all the plants inside (except the nine big Bhut Jolokia's)

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And there (on the left) are Conor's Black Prince toms now 400mm high.

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And here's what's next for potting, Hab's, Wiri Wiri, Piri Piri, Most Prolific, plus the rest of the super hots on the potting bench.

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At least now im organized & have space for the next lot of potted up plants, there's no way i could have shifted this lot in a hurry. And that was my worry if they forecast a frost id never be able to move this amount quickly (not in my condition)

So happy, but knackered out.

Mezo.
 
Wow, you have a ton of room in that tent! By Winter's end you won't be able to walk in there with all the huge plants! Soon it will be time for the OZ growers to look at our plants with some envy! Not quite yet...but soon! Your grow is always a fun one to check in on, and I have a feeling you're one of the few that'll continue to impress even through the Winter. Can't wait to see what contraption you'll come up with next! You remind me of a few other tinkerers on here. I know you've seen Paul G...but Check out Spicy Chicken...unfortunately he lost his entire grow this season. Tragic, lost 4000+ plants to a late unpredicted frost followed by a wind storm that destroyed his temporary shelter...but it you surf through some of his build threads and previous grows his tricks/videos are amazing. I think you'll get a kick out of them.

Shane
 
Wow, you have a ton of room in that tent! By Winter's end you won't be able to walk in there with all the huge plants! Soon it will be time for the OZ growers to look at our plants with some envy! Not quite yet...but soon! Your grow is always a fun one to check in on, and I have a feeling you're one of the few that'll continue to impress even through the Winter. Can't wait to see what contraption you'll come up with next! You remind me of a few other tinkerers on here. I know you've seen Paul G...but Check out Spicy Chicken...unfortunately he lost his entire grow this season. Tragic, lost 4000+ plants to a late unpredicted frost followed by a wind storm that destroyed his temporary shelter...but it you surf through some of his build threads and previous grows his tricks/videos are amazing. I think you'll get a kick out of them.

Shane

Hey Shane,

Yep im always nosing on Paul`s thread & have read Spicy`s builds with envy, that loss must have been just recent ill have to catch up on his threads, i love his rooms he made more like an office than a potting shed, he even has the same tractor as us.

One of the things i like about spicy`s grow was the raised beds made out of polypipe all in rows, if only i had the money to do that set up, ive got the skills & the space.

And frost, well that was a concern of mine also & is why i decided to put everything inside the tent until spring. There may be no frost at all this year but im not prepared to take the gamble on it.

These wedding marquee`s make fantastic greenhouses (just by fluke) and they are so cheap when you compare how much for a mini plastic greenhouse & how much area you get & it diffuses the bright sun just enough to be able to grow without the need for shade cloth.

Mezo.
 
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