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Texas Indoor Grow (First Time Growing)

Hey guys.
 
I'm brand new to the field of pepper growing. My brother and I live together and we're both big pepper guys and love hot, spicy food. The idea just sort of came to me one day to grow our own peppers, and it all just sort of stuck. 
 
In all honestly I've been looking for a hobby after my recent divorce and this one just sort of stuck with me. I've grown some basil in the past but wasn't very knowledgeable about growing plants (hurr durr, just water it and it grows). I did my research this time, looked up advice from indoor growers, and started my search for all the right stuff I'd need.
 
I love tending to my plants, but I gotta be honest guys, they don't look too hot (pun not intended). I'll give you the rundown on when I started up and the specifics of my peppers.
 
I ordered these varieties from TomatoGrowers.com, which some other pepper growers used. 
 
  • Rocotillo
  • Bhut Jolokia
  • Red Thick Cayenne
  • Caribbean Red
  • Cajun Belle
Here are others I got from the generosity of my fellow pepper heads:
  • Gold Cayenne
  • Orange Thai
  • Fresno
  • Jamaican Hot Chocolate
  • Chocolate Scotch Bonnet
  • PDN x Bhut
  • Red Savina
  • Tepin x Lemon Drop
  • Yellow Fatali
  • Chocolate Habanero
  • Sweet Rocoto
  • Chocolate Brain Strain
The company also threw in some free tomato seeds for a purchase over $20, so I got some Red Rose Tomatoes growing as well. I live in an apartment, and we have no way to keep plants outside. Thankfully we have a large sun room that gets both east and southern sun through large windows, and for a time it was my main spot for the peppers before the cloudy days set in. This is what the setup looks like at the present moment.
 
Let's talk soil composition - I have one part potting soil mix, one part coco peat, and almost a part vermiculite. Threw out the old mixture for various reasons. Right now I am rolling with an organic seed starting mix instead.
 
Fertilizer - I use a mixture of two parts bone meal, one part potash, and one part urea (though I've only fertilized today, the 27th).
 
Lighting - I have two 85W fluorescent bulbs lighting them from 6AM to 10PM, but after being advised this might not be enough light I ordered two 105W fluorescent bulbs. In the future I am thinking of experimenting with LEDs, namely the 10W dual ones I can find for a reasonable price on Amazon. 400W HPS bulb, purchased from our very own PexPeppers.
 
Here are the peppers in question:
 
Rocotillo
Bhut Jolokia
Red Thick Cayenne
Caribbean Red
Cajun Belle
Red Rose Tomato
 
When I first planted I put two seeds in each cup, but then after a week or so I decided to add a third cup with a single seed in the middle. I've been tracking germination processes and the like, and placed it all on this handy Google Docs spreadsheet anyone can view. As you can see, for the majority I planted them on October 7 and the first germinated and sprouted on the 13th.
 
So, let's look at our problem plants shall we? Here are some closeups of the offenders:
 
Rocotillo Closeup: This is the saddest of them all, the leaves small and curled up, very dark green / almost brown.
Bhut Jolokia Closeup: Small leaves, brown spots on them as you can tell.
Cayenne Closeup: Some variety in shape here - one droops down and the other springs up. The stunted one I had to shed some kind of cap off.
Caribbean Red Closeup: Not much going on here, they look pretty healthy to me although small for being the first ones to sprout.
Cajun Belle Closeup: Again, some browning on the edges of the leaves like the Bhut Jolokia.
Tomato Closeup: Stems are long, but have stunted, and the leaves not as full as before.
 
So far this has been my routine with watering the plants: water once every two or three days, checking for soil dampness as needed (sometimes I can go three days before they need water, other times only two). 
 
If you guys have any tips or advice for getting these sad puppies off the ground I would be very thankful - I am not super knowledgeable even though I feel as though I have done my homework. There is a ton, and I mean a ton, of conflicting information about growing peppers (indoors or outdoors), but I know everyone has their own successes and failures and know what works best for them. Ray from the Praxxus channel on YouTube has been a huge inspiration in getting starting with growing because of his friendly Mr. Rogers attitude and great advice. 
 
Let me know what you guys think, and I hope to keep cataloging this experience for a long, long time. If you'd like to see the entire album here it is!
 
Click to expand...
Finally got the home garden set up. Been waiting for this day for a long time.
 
C0LmKXn.jpg
 
Coup said:
Big update, guys!
 
First of all, how about a video?
 
Spot the Nutrient Deficiency!
 
Second of all, my mylar grow tent is all finished! Cleaned it up nicely, added some more supports, and she's ready to roll.
 
LMxVzuD.jpg

 
Y2eJgHn.jpg

 
Q6agq0t.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Honestly, thank you so much for this! I'm a newbie in this hobby (tried growing a bit a year or two ago but they all didn't thrive and ended up dying so I got discouraged and left) and your thread has really helped!

If I may ask, what are the temps like in the grow tent? And how much did it cost to all set up with the PVC tubing and such? I'm thinking about doing the same now (was going to use a small window sill near my bed, but there isn't that much space) and was wondering if you ever use natural sunlight at this stage? Also, do you think it would work with a Sunblaster linear light?

Thank you so much again!
 
InsectMan said:
 
Honestly, thank you so much for this! I'm a newbie in this hobby (tried growing a bit a year or two ago but they all didn't thrive and ended up dying so I got discouraged and left) and your thread has really helped!

If I may ask, what are the temps like in the grow tent? And how much did it cost to all set up with the PVC tubing and such? I'm thinking about doing the same now (was going to use a small window sill near my bed, but there isn't that much space) and was wondering if you ever use natural sunlight at this stage? Also, do you think it would work with a Sunblaster linear light?

Thank you so much again!
Click to expand...
 
Glad I could be of assistance, InsectMan! This thread certainly is a look at the growing pains of a new grower.
 
The PVC pipe is probably the cheapest part of the grow tent, and you can cut it however you like. I would use 3/4" instead of 1" since there is no need for them to be so thick, but really you can make the tent as large or small as you like - pipes are normally $3-5 for something like 20' of pipe, and the joints you can buy in packs of 4-6. The mylar was the most expensive, but I think I would have preferred to go along with Panda Film (which is also expensive!).
 
Temperatures got very high if the door was shot - in all honesty they would stay around 80-90 degrees, even with a fan blowing cool air into the room and the door cracked to allow this air exchange. I intend to try this setup again, but this time in a garage during the winter months where it stays much cooler (I moved into a house, which makes all the difference when it comes to growing stuff). 
 
If I were you, I would shoot for the more reserved setups some of the guys have on hand here - T5 light fixtures on wire shelving units. It keeps temperatures down, looks a lot less messy, and won't cost as much as an HPS bulb. You just can't start too early otherwise your plants will outgrow the light and become a hassle to try and keep alive. I was fortunate in that one of our own sold me a light fixture for a great price, and without it I would have been in a much tougher spot.
 
Post a question on the Growing Hot Peppers forum and ask for folks' opinions on optimal indoor grow setups. I'm sure there are a lot of things here I haven't addressed that they could!
 
Coup said:
 
Glad I could be of assistance, InsectMan! This thread certainly is a look at the growing pains of a new grower.
 
The PVC pipe is probably the cheapest part of the grow tent, and you can cut it however you like. I would use 3/4" instead of 1" since there is no need for them to be so thick, but really you can make the tent as large or small as you like - pipes are normally $3-5 for something like 20' of pipe, and the joints you can buy in packs of 4-6. The mylar was the most expensive, but I think I would have preferred to go along with Panda Film (which is also expensive!).
 
Temperatures got very high if the door was shot - in all honesty they would stay around 80-90 degrees, even with a fan blowing cool air into the room and the door cracked to allow this air exchange. I intend to try this setup again, but this time in a garage during the winter months where it stays much cooler (I moved into a house, which makes all the difference when it comes to growing stuff). 
 
If I were you, I would shoot for the more reserved setups some of the guys have on hand here - T9 light fixtures on wire shelving units. It keeps temperatures down, looks a lot less messy, and won't cost as much as an HPS bulb. You just can't start too early otherwise your plants will outgrow the light and become a hassle to try and keep alive. I was fortunate in that one of our own sold me a light fixture for a great price, and without it I would have been in a much tougher spot.
 
Post a question on the Growing Hot Peppers forum and ask for folks' opinions on optimal indoor grow setups. I'm sure there are a lot of things here I haven't addressed that they could!
Click to expand...
 
Especially one of a college student haha.

Do you think this one light would be okay?: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKKUD3Y/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza
Maybe that would help keep the temps. down, but I'm not if they would need more light that that. I was thinking of making the tent 3 ft x 2ft x 3 ft, do you think this would be good? As for starting too early, I was told to maybe top the plants once they hit 18 inches or so as they'll be indoor plants.

The shelving does sound like a good idea as well, but that would cost a bit more (lights for each shelf) and my apartment room is a bit small so I'm wondering how it would work.

And okay, thanks!
 
InsectMan said:
 
Especially one of a college student haha.

Do you think this one light would be okay?: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKKUD3Y/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza
Maybe that would help keep the temps. down, but I'm not if they would need more light that that. I was thinking of making the tent 3 ft x 2ft x 3 ft, do you think this would be good? As for starting too early, I was told to maybe top the plants once they hit 18 inches or so as they'll be indoor plants.

The shelving does sound like a good idea as well, but that would cost a bit more (lights for each shelf) and my apartment room is a bit small so I'm wondering how it would work.

And okay, thanks!
Click to expand...
 
In your case you gotta work with what you have available. You're probably better off having only a few plants and a skinny grow tent, but one where you could adjust it upwards as they grow. Better, in your case, to start small and learn what what you do grow and not make the mistake I did and over-do the number of plants under your care. I was getting frantic near the end of the winter months because I was quite literally out of space!
 
I know it's been ages since I posted, but the pepper op is still going on! I recently got a new job so I have been busy lately and haven't been visiting the pepper garden as much as I should. I finally got out there with my little brother and harvested another round, and damnit we have so many peppers now!
 
Here is a look at it from this morning:
 
[media]https://youtu.be/gGYQ_Gm4mLY[/media]
 
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