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Stunted Bhut...

klyth

klyth

For those who recall - I had 17 of 18 Bhuts die in March from damping off. The one that survived is... Well... Here's a picture. He's the little guy.

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In this picture, the guys around him are about 1 1/2 weeks old. He was 5 weeks old. It's been 10 days since this picture was taken, and he looks exactly the same. The habs and jalapenos have their first real leaves now. He hasn't grown AT ALL in the past month. Anyone have any ideas? Or is this normal for a Bhut? He's the only one who survived, so this may very well be normal growth, I just have no point of comparison.
 
5 weeks? you should have little bush already.
The purple stems are telling me you have a good light source, so if I were you, I would probably make a little improvised reservoir hydroponic system in a cup or something. you know, just to nurse him.
 
I don't have a reason why but if it is 5 weeks old (not since seed planting) it looks stunted to me...and I have not recommendation either...may have been root damaged when the other ones damped off...
 
AlabamaJack said:
I don't have a reason why but if it is 5 weeks old (not since seed planting) it looks stunted to me...and I have not recommendation either...may have been root damaged when the other ones damped off...
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Yeah, he's actually 5 weeks old since he sprouted - 8 weeks since planting. I've actually thought root damage also. Will the root repair itself, do you think? Or is it just dying slowly? Should I use some of that stuff I've seen people talk about to help root growth? I dont remember what it's called...

Omri said:
5 weeks? you should have little bush already.
The purple stems are telling me you have a good light source, so if I were you, I would probably make a little improvised reservoir hydroponic system in a cup or something. you know, just to nurse him.
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:) At is stands, I'm stretched for room. These are growing in my basement in a homemade box. Altering my set up at this point isn't an option unless it's cheap as free, and doesn't take up any more space. Plus, this is my first time growing ANYTHING. I don't have a clue about hydro set ups, anyway.

rainbowberry said:
I often find the hotter ones grow the slowest. He looks quite moist.
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I try to keep them moist, and I bottom water. And everyone else is doing OK. I could just be impatient, but it seems like he's just not growing!

Thankfully, I bought some more Bhut and Naga seeds, and I have those going now - but I've planted them very late for my region, and they haven't sprouted (it's only been 10 days). So all my eggs aren't in 1 basket anymore, thankfully.
 
I've had plenty of tiddly (tiny AJ) ones that have done exactly the same and it's usually the ones from the same batch of seeds. I found for me it wasn't just the type of chilli after finding another source of seed. But I have to say the very hot ones have struggled and the worst thing I did was to over-water, I've killed so many thinking 'A little more water will make you grow'. All I succeeded in doing was having clumpy soil when it started drying out or a dead seedling that keeled over.
 
rainbowberry said:
I've had plenty of tiddly (tiny AJ) ones that have done exactly the same and it's usually the ones from the same batch of seeds. I found for me it wasn't just the type of chilli after finding another source of seed. But I have to say the very hot ones have struggled and the worst thing I did was to over-water, I've killed so many thinking 'A little more water will make you grow'. All I succeeded in doing was having clumpy soil when it started drying out or a dead seedling that keeled over.
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Well, I'll see how my Bhut and Nagas from the other source come up, and I'll just watch the little tiddly guy... Maybe he's prepping for a growth spurt! ;)
 
klyth, what's the potting soil it's in, have you fertilized, and if so, with what?

I know it's the same as the others, and they're doing fine. However, if this is a "special needs" plant, knowing what it has already had can help us figure out what would work best to get its growing groove on.
 
Pam said:
klyth, what's the potting soil it's in, have you fertilized, and if so, with what?

I know it's the same as the others, and they're doing fine. However, if this is a "special needs" plant, knowing what it has already had can help us figure out what would work best to get its growing groove on.
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Hah... Good question. Not to complicate the answer, but to be as accurate as possible here goes:

Seeds were started in Miracle Gro Organic Soil (apparently fertilizer free) and peat pots.
After about a month, they were changed to plastic cups, and were put into organic 50/50 compost/peat soil.
I've fertilized ONCE (the day of the transplant) with Seaweed Magic at 1/2 strength.

Thats it!
 
I say go with the nursing hydro cup idea. give him clear water for a few days to "clean the system" of any possible "stuff" you don't want him to have, and then start with root hormones.
As soon as he's (not it's) big and healthy enough, get him back to dirt.
 
go to Walmart and get some "Superthrive" and see if that helps would be my recommendation...maybe it just needs some vitamins because it is a frail child...I say Walmart because I saw it there last week and won't have to order any more off the net...
 
rainbowberry said:
I often find the hotter ones grow the slowest. He looks quite moist.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. My Tepins (hottest I've got) are the smallest & slowest to sprout. Even my Orange & Gold Bullet Habs are tiny compared to my Bells & other more mild plants.

And it does look guite wet, IMO, from the pic.
 
Ok, was it Miracle Grow Organic Potting Soil, or Organic Choice Garden Soil?

They both say:
"Delivers twice the growth of ordinary potting soil naturally! Contains both starting and slow-release fertilizer which feeds for up to 3 months."

No NPK ratio I could find right off the bat.


So, the little thing is sitting in fertilized soil, and usually Miracle Grow is high nitrogen, so it's getting fed. AJ's suggestion of adding some Superthrive to the water might help.

See, this is why I hate these fertilizer added potting mixes. It's difficult to know if adding anything with cause toxicity problems or not.
 
The same happened to me. One of my plants didn't grow a bit for weeks after sprouting. I decided not to give up on it and after weeks of hiatus it started growing.

It looked very much like yours, so I decided to transplant it into new soil. It's still slow, but it's growing.
 
I would repot them and watch how much water you give them as Rainbowberry said too much water is bad .
I have found that too much watering in this stage will cause damping off and it is not a bad idea to have a fan on them to keep them dry.
 
AlabamaJack said:
go to Walmart and get some "Superthrive" and see if that helps would be my recommendation...maybe it just needs some vitamins because it is a frail child...I say Walmart because I saw it there last week and won't have to order any more off the net...
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Ok, I'll look for it...

Poisonette said:
I agree with this. My Tepins (hottest I've got) are the smallest & slowest to sprout. Even my Orange & Gold Bullet Habs are tiny compared to my Bells & other more mild plants.

And it does look guite wet, IMO, from the pic.
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It's possible I took the picture after watering. Rest assured, I let them dry out quite a bit between waterings... Maybe too much - the soil actually starts to solidify, it gets so hard that it takes 20+ minutes to absorb water... *shrug*

Pam said:
Ok, was it Miracle Grow Organic Potting Soil, or Organic Choice Garden Soil?

They both say:
"Delivers twice the growth of ordinary potting soil naturally! Contains both starting and slow-release fertilizer which feeds for up to 3 months."

No NPK ratio I could find right off the bat.


So, the little thing is sitting in fertilized soil, and usually Miracle Grow is high nitrogen, so it's getting fed. AJ's suggestion of adding some Superthrive to the water might help.

See, this is why I hate these fertilizer added potting mixes. It's difficult to know if adding anything with cause toxicity problems or not.
Click to expand...

It was Miracle Grow Organic Potting Soil. Not Organic Choice. When I bought the soil in February, no green-houses or anything were open, so I was limited in choices. It was the only one I could find that was: 1. Organic, and 2. Didn't have the NPK ratios (so I assumed it was not fertilized). But you're right. It does say "Delivers twice the growth of ordinary potting soil naturally! Contains both starting and slow-release fertilizer which feeds for up to 3 months," so there's SOMETHING in there...

I'll try to find the Superthrive...

Chiliac said:
The same happened to me. One of my plants didn't grow a bit for weeks after sprouting. I decided not to give up on it and after weeks of hiatus it started growing.

It looked very much like yours, so I decided to transplant it into new soil. It's still slow, but it's growing.
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I'm certainly not ready to pull it up, so I'm just trying to be patient, too... It SEEMS healthy, it's just not growing!

shayneyasinski said:
I would repot them and watch how much water you give them as Rainbowberry said too much water is bad .
I have found that too much watering in this stage will cause damping off and it is not a bad idea to have a fan on them to keep them dry.
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Repot again? To what purpose? There is a fan on them - as much as possible. They're very sheltered by the lights.
 
klyth said:
Repot again? To what purpose? There is a fan on them - as much as possible. They're very sheltered by the lights.
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If I have a plant or plants that are not growing or seem stunted I repot them but in your case they may just need a bit of time .
I just threw out a thousand better boy tomatoes cause they were leggy and who has time to repot them.
 
shayneyasinski said:
If I have a plant or plants that are not growing or seem stunted I repot them but in your case they may just need a bit of time .
I just threw out a thousand better boy tomatoes cause they were leggy and who has time to repot them.
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Hahah :) Well, this is my ONLY growing Bhut :) So you'll forgive me my obsession with making sure he's ok...
 
I would go with the superthrive and wait the lil guy out. Remember big things come in small packages. That lil joker probaly grow the best when it gets a lil sunshine maybe if you could put it out on the window sill for a few hours a day it may pick up a lil just a guess
 
I also have a couple that are like that. They are 8 weeks old...and have yet to put on the second set of leaves. I planted the seeds in cactus mix and had poor germination. Every single bhut I started in peat pellets germinated and grew very nicely and easily surpased the ones that were started in the cactus mix. My guess it is the soil it was started in.
 
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