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Husker21 2013/2014 Glog Indoor/Outdoor

I have been meaning to keep better notes and records on what I have been messing around with.  This past spring/summer was my first year growing anything.  In July I saw the writing on the wall.  Winter would arrive soon enough and then I would be without pepper plants to keep me occupied until next spring.  So in July I germinate some giant chocolate hab and bhut jolokia indian carbon seeds.  A couple of months later I did the same with some aji limon and tobago seasoning.  
 
The goal is to produce some pods this winter and then have some kick ass mature plants to plant out in the spring of 2014.  All of these plants are potted up with Coast of Maine Potting Soil that I amended with perlite, bone meal, and some tomato-tone.  I am guessing the red pots are about 4 gallon each.  I think the blue ones are about 1 gallon.  I have a 2' UltraGrow fixture with some T5 bulbs.  In the fixture I have three 6500k and one 3000k bulb.  I am running the light on a timer from 6am to midnight.  I also hit them with a fan for a few hours every other day.
 
So far the bhut is kicking ass.  I am noticing a lot of flower drop though...  Need to keep an eye on it.  The choco hab went through some rough times.  I was getting leaf drop and some black spots on a lot of the leaves.  The choco hab also got an aggressive pruning that has since taught me to ease up on being all up in my plant's grills.  lol  Both plants were topped at some point.  The bhut also saw a little pruning.
 
A nice tight family photo (red pot on left is the choco hab, red pot on the right is the bhut, blue pot on the left is the aji limon, blue pot on the right is to tobago seasoning)
 
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Zoomed out to show the set up...
 
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Giant choco hab stem...
 
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Bhut stem...
 
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Bhut flowers and lots and lots more wanting to open on this plant...
 
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I had the light to close for a while too.  I had some bleached out looking leaves that I pruned off over time as the plants got more dense.

I hit these guys with some Neptune fish and seaweed ferts today.  This was their first watering/feeding since I potted these up 3 weeks ago!  I was shocked at how slowly the plants sucked up the water.
 
You might want to leave the fan on low all the time. It will move the air around which will strengthen the entire plant, keep mold away, and aid in pollination.
 
Where in CT? I was in Norwalk for several years.
 
PrimeTime said:
You might want to leave the fan on low all the time. It will move the air around which will strengthen the entire plant, keep mold away, and aid in pollination.
 
Where in CT? I was in Norwalk for several years.
I worked in Norwlk for 7 years right by the Merritt. Living up in Southbury now.
 
Nice work !
You should get some pods through the winter.
I'd install some reflective material to direct and also scatter the light. Bring the T5 close to the point of warm, not hot at the plants branch tips.

If your grow area is humid, you won't need to water much. The roots need air and less moisture. Leaving the fan on is also a good point.
Mine run 24/7 when my grow starts. I foliar feed early in the seedlings growth (after the 3rd true leaf sets). Always at the end of the light cycle, never ever at the beginning nor the duration of the light cycle. Leaf burn can result, especially with intense lights. Foliar feed lessons full plant burn that can easily happen with a heavy soil feed. Always dilute your nutes at least double the recommended dosage. Younger potted plants have tender roots bound up. Less will give you more in the long run.

Good luck with your indoor...it's encouraging for others to see. Especially those who are still in the planning stages...

Greg
 
Thanks PIC. I am looking into that black/white two sided paper to create a make shift enclosure/ tent. I think I heard it referred to as panda paper.
 
Heading to the hardware store to buy so e last odds and ends for the PVC enclosure I am building. I also need some mosquito dunks because these gnats are really passing me off and increasing!

I also need to keep trouble shooting my light. Hoping I don't have to return the thing.
 
So I did some troubleshooting with my light and it turns out the fixture was killing my bulbs in quick succession. 1000bulbers didn't hesitate and sent me a replacement. Great customer service. Replacement bulbs arrive tomorrow. I am limping along with just two bulbs left. It will be nice to swap out fixtures and a fresh set of bulbs tomorrow.

And those gnats.... I don't want to speak too soon, but I noticed a huge drop off in numbers. Last week I watered with half a mosquito dunk. I watered again yesterday with the other half. I also topped off all of my pots with a 1 to 1.5 inch layer of perlite to make it harder for the adults to burrow and lay eggs. Finally, I swapped out the 2 glue strips for new ones. So between the dunks, perlite, and strips I am only noticing a few gnats here or there.
 
Still seeing a gnat or two.  But the numbers are WAY down.  Pondering another dose of mosquito dunk just in case.  I have been in a squishing phase.  I knock on the side of my pots and wait to see where the little buggers are and then eradicate them.
 
The new fixture and bulbs is awesome.  The room I have them in can be cold at times.  I think running on 4 bulbs instead of limping along with two has made a huge difference.  Seeing some new growth and I finally think I set my first pod on the ghost!  Noticing almost no bud/flower drop since the lighting issue was resolved.  Now I just need to stop procrastinating and build my enclosure.  I think that will help get the temp in the grow area a bit higher and slow down the cooling off of the ambient air when the lights are off for 6 hours overnight.
 
On a sad note I pitched the tobago seasoning.  After I layered in the perlite to help dry out the top of the soil and keep the gnats from burrowing the lower leafs didn't react well.  I think once I pot up the aji limon I will only have enough space for three plants anyway.   
 
Husker21 said:
Still seeing a gnat or two.  But the numbers are WAY down.  Pondering another dose of mosquito dunk just in case.  I have been in a squishing phase.  I knock on the side of my pots and wait to see where the little buggers are and then eradicate them.
 
The new fixture and bulbs is awesome.  The room I have them in can be cold at times.  I think running on 4 bulbs instead of limping along with two has made a huge difference.  Seeing some new growth and I finally think I set my first pod on the ghost!  Noticing almost no bud/flower drop since the lighting issue was resolved.  Now I just need to stop procrastinating and build my enclosure.  I think that will help get the temp in the grow area a bit higher and slow down the cooling off of the ambient air when the lights are off for 6 hours overnight.
 
On a sad note I pitched the tobago seasoning.  After I layered in the perlite to help dry out the top of the soil and keep the gnats from burrowing the lower leafs didn't react well.  I think once I pot up the aji limon I will only have enough space for three plants anyway.   
 
Think they're fungus gnats? I had some luck removing the top 1/2" of soil from a couple of my pots and then replacing it with fresh, sterile soil.
 
Good luck! It'll be fun to see whether the OW's get you some nice pods. I'll be following along!
 
maximumcapsicum said:
 
Think they're fungus gnats? I had some luck removing the top 1/2" of soil from a couple of my pots and then replacing it with fresh, sterile soil.
 
Good luck! It'll be fun to see whether the OW's get you some nice pods. I'll be following along!
 
Thanks for the tip.  I was contemplating doing something with the soil.  I was going to buy a couple of bags of potting soil and nuke it somehow outside on the charcoal grill.  These plants have never been inside from seed to where they are at now.  So I dont think its aphids or something I brought in from outside.  I think the soil I bought was stored outside the nursery and had some fungal gnats already in it.  
I am hoping for some winter pods but if not, the goal was to have some healthy plants to plant out in the Spring.  I started these guys inside back in July.
 
Husker21 said:
 
Thanks for the tip.  I was contemplating doing something with the soil.  I was going to buy a couple of bags of potting soil and nuke it somehow outside on the charcoal grill.  These plants have never been inside from seed to where they are at now.  So I dont think its aphids or something I brought in from outside.  I think the soil I bought was stored outside the nursery and had some fungal gnats already in it.  
I am hoping for some winter pods but if not, the goal was to have some healthy plants to plant out in the Spring.  I started these guys inside back in July.
 
That's some very vigorous growth for indoor plants. Crazy. Great job man.
 
The gnats eat the fungus I believe, so if you can choke it out they'll die. Getting rid of the soil the fungus is eating worked on my end. Probably need more air flow and less crowding (on my end) as well.
 
Good luck!
 
Great indoor OW project.  Are the T5s HO or regular tubes?
Your plants look like they are loving it.  I deal with fungus gnats,
too.  I didn't realize that BT attacked fungus gnat larvae as well
as mosquito larvae.  I have some, I'll have to try it.  How much
of a dunk in a gallon of water?  Gotta work better than a sticky
trap, although those are pretty effective in a small enclosed space,
in my experience.
 
Good luck with your grow, Husker!
 
PaulG said:
Great indoor OW project.  Are the T5s HO or regular tubes?
Your plants look like they are loving it.  I deal with fungus gnats,
too.  I didn't realize that BT attacked fungus gnat larvae as well
as mosquito larvae.  I have some, I'll have to try it.  How much
of a dunk in a gallon of water?  Gotta work better than a sticky
trap, although those are pretty effective in a small enclosed space,
in my experience.
 
Good luck with your grow, Husker!
 
I have been doing 1/2 a dunk to a gallon of water.  I am using sticky traps as well.  I believe my bulbs are HO.  Here is a link to what I am using now in 6500 and 3000k.  https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/2359/FHO-24T5830ECOG.html
 
New DSLR looking good, plants looking great!
 
They are High Output (24W and ~2000 lumens), I'm using similar T5 bulbs on my grow as well. Same length, wattage, and color spectrum.
 
~Spork
 
Husker your plants have a pretty sturdy root zone. i'd set your pots in a deep tray of water when they need to hydrate. Keep the top inch or so as dry as possible. Move your light as close as tolerable. The Fungal Gnats are only a temporary nuisance. More so with young starter plants as the roots can be damaged and the plants will be set back and possibly stunted or.......death do them...part.
 
That's a cool looking flower on the Bhut...most of the time the flowers have a greenish tint.
 
PIC 1 said:
Husker your plants have a pretty sturdy root zone. i'd set your pots in a deep tray of water when they need to hydrate. Keep the top inch or so as dry as possible. Move your light as close as tolerable. The Fungal Gnats are only a temporary nuisance. More so with young starter plants as the roots can be damaged and the plants will be set back and possibly stunted or.......death do them...part.
 
That's a cool looking flower on the Bhut...most of the time the flowers have a greenish tint.
Thanks for the tip. That method you mentioned is considered bottom watering right?

That bhut is an Indian carbon. Not sure if that makes a difference in the colors that show up on the flower. I acquired the seeds from buddy who got the from pepperlover.
 
Your OW project is looking good Chris... great job! I used "Mosquito Bits" last year to control Fungus Gnats in my seedlings that transferred over from the plants my wife brought inside for the winter. Fans will help dry out the top layer of soil as well as strengthen the plant stems and keep fungal issues at bay. Your two largest plants are short and stout-looking, so you don't need the fan to strengthen them, but it's  just a good idea in general and the little ones will appreciate it. +1 on Greg's advice to bottom water, or for mature plants you could use something like these "plant nannies" that perk the water in slowly at root level.
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Bhuts are pretty picky about being warm, as are the rest of the superhots. If keeping your plants warm enough so the flowers stick is a problem, you could make an enclosure fairly cheaply with Gorilla Tape and three quarter inch styrene board with a reflective face on one side. The waste heat given off by your lights will be warming the inside of the enclosure so you don't have to plug in an additional heater... I tried that first last year, and the increase in the electric bill killed me!   http://thehotpepper.com/topic/35512-stickmans-2013-glog-time-to-pull-the-plug-on-2013/page-20#entry774488
 
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