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SgtPeppers' 2014 Reaper/Bhut Grow Log

Hello THP members!
 
This is actually my first post on THP forum. I hope everyone else is as excited to grow as I am this year because I am super pumped. Last season, I grew Bhut Jolokias for the first time and now I am addicted to super hots. I figured I would document this year's progress as a guide to new growers out there. Anyways, let me bring ya'll up to speed!
 
I begin germinating my seeds in early February. I'm considering starting them even earlier next season. Most plants sprouted within 10 days, but I had a few that just now germinated this week. I never give up on a stubborn seed; some take 40+ days to spring into action. My best success seems to stem from (no pun intended) the paper towel method. After the taproots emerge, I drop my seeds into solo cups containing my 'secret' potting mix.
 
Here is my grow box where all the magic happens (this photo was taken March 9th)
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Here are a couple pics of my strongest growers so far:
 
Bhut Jolokia: Began germination 6 weeks ago
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REAPER!!!!
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Very nice looking plants you got there.  It looks like they are doing well.  I do now really see the benefit of using lights.  Shorter, stouter plants with a fair amount of foliage.
 
obchili said:
Very nice looking plants you got there.  It looks like they are doing well.  I do now really see the benefit of using lights.  Shorter, stouter plants with a fair amount of foliage.
Thanks! And yes, I have noticed a huge difference with lights. I currently am using 5500K 60W CFLs, which equate to 300W of incandescent light per bulb. These bulbs sure are producing incredible results, at least compared to the window grow I started last year. I actually had to move my tomatoes because they were growing tooooo fast.
 
JoeFish said:
Cool setup and awesome plants. Welcome.
 
Thank you. Enjoy the journey!
 
Currently, there are 23 pepper plants, all making fantastic progress! A couple Bhut Jolokia plants were starting to become root bound so I transplanted them into larger pots and gave them a good watering. I took advantage of the warm weather and brought my overwintered Bhut Jolokia and Habanero plants outside for a little sun.
 
The Grow Box
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2 Bhuts Transplanted
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Overwintered Bhut 1
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Overwintered Bhut 2
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Overwintered Habanero
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Peppers love tomatoes (Indigo Rose)
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Hope everyone else is having a good start to their season!
 
Here's a good outlook so far: My larger overwintered Bhut Jolokia has over 100 flowers on it and its not even close to the outdoor season yet. This thing is ready to explode!!!
 
Time for another update! I had to transplant my first Reaper into a larger pot, as it was beginning to become root bound. Also, I decided to water all of my plants and seedlings with some epsom salt to give them a little something extra. The overwinter Bhut that had its top chopped off has bounced back extremely quick.
 
From left to right: Overwintered Bhut, 2 Bhuts (seeds planted 2/4), Reaper (seed planted 2/14)
 
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Here are my remaining seedlings in the other grow box
 
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Time for another update for everyone! I decided to experiment with pruning this year and I am trying a variety of techniques on pepper plants to see what sort of results I will get. I am using FIMing, topping, stripping, LST, or a combination of techniques to see what difference they make in terms of yields.
 
Below you can see about 5 days after I made my cuts. New growth has already begun!
 
Top Left: Reaper Stripped and Topped; Top Middle: Bhut Stripped and FIMed, Top Right: Bhut FIMed
Bottom Left: Bhut Stripped and Topped; Bottom Middle: Reaper No Pruning; Bottom Right: Reaper FIMed
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These will all be new branches
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Low Stress Trained 2nd year Hab. My aim is to open up the canopy for more light and twice as much volume
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2nd year Bhut trimmed after branching out from topping
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I forgot to take a picture of my huge 2nd year Bhut. It is starting to really fill in. SO MANY POD SITES.
 
Great start - i'm gonna be watching the training experiments.
 
Your overwinters look very healthy, lots of new and green growth.  What's the specs on your growing style - what type of soil are you using?
 
unk3390 said:
Great start - i'm gonna be watching the training experiments.
 
Your overwinters look very healthy, lots of new and green growth.  What's the specs on your growing style - what type of soil are you using?
Welcome to my grow log! As far as growing specs, here are the details:
 
Soil
I use a blend of peat moss, pink bark fines, earthworm castings, chicken manure, vermiculite, and perilite. I have my transplanted and overwintered containers mixed with blood meal and bone meal as well. Also, my overwintered peppers were potted in soil from the ground up until March, and then I repotted them with the mix from above. I'm considering experimenting with soil mixes next year!
 
Lights
All my overwintered plants are just getting light through the window in my living room (Maryland sun rays). The majority of my peppers are under 60W 5500K CFLs with fans and they seem to be doing awesome.
 
Other than that, I wait to water until the containers are super light (due to lack of water) or if the plants wilt slightly. Any other questions, feel free to inquire!!!
 
I am bored so I feel like making another post. This Bhut Jolokia below is what got me curious about all that pruning has to offer.
 
When it began to grow, it was putting out very strange leaves, dark, hard, and fragile. Honestly, it didnt even look like a pepper. So what did I do? I cut them all off. Then, something amazing happened. I am just fascinated by the two week transformation.
 
Here is the alien plant:
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This is after the 'haircut'
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2 weeks later, it has made some spectacular growth!
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This is a close up of its stem.
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I had an aphid infestation yesterday, but I got it all under control! I soaked my plants in the tub up to the base, washed the leaves and then sprayed them down with the following mix:
 
32oz water
1 tsp fish emulsion/ seaweed fertlizer
1 tsp epsom salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp castile soap
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
 
It smelled/ still smells terrible but I have not seen aphids in 24 hours!
 
All of my plants are growing strong and steady. So far, it appears that the stripped plants are the ones making the best progress. All the main stems are solid and they have developed some small branches already.
 
OH, and just as I planned, the LST Habanero is begining to fill in the middle section that was exposed. If this plant does fill out as much as I intend, it will probably require some staking to hold up all those peppers later this year!
 
Nice work on the aphids, I hope you got them all.  Looks like you've got some great plants going!  I got started late, but can't wait till the seedlings pop up :)
 
punchy said:
Nice work on the aphids, I hope you got them all.  Looks like you've got some great plants going!  I got started late, but can't wait till the seedlings pop up :)
 
Thank you! And this is about the time I started last year...plenty of time for a good harvest still.
 
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