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First Pepper Growing Attempt 2014

Hello
 
Decided to publicly post my attempts at growing peppers this year. Would appreciate any advice given.
 
So I am currently growing 
 
2 Aji Limons (one planted on the 27th February, the other on 4th March)
1 Numex Twilight (planted on 4th March)
1 7-Pot ( planted 4th March I think)
1 Bulgarian Carrot (planted 4th March)
1 Pumpkin Pepper (planted 27th February)
1 Habanero (planted 27th February)
1 Jamaican Hot Chocolate (planted 27th February)
1 Bhut Jolokia (planted 27th February)
1 Bird's Eye Pepper (planted 27th February)
1 Chimayo (which germinated but later found to have died due to damping off)
 
Habanero and Pumpkin Pepper were the first to hook which was on the 4th March. Aji Limon on 5th March. JHC and Bird's Eye on the 7th March. Bhut on the 8th March. Bulgarian carrot on the 9th March. Numex on 10th March. 7-pot on 14th March. 
 
Seeds were planted in potting mix.
"Seed & Potting Mix 
Seed & Potting Mix is a soil-less mixture used for raising seeds and striking cuttings. It is free from weed seeds and diseases and contains all the ingredients for fast and uniform germination and assures strong root development. It also contains vermiculite and peat moss to prevent drying out. Suitable for germinating all types of seed."
 
"Horti Soil
Is a natural product of humus which is made on the maturation by intense bacteria action of a mixture of Organic matter, peat moss, medium loam, and supplemented with Inorganic Superphosphate, Muriate of Potash, Limestone, essential trace elements and fungicide. It will improve soil structure, has higher water holding capacityand will supply adequate nutrients, auxins for promoting plant growth resulting in healthy and disease-free plants."
 
And repotted into my own mixture of 2 parts said potting mix, 3parts garden soil (horti soil mentioned above), 1/4 part zeolite and 1/3 part water. (once again, i do not have any experience at all and just winging it. >.< )
 
They were all put under 1 8W 6700k CFL light in a low tech self made grow box measuring 32cm x 22cm x 22cm (i know;its tiny) the moment they hook.
 

 

 
Then quickly repotted to individual cups once they sprouted. All survived the transplants.
 

BHUT (picture taken on the 25th March)
Messed up cots is again due to helmet head removal. I was worried as it looked to be stunted in growth and almost shrivelling. So i removed the helmet head and repotted to new soil. It was previously in a rectangular container with Pumpkin Pepper. Anyways, its doing well now. 
 

Aji Limon (picture taken on the 25th March)
 

7-Pot (picture taken on the 25th March)
This is put under clip-on reading lights which are LED and run on batteries. Did this because I had no more space in my growbox and also for experimental purposes.
 

JHC (picture taken on the 25th March)
Messed up cots are due to attempts at removing helmet head.
 

Pumpkin Pepper (picture taken on the 25th March)
 

Numex Twilight (picture taken on the 25th March)
 

Bulgarian Carrot (picture taken on the 25th March)
 

Habanero (picture taken on the 25th March)
 
I didnt include a picture of Bird's Eye because i ripped off both cots and new true leaf from trying to remove helmet head. So their existence is still currently in question. Seedlings were all placed 4 inches below the light. Some are showing purpling of stems but no purpling on leaves. I have read that they grow out of this. So we shall see.
 
Watering schedule: I am currently bottom watering them and the most recent watering was 2 days ago. I let them dry out (pumpkin pepper even went as far as to fold its leaves over each other) before watering. Also dig under the top layer to check for moisture.
 
As you can see, some are coming to a month from day of germination and while they are doing well i suppose ( apart from Aji with its curled down leaves), I am a little worried as to why they are taking so slow when other people's bhuts look so much bigger than mine at 21days.
 
So.. Are my worries justified? I do know that some of the hotter peppers take longer to grow. Do I need to be fertilising them already? As I have not done so because i figured the soil has enough nutrients already. I only have chicken dung, Seaweed Extract NPK 4-3-2+TE and NPK 21-21-21 foliar fertiliser at the moment. Keep in mind that we don't have access to any Home Depot and things are somewhat limited here. Also my cups are see-through. Do they need to be covered at the sides? Does that affect plant growth as I have read that roots wont grow so well if they are exposed to light or something along that line.
 
I hope I have covered every detail that you might need for your analysis. Thank you guys for your future input!
 
Kyox89, I found your post amusing. I myself mutilated a flower seedling today by trying to remove the seed helmet, so I fully understand the temptation to interfere. Good luck with your Bird's Eye's comeback.
 
Don't worry too much about slow top growth. It may look like not much is happening, but your seedlings are establishing decent roots and then they'll focus on growing leaves. You don't need to fertilise until after your seedlings get true leaves. See-through cups also aren't an issue. You'll repot or transplant before light exposure to roots become a problem. If you're worried and want to fiddle with your plants, you can always make wraps/covers for the clear cups.
 
I look forward to reading about your chilli growing experience. Enjoy the process, let nature take care of the details.
 
- Mandie
 
Hi mandie can i just say i love you for you reply! Totally put me at ease so now i can sleep peacefully. Its 1.30am here and i need to wake up at 6am! Yikes!

Thanks again!
 
Looks like you are off to a good start, at 61 my hands shake a little and I have broke off more helmet heads than care to mention, I have about 6 stems with no tops because of this in this years grow.
I use styrofoam cups rather than clear plastic as the soil that is exposed to light often will turn green from alge, but it won't hurt your plants if you do get it just give your plants some water with hydrogen peroxide in it and it will kill off the alge. The peroxide won't hurt the plants even at 3%. 
I would add another light at some point as it will help the plants grow bigger and more lush, as you will see what I mean when you look at other Glogs. I would not fertilize till after you get at least two sets of true leaves and then just use a little. I like to use fish and kelp liquid fertilizer as it has a lot of minerals in it and can be mixed with water and sprayed directly on the plants.
Will Your Plants be moved into large pots or a garden plot.?
 
Thank you Penny!

Wildseed57: I hope to be able to move the seedlings to large pots as I live in a flat which is an apartment I suppose, and dont have any plots of land. *cries* will cross the bridge when i get to it i suppose.
Kelp fertilisers are similar to seaweed extracts? The instruction says to mix with water and spray to plants.
And yes i was thinking of getting another light. Hopefully my parents wont kill me for it. Haha!

Thanks for the feedback guys! Learning so much every day.
 
I think the peppers are looking a little yellow?


Pumpkin pepper. And this guy's true leaf hasnt opened!


Numex twilight


Bulgarian carrot

All pictures were taken today. They do look abit yellow right? Should i start fertilising with diluted seaweed extract on the next watering?

P.S bird's eye is surprisingly still alive.
 
Not sure on the dosing with food, your plants are twice the size of mine :D Looking at the mix, I would think you have enough food for a few sets of leaves, if you do water anything in (so hard not to overmanage them hehe), 1/4 strength of the kelp should alleviate the need to mother them without overloading anything.
 
Looks like a good start though. Might have heat/airflow issues if that box is left closed for extended periods.
 
shoo-in. That's wicked.
 
miguelovic said:
Not sure on the dosing with food, your plants are twice the size of mine :D Looking at the mix, I would think you have enough food for a few sets of leaves, if you do water anything in (so hard not to overmanage them hehe), 1/4 strength of the kelp should alleviate the need to mother them without overloading anything.
 
Looks like a good start though. Might have heat/airflow issues if that box is left closed for extended periods.
 
shoo-in. That's wicked.
Thanks for the reply!
These are my biggest ones. The rest are small and green and slowly growing.
Oh i make sure to open the box when i leave for work and use a fan on them overnight as i cannot rely on my family members to help me with them. Haha.
 
So i was thinking.. I want to make the compost tea as i would like my plants to be as healthy and disease/insect resistant as possible. But i cannot possibly make as big a batch as most people are doing.
Can i maybe.. Brew it in like a big bottle? Using the same air pump and stone and socks. Possible right? Let me know what you guys think.
 
Hmm so.. They're all doing okay but growing slowly. The best looking one so far is the 7-pot. Its growing almost perfectly. But its place out on the balcony sill. Its not leggy. The leaves are green and the first true leaf is quickly growing bigger. So different from the ones getting the T5.

Can't shake off the feeling that Numex Twilight, Bulgarian Pepper and Pumpkin Pepper are having yellow leaves. Maybe i should start on diluted seaweed ferts.

Pumpkin Pepper is peculiar in that instead of growing a second true leaf at the same area as the first one, its growing the second leaf on the stem of the first leaf. Its cute though and i like uniqueness and progression.

Gonna have to do some gardening this weekend or maybe next week as i have a week of break from work! Hurray! Also managed to buy some more zeolites for mixing later on. Maybe i can transplant some tomatoes!
 
Kyox89 said:
So i was thinking.. I want to make the compost tea as i would like my plants to be as healthy and disease/insect resistant as possible. But i cannot possibly make as big a batch as most people are doing.
Can i maybe.. Brew it in like a big bottle? Using the same air pump and stone and socks. Possible right? Let me know what you guys think.
 
 
Hell yeah, you can brew it in an old milk jug if you want. So long as the proportions are correct, size doesnt matter (bwahahaha) and you can tone down most air pumps. I've brewed 1L batches before :D
 
miguelovic said:
 
 
Hell yeah, you can brew it in an old milk jug if you want. So long as the proportions are correct, size doesnt matter (bwahahaha) and you can tone down most air pumps. I've brewed 1L batches before :D
AWESOME!! Will definitely try it!!
Uhh.. Dyou have any measurements for when you made the 1L batch? I could use a guide. Thank you for your replies!!
 
Bulgarian carrot's leaves are start to fold so it means its thirsty. Decided to bite the bullet and give all of them a small dose of diluted seaweed extract.

Hoping all will be well. Will update again in a few hours.
 
Kyox89 said:
AWESOME!! Will definitely try it!!
Uhh.. Dyou have any measurements for when you made the 1L batch? I could use a guide. Thank you for your replies!!
 
Full Read credit Tim Wilson - MicrobeMan (Forum Handle)
 
Quick Recipe
 
2.38% EWC/Compost (24ml/L)
.5% Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses (5ml/L)
 
Optional
.063% Fish Hydrolysate (.63ml/L)
.25% Kelp and/or Alfalfa meal (2.5ml/L)
 
miguelovic said:
 
Full Read credit Tim Wilson - MicrobeMan (Forum Handle)
 
Quick Recipe
 
2.38% EWC/Compost (24ml/L)
.5% Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses (5ml/L)
 
Optional
.063% Fish Hydrolysate (.63ml/L)
.25% Kelp and/or Alfalfa meal (2.5ml/L)
Thank you!! Just collected some rain water earlier today. Will attempt it soon!
So...
This bugger has been like this since morning. I thought he was just thirsty so i gave them all a drink. But its been at least 9 hours and there hasnt been a difference. Kinda worried.
 
Peppers are new to me, but she looks a little over watered, I am sure someone else (experienced) could confirm or deny that :)
 
I dont think its over watering because i water them only when they look really dry. And even then i only let the water go up halfway. So i dont think its over watering unless a more knowledgeable person tells me otherwise.

Anyways.. I have since moved the bugger outside to the sill of my balcony. He seems to be doing better and i think is getting a bit greener. It might just be my overimagination.

Now my numex twilight true leaf is curling down. Kinda worried about that. Will keep an eye on it.

Also doing an experiment on my black princes. Repotted them into individual cups and placed one on the balcony sill and one in the grow box.

So far those on the balcony sill are doing alor better than those in the growbox. Sigh.
 
Kyox89 said:
It might just be my overimagination.
 
Oh yeah I've never done that.... :D
 
Plants love the natural light, the best grow lights are kind of like the best margarine. Is it really the best? :P
 
Don't mind me, I'm lurking here because our plants are in similar conditions/size.
 
miguelovic said:
 
Don't mind me, I'm lurking here because our plants are in similar conditions/size.
Oh its fine! Its good to have some feedback. We're new and we need all the help we can get! Haha. ;)
 
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