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OCD 2017!!!

Well it's 2017. Finally! Last year was a success, as far as the ground plants were concerned. Virgin, clay ground. My Chinese got smacked by hail twice! No room for error with those. Out of 12 plants I got ONE BBG. First and only. That variety is cursed. Tried for the past 3 years and some sort of calimity happens.

This year I decided to try 21+ different varieties of the BBG. I have 9 Reaper crosses. 21 and counting other varieties. I built a hoophouse and some COB led's. Planning on getting them outside in March sometime. That might be a delusion, beings I'm in Colorado. We shall see. There is only a few varieties that I've grown before. The rest are all new. I'm planning on isolating most of them.

Just started some Lemon Drops for Throwdown Growdown. I will wait a couple weeks before I start the others. Everything needs to be in order before I germinate. No turning back at that point. I want two plants from most varieties. Plants need to be woody by ground day. That's the only way I have a chance at success with late maturity varieties. If I have extras, I'll give away to my friends of THP.

My list is growing, but not much. Here is some of the varieties that made the cut.

Naga BBG (Red)
Chocolate BBG
Orange BBG (ISO)
BBG x PDN
Tobago Treasure x BBG
Red Gum Tiger Mamp
BBG Peach Ghost Jami
BBG Cluster
BBG Yellow (large)
BBG Scorpion
Aji Jobito x BBG
Red Gum Nagabrain Tiger Mamp
Peach Bhut BBG
BBG Apocalypse
Bhutla x BBG
Srtsl x BBG
7pot Lava Chocolate x BBG
Bleeding Borg9
Tommy Gum
Orange Naga BBG
Peach Naga BBG

Reaper x Red Mayan Habanero
Reaper x Yellow Scorpion
Reaper x Purple Bhut
Reaper x Pimenta
Reaper x Peach Bhut
Naga Reaper
Brainstrain x Reaper
Sepia Reaper x Neyde
ButchT x Reaper

Congo x ButchT
Peach Ghost Scorpion x Primo
Apocalypse Scorpion
Black Bhutlah Scorpion
Primo
Chocolate Primo
Baby Morich
Scorpion XXX (Holiday)
Fidalgo Roxa x Grao De Bode
Nagabon
BOC (Gary)
Andy's King BOC
Bhut Peach
Jigsaw x Habanero
Giant Trinidad Scorpion (Randy)
Taba Naga
Perfect red Bhut (Rick)
Fatalii Gourmet Jigsaw (Jukka)
Scotch Brain (ISO)
Naga Brain Yellow
Rocato (Chinese) (Jukka)

3Way Caribbean Red
4Way Caribbean Red
Foodarama
Sicman's Mystery (Red, Purple Spots) (Jason)
SB7J (UFO) (Justin)
Venezuela Tiger x SRTSL
Mustard Moruga Brain
Black Panther
Aji Lemondrop
Aji Pineapple
Aji Amarillo
Sadabahar
Chi-Chien
Goats Weed


Thanks for stopping by. Wish you all the best of luck in 2017.
 
Just got back from town. Picked up some vents for the hoophouse. I hope this works. Temps still to high. I'm going to suspend shade cloth over the house next year, instead of on the house. It wouldn't be bad if there was no plastic, but it heats up so much. On a good note, I've only found maybe 3 grasshoppers this season. Hundreds outside the house, in the yard.
 

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OCD Chilehead said:
It will be awhile before I get some real pods. I've incorporated the 40 or so 4in pots into the grow. Just fertilized them this morning. They'll take more watering and nutes, but it's still fun. I have a half a flat of about 30-40 cell plants. I just keep spraying them with water. The grasshoppers have been munching in them. Better them than the other bigger plants. LOL! Sacrifice to the hopper gods.
That's a great idea because they definitely munch on my little 4 inch pots. But I don't want to move them too close to the garden just in case. That's awesome that the house keeps the hoppers at bay. I've certainly had my struggle with pests this year. Nice looking vents! I sure hope those work out for you. I'm sure you'll see an improvement...the air movement is a plus for strengthening the plants. Fantastic!
 
Bhuter said:
That's a great idea because they definitely munch on my little 4 inch pots. But I don't want to move them too close to the garden just in case. That's awesome that the house keeps the hoppers at bay. I've certainly had my struggle with pests this year. Nice looking vents! I sure hope those work out for you. I'm sure you'll see an improvement...the air movement is a plus for strengthening the plants. Fantastic!
Thanks Adam!

That's the only pests I have. So, one less thing to worry about.

I'll have pods sooner or later. I'll get a heater for October-November if I have to. They have air circulation and they move a lot, just not like the natural gusts. It can't hurt to add the vents. I can block them off when it gets colder.
 
Chuck you hang in there.You took on a project that needed a grow to go thru it before adjustments could be made.I don't think ferts are your problem podding up as much as controlling those temps.I think the plants use the temps to trigger everything they do.Like Rick did say if you do ferts I follier spray mine every 2-3 weeks top and under leaves with fish emulsion.
 
randyp said:
Chuck you hang in there.You took on a project that needed a grow to go thru it before adjustments could be made.I don't think ferts are your problem podding up as much as controlling those temps.I think the plants use the temps to trigger everything they do.Like Rick did say if you do ferts I follier spray mine every 2-3 weeks top and under leaves with fish emulsion.
Thanks Randy. I don't think I have any real problems other than heat. The plants look fantastic. If anything maybe to much Nitrogen. Don't know for sure though. I never burned them, but they did get dark green a few weeks back. I've been foliar feeding for awhile now. I may cut the bloom formula and go straight to epsom every couple weeks. I'll install the vents Tuesday and Thursday. We will see if the temps drop. Thank for the advice.

Here is the results of my soil test before I planted. I'll get another one this Fall and again in the Spring.

pH: 8.3
pH is very high. The optimal pH range for plant growth is 6.5 - 7.0. However, most plants including turfgrasses can be grown in high pH soils if properly irrigated and supplemental iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P) are added when needed.

Electrical Conductivity or Salts: 0.9 mmhos/cm

E.C. is Low. When E.C. less than 2.0, salinity is not a problem for plant growth.

Lime: Very High
Very High: Lime is greater than 5%. Plants can still grow quite well in soil with this lime content.

Texture Estimate: Clay Loam

Sodium Absorption Ratio: 2.8
Low: Sodium is not a problem.

Nitrate: 5 ppm
This soil may drain at a low to very low rate. Watering schedules may have to be increased to allow for better water infiltration into the soil profile.

Organic Material: 7.1 % Plant Type:Vegetable Garden
Organic Matter is High; no additional OM e.g. compost is needed. You don't need to build up the OM content of this soil beyond existing levels, but rather focus on protecting and replenishing the OM content e.g.by using organic mulch. Also consider a fall-planted cover crop to be used as a green manure.

N is low: Apply 0.3 lb N/100 sq ft to the soil. For each 0.1 lb of N needed, apply about 1/4 lb urea, or 1/2 lb ammonium sulfate, or 3/4 lb bloodmeal, or 1 lb corn gluten meal, or 5 lb alfalfa meal pellets per 100 sq.ft. Other fertilizers can be used as well. Check with your local garden center or home improvement store to determine what fertilizers are available in your area. When calculating fertilizer rates take the amount of N needed and divide by the % N in the fertilizer. For example, if your fertilizer contains 30% N, take 0.30 lbs (N needed) divided by 0.30 (N in the fertilizer) to get 1 lb of the 30% N fertilizer that is needed to apply per 100 sq.ft. For rates per 1000 sq. ft multiply the quantities by 10.

Phosphorus: 137.3 ppm
Phosphorus is High; No additional Phosphorus is needed.

Potassium: 1241 ppm
Potassium is High; No additional K20 is needed.

Zinc: 13.2 ppm
Zinc is Adequate; No additional Zn is needed.

Iron: 12.9 ppm
Iron is Adequate; No additional Iron (Fe) is needed

Manganese: 6.8 ppm
Manganese is Adequate; No additional Mn is needed.

Copper: 4.0 ppm
Copper is Adequate; No additional Cu is needed.

Boron: 0.66 ppm
Boron is High. No additional boron is needed.

Gypsum: Gypsum is NOT Needed.
 
Hey Chuck!
 
Been out of town. Your grow looks great! I understand this year is one of figuring things out with the new greenhouse. Pods will set! Glad you're working on the temps ;)  115° is on the high end, but the plants still look happy.
 
You WILL shine! I'll be right there with you as things cool down; more so up your way ;)
 
Guatemalan Insanity Pepper said:
lookin good Chuck 
you'll have flowers soon  :cool:
 
I got them hoppers too 
and Japanese Beetles  :censored:
found a caterpillar chewing on my Primo the other day (relocated him to the bird feeder  :twisted: )
 
 
great update
 
 
:cheers: 
Thank your Sir.

I think, I grabbed that hopper and killed it in the video. Wasn't planned, just instinct! LOL!

I'm looking really close for flowers. LOL!

I wish I could go in vacation for a week. I'm sure flowers would appear when I got back.
 
Devv said:
Hey Chuck!
 
Been out of town. Your grow looks great! I understand this year is one of figuring things out with the new greenhouse. Pods will set! Glad you're working on the temps ;)  115° is on the high end, but the plants still look happy.
 
You WILL shine! I'll be right there with you as things cool down; more so up your way ;)
Thanks Scott. The new growing environment is challenging. The vents I installed dropped the temps 10 degrees today, compared to yesterday. Identical highs. I'll keep monitoring.

Welcome back! Hope you had fun.
 
Chuck, your plants are just beautiful! They'll be producing soon though we still have a few months to wait for large harvests. The vents were a good idea to help cool down the house.

I had my soil tested, too, with similar results. pH was a bit lower. Will probably add the same stuff to the soil as I usually do in the Fall - shredded leaves and manure if I can get stuff cheap or free. Alfalfa pellets are a good idea since they're less $$. Thanks for sharing your soil results.
 
Cool video Chuck! Wow... you're still getting 115 degree temps inside the hoophouse!!! The podding plants outside show the temperature range you want. A few years ago I planted squash and mulched it with some shredded white paper. It just sat there and didn't grow for a couple of weeks until I peeled back the mulch and felt how cold the soil underneath was. When I took away the paper mulch the sun warmed up the soil and the plant started to grow. That said... I'm thinking maybe the solar mulch is heating the inside of the hoophouse up too much right now. You want to leave it in place for when your temps cool down later in the season, but maybe in the meantime you can cover it with some white-faced cardboard to reflect the sun away and cool the soil inside the hoophouse. Then when the season cools down you can remove the cardboard and let the sun warm things up again. It's a thought anyway.
 
stickman said:
Cool video Chuck! Wow... you're still getting 115 degree temps inside the hoophouse!!! The podding plants outside show the temperature range you want. A few years ago I planted squash and mulched it with some shredded white paper. It just sat there and didn't grow for a couple of weeks until I peeled back the mulch and felt how cold the soil underneath was. When I took away the paper mulch the sun warmed up the soil and the plant started to grow. That said... I'm thinking maybe the solar mulch is heating the inside of the hoophouse up too much right now. You want to leave it in place for when your temps cool down later in the season, but maybe in the meantime you can cover it with some white-faced cardboard to reflect the sun away and cool the soil inside the hoophouse. Then when the season cools down you can remove the cardboard and let the sun warm things up again. It's a thought anyway.
 
I think Rick is spot on with the reference to covering the solar mulch. It's more for a cool weather jump start. ;)
 
 
stickman said:
Cool video Chuck! Wow... you're still getting 115 degree temps inside the hoophouse!!! The podding plants outside show the temperature range you want. A few years ago I planted squash and mulched it with some shredded white paper. It just sat there and didn't grow for a couple of weeks until I peeled back the mulch and felt how cold the soil underneath was. When I took away the paper mulch the sun warmed up the soil and the plant started to grow. That said... I'm thinking maybe the solar mulch is heating the inside of the hoophouse up too much right now. You want to leave it in place for when your temps cool down later in the season, but maybe in the meantime you can cover it with some white-faced cardboard to reflect the sun away and cool the soil inside the hoophouse. Then when the season cools down you can remove the cardboard and let the sun warm things up again. It's a thought anyway.
Thanks Rick. I think your absolutely right. It was good at the beginning of the season. Plants loved it until Summer hit. I pulled the Solar mulch tonight. Probably regret it come Fall, but if I put a door on the house it will hold some good temps when I need it.
 
Devv said:
 
I think Rick is spot on with the reference to covering the solar mulch. It's more for a cool weather jump start. ;)
 
I agree. Lessons learned.

This green house thing is all new to me. I'll have it down next year. I'm going to install a swamp cooler for the intense heat. The extra humidity will help.Something like this. I have one on my house that cooks the place down really good. Doesn't use the electricity like a air conditioner.
IMG_0394.JPG
 
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