ReelFunkedUp's First Grow Log

moruga welder · Jan 16, 2017

Just curious , it sounds as tho the plants are exposed to the elements ( lots of rain ) if so can't you move them to some cover ( garage , shed , ) till the rains stop .?

reelfunkedup · Jan 16, 2017

I could and I've meant to. This happened during the week when I didn't have time to check them out. Fortunately it hasn't rained quite as much over the weekend, so I left them there as they get full sun through most the day and they seem to be recovering. It does look like to me that they're ready for more nutes.

Also, don't kill me for this, but the most affected look to be in miracle gro potting mix. All the others are hand mixed perlite,peat,worm castings. Very much temporary as those are 3 or 4 inch pots, but still far from ideal.

reelfunkedup · Jan 16, 2017

These are the same deflated plants this morning. Perked up, but slightly yellowed.

This 7Pot is showing deficiencies in new growth due to what I believe is the excessive rain.

MOA Red in ground

Ghost going on it's 3rd year, recently trimmed back.

Trident chilli · Jan 16, 2017

Nice looking plants ... the ghost would make a nice bonchi project

mas_fuego · Jan 16, 2017

reelfunkedup said:
Since I'm in SFl, I don't have to worry too much about frost. It's been around 75 for the past couple weeks. We might see it drop to the 50s or even 40s in February, but that should be about the worst of it. I spray regularly for whitefly because they're impossible to get rid of completely. No big deal. My current problem is that this is the wettest 'dry season' I've had to deal with. There has been rain just about every day for the past month and my plants are showing it . I gotta repot them very soon anyways, will have to increase the drainage when I do.

Hello fellow south Floridian! this is my first year seriously growing. The rain has caused me lots of problems on my seedlings.

How do you deal with the whitefly? it is a constant battle for me this last year.

solid7 · Jan 16, 2017

mas_fuego said:
Hello fellow south Floridian! this is my first year seriously growing. The rain has caused me lots of problems on my seedlings.

How do you deal with the whitefly? it is a constant battle for me this last year.

For me, I'm constantly spraying them with Neem and dishsoap, but I also try to eliminate any plants that they have an affection for. Any kind of sweet potato - the real sweet potatoes, not yams (ipomoea batatas, morning glory, also known as "boniato") - crown of thorns, hydrangea, and others, have to be eliminated from the immediate growing area. Sticky traps made with yellow plastic and Tanglefoot, in the spaces between pots that they show up in, works well. Also, never put plants under coconut palms. EVER.

I've tried several novel solutions, like putting Diatomaceous earth in a spray bottle of water. When you spray leaves, the solution, upon drying, becomes a powdery coating on the leaves. In my experience, it works great for aphids, but doesn't do jack to whitefly. BT doesn't seem to touch whitefly. There are a couple of other things that I've considered trying, but many things that are used, have an effect on bees. I absolutely refuse to harm my pollinators.

There are something like 50 species of whitefly in Florida, and no single strategy works on all of them. Talk to your local extension office, if you are serious about treating them. Take a sample and identify first, what you are actually dealing with.

reelfunkedup · Jan 16, 2017

Trident chilli said:
Nice looking plants ... the ghost would make a nice bonchi project

Don't tempt me with more projects! :think:

It does have a nice shape to it, huh?

mas_fuego said:
Hello fellow south Floridian! this is my first year seriously growing. The rain has caused me lots of problems on my seedlings.

How do you deal with the whitefly? it is a constant battle for me this last year.

Whitefly never goes away in my yard. If a plant isn't completely inundated with eggs or isn't too large, I'll just spray it daily with insecticidal soap. It works well to keep the plants growing and the flies away. The ghost there was pretty heavily infested at one point, so I trimmed it back some and then went back to my spray regimen. The only real way to stop them is to completely remove them from your yard and probably your neighbors' too. That's just not possible for me.

I just moved the plants under shelter. I'll let them dry out a bit and then feed with fish emulsion unless anyone would suggest a different fert.

mas_fuego · Jan 16, 2017

reelfunkedup said:
Whitefly never goes away in my yard. If a plant isn't completely inundated with eggs or isn't too large, I'll just spray it daily with insecticidal soap. It works well to keep the plants growing and the flies away. The ghost there was pretty heavily infested at one point, so I trimmed it back some and then went back to my spray regimen. The only real way to stop them is to completely remove them from your yard and probably your neighbors' too. That's just not possible for me.

.

My backyard neighbor has about 70' of whitefly infested ficus bordering our yards. It's not going anywhere for me.

If you don't mind me asking, what specific product have you used well? I think I used the Beyer stuff last year.

reelfunkedup · Jan 16, 2017

solid7 said:
For me, I'm constantly spraying them with Neem and dishsoap, but I also try to eliminate any plants that they have an affection for. Any kind of sweet potato - the real sweet potatoes, not yams (ipomoea batatas, morning glory, also known as "boniato") - crown of thorns, hydrangea, and others, have to be eliminated from the immediate growing area. Sticky traps made with yellow plastic and Tanglefoot, in the spaces between pots that they show up in, works well. Also, never put plants under coconut palms. EVER.

I've tried several novel solutions, like putting Diatomaceous earth in a spray bottle of water. When you spray leaves, the solution, upon drying, becomes a powdery coating on the leaves. In my experience, it works great for aphids, but doesn't do jack to whitefly. BT doesn't seem to touch whitefly. There are a couple of other things that I've considered trying, but many things that are used, have an effect on bees. I absolutely refuse to harm my pollinators.

There are something like 50 species of whitefly in Florida, and no single strategy works on all of them. Talk to your local extension office, if you are serious about treating them. Take a sample and identify first, what you are actually dealing with.

I've never heard that bit about the coconut palms. Care to elaborate? I actually have 3 plants from last year stationed under some right now. They do have some, but I've been pretty good at keeping them at bay. My problem source is the firebush (hamelia patens). I really like the bush and the bees even more so. It's hard for me to considering removing it.

mas_fuego said:
My backyard neighbor has about 70' of whitefly infested ficus bordering our yards. It's not going anywhere for me.

If you don't mind me asking, what specific product have you used well? I think I used the Beyer stuff last year.

This stuff:

https://www.amazon.com/Safer-Brand-5118-Insect-Killing/dp/B00192AO90/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484592165&sr=8-1&keywords=insecticidal+soap

solid7 · Jan 16, 2017

reelfunkedup said:
I've never heard that bit about the coconut palms. Care to elaborate? I actually have 3 plants from last year stationed under some right now. They do have some, but I've been pretty good at keeping them at bay. My problem source is the firebush (hamelia patens). I really like the bush and the bees even more so. It's hard for me to considering removing it.

Coconut palms are really bad attractors, and bring in some of the worst. Specifically, the spiral whitefly.

Plants under a coconut palm are almost a guarantee for an infestation.

The area of my yard that is open, sees almost zero whitefly on peppers, eggplant, or tomatoes.

reelfunkedup · Jan 16, 2017

solid7 said:
Coconut palms are really bad attractors, and bring in some of the worst. Specifically, the spiral whitefly.

Plants under a coconut palm are almost a guarantee for an infestation.

The area of my yard that is open, sees almost zero whitefly on peppers, eggplant, or tomatoes.

Thanks for the info. I already moved them because of the whole rain thing, but I'll make sure to put them elsewhere moving forward. Thankfully these bugs aren't of the spiral variety.

solid7 · Jan 16, 2017

reelfunkedup said:
Thanks for the info. I already moved them because of the whole rain thing, but I'll make sure to put them elsewhere moving forward. Thankfully these bugs aren't of the spiral variety.

Thankfully is right. Nasty little bastards, they are.

The more direct sunlight, typically, the less whitefly. However, the more space between plants, also, the better. Once you are in a breeding ground, though, it's hopeless. Prepare to be busy.

Pepper-Guru · Jan 16, 2017

reelfunkedup said:
These are the same deflated plants this morning. Perked up, but slightly yellowed.

This 7Pot is showing deficiencies in new growth due to what I believe is the excessive rain.

MOA Red in ground

Ghost going on it's 3rd year, recently trimmed back.

Looking great down there in SFL! Here's to a great first grow log!

reelfunkedup · Feb 2, 2017

Here's a shot of the main group from yesterday.
They stretch a little while put away due to a cold front and a couple got some sun burns when I put them back out, but they'll survive! I'll be more incremental with the younger ones next time. A few got transplanted and plenty of others are ready for more permanent homes. That'll have to wait for this coming weekend.

I've got some nice flowers and my first 2017 peppers incoming.

My Peach Hab is exploding with flowers

One of several Fatali Blacks

Rotoan Pumpkin giving me my first 2017 season pepper

Thanks for stopping by!