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3/5King's 2013 ZING!-Peppin' Ain't Easy 2.0 "If The Boat's a Rockin'....."

we're still Alive!.....now let's get back to growing peppers.




So I decided to start Peppin' Ain't Easy 2.0 instead of continuing last year’s Glog. This way everything can stay nice and tidy.

If you want to see my shenanigans from last season, CLICK http://thehotpepper....sy35kings-2012/



I’m excited…the season is upon us! (Well except for those that live on the other side of the hemisphere; you bastards have been growing for months!)(Mezo…lol)

Let’s see, where to start….well, I hope everyone’s year is starting out right. I know everyone’s year can’t be going well, so a prayer will go out to all of you that are having a not so good 2013. Me…I’m alive and still ambitious, so I’ll be alright.

On to the plants; well, I started some plants back in November…here I was being hopeful to the extreme..thinking I would have some nice plants to give away around Christmas or the new year….that was my first mistake circa 2013..

I did something wrong (like usual) listed below will be the list of seeds I started and what my setup consists of....(Like it says above…peppin’ ain’t easy)

Seeds 2013 (started Nov. 17, 2012)

Carolina Reaper
Bubble Gum 7pot
Explosive Ember
FireCracker
Red Missle
Purple Puru
Orange Starbust
Cappezoli
Brazilian Starfish

More coming…


Soil

Pro-Mix Organic with sea based compost

Nutrients

General Organics-Bio Thrive (gave first feeding at around 60 days old)

Grow Box/Light Setup

5- 6500 Kelvin 2750 Lumen 1- 2700 Kelvin 2750 Lumen (CFL’s) (Total: 16,500 Lumens)

5- Square foot growing area

Sides and roof lined with mylar bubble wrap (Like the stuff you line your basements with for insulation)

Plants are 4-10 Inches away from lights (depending on how big they are)

Bottom Watered

Foliar fed with bio thrive (every two to three days)


Side Note: (I did water the plants at about 30 days with the used water from my fish tank. I used this water for about 2 weeks and then went back to regular water for awhile)

Temps- 80-90 Degrees




So there you have it, this is the start to my 2012/13 season. Now to get on to the hiccups along the way…dang I forgot to mention the overwinter…I’ll get to that debacle in a minute.

Problems encountered; The plants started growing fine but as they got older, they just randomly dropping leaves (although it seems that the leaves that drop are the older leaves) Not from the bottom up or the top down, just random. Sometimes they drop when they are green, sometimes they drop after they have yellowed and some…some even just shrivel up and die on the plant..lol. This is a funky situation.

Also a lot of the plants seem to be stuck…like the plants look like they are getting older (stems getting thicker, mature leaves) but they aren’t really growing in size anymore. Now I can say that they A. Should have enough light at 3300 lumens a square foot B. Maybe they are too close or not close enough to the light.


My thoughts about the leaf drop: Possible that they are A. Getting too little of light (which shouldn’t be the case) B. They are getting burnt by hot spots from the bubble mylar or C. I have no idea…



Well, if you have any input or ideas as to why my situation is bucked up, please feel free to inform me.

Now for my overwinter; I brought in one Moruga for the winter. When I brought it in, it was thriving. New growth was popping up left and right. It was growing fast, so I asked Pepperguru what I should do. He told me I could just clip it like a bonsai tree. Well…the plant had shot a lot of branched out of the main trunk, before the split. So I cut most of those branches that had shot out, off and left all of the foliage above the first main split. After I did that, the plant didn’t do so well anymore. There really wasn’t anymore new growth and what was there although did get bigger, started to die and drop leaves. As well, the branches started to die from the top down. So I cut them back….everything started dying back more…so I cut it back more. Then one of my last (new) green branches had a dead leaf on it, so I went to pull it off and with barely any pressure, the whole branch pulled right off the plant! Hahahaha…I laughed so hard and then immediately used some cutting gel and stuck it in some soil. The pics you see below are what’s left…..ah haha, It makes me laugh so hard.

So there you have it. I know this was/is a lot to read but I wanted to be thorough lol. This way everyone’s questions are answered before they are asked and you all get an idea of where I’m at and what it took to get here.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN 2013!! Now for the pics..


SOME LEAVES THAT DROPPED
IMG_6587.jpg

ORANGE STARBURST
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CAROLINA REAPER
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EXPLOSIVE EMBER
IMG_6582.jpg

ORANGE STARBURST
IMG_6578.jpg

BUBBLEGUM 7
IMG_6575.jpg

INDOOR GROW
IMG_6573.jpg

INDOOR GROW
IMG_6572.jpg

MORUGA OVERWINTER
IMG_6571.jpg

MORUGA CUTTING
IMG_6570.jpg
 
Scarlet Lantern Habanero (me tinks)

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Time to unvail the AACT BREW DADDY..

Compressor connection to the 50ft soaker hose.

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Water pump attached with aluminum rod dropped to the bottom (soon to have a filter attached)

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Two ropes for hanging compost tea bags

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Bottom shot

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My buddy wanting to pot up a Cajun Bell....lol he HAD to add a whole carp.....

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This is what happens when it doesn't fit....

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Devv said:
LOL! A sawsall?
 
Use what ya have!


 
Tools are cool!
Hell yeah a sawzall!! It's the only way to go!
GA Growhead said:
lol
Finely sliced!
Chopped with precision!



Update:

Gardens are moving along. Pods popping off everywhere. Although whatever is leaving holes in the pods is reallllllllly starting to piss me off. I've even went out at night and have found nothing but a slug or two but TONS of pods have holes...time to get down and dirty on the research.....

Some pics.

Tea Time! Double sacked
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Overview of the garden
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More pics to come tomorrow. I didn't have my camera withe today.

My non pepper adventures: Took a 70mi round trip from Wauconda,IL to Lake Geneva, Wi

6 hours round trip. About 4.75-5.0 hours on the bike.....quite a trip. Beautiful beach and perfect weather.

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The water fountain of glory......what a life saver.
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Scenic surroundings
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Oh and a guy jet packing on the lake....pretty badass.
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Holy crap, you are really serious this year! I let out a low whistle when I saw the AACT setup you got going, and then I nearly fell off the chair when you took the saw to the carp. You'll be growing Jurassic pods in no time! 
 
Dude...Plants...Tea Keg...whole carp...5 hour bike ride!!! Bam to the 4th power over here! You thought of entering a century ride??? Loads of fun, especially if you get a few pals together to do it together. Then maybe a 2 day event double century!!! Those are really cool...usually an out and back ride with group stops along the route, room reservations at the end of day one...and a dinner. Really fun...and much easier on most of the body, with the exception of one critical spot! Can't wait to see that tea keg in action!
 
Stefan_W said:
Holy crap, you are really serious this year! I let out a low whistle when I saw the AACT setup you got going, and then I nearly fell off the chair when you took the saw to the carp. You'll be growing Jurassic pods in no time! 
The bigger the better the tighter the sweater, you know..

Pods are coming, now I need to spread around some diotomacious earth because I think I've got an earwig problem but then again, I'm not sure I want to do that because some of the good guys are exoskeletons too like arthorpods. We will see.
stc3248 said:
Dude...Plants...Tea Keg...whole carp...5 hour bike ride!!! Bam to the 4th power over here! You thought of entering a century ride??? Loads of fun, especially if you get a few pals together to do it together. Then maybe a 2 day event double century!!! Those are really cool...usually an out and back ride with group stops along the route, room reservations at the end of day one...and a dinner. Really fun...and much easier on most of the body, with the exception of one critical spot! Can't wait to see that tea keg in action!
Thanks Shane! You know I've heard the term "century" but don't know what it is. (I'm assuming its 100mi I'll be looking it up now..lol) I need a new seat, thinking of going with a Brooks....really I need a new bike for the longer rides but I'm making due with what I've got for now. Yeah, my bum was pretty sore, my seat sucks though. My knee also started hurting once I got up there but I think that was from something I did two days before and the long ride just brought it to the surface. Man, on the way back, I got cocky and got behind a guy on a road bike and was really pushing my pace....bad move lol. I hit the wall about 45 minutes out from my house and hit it HARD for the last 20-30 minutes. Got home and was dead as a dog, I was really giggly though, almost felt drunk for a few minutes...was happy to be home and then just completely gassed the rest of the night. I say around and ate food while watching TV lol. Next time I won't get cocky, that's for sure. My gps/heart rate monitor, the one time I really needed it, was fucking up the whole time. It would have kept me in check but you live and you learn. I knew I shouldn't have pushed the pace though lol.....GO SPEED RACER GO! My ultimate goal is to get a Surly Touring bike and take a multi day trip....don't know when or where but I want to do it. Probably next year....patience....

Just for you Shane lol, the Big Bre Daddy after math.

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Surly makes great bikes...century is a 100 mile ride. Chamois Butt'r, Body Glide, and Boudreaux's Butt Paste...Seat too low, seat too high...and knee tracking can all cause knee pain while cycling. Look them up and learn about them to prevent problems later on...basically the knees should almost feel like they're coming up into the crossbar and not sticking out like chicken wings...another thing that'll help is proper pedal stroke. I assume you're using clips or cleats??? If not START! Then as you cruise...concentrate on making circles...not pushing or pulling on the pedals. Lead with your heals on the way down and then try to imagine scraping something off the bottom of your shoe at the bottom of the stroke. Pedal strokes and heart rate management are the two biggest keys to surviving LONG rides and having a push left at the end.
 
Back to growing...that brew station is the freakin BOMB!!! WOW!!! Great contraption...eff airstones and aquarium pumps...How about an air compressor and a 50' soaker hose...go big or go home!!!
 
Congrats on the long ride, I see you're constantly pushing the envelope...way to go!
 
AACT looks like a cool project, I need to read up on the subject...
 
Weekends close!
 
stc3248 said:
Surly makes great bikes...century is a 100 mile ride. Chamois Butt'r, Body Glide, and Boudreaux's Butt Paste...Seat too low, seat too high...and knee tracking can all cause knee pain while cycling. Look them up and learn about them to prevent problems later on...basically the knees should almost feel like they're coming up into the crossbar and not sticking out like chicken wings...another thing that'll help is proper pedal stroke. I assume you're using clips or cleats??? If not START! Then as you cruise...concentrate on making circles...not pushing or pulling on the pedals. Lead with your heals on the way down and then try to imagine scraping something off the bottom of your shoe at the bottom of the stroke. Pedal strokes and heart rate management are the two biggest keys to surviving LONG rides and having a push left at the end.
 
Back to growing...that brew station is the freakin BOMB!!! WOW!!! Great contraption...eff airstones and aquarium pumps...How about an air compressor and a 50' soaker hose...go big or go home!!!
Got a pair of bike shorts, they didnt seem to help. Yeah for the first minute or two you're like "oooo cooshy" and then it feels the same. I need to get a good saddle. I don't have enough money for clip less pedals and a pair of shoes. I do need new petals though. Mine are smooth on top and don't provide an ounce of grip. I did buy some cheap 10 dollar cages but they don't work with the petals I have (well I need longer bolts anyway) I'd rather just go clipless.....guess I need to find a corner to work, quick..

I'll do a century soon enough. Just need to get a few things first. Bike rack, a bag. Oh it just keeps racking up doesn't it? I just got a helmet and new grips. Figured if I'm riding road, I better man up an get a helmet. And on and on and on. I could talk bikes, running, etc. etc. etc. for pages BUT this is supposed to be for plants right....lol
Devv said:
Congrats on the long ride, I see you're constantly pushing the envelope...way to go!
 
AACT looks like a cool project, I need to read up on the subject...
 
Weekends close!
AACT is easy peezy. There's a good thread on here dedicated to it. It's all the rage...lol



Well, it's rainin' thank god. We've been in a mini drought. Plants love the fresh (ish) rain water! I've had one BS 7 pot ripen up and my first NBNMRC from Campman1974's seed. It's a beast of a pod and will be ready for putting a hurt on me....or someone....lol

Things are moving along slowly but I'm sure it'll kick into high gear soon. The Habs are ripening, so the supers are right around the corner. Just going to keep feeding them AACT for the next two weeks and then let em do their thing.

Tomorrow I'm gonna post a pic of my favorite plant at my house of the year. It's a beauty and puts out tons of little yellow pods....that are delicious!
 
The AACT brewer: astounding. The bike ride, and yes, a good seat = world difference and good on ya!! Gorgeous scenery . . . but that carp . . . DAYum! That positively touched my heart! Excellent purpose for them :dance: .
 
annie57 said:
The AACT brewer: astounding. The bike ride, and yes, a good seat = world difference and good on ya!! Gorgeous scenery . . . but that carp . . . DAYum! That positively touched my heart! Excellent purpose for them :dance: .
Thank you Annie. Now that I know just how important the bike seat is, I'm having a hell of a time choosing one. Yes! That carp is doing much more good in that bucket than our river.



First ripe "Not" Black Naga Mean Red Cross. This thing is disgustingly big and gnarly.....which makes me think I should post it over in the gnarly pod thread.....duh!

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Nice pod development. you goin to eat it? Looks like it'd be in the super hot category if I had to hazard a guess. Those are the only one's I bother eating now. This was my first season to eat a super hot pod whole. Before that it was just portions of a pod at a time to = a full pod. I generally try to coat my stomach w/ a small snack first to mitigate a potentially explosive situation in the stomach. I'm going to maybe try MGOLD86's transcribed TMudder's elixer :P :
 

Yea brother, things have definitely been kicked into high gear! I have got kicked in the nuts multiple times recently, gotta love crazy pods!  I use "Tmudder's Elixer" to avoid stomach problems.  1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1 cup milk, about 2 tbs peanut butter, and a banana.  Blend it up and drink about half or so before th review and the other half after.  I was eating the ingredients separately before, but still got hit a few times in the stomach so I followed through and blended it all.  It works like a charm.  Something about the liquid being able to absorb the pepper in the stomach.
 
Whatever you do, thats a healthy looking pepper.
 
Really like the AACT development as well.
 
Yeah, it's a monster and I'd love to see someone stuff their face with it....just not me lol. I've eaten whole pods before and the stomach pains have stopped me from doing it as much. I've tried a lot of different methods to prep for it but it seems like it's hit or miss.

The pod is def. a super, and packs a wicked punch. I don't see myself popping whole pods anytime soon. The novelty of it has passed for me. I like it blazing hot, to the point of pain but don't need to pop a pod whole to satisfy the itch anymore, although sometimes a whole pod or two will make it into one meal...lol, i just dont pop them without a meal anymore. To each their own though. I just can't stand the stomach pains.

Thanks for the kind thoughts DC. AACT does some amazing stuff.
 
sawing a fish to fit into the tea brewer.  I love it. 
I hear ya on the stomach pains.  Those are the worst.  Followed closely by throat on fire. 
 
Yep, I was at Bigfoot.

That big bastard is painful JMO!
Sanarda said:
That is one huge mean looking pepper.  Did you taste it?

Yup, it's delicious
Pulpiteer said:
sawing a fish to fit into the tea brewer.  I love it. 
I hear ya on the stomach pains.  Those are the worst.  Followed closely by throat on fire. 
See throat on fire I can handle because at least Then I don't feel like I'm dying lol
 
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