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

ORANGE STARBURST

CAROLINA REAPER

EXPLOSIVE EMBER

ORANGE STARBURST

BUBBLEGUM 7

INDOOR GROW

INDOOR GROW

MORUGA OVERWINTER

MORUGA CUTTING

 

[Sanarda]

Your plants look just like mine with that infestation. EXACTLY. I am soapy water spraying every other day almost. sooooo irritating

 

[Spicegeist]

Somewhere there are some hungry ladybugs who would love to eat your aphids.

 

[Mezo]

After my battle with aphids id go with soapy water method again, the chemical approach i tried first killed so many plants.

Good luck Dave.

Mezo.

 

[stc3248]

Always positive to see your plants still kicking! I thought the idea of tossing them all was a bad one. Read up on using aspirin on the plants...may help them fight off the ill effects the bugs are causing.

Congrats on making the 2's brotha! That is positive...or at least a great negative! Floor work (especially squats) requires little or no lift in the shoe. A minimalist type running shoe or cross trainer would do you some good. In the absence of those many power lifters use old school chuck taylors or wrestling shoes. Knee support/patella straps may help, but are usually used to target pain below the knee. They stabilize the tendon and knee cap and act kinda like a tendon shock absorber. Go really slow on the downstairs or downhills...running down hills/stairs puts a ton of pressure on the knees and quads and can (and usually will) lead to knee pain or injury. Keep charging, and know that every lb gone takes a little of that pain away too!

 

[kiddc]

Yeah, what ^^ shane said.

Also when doing squats, be sure to not let your knees protrude too much in front. Keep them before your toes if possible.

I also have a aphid problem which i am battling, i think we need to get to the root of the problem. Eliminate the ants,and that will decrease the aphid's population.

Best of luck in your plants and your fitness!

 

[KiNGDeNNiZ]

Damn aphids man. I just found a couple on my OW's too. King I have some extra plants too if you need bud!

me king or him king.. hahahaha... my aphid war has been minimal.. but lately them little buggers are getting bigger!

 

[Dot Com]

I remember reading where someone ordered some beneficial bugs (aphid killers?) through the mail. Can't remember what they were or who did it though. From what i understand, like that vid posted earlier, some beneficial bugs take time to rid you of the pests not like a Mantis army coming through there ripping aphid heads off At least you're being proactive and seeking advice about diff methods to rid yourself of those buggers. I've had a few unwanted bugs on a few plants of mine as well.

***edit: I just found some by googling "beneficial insects". I haven't done that yet because I don't have any land. Others here prolly have some experience using these "hired bugs"

 

[Sawyer]

There are a few places on the web to order beneficial insects. (Google Startpage is your friend.) It's something I wish I knew more about. It seems like an interesting business to get in to.

Edit: typo

 

[Yumyumyellow]

shoes make all the difference in the world!
Congrats on the loss of weight and aphids! looks like you're doing a lot better combating them than I am; my plants look about 5 times more infested but i've got them outside and the wrens and beneficials are going to town on them.

Also, if you have a dehydrator I'd say buy a ton of cheap fruit and make some snacks, put them in mason jars and keep them all around the house and in the car. I did that, drank a ton of water(a lot of hunger is actually dehydration) and very little else to change my diet; my doctor warned me about all the sugar saying it would make me fat but I actually lost 30lbs in about a month and a half.

 

[Yumyumyellow]

Just keep taking them out... The ladybugs and spiders keep finding mine when I bring them out and are going TO TOWN on them ... I'm thinking about collecting them and bringing them inside to release the next day back onto my plants.

 

[Devv]

Sorry to read about the aphid's, your plants will prevail!

Like the river sediment, where did you get that from?

Congrat's on the health regimen, it's no easy task and you sound determined. Kick butt and take names later dude
When's dirt day? It can't be far off...

 

[3/5King]

Your plants look just like mine with that infestation. EXACTLY. I am soapy water spraying every other day almost. sooooo irritating

yup, definitely irritating. Aphids suck....and now I have first hand experience how much.

Somewhere there are some hungry ladybugs who would love to eat your aphids.

Yup, as soon as they get outside, I'm going to put up a huge welcome banner for all of the beneficials!

After my battle with aphids id go with soapy water method again, the chemical approach i tried first killed so many plants.

Good luck Dave.

Mezo.

Well, I hear ya on that. I don't like using the bombing method but I tried a lot of home/organic remedies to no avail. So far my plants have responded positively. Next go around it's going to be total concentration on preventative maintenance.

Always positive to see your plants still kicking! I thought the idea of tossing them all was a bad one. Read up on using aspirin on the plants...may help them fight off the ill effects the bugs are causing.

Congrats on making the 2's brotha! That is positive...or at least a great negative! Floor work (especially squats) requires little or no lift in the shoe. A minimalist type running shoe or cross trainer would do you some good. In the absence of those many power lifters use old school chuck taylors or wrestling shoes. Knee support/patella straps may help, but are usually used to target pain below the knee. They stabilize the tendon and knee cap and act kinda like a tendon shock absorber. Go really slow on the downstairs or downhills...running down hills/stairs puts a ton of pressure on the knees and quads and can (and usually will) lead to knee pain or injury. Keep charging, and know that every lb gone takes a little of that pain away too!

It is such a great negative. I'm still going strong. I just ordered a pair of New Balance Minimalist shoes online today. They felt good at the store and I think they are going to help out a lot. I started running along with doing insanity this second go around. I tore the shit out of my calves after two days. (haven't ran outside in awhile and there are some good hills on the path I take) took me almost 7 days for them to feel better...lol whoops! Funny thing is, my knees felt better for those two days. I substituted insanity abs for the last 7 days for the running but plan to get back to it tomorrow. Thanks for the positive vibes and info....plant out's around the corner baby!

Yeah, what ^^ shane said.

Also when doing squats, be sure to not let your knees protrude too much in front. Keep them before your toes if possible.

I also have a aphid problem which i am battling, i think we need to get to the root of the problem. Eliminate the ants,and that will decrease the aphid's population.

Best of luck in your plants and your fitness!

Yup, I've got the form down for the squats, just need these shoes to come in the mail. Preventative maintenance when it comes to aphids or any nasty is what I'm going to focus on for next season. Take a lesson from PIC-1, that guy's got things to a science.

I remember reading where someone ordered some beneficial bugs (aphid killers?) through the mail. Can't remember what they were or who did it though. From what i understand, like that vid posted earlier, some beneficial bugs take time to rid you of the pests not like a Mantis army coming through there ripping aphid heads off At least you're being proactive and seeking advice about diff methods to rid yourself of those buggers. I've had a few unwanted bugs on a few plants of mine as well.

***edit: I just found some by googling "beneficial insects". I haven't done that yet because I don't have any land. Others here prolly have some experience using these "hired bugs"

Yeah, there's a few different benny's that will knock an Aphid infestation out; Aphid Wasps, Spiders, Lady Bugs among others I probably don't know of yet. Have to wait until they are outside to use any of those guys.

shoes make all the difference in the world!
Congrats on the loss of weight and aphids! looks like you're doing a lot better combating them than I am; my plants look about 5 times more infested but i've got them outside and the wrens and beneficials are going to town on them.

Also, if you have a dehydrator I'd say buy a ton of cheap fruit and make some snacks, put them in mason jars and keep them all around the house and in the car. I did that, drank a ton of water(a lot of hunger is actually dehydration) and very little else to change my diet; my doctor warned me about all the sugar saying it would make me fat but I actually lost 30lbs in about a month and a half.

Yup, keeping a good diet is key to loosing weight and staying healthy. I've got that locked down. Water and milk are the only things I drink; I try and only eat whole foods. Fruits, nuts, veggies, lean meats, healthy fats, protein shakes...among other things. I'm starting a online college course on nutrition, May 6th..can't wait. It's all about calories in and calories out; eating whole foods, lots of veggies, lots of water and healthy fats. Congrats on the loss YYY!

Sorry to read about the aphid's, your plants will prevail!

Like the river sediment, where did you get that from?

Congrat's on the health regimen, it's no easy task and you sound determined. Kick butt and take names later dude
When's dirt day? It can't be far off...

Thanks for the kind thoughts Devv. The river sediment is being pumped out of the river across from my buddy's father Inlaws house. Dirt day is somewhere around Mother's Day, god willing. As soon as the temps are consistently above freezing, I'll be breaking ground. Right around the corner!



UPDATE: My buddy had a guy out to trim the trees up over the garden plot. Now we will be getting a lot more sun...this is a major improvement. Last year there was a lot of shade and the plants only got full sun for a short time frame.

Plants seem to be doing a lot better. The Ortho's Fruit/Veggy spray knocked those buggers out good. All the plants seem to be recovering and growing well now. Still crossing my fingers for some decent sized starts.

Big boy Brigit's is weeding out!


I've got some moss growing in my pots....lol. Too much water and from using General Organics "Bio Thrive" Weird, there's so much air movement up there too. Anyway, most likely won't hurt them. I took measures to get things a little drier up there.




Think spring my friends!

 

[DocNrock]

Glad to hear the Ortho did the trick. Birgit's is definitely weeding out! I wouldn't worry about the moss. I had that when my plants were in the greenhouse. The plants didn't seem to mind it. Love that sign!

 

[3/5King]

I know, isn't that sign great lol. Yeah, thank you for the suggestion..so far Ortho's done the best job. Although it makes sense that the most dangerous one ranks the highest lol

The moss is actually kind of cool. Moss always reminds me of the Celtics and Ireland.

 

[wildseed57]

Hi 3/5king I got some super scorp seeds from you from the trade we did, I was wondering if you knew anything about them I've looked around and can find any info about them, so I was wondering what they are like, I have 5 plants growing I assume that they are much like a red trinidad scorpion only bigger?

 

[Dot Com]

Hi 3/5king I got some super scorp seeds from you from the trade we did, I was wondering if you knew anything about them I've looked around and can find any info about them, so I was wondering what they are like, I have 5 plants growing I assume that they are much like a red trinidad scorpion only bigger?

Mezo has grown some Down Under in his Glog as well.

 

[Pr0digal_son]

Best looking Birgit I have seen so far,looks like he is KUTGF!!!!!!! Those aphids put his ass in survivor mode.

 

[3/5King]

Hi 3/5king I got some super scorp seeds from you from the trade we did, I was wondering if you knew anything about them I've looked around and can find any info about them, so I was wondering what they are like, I have 5 plants growing I assume that they are much like a red trinidad scorpion only bigger?

Hey George, those seeds originally came from LunchBox. He said that they came from Alabama Jack. Supposedly AJ gre these out with the best qualities and sent some seeds to LB. LB called them "Super Scorps" So I believe they are just a selective strain of TS Red.

And DotCom is right. Mezo has videos and pics of the pepper pods if you want to check them out.

Best looking Birgit I have seen so far,looks like he is KUTGF!!!!!!! Those aphids put his ass in survivor mode.

Thank you thank you. It's the best plant we have so far. The Aphid problem seems to be under control now. We just brought out the plants to harden them off before they hit the dirt. All the plants are a third of the size they were last year...lol you could say we had some hiccups and technical difficulties....hoping to still see some fruit off of them. Most are 4-6" tall.


Sorry for not posting lately everyone. I've been real busy. I started working more and with that and insanity, I hit the bed when I get home. I'll be sure to do a proper update soon.

I dropped down to 292#s and found myself some new shoes to do insanity with. New balance MT10's "minimus" they've got a 4 drop instead of 12 and they fit like a glove. We started insanity again and added running and/or AB workout everyday. My knees are still always sore but a little better. It's going to take time.

I'll post a plant update with pics this weekend. Thanks for sticking with me guys!

 

[stc3248]

5th Best looking Birgit I have seen so far behind Shane's Bad-A$$ Birgit army from hell!!!!!!!

Haha...how you holding up? You liking those NB you got? I have the first trail minimus they put out, a few years old now. Great shoe, but they take some getting used to. I have some running issues right now and have been back on the bike and machines.

Can't wait for your dirt day shots!

 

[Dot Com]

I dropped down to 292#s and found myself some new shoes to do insanity with. New balance MT10's "minimus" they've got a 4 drop instead of 12 and they fit like a glove. We started insanity again and added running and/or AB workout everyday. My knees are still always sore but a little better. It's going to take time.

I'll post a plant update with pics this weekend. Thanks for sticking with me guys!

I started jogging recently and purposely have started slow as recommended by my runners world guide. I was all psyched-up about it. I got some new balance as well. Now, my right ankle has some ache so I have to temporarily go to a bike to get my cardio. I'm trying to lose a small gut/get six-pack abs and up my respiratory endurance. I want to get back to jogging after a couple weeks w/ ice packs and then rehab exercises to strengthen my achilles. PLUS, I have to stop grazing in between meals
Anyway, good luck w/ your workout regimen.