AHayastani's ГЛΟГ

I have an urban "garden" on the roof of a house in tropical Chiapas, Mexico. It's the first year that I'm growing plants - mostly Capsicum - in this location. I lived in a temperate region of Europe before, and the adaptation to different growing conditions is not without setbacks. Another issue is that not all material that I would like to use is commonly available here, so at times I have to be more creative than I actually want to be. That being said, it is also unbelievable (for me, at least) to see how some plants manage to grow in this climate even in adverse conditions (despite my bad treatment, that is).
 
I have obtained seeds from various sources (abbreviations in parentheses will be used in this glog): White Hot Peppers (WHP), Towns-End (town), Jayrseyshore Peppers [FB] (jay), Vertiloom (vtl), Badskin (bad), Juan GA [FB] (jga), Semillas La Palma (SLP), Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds).
 
I arrived at this house in january and started my first sowings in february. This glog, however, begins in early June and I will just treat this as "the beginning".
 
 
I re-sowed a few cultivars end May since most or all of my plants of that specific cultivar had perished... My 3 plants of Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion seem to have succumbed to a virus infection, which might have been seed-born. I will soon find out... My Brazilian Mango and Aji Mango Long plants looked depressing, so I sowed the backup seeds. Serrano... I had forgotten to sow them    Trinidad Beans Chocolate, because two out of three plants seem to be reluctant to grow and enter adulthood... Takanotsume is old seed I purchased on ebay, and I'm surprised that anything gets up. Pimenta Moranga and Monster Gum Multicolor (jga) are two cultivars that I was going to sow on March 20, but I somehow lost the seeds... but they recently resurfaced Germination is still OK, even though the seeds were "stored" outside 
 

 
 
I sourced some pequin/chiltepin from the local market, one fruit per tray:
 

 
 
A box of failures... The seed is already old though and has not been properly stored. Cumari Pollux (SLP) is an exception though, and I will await its germination to officially declare the rest as "lost".
 

 
 
Sowed today: Capsicum galapagoense Long (SLP).
 

 

 
 
I had some fun with tomato suckers as well... I put two suckers in water to make them grow roots (cultivar Madagascar) and gave them a baggie of dirt today and placed them with the rest.
 

 
 
I removed some more suckers and put them in water. Hopefully they will make it to tomato plant Three are Midnight Tiger and another Madagascar. The three shoots in perlite below are Aji Tapachula.
 

 

[Tybo]

I posted this pic of my SB Beth Boyds before but it seems appropriate to put it here again.  I also got them from WHP and was surprised when they turned out red.  They are a pretty pod with good flavor and heat.  Just not yellow!  I have also saved some seed to grow out and see what happens. 
Here is the pic.

 
I think the pod shape and color are awesome!
Let me know what name you come up with

 

[ahayastani]

Red Beth Boyd Scotch Bonnets? Awesome!

 
I fully agree! In two-three months we should know what kind of fruit their descendants are producing Fingers crossed...
 
The first seedlings are popping up... So far Uchu Cream has taken the lead, with six days of germination time - almost an eternity The first seedling came up yesterday and some more were visible this morning. Thunder Mountain Longhorn (at the right side of the image below) is following suit.
 

 
 
More important to me, however, is the seedling of Diente de perro that has popped up. So I'll have at least one... Germination time: 10 days, but sub-optimal seed saving conditions (that's a nice way to say "neglect") .
 

 
 
Tomatillo and Thai basil have started to emerge as well, though that was more or less anticipated
 

 
 
The first fruits of Takanotsume are ripening.
 

 
 
First fruits of Scotch Bonnet WHP are ripening as well. I remembered they were red, and had a short "sh*t...."-moment, but I checked WHP's website and luckily my memory was wrong.
 

 
 
My first California Reaper heating up.
 

 

[ahayastani]

I posted this pic of my SB Beth Boyds before but it seems appropriate to put it here again.  I also got them from WHP and was surprised when they turned out red.  They are a pretty pod with good flavor and heat.  Just not yellow!  I have also saved some seed to grow out and see what happens. 
Here is the pic.

IMG_2601.jpeg
 
I think the pod shape and color are awesome!
Let me know what name you come up with

 
There are at least three forum members who have the same thing going on I like your description "with good flavor and heat", because that is exactly how I'd describe my red phenotype. Yours look very nice though, UFOs with stinger

 

[ahayastani]

Seedlings are popping up now, though I must admit I became worried about their "slow pace". The fastest germinator (Aji Colorado) took five days and most come up after six or seven. I assume that the current weather has something to so with it. It has rained a lot lately, and humidity is high while temperatures are low (29-30°C). A fierce thunderstorm inundated the seedlings and they have now enough water for another two weeks    I hope the seeds won't rot, because air humidity remains high.
 
Aji Strawberry Drop with three cotyledon leaves. Not extremely rare, but always nice to see
 

 
 
My last seed order contained Matay as a free gift. I didn't know too much about this cultivar, but since I habitually sow everything/anything they give me...    One reason for doing that, is that this may lead to pleasant surprises. In a very recent topic, a forum member showed images of seedlings that seem to pop up with their first leaves already showing. I couldn't remember having seen anything similar before, but now one of the Matay seedlings seems to be doing just that (right upper corner)...
 

 
 
Guatemalan heirloom Diente de perro is sending out two more seedlings 
 

 
 
I'm also seeing some completely purple seedlings - stem and cotyledon leaves - which is new to me. The next one is Calico, an ornamental pepper.
 

 
 
Pimenta Berinjela. Most of its peppers are ripening up now. I find them more attractive when they are purple (unripe), but I prefer their taste when they are red (ripe).
 

 
 
I have been reorganising a part of the roof terrace:
 

 
Where:

• f = filler, ornamental plant used as spacer between producing plants
• 1 = Roger's Habanero (Orange)
• 2 = Nagabrains Yellow
• 3 = 7Pot Infinity
• 4 = Takanotsume
• 5 = Aji Mango Long (two plants, a third will follow)
• 6 = Scott Bonnet WHP
• 7 = Datil x Limon
• 8 = I Scream Scorpion
• 9 = Sweet potato
• 10 = New Zealand spinach (soon to be harvested for the last time)
• 11 = basil

I know, it's not level... I already found out 
 
Scotch Bonnet WHP, with Canna tuerckheimii (grown from seed) in the background. I don't know how well C. tuerckheimii can be grown in a container (they can reach up to 3-4m), but I'm currently only interested in growing the rhizome and transplant them once I have my own piece of land.
 

 
 
I Scream Scorpion.
 

 
 
Nagabrain Yellow. The discolouration of the leaf on the right is a typical indication for a colony of red spider mites.
 

 
 
A bunch of young pepper plants has begun to ask for bigger growing bags... 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[PaulG]

You have a major rooftop terrace grow
going on, Dieter!
 
Don't worry about level, some of my containers
and grow spaces are not exactly level, either.
I have all kinds of props under my plants to
make them level. Just being lazy 
 
Your plants look great. Makes me wish I lived in
a climate where I could grow proper Scotch Bonnets   

 

[ahayastani]

Your plants look great. Makes me wish I lived in
a climate where I could grow proper Scotch Bonnets   

 
Every coin has a flip side My climate is to be envied if you focus on peppers, but if you like tomatoes...     Lots of plant, but no fruit.
 
Another issue is the high humidity. The rainy season is nearing its end, but its finale is with a big bang and not a gradual decline. Lots of rain... I have thus far managed to keep most pests at bay, but now a fungal pest has settled in and it has proven difficult to get rid of it. It infects leaves and also stems and renders fruit useless. I have resorted to a chemical way in an attempt to get rid of it, much to my dislike, but it became clear it was either peppers or nothing... The infected plant in the following image is Pusa Jwala. I was unfamiliar with this infection. A local agronomist gave me an explanation (and sold me the "medicine" ).
 

 
My roof terrace has been discovered by a pair of birds that come to check whether there are edibles to be found   They try everything that is red, and their favourite is Madre de Rios, which I find totally comprehensible. Most people I have shared this pepper with are very positive about it.
 

 
A trio of Carolina Reaper. The plant had started to topple, day by day a little more, and by the time I provided support most of the fruit had already adapted to the slope.
 

 
Red Savina ("X") is preparing for a good haul.
 

 
 
The same is true for Limon x Datil.
 

 
Guwa X: first pods of a neglected plant...
 

 
Poblano is pumping out new fruit. This time the peppers are a bit bigger, but the plant has been hit by the same fungal pest. We'll see...
 

 
I was unhappy with the growing habit of a Red Bhutlah (SLP) and cut it down. It hadn't given me a single pepper anyway. The fault is likely mine, not the pepper's. I did what I usually do when a plant looks like a succession of failures rather than a success: cut it down to the beginning and fingers crossed I don't blow it up a second time.
 

 
A Carolina Reaper plant I cut down in my first attempt to create a bonchi 
 

 
Saco de Velho with unknown milkman genetics. The plant's first pepper flush gave primarily small sized fruits, but its second flush gives peppers of a nice size. I don't know what do to with the seeds though. I actually would have liked to have a "true" Saco de Velho, which is yellow, and who knows what kind of bastards will grow out of the seeds. The form does not look much different from what it should be, although most images I've seen (internet...) seem to lack the pointy apex.
 

 
My sowings of late September are generally doing well, with a few notable exceptions: both chiltepins (cappuccino and yellow), SBJ7, and Peach BBG7 Bullet have only one seedling; Yellow Reaper not a single one. I don't know whether there is a problem with the seed or with the growing conditions. Early on, a heavy storm soaked the containers and perhaps some seeds have rotten, but I'd expect the problem to more general in that case. I did see some small translucent worms in the pots where I sowed bell peppers, so perhaps small critters are the cause... Tomatoes and bell peppers are not germinating well, but seeds had lost their "freshness" and in general seeds don't age well in the tropics... 
 

 
Seedlings continue to emerge, however, so I'm still hopeful If nothing appears in the next two-three weeks, I'll sow them again in my next sowing batch. I received seeds from a friendly forum member from Gringolandia, a small commercial order from Aussielandia, and also seeds from Chris Fowler (Wales). So, stay tuned
 
I have also been doing some absolutely horrifying stuff... We went on a family outing to the local beach. I hate beach. But yes, kids... Social distancing is not a problem, but basura is 
 

 
I didn't have to prepare dinner though, so I could watch the ants fly by while in the hamaca (hammock) with a not-too-terrible cerveza. Yup, nobody there...
 

 

[PaulG]

You're livin' life large, Dieter    
 
Sorry to see the fungus on your plants.
You have some great pods coming! Hope
you beat the downpour.

 

[ahayastani]

The fungicide did have a marked effect on strongly affected plants, but a few days after application, I noticed small dots reappearing, also on previously unaffected plants. I want to believe that spores remain unaffected by the fungicide (it interferes with the fungus metabolism anyway), and that spore distribution was ongoing at the moment of application. The new colonies indeed are all in an early stage. The next image shows Red Savina ("X") with a few colonies on the leaves.
 

 
The fungus renders the fruit useless... I removed some of the obviously affected peppers so the plants won't invest more energy into fruit production.
 

 
I am moving around and cleaning up a part of the roof terrace. I had a neglected Saco de Velho plant and removed most of its twigs and leaves, hoping it will respond well to the treatment and rejuvenate. I have another plant in production, but its phenotype is not correct. This plant has not produced yet, so fingers crossed
 

 
Pico de paloma, a heirloom from Southern Mexico, continues to amaze me. I bought a small quantity of fresh peppers in San Cristóbal and thought there might be two different phenotypes (a red and a yellow one), and this turns out to be not completely right, but neither completely wrong. There are two different phenotypes, and both ripen to red. One type, however, goes from green to red, while the other goes from yellow to red. Both types have dashed of purple. I'm still experimenting on how to make good culinary use of this pepper, but a very positive note is that it is very easy to dry them. Another interesting observation is that this plant seems to auto-rejuvenate. I have never observed this trait in other pepper varieties, so if anyone knows of other types, I'd be glad to hear it! Note in the following images how the plant has shed its leaves and spawns out fresh growth. This seems to be part of their life cycle: by the time the last of the plant's peppers are ready to be picked, the plant is as good as "bald".
 

 

 
I transplanted tomatillo seedlings to a growing bag. After having seen stetto's plants, I felt somewhat ashamed that I didn't have a single plant myself... I'm growing two different types, namely the "standard" green and also the (in my opinion more tasteful) purple type.
 

 
Yes, sowing time... I was going to wait, but... Various sources: Baker Creek, CaneDog (CD), Chris Fowler (CF), and the local supermarket

• Stevia is a plant that is on my want-list for quite some time, and it should do well in my climate.
• Parsley (Moss Curled): I do not expect it to thrive here, but I hope it can give me an acceptable harvest This type (moss curled) is what my father grew in his garden. There is a certain nostalgic component in my decission to grow it.
• TAM Jalapeño: my local pepper "business" ( ) is having success, but I have too many superhots relative to mild peppers to sustain moderate growth.
• Guajillo: one of my favourite peppers! Lacks hotness but packs flavour. I use it in almost all tomato sauces. I bought the seeds in the supermarket. They only recently started to offer seeds from this company.
• Garlic: also from the supermarket. Cloves were already sprouting, which is the tricky part in tropics. Garlic needs a cold period to induce germination. Let's see how well it will grow...
• Sweet Moruga (CF): touted as a chinense with low heat but with good flavour. We'll see
• Jalapeño Azabache (CF): given as a free sample. It triggered my curiousity... THF search engine gives few hits, but seems to link it (through Bhuter) to our member MeatFreak. His real name sounds Dutch and CF writes "Holland" as origin.
• Piri Piri African Devil (CD): I have never grown piri piri, and I'm particularly curious about this variety Not new to this board, but a novelty to me.

 

 

[PaulG]

Pepper plants here do the same thing, Dieter.
As the pods reach the ripe stage, new growth
sprouts from the nodes. If I lived in a better
climate, that new growth would go on to produce
another round of peppers. I have read that chinense
types can do this for at least several years, and as
many as 6-7 years. The wilds, i.e. annuum v Glabriusculum
in the SouthWest USA and Mexico can grow years and years.
 
Sigh...

 

[skullbiker]

I see you have Stevia on your list. It should do well for you as I have (2)5 gal containers of it growing, and doing excellent. Just clip the tips off periodically to get it to fork and get bushy.
I'm waiting to see how the Tam Jalapēnos do for you, I grew a couple of plants a few years ago and was unimpressed. Hopefully you will have a better experience!

 

[ahayastani]

I see you have Stevia on your list. It should do well for you as I have (2)5 gal containers of it growing, and doing excellent. Just clip the tips off periodically to get it to fork and get bushy.
I'm waiting to see how the Tam Jalapēnos do for you, I grew a couple of plants a few years ago and was unimpressed. Hopefully you will have a better experience!

 
In what sense was it a disappointment for you, skullbiker? Taste, yield, ... ? I was looking for a low-heat pepper with good taste to use in pickled preparations, and I arrived at this jalapeño.
 
Thanks for the stevia tips! I was unsure about taking the risk to sow the plant because there can be problems with seed fertility. Buying the plant (in MX) would cost me US$2.50 (without shipping), while the seeds costed US$3.50 (shipping included). But more importantly, I like to sow plants Additionally, it will create a larger gene-pool (greater diversity) from which I can take cuttings, if necessary. I noticed this morning that the first seedlings had popped up during the night. Three days is not too bad... Six so far; with two-three plants I'd be very happy.
 

 
Today was a Wild-day for sowing new chilies Capsicum galapagoense was a gift from CaneDog; I purchased C. flexuosum from Chris Fowler, who added C. tovarii and C. cardenasii (GCN 20497) as courtesies to my order. I planted four seeds of each species... Fingers crossed And some long overdue chives...
 

 

[skullbiker]

Glad to see you got your Stevia to germinate. That was always the difficult part of growing Stevia for me. It should be a breeze for you from here on! As far as the Tam Jalapenos, they will probably be fine for your intended purpose. If I remember correctly they were on the low side of heat, smaller than I like, and production was low. But when I grew them I was in Minnesota, where the growing season was not always great and frequently short. If you want low to no heat jalapēnos with high production you should try Farmers Market Jalapēnos, plus they look cool with the huge amount of corking.

 

[ahayastani]

Time for an update...
 
Perhaps it's best to begin with a summary: nearly all plants died are have been sacrificed due to disease. Only five plants survived the onslaught: Clavo (SLP), Elysium Oxide (SLP) and three plantlets of C. galapagoense (CD).
 
"Disease" itself is a combination of certainly two, but probably three (and possibly even four) different diseases that appeared simultaneously near the end of he rainy season: PMMoV (pepper mild mottle virus) was confirmed by a lab PCR analysis, and a fungal disease that resembles frogeye leaf spot. The latter was the most destructive, but it was the tandem of these two - and as I said, probably three or four - that made most of my plants succumb to the pressure. Since I had no good treatment at hand and the ship was sinking, I decided to give up all plants with signs (even minimal) of infection and launch a few torpedoes so to speak to fasten the process. I have discarded the compost and all used materials (mostly growing bags) since I assume that all is contaminated.
 
I could explain the survival of Clavo and Elysium Oxide by their position in my urban garden: they were at the edge of the scene, furthest away of the action. I can't say the same of the galapagoense: they were quite literally in the eye of the storm. Remarkable... Also, it's CD's galapagoense that survived; SLP's galapagoense ist verschwunden...
 
What saddens me most is not the loss of plants, but the inability to save seeds    I was going to save seeds after the rainy season because I was encountering to many seeds with fungal issues. Most of my projects are therefore lost as well: the red Scotch Bonnet Beth Boyd, Buena Mulata mutant, local chiltepines... 
 
I was going to start all over again and made some preparations at the end of December, but then the wife fell ill with you-know-which-virus and it was quite bad. So my new sowings suffered from a lack of attention... As she recuperated, I was felled by dengue, and the lack of attention continued. I'm licking wounds as I'm recuperating and all in all, "damage" is not too bad. The plants that germinated have survived, but many varieties did not germinate. Those that germinated were transplanted yesterday (except for galapagoense, which was transplanted at the end of December):
 
Edit: (texas = Texas Hot Peppers; CD = CaneDog; THSC = The Hippy Seed Company; rare = rareseeds; Chris Fowler = Welsh Dragon Chilli)

• Aji Jobito (texas)
• Aji Guyana (CD)
• Aji Panca (THSC)
• Bhut Jolokia (texas)
• Buena Mulata (own stock, 2nd MX generation)
• Bullrose White (paprika; rare)
• C. galapagoense (CD)
• Criolla de cocina (rare)
• Cubanelle (rare)
• Jimmy Nardello (rare)
• KS Lemon Starrburst (texas)
• KS White Thai (texas)
• Lemon Drop (rare)
• Morado (texas)
• Red Savina (rare)
• Santa Fe (rare)
• Shishito (rare)
• Sugar Rush Peach (Chris Fowler)
• Sweet Moruga (Chris Fowler)
• TAM Jalapeño (rare)

 
Most varieties with z3r0-germination were re-sown yesterday (3-5 seeds):
 

• Aji Rosita Dulce (texas)
• Aji Pineapple (texas)
• Chocolate Habanero "Gurdy" (CD)
• GC Pepperoncini (texas)
• Fushimi (THSC)
• Neil S Scorpion (THSC)
• Papa Dreadie Yellow Bonnet (CD)
• Thai Spezzano (CD)
• THSC Black Habanero (THSC)
• VV7 Scorpion (texas)

The sources are all trustworthy. I blame myself for the failure.
 

 

 
Some more sowings are programmed for the weekend. I also bought new material that should arrive next week: growing bags, perlite, ... Beaten, but not defeated The Clavo and Elysium Oxide plants will be sacrificed as well. I'm currently letting them dry out to collect the dried fruits for their seeds. I prefer to give them a fresh start as well.
 
There are less superhots in my new growing list. Apparently I'm the only one over here who enjoys them. Even though this country is famous for its peppers, Juan Sixpack doesn't like it hot... (relative to my standards, that is ).
 
Some non-pepper pictures of a twin pineapple plant. New to me... The shoot is from early december and is currently happily growing in a 4g growing bag. Hopefully I'll soon have some land to transplant them...
 

 

[Tybo]

Glad to hear you and your wife are recovering!  Sorry to hear about your peppers.  If you need seeds I would be happy to send you what I have.  If you would like to continue to grow the Red Beth Boyd let me know.  I have seeds from mine.  (my profile pic)
Just pm me and let me know.

 

[skullbiker]

Keep fighting the good fight man.
A lot of those peppers you have in your list as rare are quite common up here, I have grown many of them.
Let a new season begin!

 

[ahayastani]

Keep fighting the good fight man.
A lot of those peppers you have in your list as rare are quite common up here, I have grown many of them.
Let a new season begin!

 
It seems I created confusion by not specifying the abbreviations, so I edited the post; rare stands for rareseeds aka Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. That being said, the situation south of your border is very different. I source most of my seeds North of that same border, so that should explain everything, I guess
 
 

Glad to hear you and your wife are recovering!  Sorry to hear about your peppers.  If you need seeds I would be happy to send you what I have.  If you would like to continue to grow the Red Beth Boyd let me know.  I have seeds from mine.  (my profile pic)
Just pm me and let me know.

 
Thanks for the offer Tybo! Yeah, I didn't forget about them But I placed a big cross over last season and "let it go"; I have catalogued everything in the "experience" category and decided to "move on". Likely new situations will present themselves this season, and new projects will be begun

 

[Wiriwiri]

Sorry to read ~ the health issues you & your wife experienced & here's to a complete recovery pronto...
 
Hoping that the (re)seeds sprout soon & the changes you made will result in a  great/quick  turnaround.Good luck moving forward.

 

[PaulG]

+1 Sandy!
 
Better times ahead, Dieter!

 

[CaneDog]

Wow, what a very tough run. Good feeling through once things are on the mend, plus pepper starts are always a good time.
 
Good luck with the new batch!

 

[HeatMiser]

Glad to see you're back after going through all of that. 
 
Best of luck with the new plants!