AJs 2011 Season Start...

[AlabamaJack]

Aww tender love and threats worked when i was a kid lol...

yup...my parents were kinda strict...probably what made me such a hellion when I was a lot younger...

I'd call that Pepper Tough Love and it obviously works for you AJ

you know, if it works, why not?...

I knew I wasn't the only one who talked to his plants. But does anyone else rig up a surround sound system to play their plants a selection of Mozart?

Nope, no Mozart, but a steady stream of Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Tom T. Hall...you get the idea...these are Texas "country" plants...

Nice job trimming and re-potting the scorp. Was that 1 yrs growth?

thanks man...yup...one year...most of my scorps this past season were at least 5 feet tall and some eclipsed the 6' mark...they probably won't be as tall this year but will bush out nicely...I would not doubt these plants getting close to 5 feet in diameter...they are strong and healthy and when they see those 10 gallon smart pots they are gonna swoon...

 

[dvg]

...they are strong and healthy and when they see those 10 gallon smart pots they are gonna swoon...

10 gallon pots?...aren't those kinda large for pepper plants?

Oh wait aminute here...oh yeah, everything is bigger in Texas.

Plus that matches the hat size down there.

dvg

 

[MiLK_MaN]

So AJ, how far into the season will you be in October?

Looks like Qantas fly direct from Melbourne/Sydney to DFW now, and I've got to go to Seattle for a conference in October. Was thinking of seeing how much crazier you are than me when it comes to the chilli farm

 

[AlabamaJack]

10 gallon pots?...aren't those kinda large for pepper plants?

Oh wait aminute here...oh yeah, everything is bigger in Texas.

Plus that matches the hat size down there.

dvg

you kill me dvg...roflmao..

on the serious note...larger root balls mean larger plants means more nodes means more pods...and 2nd year plants produce tons...I cut back an orange hab the end of 2007 and grew it in 2008...here is a pic of it in June...

and here is a pic of it in July

and the end of August....I got over 2500 pods off this plant...

this is what it looked like in December 2007

this is why I am trying these scorpions to see if they are as prolific as the O habs...

So AJ, how far into the season will you be in October?

Looks like Qantas fly direct from Melbourne/Sydney to DFW now, and I've got to go to Seattle for a conference in October. Was thinking of seeing how much crazier you are than me when it comes to the chilli farm

Full production MM...Oct/Nov are the best producing months I get...come on down...would love to have you and if you are in Seattle, it is just a hop, skip and jump to Fort Worth as compared to Fort Worth to Aus or Seattle to Aus

 

[Dot Com]

Do the diameter of the stalks get wider and wider each year or do they stay the same circumference? Also, when overwintering, do they have to be in a cold environment so they are induced to grow slower?

 

[AlabamaJack]

Do the diameter of the stalks get wider and wider each year or do they stay the same circumference?

thicker each year...these will be little trees at the end of the year..

 

[Dot Com]

I have my kung pao plant, which you have seen, thats still producing indoors. Just had 5 more pods develop last week. Seems like I can't cut it back until it's done producing. Since it is my only mature plant, I want to cut it back/over winter it although I want to do that when my other hab seedlings finally come to maturation. Thats going to be a while because the habs just sprouted.

 

[AlabamaJack]

IMO, if it is time for you to make it stop producing, then simply prune it back...how drastically you prune it is up to you...the general rule is to prune the rootball and the top of the plant to be the same size..

 

[dvg]

I've learned here that overwintered second year pepper plants produce much better than first year seed grown plants.

But 2,500 pods is incredible!

AJ, how did your Habanero do the following year, if you were able to overwinter it again?

I think I've read that peppers can be overwintered for a few year, before the plants start to provide diminishing returns.

How many years can chinenses be realistically overwinted, before it's not woth the effort anymore, because the plants are starting to drop off in pod production?

dvg

 

[AlabamaJack]

I've learned here that overwintered second year pepper plants produce much better than first year seed grown plants.

But 2,500 pods is incredible!

AJ, how did your Habanero do the following year, if you were able to overwinter it again?

I think I've read that peppers can be overwintered for a few year, before the plants start to provide diminishing returns.

How many years can chinenses be realistically overwinted, before it's not woth the effort anymore, because the plants are starting to drop off in pod production?

dvg

I let it go after the second year...left it outside when I was gone 10 dys druing christmas and it got down to like 12 or so with the high in the 20s for about 2 or 3 days..

I can't answer your question about the 3rd and on years, but Derek can (Potawie)...he has kept plants for several years if I remember correctly...a

 

[muskymojo]

Your set up looks awesome! If I was closer I would definitly buy some plants from you. Looking forward to the pepper porn!

 

[Dot Com]

IMO, if it is time for you to make it stop producing, then simply prune it back...how drastically you prune it is up to you...the general rule is to prune the rootball and the top of the plant to be the same size..

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind when the time comes.

 

[AlabamaJack]

Your set up looks awesome! If I was closer I would definitly buy some plants from you. Looking forward to the pepper porn!

thanks mojo...you know, if you were closer, I would sell you some...roflmao...

more porn?....here it comes...

I am amazed at how fast these Scorpions are coming on...they are putting on a lot of new healthy growth...some of leaves got a little "CFL" burn/bleach out, but not bad at all...they are responding well to their steady diet of 3-2-4 progro...all will be transplanted to smaller containers by the end of the week if I am not too busy with ZestFest...

 

[Downriver]

You're off to another great start AJ - congratulations!

Now my question is WHERE are you gonna put this thing?

I've watched your Pepper Porn Tours and I see NO available space.

I guess you can always go 'up'. How about the roof, for example?

Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing!

don't know, first time for planting fresh seeds...

got another 576 planted so that brings my total to 32 trays...season total seeds planted so far is 2304.

here is this weeks project...gotta make more room for my seedlings...after using this for the seedlings, it will then be used for 16 of the overwintered Scorpion plants in 10 gallon smart pots...I am gonna give these babies plenty of room to spread and grow nice and big and produce a lot.....or at least that is the plant...the 6 mil visquene cover for it will be replaced with some sort of light transmissive cloth to isolate all of these plants...

 

[AlabamaJack]

I have changed my mind on the structure..too heavy...so I decided on a hoophouse...

same dimensions but the materials for the structure were $50 less...I like economy...it doesn't say on the drawing, but the eight inch lengths are for strengthening the joints of the top connections...

as far as where it goes...remember when I was standing at the back door when I start my tours?...straight up the steps to the raised area and just to the right...if I put it on the west end of the plants that are in the raised area, it will afford the plants up there a little shade in the evening time when it is the hottest here...I will be sacrificing room for about 90 plants or so, but I will be making room for 16 Scorpion plants that I hope will produce a ton of pods...

already thought about the roof and so far, that is out...Fort Worth city limits don't allow any goats....

 

[AlabamaJack]

hoophouse prefab work complete...I will set the legs of it....maybe....this afternoon...

 

[millworkman]

There you go again AJ. Just make sure this one will hold up to the snow... Looking forward to summer pictures from you.

 

[AlabamaJack]

There you go again AJ. Just make sure this one will hold up to the snow... Looking forward to summer pictures from you.

boy, that was a catastrophy wasn't it...I still giggle thinking about standing on the back porch watching it snow, the roof starting to sag in the middle along the ridge line...creak, creek, creeeeeek,,,,,wham...ridgeline sags about 6'....I was just standing there amazed...thank the lord nothing was ruined except the flimsy structure...

I am making this out of very lightweight stuff...so...I expect to have to watch it...I can always move the plants in it inside my storage shed...

got some new toys yesterday...two 90 Watt UFO 5 Band LED lights...set one up as a test just to see...I just wonder if the claims of giving the plants specific light bands makes them grow faster/bigger in a shorter period are true.

this is ambient...not really under any lights...

this is dark....

this is glowing...

 

[Sandgroper]

Thats bright, This will be interesting AJ.

 

[megamoo]

I have seen the ads for the led lights. I can't wait to see if they actually do what they say. You are so organized I'm sure you will notice any quicker or slower growth than usual etc.