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AJs 2012 Season - A Pictorial Discussion

I am getting a one day jump on last season...today is my 2012 season start...

The Germinator has been cleaned, I am using new trays for seed starting and Hoffman's Seed Starting Mix as my grow media...

If any of you decide to use Hoffman's Seed Starting Mix, be patient, it takes as much as 24 hours pre-soak to get this light weight mix totally wet...I have said it before and I will say it again...this is the cleanest seed starting mix I have ever used....clean and light weight means better root growth IMO..

12-30-11A001.jpg


All circuits and systems are a go on the germinator...am stabilizing the temperature for the next 24 hours...as you can see, the upper box is about 93F and the lower box is 85F...I have to vent the top to let both chambers reach the same temperature...

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something tells me this is going to be another hot summer....close to record heat again...so the season will go as mother wants it to...I am learning each year how to change my grow techniques and am adapting to North Texas...

hope you folks enjoy this thread...if anyone has any questions or comments, they are welcome...
 
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915river said:
Very impressive A.J :lol:
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thank you very much...I know the grower you are and appreciate that compliment...

Pulpiteer said:
Wow that was awesome! Amazing how tall some of those plants are. Thanks for sharing.
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thank you....two things about the height of the plants...the ones against the retaining wall are the tallest no doubt but....they have a "florida weave" support system up to about 2 feet....I have found that the weave in combination with being next to the wall promotes upward growth...what it amounts to is I have a less foliage low and a lot more higher up...the tallest plant is now right at 7' including the 5 gallon nursery container..

PepperJam said:
yea, that was the first thing i noticed is how smooth the video was progressing through the garden. :) My vids are erratic hehe
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PaulG said:
Hey, AJ, been away too long - your vid tour was great, nice looking set-up with lots of great ideas built in. Nice work; you can see the time in years and effort you have put in really paid off. I appreciated yur comment about the watering. I have noticed that when I set my system for several small waterings (one minute) a day, my plants do much better than with a heavier
watering once a day. I'm using a 1/4" soaker hose ring in my containers, and the cylindrical column stays nice and moist like you said without getting soggy, and the top stays nice and dry.
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thanks man...I need to go catch up on your glog....I try and make improvements each year to make things better and easier...I was a little hesitant on posting "multiple waterings a day", because it takes a little practice to get it right...4 years ago, I lost about 80 or 90 plants to root rot because of overwatering....almost a gallon a plant mornings and evenings...bad choice...with the heat where it is now here in North Texas, my plants are wanting 25 ounces three times a day...the 25 gallon containers are getting more of course...I just ordered some 5 gph pressure compensated drippers for the larger pots...

kiddc said:
Looking good AJ!
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thanks

KiNGDeNNiZ said:
nice tour of your peppers AJ.... hope your rat problems have subsided since you went to HD...

denniz
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thanks KD...lets just say I got things under control....
 
Very impressive glog AJ. I've been trialling a few different ways of growing and after a few painful losses I've decided to copy some of your methods. Mainly because of the all the evidence that shows you get awesome results!

Just went through the whole glog (took some notes!) and I have a few questions if you don't mind?

First of all I have seen the same positive results from the phased pot up technique vs one big pot up. For whatever reason they seem to respond better.

I've used the florida weave for my tomatoes in the past. I read that someone was having trouble with it, I used some old heavy gauge fishing line. Toms have heavier fruit and can vine along the line so its really needed. Whereas chillies are hollow and don't grow as a vine so it should be more than sufficient to stop them from blowing over.

I definitely agree with giving plants, especially young ones a feed with every watering, I did this last year and saw excellent growth.


You said you feed them botanicare pro gro 1/2 strength and liquid karma every watering until they go outside and are potted up. After that they are in the pots containing miracle gro potting mix, rabbit poo, plus you give them epsom salts if they need it?

When the plants are fed by the clever looking drip system you have running along the top of the pots, is it just water from the mains? or do you have a reservoir you fill with water and fertilizer and pump it out? (perhaps there's a post from an earlier grow log detailing it?)

I'm trying to figure out the feed they get as adult plants. Do you think the soil fertilizer is still working by the end of the season or do you add something else after the summer heat dies down?

If you use tap water do you pH correct it, or do anything else like let it sit so the chlorine evaporates?

Thanks for any answers :) Once again I have to say you have some pretty amazing plants.
 
i"...t takes a little practice to get it right...4 years ago, I lost about 80 or 90 plants to root rot because of overwatering....almost a gallon a plant mornings and evenings...bad choice...with the heat where it is now here in North Texas, my plants are wanting 25 ounces three times a day...the 25 gallon containers are getting more of course...I just ordered some 5 gph pressure compensated drippers for the larger pots..."

Right on - I have found that some pots drain faster than others, The ones that use water fast or for some reason have a slow soaker get a tray under them to catch the runoff and then ket them suck it back up. Quite a few pots don't have a tray - the water excess just drains away. It does take some observation and tweaking to get each container in the sweet spot, for sure. Your setup looks much more uniform than mine - like the pvc supply line. With those 5 gph drippers, you should get your 3/4 quart in a couple of minutes! Sounds like just the ticket.

Continued success, AJ!
 
PaulG said:
i"...t takes a little practice to get it right...4 years ago, I lost about 80 or 90 plants to root rot because of overwatering....almost a gallon a plant mornings and evenings...bad choice...with the heat where it is now here in North Texas, my plants are wanting 25 ounces three times a day...the 25 gallon containers are getting more of course...I just ordered some 5 gph pressure compensated drippers for the larger pots..."

Right on - I have found that some pots drain faster than others, The ones that use water fast or for some reason have a slow soaker get a tray under them to catch the runoff and then ket them suck it back up. Quite a few pots don't have a tray - the water excess just drains away. It does take some observation and tweaking to get each container in the sweet spot, for sure. Your setup looks much more uniform than mine - like the pvc supply line. With those 5 gph drippers, you should get your 3/4 quart in a couple of minutes! Sounds like just the ticket.

Continued success, AJ!
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And then the temp rises or you get loads of rain so you need to tweak some more I guess. Or do you have some sort of computer hooked up?
 
megamoo said:
Very impressive glog AJ. I've been trialling a few different ways of growing and after a few painful losses I've decided to copy some of your methods. Mainly because of the all the evidence that shows you get awesome results!

Thank you very much...

Just went through the whole glog (took some notes!) and I have a few questions if you don't mind?

Not at all....

You said you feed them botanicare pro gro 1/2 strength and liquid karma every watering until they go outside and are potted up. After that they are in the pots containing miracle gro potting mix, rabbit poo, plus you give them epsom salts if they need it?

I assume you are asking how do I know when they need it?....typically very light coloring of the new growth...yellowing is a sign something ain't right...IMO pH lockout will cause the same problem as not enough N, Mg, Ca so you have to make sure you pH is in the right range...seems optimum is between 6 and 7...

When the plants are fed by the clever looking drip system you have running along the top of the pots, is it just water from the mains? or do you have a reservoir you fill with water and fertilizer and pump it out? (perhaps there's a post from an earlier grow log detailing it?)

I use an EZ-Flow "hose end" injection system....I will try and post a couple of pictures of the way I have my injection system set up including the timers, valves, manifold, etc...

http://www.ezfloinje.../2030HBspec.pdf

I'm trying to figure out the feed they get as adult plants. Do you think the soil fertilizer is still working by the end of the season or do you add something else after the summer heat dies down?

If you use tap water do you pH correct it, or do anything else like let it sit so the chlorine evaporates?

nope, just use straight tap water...

Thanks for any answers :) Once again I have to say you have some pretty amazing plants. thank you again...
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mido said:
And then the temp rises or you get loads of rain so you need to tweak some more I guess. Or do you have some sort of computer hooked up?
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I just have to go to my timers and adjust them or even just turn them off....like I said, I will post some pictures of the "fertigation" setup a little later today...gotta eat something first...I'm feelin' faint.... :rofl:

here is the picture I promised..

07-23-12a001.jpg
 
Ok...so the loop at the top with the y-gate on either side is to use or bypass the fert pick up lines,which from the looks of it is bypassed now right? I like it!
 
you are correct...the recommendations by EZ-Flow say do NOT leave unit pressurized...the tank will crack...I had to get a new tank this year, because of pressure and heat cracked it and it would not pressurize...umhuh...my fault, I left it pressurized... :doh:

OK...had to do some re-arranging of my plants...the ones in the 25 gallon containers were too close together and causing my 2nd and 3rd year to grow lopsided...notice how light colored the leaves on these plants are...this strain of Trinidad Scorpions are very Magnesium/Calcium hungry and need a lot N too...

07-25-12abefore.jpg


their new arrangement after the area was "shaved"...just have to re-run the fertigation lines now...

07-25-12aafter.jpg


I moved all the indian types (7 containers of 5 plants each) to here...and have to run fertigation to them too..

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here are a couple of shots of the lopsided plants...they will fill in nicely and the plants should be huge by the end of grow season...

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off to run the fertigation lines...I got my 5 gph drippers yesterday just in time for this move...
 
Cool, thanks for the pix of your system AJ. With the slow flow rate, how do you keep the water from getting real hot in the lines? Are they buried?

I must have the same strain of Trinidad Scorpion as you. They take a huge amount of food--about like bell peppers or jalapeños. If I don't keep the leaves real dark they get BLS every time. But they seem to have a "rapid metabolism," as well, because they grow really fast and get quite large.

Gary
 
no problem...I lay the hoses out and let the grass grow over them so most of the supply lines are shaded...

It may be possible you have the same strain as me...I have spread my strain of seeds out pretty good over the past 4 or 5 years...I have not heard of any one else having issues with the scorpion plants...

by BLS, you mean Bacterial Leaf Spot?....
 
Thanks! It seems like I'm spending 2 hours every single day with the water hose...Your system is looking real good about now.

I got my seeds in 2011 from US Hot Stuff. It's a great plant, and grows like no other chinense, as long as it gets the food it needs.

Yes, Bacterial Leaf Spot. It's been my nemesis every year since 2008. In all my varieties, all species. I find that if I keep everything jacked up with plenty of nitrogen, with nice dark green leaves, the plants seem to be immune to it. I figure the Scorpions are just a little more susceptible because they need more nitrogen and get pale easier. But sometimes the paleness sneaks up on me, and the spots are never far behind, then comes the heartbreak of defoliation....
 
from what I have read, if the seeds you get are not treated, BLS can be spread like that....I bought from that place a long time ago and if I remember correctly, they were a pretty good outfit...
 
Man those are some nice plants! I think I see at least 4 ripe ones on you Pequin or Tepin in the last pic...3 lower center of the plant and 1 way off to the right! Gotta be like a where's Waldo game trying to find the ripe ones on a shrub that size!
 
Wow...what a great grow! This thread I always end up coming back to for guidance and knowledge! Thanks again Ronnie, seriously! I enjoy seeing all the healthy plants just doin their thing....awesome man! Maybe u can get down here to Tampa and tell me what I'm doin wrong :P Baker's OUT!
 
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