• Blog your pepper progress. The first image in your first post will be used to represent your Glog.

Aridzona 2015

After resisting the urge for the last month, the unusually warm weather we've been enjoying has finally overcome any common sense I may posses.   :crazy:   Here I am planting seeds a a month or two earlier than necessary.  I know the plants won't grow wildly over the winter, but with frequent sunny days in the 60s and 70s, they should do OK.  So long as they don't outgrow a ~5 inch pot, shuttling them in and out during freezing weather won't be a problem.
 
Baccatum, baccatum, which baccatum?  
 
EnnyMeeny.jpg

 
OK, got it down to six.  (For today....  :rolleyes:  )
BaccatumFinalists.jpg

 
Two by two, the seeds went into the ground....  :woohoo:
TwoByTwo.jpg

 
 
 
 
 
THE GROW LIST 
 
Updated 12-10-14  -  (Oh, dear!  The mania is growing worse by the day....)
 
C.Baccatum   Date  Germination to date
 
Rainforest       11-29    1 of 2  :halo:
Aji Amarillo      11-29    2 of 2  :dance:
Inca Red Drop 11-29   1 of 2  :)
Braz Starfish   11-29    2 of 2  :dance:
Aji Omnicolor   11-29   0 of 2  
Aji Angello        11-29  2 of 2   :dance:  
Aji Colorado     12-2    0 of 2  
Bishop's Hat     12-2   2 of 2  :dance:
Aji Pineapple    12-10  0 of 2  
Birgit's Locoto  12-10  0 of 2  
Kaleidoscope   12-10  0 of 2  
 
Chinense
Yellow (?) Fatali 12-2  0 of 2  
 
Annum
Negro de Valle  12-10  0 of 2  
S.F. Grande      12-11  0 of 2
 
Click to expand...
Pepperz Run Amok!  
 
As soon as I get a seedling or two, I put the cup outside (the weather has been VERY nice) and place the next variety in my styrofoam sprouting box.  I'm starting to feel like a Crazy Cat Lady.  I actually get excited when a new plant surfaces ("Ooooh!") and quickly rationalize that "One more won't hurt!" 
 
C.Baccatum   Seed Date  Germination
 
Rainforest         11-29        2 of 2  :dance:
Aji Amarillo       11-29          2 of 2  :dance:
Inca Red Drop  11-29         1 of 2  :)
Braz Starfish     11-29         1 of 2  :)
Aji Omnicolor    11-29         0 of 2   :mope:
Aji Angello        11-29         2 of 2    :dance:
Aji Colorado     12-2           0 of 2   :mope:
Bishop's Hat     12-2           2 of 2  :dance:
Aji Pineapple    12-10        2 of 2   :dance:
Birgit's Locoto  12-10        0 of 2  
Kaleidoscope   12-10        0 of 2  
CAP 267           12-16       0 of 2
Aji Cito              12-18       0 of 1
Aji Colorado      12-18       0 of 1
 
Chinense
Yellow? Fatali   12-2         0 of 2  
 
Annum
Negro de Valle  12-10       0 of 2  
S.F. Grande      12-11       0 of 2
 
 
Catching some rays...
 
12-11-sprouts.jpg
 
Devv said:
Nice list, and congrats on your new babies. Good luck with the Az. heat too!
Click to expand...
 
Yea, so far, so good! 
 
As for the heat, I hope to get at least some pods in the spring, before the blossoming shuts down for the summer.
After that, I think all I can do is keep the plants growing and as healthy as possible and wait for September (when they explode with fruit.) 
 
 
Southern Texas isn't exactly Wyoming.  What's your experience been?  How do you work around the 100+ weather?
 
We're not quite as hot here, but I know I have the same problem. If I don't get pod set early they hang until September, and then they go nuts!
 
Do you use a shade cloth? I've found they work great.
 
Devv said:
We're not quite as hot here, but I know I have the same problem. If I don't get pod set early they hang until September, and then they go nuts!
 
Do you use a shade cloth? I've found they work great.
Click to expand...
 
I've got a big mesquite that offers mid-day shade.  This year's plants got about 3 hours of full sun in the am, then another 2 in the afternoon.
 
Shade cloth is definitely something I want to try.  The tree's shade is really too dark, and even the afternoon sun can be brutal when it's 108 and dry as a bone.  I suspect that the plants might grow better with more constant light.
 
What transmission % rating did you wind up with?
 
I use 30%, bought them at the greenhouse megastore for a really good price. Currently I have 3 totaling  1,200 square feet. And of course I want more ;). My plan is to add 400sf of treated framing before I plant this spring.
 
Prior to using the shade cloth I lost tomatoes and peppers due to sun scald (a lot!). My garden gets 100% sun in the summer, so in May the shades go up. They stay there until mid September. I plant my garden in the ground; I've tried containers and they just don't grow as well here. I've had to put quite a bit of time into getting the sand here to turn into garden soil, years and years..LOL. IMHO a 20 gal container here needs to be used as it's arid and hot, but not quite as hot as Az.! Anything smaller and they look like heck every afternoon. Even when I put them in semi shade under a tree.
 
Devv said:
I use 30%, bought them at the greenhouse megastore for a really good price. Currently I have 3 totaling  1,200 square feet. And of course I want more ;). My plan is to add 400sf of treated framing before I plant this spring.
 
Prior to using the shade cloth I lost tomatoes and peppers due to sun scald (a lot!). My garden gets 100% sun in the summer, so in May the shades go up. They stay there until mid September. I plant my garden in the ground; I've tried containers and they just don't grow as well here. I've had to put quite a bit of time into getting the sand here to turn into garden soil, years and years..LOL. IMHO a 20 gal container here needs to be used as it's arid and hot, but not quite as hot as Az.! Anything smaller and they look like heck every afternoon. Even when I put them in semi shade under a tree.
Click to expand...
 
Yea, it's tough finding a balance.  You want to give the plants all the light they can use, but don't want to fry the roots or dehydrate or injure the foliage.
I had decent results with woven grow bag containers. The evaporation keeps the soil from getting too hot, but at the cost of needing constant watering.   With all that water and salt, you need to flush fairly frequently, and that tends to leach the nutes from soil. 
 
Once the plants got nice and bushy, the shade provided by the leaves allowed me to place them in direct sun w/o frying the roots. The plants were a bit stressed at first, but soon acclimated.  (The increasing humidity brought by the monsoon probably helped as much as anything.)  But the water usage...Yikes!  I was giving a ~3+ foot plant 1~2 gallons a day!
 
Apart from shade cloth, I was also considering making a frame topped with a wood slat roof.  Got a while to think about it...  Maybe I'll stumble upon one material or the other on sale.
thirdcoasttx said:
Good looking list geo and good luck to you this year.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks!
 
The new batch is making slow, steady progress.  I put them out during the sunny days.
With highs in the 50s, I don't expect massive growth, but any development is welcome.  Anything that will allow the plants to grow that much better when spring arrives.
 
 
An idyllic scene.  A sweet, innocent young plant growing in the sun.
 
20141219_RF.jpg

 
 
But wait!  What's this on the bottom of the leaf?!
 
Enemy%20at%20the%20Gates.jpg

 
 
Yup, it's a demon. Satan's spawn!
 
EvilCreature.jpg

 
 
I'll leave the monster alone for a day or two and hope a wasp find it...  :twisted:
 
Geonerd said:
 
Yea, it's tough finding a balance.  You want to give the plants all the light they can use, but don't want to fry the roots or dehydrate or injure the foliage.
I had decent results with woven grow bag containers. The evaporation keeps the soil from getting too hot, but at the cost of needing constant watering.   With all that water and salt, you need to flush fairly frequently, and that tends to leach the nutes from soil. 
 
Once the plants got nice and bushy, the shade provided by the leaves allowed me to place them in direct sun w/o frying the roots. The plants were a bit stressed at first, but soon acclimated.  (The increasing humidity brought by the monsoon probably helped as much as anything.)  But the water usage...Yikes!  I was giving a ~3+ foot plant 1~2 gallons a day!
 
Apart from shade cloth, I was also considering making a frame topped with a wood slat roof.  Got a while to think about it...  Maybe I'll stumble upon one material or the other on sale.

 
Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
I too thought about the wood slat roof, put it's rather permanent, and I am primarily a dirt grower.
 
+1 on 31! no quarter for the bastages....
 
I don't mind a low level of bad guys on mature plants. If the lacewings and wasps can't find prey, they'll leave.
And, philosophically, I figure the aphids have as much right to be here as I. 
 
But...
I found a second bastard on another seedling.
That, and my being in a slightly cranky mood, triggered a 5 second orgy of death and destruction!
 
TERMINATED.jpg
 
Man, you've got sun? We don't get to see that for at least 3 more months around here! Lucky!
 
Liking your list! I've been curious about the baccatums myself these days. 
 
Good luck on your year!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top