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Bennoz slow n' steady grow log

G'day all

Been meaning to start a grow log for a while now. finally got off my arse to do it (finished my beer and on the way back from the fridge with a new one ;P )

i stared my seeds back in '09 at the end of nov, a complete newbie http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?15787-Starting-seeds-advice
This is what germinated after what seemed like forever:
3/5 Dorset Naga's
1/5 Trinidad Scrop
5/6 Numex Twilight
14/24 Orange Habs

...and one Orange Hab seedling from Bunnings which got really sick.
http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?16442-Bacterial-Spot-of-Pepper

In the time between i've learnt alot !!!
Last month i repotted all the plants i have left and the change has been amazing ! The seedlings that were growing sooooooooo slowly have come alive and the O-Hab that i figured was dead has come back. It was all in the soil !

What i used this time round was:
Premium potting mix with slow release fert included
purchased compost for some organic matter
dolomite lime
sulfur (to lower the ph to 6.5ish)
epsom salts mixed into the top few inches
Also got a moisture meter which has been really useful (10 bucks off ebay)

Now the question remains... will i get some pods before winter hehe ;P

Anyways here are some happy pics :

1. The Orange hab that i thought had died - i cut it back a bit lol
plants001.jpg


2. Naga on left, the only scorp i have on right
plants002.jpg


3. Numex twilight with some buds
plants003.jpg



4.The rest of the family - worth noting that the plants in the clear cups didnt really start growing till i taped up and covered the clear plastic, stoping the light getting to the roots
plants004.jpg
 
Click to expand...
Slow and steady over this way too bennoz! But we'll get some pods one day, dammit, the biggest damn harvest you can imagine! :D
 
kiddc said:
i like how your plants are all stocky bushy plants.
Click to expand...
Thanks - they've been outside since almost day 1.
I dont have room at home for grow lights etc. Suppose thats one +ve
 
Quick update....

Im starting to give up !
The same problem as i was having before has happened again and its destroying all but 2 of my plants. The buds are falling off, the new growth is curling up and dying. I dont know what it is or how to stop it !!!!

Im almost sure its pest related but its spreading and no matter what i try ... grr
last week i used some eco oil (http://www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au/product.php?id=1) + yates insect and mite killer (http://www.yates.com.au/products/pest-control/insects-concentrates/natures-way-insect-mite-killer/).
few days after i got a ready2spray pyrethrum insecticide.
2 days ago i gave em some fert to pick em up...the prob is getting worse ;(
FadeToBlack and gasificada seem to be having the same problem

AND After all that i found these little guys on my plants. i dont know what they are, but should they be there after all that spraying ?
http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthr...2010-grow-log.&p=324165&viewfull=1#post324165


On the plus side the naga and scorp plants are untouched so far. ive moved em away hoping to keep em pest free. They are growing fast and have more than doubled from the pics shown above.
ill take some pics tomoz after work (if i dont get home too late)
 
not sure what you've got Ben, but i found that spraying and soaking in neem seemed to scare away most the bugs.. at least you've got a couple that are still untouched... let us know how you go :)
 
In your original grow log you linked to in the first post you said the new soil made a big difference... is it possible the soil is still a problem?
The eco organic garden link says this: "Note: As with all oil sprays there can be a risk of foliage burn. eco-oil is a light grade oil which is applied at low rate. This significantly reduces the likelihood of burning but we still recommend you take the following precautions. Do not spray when temperatures exceed 30 degrees. Do not apply to plants suffering from heat or moisture stress. Do not spray directly onto sensitive flower heads".
The Yates link says "Precautions
Do not spray if temperature is expected to exceed 30 degrees or if the soil is dry and plants are suffering from moisture stress. Do not spray if rain likely within 2 hours. Do not mix with other pesticides. Do not use on delicate plants such as ferns, mosses or flowers. Use lower rate on other delicate foliage."
Is it possible these products are doing more harm than good?
Can your fertilizer regime be a problem?
Just trying to give you something to think about, only you know the answers. If it's something you're doing wrong then you can fix it and if the plants are just weak then you're better off starting again with different seed stock, no sense babying it to get seeds which will just give you weak offspring anyway.

Don't give up yet, I hope you find a solution.
 
two questions/comments Bennoz...

the little lack bugs in your linked picture look like they could be ladybug larva...if they are you sure don't want to kill them...

when you were talking about the bugs on the plant being covered up, what do you mean?....some kind of dust covering them? boring into the leaves?...
 
One thing I've noticed is that the plants are fine until they start to bud. Once they flower then all the trouble starts. The naga and scorp are fine because they aren't flowering yet, but all 6 of my effected plants are the only ones that are flowering.

Aj - they do indeed look like ladybug larvae. I had no idea what they were and only recognised them from a post by another forum member. (that's what I linked)

Jimmy - the soil change was because the plants were growing really slow. Once I changed the soil the plants exploded into growth.

As for the chemicals. The problem started before I even bought them. I'm pretty careful to follow the instructions and only spray at night when it's cooler, and a day after I've waterded. The fert cycle I use is slow if anything.

Thanks fir trying to think outside the box for the causes. I'm at my wits end!!!
 
update with some pics:
Its finally stopped raining long enough for me to take some snaps:

lots of leaves / buds falling. new growth dying

naga + scorp at bottom doing well





 
I had a few plants do the same thing last year plus some yellowing. My pH was low and I don't think the plants were able to use the nutrients that I was feeding them. I added some pelletized lime to increase the pH and then used a fertilizer that was higher in nitrogen. That seemed to do the trick.

Good luck.
 
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