soil Best cheap soil(or mixture) from retail stores for containers?

mattbhm · Jul 1, 2018

solid7 said:
Honestly, we were done with the peppers a page or so ago. We've been working on you ever since.
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Yeah, it's your first pod, and you love it. But it's creepy to keep a carcass around for sentimental purposes. Life goes forward.

Everyone is doing great! They're all green and bushy again, with new peppers on a few! I wish it would stop raining, but atleast they're finally drying out a bit. I am going to build a cover for them so I don't have to bring them 100ft into the garage every day. They're not light!

Check out this one!! No holes either!!

Is that a scorpion? Honestly I can't tell.. Once I get them all figured out, I'm going to make laminated tags.

I also got a Dorset Naga plant today at the local plant sale! Going to plant it in the ground near our Poblanos and see how it does.

solid7 · Jul 1, 2018

Looks more like a habanero to me.

Glad to hear that things are working out, buddy. Keeping it simple is working out for you, no?

mattbhm · Jul 1, 2018

solid7 said:
Looks more like a habanero to me.

Glad to hear that things are working out, buddy. Keeping it simple is working out for you, no?

It does look like a habanero. Hopefully it's not, but then again, I'm happy with any peppers.

These don't look like habs though, and they're on the same plant?

And yes, it sure is!! Thanks for all the help!!

solid7 · Jul 1, 2018

Yeah, you're right. The first one might have just been an oddball. No worries.
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Fantastic. Just keep on doing what you're doing. From what I can see, your plants seem to be happy, and thriving.

The_NorthEast_ChileMan · Jul 1, 2018

mattbhm said:
These don't look like habs though, and they're on the same plant?

Many times a plant will throw different looking pods... Note in the pic below the white circled pods have no "tam o'shanter" look, the black circled pods have have a semi "tam o'shanter" and the red circled pods have a clearly defined "tam o'shanter" that is the classic look of MOA Scotch Bonnet.

mattbhm · Jul 15, 2018

solid7 said:
Yeah, you're right. The first one might have just been an oddball. No worries.
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Fantastic. Just keep on doing what you're doing. From what I can see, your plants seem to be happy, and thriving.

I have a couple questions and an issue.

First, I haven't watered them in 3 weeks. Nor have they been rained on. But except the dry surface the dirt is still moist. Can I do anything/is this normal? Because they haven't gotten fish in 3 weeks either.

Second, one of the plants has lost almost all of it's leaves, and those that are left feel extremely thin and almost wet-ish. Not like the thick leaves on the rest. Any idea? No yellowing on the live leaves.

I'll get pictures later or tomorrow.

Thanks.

solid7 · Jul 15, 2018

Yes get some pics...

mattbhm · Jul 18, 2018

solid7 said:
Yes get some pics...

Pictures:

2 of them are losing leaves but one has lost almost all. It has less than it does in these pictures.

solid7 · Jul 18, 2018

Most look fine. That one plant looks overwatered, still.

mattbhm · Jul 18, 2018

solid7 said:
Most look fine. That one plant looks overwatered, still.

Yeah, they're all still saturated from 3 weeks ago. I guess I just keep them out when it's sunny.

That one on the top has only 2 leaves left.

solid7 · Jul 18, 2018

If they're being brought inside, do you have a good fan on them?

mattbhm · Jul 18, 2018

solid7 said:
If they're being brought inside, do you have a good fan on them?

99% of the time. Big box fan, seems pretty well circulated. It's very dry inside and EXTREMELY humid outside. Could be something about that?

I've been trying to find a way to keep them out so they don't have to be moved(for me and for them) but I cannot come up with anything on the extremely cheap. Still looking.

solid7 · Jul 18, 2018

Time to cut the bottom out of the buckets, and set them on terra firma.

DontPanic · Jul 18, 2018

It just seems like somethings not right if you haven't watered in three weeks, but the soil is still saturated.

Maybe check to see if the drain holes you put in the buckets aren't blocked or plugged.

skullbiker · Jul 18, 2018

I agree with DontPanic, I grow in a lot of buckets. Most have five .75 inch holes (or more) in them. Some should be into the outer edge so they will drain if set on a hard surface. More and larger holes also let air up into the root mass from the bottom.
Like this.

mattbhm · Jul 21, 2018

solid7 said:
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DontPanic said:
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skullbiker said:
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Thanks everyone for the info.

There are 6-8 holes that size in my buckets, Skullbiker. Some are around the edge too. None are plugged.

I am not exaggerating when I say it is HUMID. I mean it is seriously uncomfortably humid here. I don't blame the water for not coming out, there's nowhere for it to go!

So would the best bet, as Solid7 said, be to cut the buckets' bottoms off and set them on the dirt? I'm still trying to find a way to cover them..

EDIT: ALSO! I have a couple more peppers turning. But they seem to have gotten half red and just stopped. Now they're red/green, but a distinct line. Not reddish green. Any idea?

solid7 · Jul 21, 2018

mattbhm said:
So would the best bet, as Solid7 said, be to cut the buckets' bottoms off and set them on the dirt? I'm still trying to find a way to cover them..

I was really kinda kidding, but also really kinda not...
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Digging a hole in the ground, and putting the bucket into it, isn't a terrible idea.

mattbhm · Jul 21, 2018

solid7 said:
I was really kinda kidding, but also really kinda not...
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Digging a hole in the ground, and putting the bucket into it, isn't a terrible idea.

Exactly. One of the others is looking less happy too. So one is a green peg with no leaves and one is starting to look not great. I'm still happy because 5 out of 7 look fantastic still.

I really don't see many options in terms of drainage. I don't know if it's how plants work, but I feel like it can't be healthy for them. I feel like they should get fresh water instead of soaking in this 3 week old water. Haha..

solid7 · Jul 22, 2018

mattbhm said:
Exactly. One of the others is looking less happy too. So one is a green peg with no leaves and one is starting to look not great. I'm still happy because 5 out of 7 look fantastic still.

I really don't see many options in terms of drainage. I don't know if it's how plants work, but I feel like it can't be healthy for them. I feel like they should get fresh water instead of soaking in this 3 week old water. Haha..

The idea of either putting the buckets in the ground, or (if you choose to take it seriously) cutting the bottom of the buckets out, is to connect the potting mix to a larger drainage field, and alleviate the perched water table that exists in your container. (it will give that excess moisture somewhere to go, instead of being held, as if in a sponge) Also, it will have the added benefit of keeping your container cool.

The_NorthEast_ChileMan · Jul 22, 2018

DontPanic said:
It just seems like somethings not right if you haven't watered in three weeks, but the soil is still saturated.

skullbiker said:
I agree with DontPanic, I grow in a lot of buckets. Most have five .75 inch holes (or more) in them.

DontPanic said:
Maybe check to see if the drain holes you put in the buckets aren't blocked or plugged.

I too agree with DontPanic, +1 on something wrong no matter how humid it is. I grow in buckets like skullbiker but use a slightly different drainage method. I drill 20-30 3/8" holes then put about an inch of small stones before lining the bucket with lanscape fabric to keep the potting media out of the stones for the air flow skullbiker mentions.

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