Blisters 2016 LED Coco grow

Back for yet another year! I've had two modestly successful grows with coco so far. I'm hoping to build on the knowledge gained and have an improved season (weather permitting) this year. At this point I've limited myself to a few basic peppers. I've got

- Red Bhut - paper towel/baggie started Dec. 24th
- Yellow Bhut - paper towel/baggie started Dec. 24th
- Reaper - paper towel/baggie started Dec. 24th - though this one dried out while I was away and I'm not sure if the seeds are still viable
- MoA Bonnet - yet to be started

The paper towel and baggie method seems to be the most successful way for me to get seeds going so far. I've had very little success with rockwool. I still have some nutrients left over from previous years grow and will use it before buying anything new. I have three nutrient brands on hand:

- Canna Coco A and B
- General Hydroponics Flora Grow and Bloom
- CNS17 Grow and Bloom

All three nutrients are simple to use. Of them all I'd say I've had the most success with GH Flora series. Simple to use, affordable and it's available just about everywhere. This may be the nutrient I start the season with because it's so easy to measure and mix.

The Yellow Bhut's were the first to sprout this year. I had to remove the helmet head on all of these, but things worked out ok.



Once big enough, the seedlings went into coco filled plastic shot glasses. I drilled holes in the bottom, filled with coco and pushed a small hole in the coco with the end of a paint brush. After dropping the seedling in, I give them a good watering with plain water and placed them back under the heat dome to keep them warm at night and help reduce the transplant shock.



I've got a few red jolokia's that have shot out a tap root, but I'm going to wait a bit before putting them into coco.

Neil

 

[Blister]

I've been running a solid 700 ppm throughout my grow. I've tried upping the levels in the past, but I hadn't noticed any real improvement in overall growth. The combo of GH Micro and Bloom are working great.


Neil

 

[stickman]

I've been running a solid 700 ppm throughout my grow. I've tried upping the levels in the past, but I hadn't noticed any real improvement in overall growth. The combo of GH Micro and Bloom are working great.


Neil

 
Excellent observation! It's nice to know where the upper limit is to how many nutes the plants can absorb.
 
So far I haven't seen much difference in the growth of my Pequins in peat-based Pro-Mix as opposed to the 50-50 blend of Pro-Mix and Coco Coir... except that the later-sprouting seedlings that I transferred to the mix have caught up to the others in development. The real results I'll probably find when I check the root ball when I transplant them next week.  Keep on truckin'!

 

[Blister]

Thanks Rick. Seems like the plants do best at 700 ppm and with a consistent application that allows for decent about of run off.

I may try upping the nutes when they go out under the intense sun, but for the time being 700 seems to be the magic number.

Neil

 

[stickman]

Thanks Rick. Seems like the plants do best at 700 ppm and with a consistent application that allows for decent about of run off.

I may try upping the nutes when they go out under the intense sun, but for the time being 700 seems to be the magic number.

Neil

 
I'm not sure that upping the concentration would help any... you can only push the osmotic gradient so much. As the root ball gets bigger, maybe more volume at the same concentration?

 

[Blister]

That's exactly what I was thinking. It can only take up so much, so it would seem like you want a larger rootball and consistent access to nutrient. I'm guessing that's where drip systems really shine. You can deliver a constant supply of nutrient to the plant, but not so much that the coco is sopping wet.

Neil

 

[Blister]

Small update time. The weather has cooled off and been rather cloudy with lots of rain over the last week or so. I haven't been able to really get my plants out so they've been stretching like crazy. Then on the days that I was able to get them out, they got the bejesus burned out of them. Crazy weather. I do have a lot of pods on and have just taken my first small harvest.

Yellow MoA Bonnets



These were supposed to be yellow Jolokia, but frankly I have no idea what they are. They definitely are crossed with something. They feel like they have thicker walls than a Jolokia. At least they're ripening to yellow??



Neil

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Cool looking pod's. Glad you got some fresh one's. Plants leaves look healthy.

 

[stickman]

Nice looking Bonnets Neil! The Bhuts have the right shape, so they can't be too far off. Cheers!

 

[Trevox]

How are your plants doing Neil?

 

[Blister]

Sorry for the lack of updates everyone. Nothing but lazy fishing days to blame for that!

The plants are large and producing great. I've only had a few small harvests, but the peppers have some bite.

My biggest plant looks rather scraggly. It's in need of support, but I have no idea how I'm going to string it all up.

Just some if the pods that are on each of the branches

After the wind blew my plants over I snapped a few pics. This is a yellow bhut.

My MOA is producing pretty good so far too.

Just to put things into perspective, I started with 18 or so plants, but can now only fit 3 in the tub. I had to bring them in die to the storm blowing in. I also have one sitting on the washing machine because I have no room for it in the spare bathroom.

Thanks for the prod and reading.

Neil

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[Blister]

Pods ripening up. Probably only going to get one good harvest this year. They seem to be noticeably hotter though.

Neil

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[lobo]

 That will be rich harvest, GREAT !!  

 

[stickman]

Glad you dodged a bullet when you brought your plants inside before extreme weather Neil... Nice color on those pods too. Keep up the good work!

 

[InsectMan]

Very nice peppers! Do you think you would have been able to produce pods with just leaving them under the LED by any chance? Also, do you have a specific model name for the LED you used? I can only hope to have a fraction of the green thumb you have haha

 

[Blister]

Very nice peppers! Do you think you would have been able to produce pods with just leaving them under the LED by any chance? Also, do you have a specific model name for the LED you used? I can only hope to have a fraction of the green thumb you have haha

Thanks. I have had plants produce peppers when under the light before so I know it can be done. It's a Blackstrar 180w UV blue and red spectrum led light. I was worried when I first bought it because there's a lot of misinformation out there about them. The retailer assured me of the quality then offered a 90 day trail with full money back if I wasn't happy with it. He also offered to upgrade me to the next higher light if I found the 180w to be not enough. Frankly I really only wanted something to get my plants started under and then give them a jump start on summer with something more than regular fluros.

Anywho, I pulled a small harvest of my plants tonight.

Red and Yellow jolokias, yellow MOA and what I was told was a bhutlah.

Thanks for reading.

Neil

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[stickman]

That ain't no small harvest my friend! You've got a year's worth of heat for most people.   I wish my MoA Bonnets looked like yours, but that's probably down to your Blackstar LED. Nice of the guy that sold you yours... I guess he really wanted to make converts.

 

[Blister]

Thanks Rick. Things seem to have really come together for me this year. I'm hoping to jump on the P. Dreadie MOA grow next year.

Almost ready for a second harvest this year. Think I might give the next batch a light smoke before drying them out.

Thanks for reading.

Neil

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[OCD Chilehead]

Great looking pod's. I like the color changes.

Excellent plants!!!

 

[stickman]

Thanks Rick. Things seem to have really come together for me this year. I'm hoping to jump on the P. Dreadie MOA grow next year.

Almost ready for a second harvest this year. Think I might give the next batch a light smoke before drying them out.

 
Cool! Have you tried any MoA Bonnets yet? I'm not sure how they compare to the P. Dreadie pods, but I've been very happy with them for a few years now.
 
What type of wood will you be smoking your pods with? I think I get the best flavor in my powders using Pecan or fruitwoods like Apple or Cherry.

 

[Blister]

The MOA bonnets are a staple in my grow. I grow them specifically for jerk pork and chicken. So delicious! I only ended up with one bonnet plant this year, though it is producing nicely.

I have apple from the list of the hardwoods you mentioned. I also have alder and hickory too. How long do you smoke peppers?

Neil