Blisters LED Coco grow has reached it's inevitable end...

I've been away from the forum for some quite some time. Over the last 2.5 years I've been blessed with a son, have had to move to 2 different cities and transfer jobs twice. I really didn't have time or room to grow anything let alone focus on peppers. Now that I'm settled in and have a few extra $ on hand, I've been able to invest in a 180w UV Blackstar LED and have started growing in Coco.

Why coco? I've grown in soil before and had decent results. The problem was that my growing season is around 90 days. We don't get the heat or sun needed to grow super hots to their full potential. On top of this soil needs fairly large pots for the plants to really produce a large plant, but again we don't get the heat needed to let the pot dry out and stress the plant. I'd have great tasting peppers, but no heat.

I've done a bunch of reading (mostly the 420 sites) and it would appear that coco offers the ability to grow large plants in rather small pots. It offers a great root zone alternative that will allow you to develop massive roots. Once the root ball is fully developed, they fill the pot to the point that you can water every day (during growth), and every other day during fruiting. The ability to control the water/wilt schedule should allow the plant to stress out enough so that it produces nice hot peppers. We'll see how this works though.

Fertilizers I'm currently using are:

Botannicare 
- CNS-17 Grow (stand alone)
- CNS-17 Bloom (stand alone)

General hydroponics (using a modified version of H3AD's mixture)

- Flora Micro
- Flora Bloom


Advanced Nutrients 
- Monkey Juice A
- Monkey Juice B

Suppliments

- Botannicare Cal-Mag+
- Botannicare Huvega (nothing more than expensive dissolved epsom salt)

Problems experienced so far:

I had a bunch of issues getting the seeds started. They'd start, die. Next set wouldn't start. Set after that started and provided me with enough seedlings to get going. 

Next problem. I started with Botannicare's CNS-17 grow. Everything started fine, seedlings were doing ok, but it wasn't too long in before I realized that I had a huge problem with my tap water. It's extremely hard. After a few weeks the leaves were going yellow and dropping. Especially when I added a small amount of Cal-Mag+. The problem drove me a little nuts and is why I have a 3 different ferts! I didn't know the water was the problem and tried a different brand. Oh well. I bought a TDS Meter and found that my tap water is a little over 500ppm. After I found this out, I switched to bottled water and noticed an immediate improvement.

 I'm only growing two types of peppers so far:
- Yellow Scotch Bonnet (bought from Stokes)
- Bhut Jolokia (two strains. One from a friend and one that was bought off e-bay by my in-laws).

EDIT:

Newly added pepper! Jamison was kind enough to provide me with MoA Bonnets! They arrived today (Dec 31, 2013).

 

[Blister]

I have been reading the Finnish chili growing site. You should try GHE floramicro+floramato combo and use the measures found in the floramato bottle label to mix the two fertilizers. Mr. Fatalii said to use the GHE floramato a little less in the beginning, than the label says, when growing indoors.

 
GHE appears to be a little different than the line we get in Canada. They don't appear to offer a line called "Floramato" here. I'll have a look at the labels when I get home and compare it to Flora Grow and Flora Bloom. As it stands right now I'm using a custom mixture of Flora Micro and Flora Bloom. Virtually everything you get in Flora Grow is found in Micro and Bloom so you can save a few bucks by dropping it.
 
Neil

 

[maximumcapsicum]

It's the stem thickness that makes me wonder whether the coco would give you a strong bonchi. Would have to be active about watering and controlling the growth though. I may pot one of them in coco if I have the time and see how it goes. Got to select some of the plants for actual bonsai shoes soon...
 
Amazing Glog Blister! Makes me want to pick up some LEDs.

 

[Chilidude]

 
GHE appears to be a little different than the line we get in Canada. They don't appear to offer a line called "Floramato" here. I'll have a look at the labels when I get home and compare it to Flora Grow and Flora Bloom. As it stands right now I'm using a custom mixture of Flora Micro and Flora Bloom. Virtually everything you get in Flora Grow is found in Micro and Bloom so you can save a few bucks by dropping it.
 
Neil

 
They sell the Floramato in bottles here in Finland, but i found this site in Canada, that lists the Floramato in dry form in they website:
http://aplus.dot5hosting.com/gh-flora-mato.html
 
Check it out!

 

[Blister]

It's the stem thickness that makes me wonder whether the coco would give you a strong bonchi. Would have to be active about watering and controlling the growth though. I may pot one of them in coco if I have the time and see how it goes. Got to select some of the plants for actual bonsai shoes soon...
 
Amazing Glog Blister! Makes me want to pick up some LEDs.

Thanks maximum!

I'm not sure if if the stem thickness is a result of the coco and nutes, or if it's a result of the LED lights, or even a combination of them all. I used to turn a fan on the plants back when they were in the window, but since I got the light, I haven't done anything to them other than water them. They're growing thick stalks on their own. It would be interesting to see how it would all work when growing a bonchi.

I've been scanning the 420 sites and have found a few ideas that I'd like to try that are similar in principle to bonchi's. Gotta do a little more homework and thinking on it though before anything happens.

They sell the Floramato in bottles here in Finland, but i found this site in Canada, that lists the Floramato in dry form in they website:
http://aplus.dot5hosting.com/gh-flora-mato.html
 
Check it out!

I checked out the link. That stuff looks pretty potent and I can see why you're recommended to cut the strength when growing indoors.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Thanks maximum!

I'm not sure if if the stem thickness is a result of the coco and nutes, or if it's a result of the LED lights, or even a combination of them all. I used to turn a fan on the plants back when they were in the window, but since I got the light, I haven't done anything to them other than water them. They're growing thick stalks on their own. It would be interesting to see how it would all work when growing a bonchi.

I've been scanning the 420 sites and have found a few ideas that I'd like to try that are similar in principle to bonchi's. Gotta do a little more homework and thinking on it though before anything happens.



I checked out the link. That stuff looks pretty potent and I can see why you're recommended to cut the strength when growing indoors.

 
Excellent man. Will be interested to see what you come up with. Gonna pick up one of the LED rigs for myself one day.

 

[Devv]

Plants look great Blister!
 
They're ready for outside!
 
Question about the roots, how do they react once they have done the wrap around when up planted?

 

[Blister]

Excellent man. Will be interested to see what you come up with. Gonna pick up one of the LED rigs for myself one day.

 

I've got some ideas, just don't know if it'll work with chili plants.

Plants look great Blister!
 
They're ready for outside!
 
Question about the roots, how do they react once they have done the wrap around when up planted?

Thanks Devv, but I'm not sure what you're asking. Every time I've potted up the plants have decent growth on the upper portion and the roots go nuts trying to fill the pot. It only took a month from potting up for the Jolokia's to fill the pot. I'm really hoping that a smart pot or geopot or whatever you want to call it will help aid with the plants being root bound.

 

[Devv]

Thanks Devv, but I'm not sure what you're asking. Every time I've potted up the plants have decent growth on the upper portion and the roots go nuts trying to fill the pot. It only took a month from potting up for the Jolokia's to fill the pot. I'm really hoping that a smart pot or geopot or whatever you want to call it will help aid with the plants being root bound.

Well once they start to circle the pot like in the pics you've posted....how do they do when up-potted. So I guess I'm wondering, is does it hinder them later? I'm concerned that my plants will become root bound before they hit the garden, I'm a little ahead of schedule.

 

[Chilidude]

If the plants get rootbound, just squeeze the rootball gently to loosen up the roots and then re-pot.

 

[Blister]

Well once they start to circle the pot like in the pics you've posted....how do they do when up-potted. So I guess I'm wondering, is does it hinder them later? I'm concerned that my plants will become root bound before they hit the garden, I'm a little ahead of schedule.

Ah ok I think I get what you're asking now. Since they get a bit stunted from being in such a small pot for so long, do they continue to grow normally when you move them to a larger pot. Frankly I'm not too sure if it has an effect on them or not. The Jolokia's have limited side shoot growth. The shoots got a tad bigger when I moved them from 2" pots to 4" pots, but they haven't really developed more than that. Then again they were really crowded in the tub and barely had any light get through the canopy. I'm culling a "bonnet" today to make room for them. I'd imagine that they would probably be a bit stunted at first, but should continue to grow all over after being moved to a larger pot. They have all grown taller and wider when potted up so far.

Neil

 

[Blister]

I'll be chopping this "bonnet" today to make room for all the Jolokias and hoping soon to be MoAs. Its growing great but they aren't the peppers that I wanted. They are a thick walked pepper with a very floral hab flavor. They really only seem to be around jalapeño heat. At this point they're just taking away space and light from the jolokias.

 

[Devv]

Such a nice plant, nobody wants it?

 

[Blister]

I'm a little torn in axing it because it is doing so well, but I don't care the the peppers so much and unfortunately I don't know anyone that wants it. The upside is that once it's gone I have lots of extra room for my Jolokia's and they'll benefit from having light penetrate to the canopy.

Neil

 

[Devv]

OK, then you gotta do what's right for the rest of the young ladies
 
I have a bunch of people asking about plants I have going so I should be OK with the extras...I gave them pods last season and now they want more...can't beat that!

 

[Blister]

I potted up my plants today. Took pictures of each and the associated root ball. I don't have time to post them right now, but will do it towards the end of the month. Although the new pots aren't that much deeper, they are 5.25" square and 5" tall. They should allow the roots to expand some from the 4" round pots. They'll be left in the pots for approx. a month and a half. I'm hoping to have them into their final pot size of 1.5 to 2 gallon pots by mid-march. This should be enough time to let the plants get settled in and back to growing by the time I'm able to put them out in the sun.

Neil

 

[Blister]

I've been away for the last few weeks and have finally been able to put some time into editing and uploading photos. I had potted the Bhut's up before I had started travelling on 1/23/14. The plants have grown a fair amount since then and I already have a few roots poking out the bottom of the pots. Growth has been steady and I have a number of pods forming.
 
The new pots are 5.25" square and around 5" tall. They aren't much bigger than the previous 4" round pots, but because they're square they allow the roots to expand some before fully filling the pots.
 
I'm still getting a fair amount of flower drop, so I've upped the nutrient strength to 850-900 ppm and may up it again given all the flowers on the these plants. I'm guessing that they just need a little higher strength nutrient during pod formation. I don't have a clue how much to up the nutrients to just yet so I'm going to keep increasing the strength until I start to notice the leaves from the new growth start to crumple up and stop there.
 
Bhut 1
 

 
Bhut 2
 

 
Bhut 3
 

 
Bhut 4
 

 
Bhut 5
 

 

[JJJessee]

Mind bending.
 
And these seeds popped about the first of December 2013?

 

[Blister]

Hey JJ! I'll have to double check the date on the pictures, but I think these were started somewhere in October. I didn't have a grow light until somewhere in November though so the seedlings were limited to the weak fall/winter sun. They really took off after I got the light though.

 

[JJJessee]

I think that light must be a good bit of the puzzle. This stems are just amazing.
 
In the past 3 weeks I've put 18 seedlings in coir, feeding a 50% GreatfulH3ad solution, and about twice that many in FF/OF straight, so I have decent comparisons. All the plants got a worm tea treat once, and the OF got it twice. I'm under  T8 6500k lamps, typically 2-4" above.  I think the Hyro/coir protcol is going to out grow the OF.
 
They have been close in growth rate thus far, but the oldest are 3 fatallis of each potted up the same day, and the coir seems to be pulling ahead, especially one plant. I purposefully put the smaller cotys in the coir -ta make'em work for it
 
One thing you might comment on, is the coloration is not as deep green in the coir, though it maybe slowly correcting.
pH, maybe,or Ca-Mg? I have not tested the pH.
 
Cheers!

 

[Blister]

Are you using RO or bottled water with the mixture or are you simply using tap water?
Also where did you get your coir? Hydro shop or just something at a hardware store etc?