Bob65 2018 GLOG

I thought I would give this grow log thing a go.
 
It is winter here now, so I have bought a grow tent and some lights and will try and keep some plants alive until I can get them outside once it warms up again. Keeping them alive may be a big ask because inside my house has historically been where plants go to die.
 
Anyway, a while ago I bought some seeds from ebay, before I had any idea about ebay seed sellers. Since then I have done some searching on this seller, and he seems legit. Also sells through a website. I guess only time will tell if the seeds I got are the ones that I wanted.
 
So, I decided to plant some chilli cha cha (from the ebay seller) and some orange habs harvested from my plants last season. I chose these because I figured it would be no great loss if they didn't survive, the ebay seeds because they are ebay seeds, and the habs because I have heaps of them. I will be planting some Aji Cito later in the month as well.
 
So I put some seeds in jiffy pellets and had 100% germination rate. The cha cha within days, but the habs took a little longer.
 
They have since been transplanted into small pots.
 
They are only little at the moment but they look pretty healthy to me.
 
Chilli cha cha.
 

 
Orange Habs
 

 

[CDNmatt]

Absolutely.
 
I think I lucked out and bought seeds from that one seller on ebay with integrity.
 
I don't think that I would risk buying seeds on ebay again, knowing what I know now. But if I did it would only be through him.

 

For me any issues have always been with Asian sellers...and I dont mean to say they are all bad...Hell they may not even know what they are selling for that matter. But i have had minimal problems with buying seeds of all kinds from North American/Europe ect almost everything grew out true.
 
Its risky for sure to buy seeds from Ebay or likewise sites as its pretty damned hard to grow anything out during the buyer protection times Ebay OR even Paypal offer up which is much longer. Also would not be worth the time to do so as well ..for me anyways.

 

[bob65]

 

[bob65]

Update time.
 
I have been having a problem with Queensland fruit fly. Relentless little so and so's. They lay eggs in fruit which become a maggot that wrecks the fruit.
 
They seem to go for some varieties over others, so some plants have been left completely alone, while they wreck all the pods on the plant next to it.
 
They love the tomatoes, I am throwing away probably 20 to every one that I eat. The heat hasn't been kind to the tomatoes either. I have almost given up on them, but will keep caring for them and watering just so I can have that 1 in 20 home grown tomato.
 
The chillies are doing a little better than the tomatoes, like I said the FF prefer some over others. Regardless I think I am throwing away between 5 and 10 times as much as I am keeping.
 
So, it is a battle. I have been escalating my response to them.
 
Traps, sprays. Varied results, but it seems that for every FF that I get rid of, more take it's place.
 
The only real answer is exclusion netting, so here we go.
 
Before
 

 
During, 40°C one day, 27° the next
 

 

 
Filling it up. 5m x 3m under cover.
 

 

 

 
After
 

 
 
There is no where near as much spare room in there as it looks.
 
Not enough room for all of my plants, plus some are in the ground and can't be moved. Those plants and the tomatoes are going to have to take their chances with the FF.
 
The battle for the plants in the net is not quite over yet, I have to stay vigilant for a while and make sure that I haven't imported any FF in there.
 
There should be light at the end of the tunnel though, and I should see some decent crops.

 

[Ghost Pepper Revolution]

Thats crazy bob, I had insect issues this past summer. Diligence is the only cure

 

[bob65]

The only "cure" is to nuke the site from orbit.
 
Best I can hope for is to control and minimize damage.

 

[CaneDog]

Wow Bob.  That's a big undertaking, but I'm glad to see you doing it.  Definitely could be a season saver and get you back into the ripe healthy pods.  Hopefully you can deal quickly with any that hitched a ride into the tent.
 
And on that note, since we're doing movies, "Any of those fruit flies pigs so much as moves in that tent, you execute every MF'in last one of them!"
 
Seriously though, good luck with the netting.  Too much good going on with your grow to have those FF's spoiling it.

 

[Ghost Pepper Revolution]

Yippy ki a motha lol. Id hang some ff traps, they are messy but it does catch a ton

 

[bob65]

Yippy ki a motha lol. Id hang some ff traps, they are messy but it does catch a ton

 
I am not taking chances with them and have a multi faceted plan to deal with them.
 
I have 2 FF traps in there, you can just make them out hanging in the last photo.
 
One is pheromone based (dry trap, poisons them, just catches males). This type has caught literally hundreds in my yard up to this point.
 
The other is protein based (wet trap, doesn't poison them but they drown in the liquid, catches male and females).
 
I am also using a spray, (protein based with the poison spinosad, it has an attractant that looks and smells like vegemite and when they go after the protein they get poisoned. You don't spray the fruit but surrounding foliage or tree trunks, wooden fences etc. Gets both male and female).
 
 
Hopefully that should take care of any in the net.

 

[bob65]

A quick peek inside the FF net
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TewJsJdJDqE

 

[CaneDog]

That's awesome.  Good stuff.

 

[Ghost Pepper Revolution]

Nicely done, sucks that you gotta use poison on the plants though.

 

[CDNmatt]

Oh man sorry aboot your pest problems Bob...too bad the buggers didnt burn off with all that heat you guys have been having. Mid summer the mosquito's and black flies/no-see-ums burn up once the hotter dry weather hits us, to bad it did not have the same effect for you guys as well.
 
The back yard looks great though man...and hey still enough room to toss up a badminton net or something eh

 

[CDNmatt]

whoops double post my bad    

 

[SpeakPolish]

Hope you can power through this stage. Pests are scum.

 

[bob65]

Things are starting to go off a bit in the fruit fly net.
 
I don't know if it is the extra shade they are getting with the net + shade cloth they are under, or if it is because they are isolated from the insects now, but they seem to be enjoying the conditions in there.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CDNmatt]

Pods pods pods ...Sexeh
 
Still having issues with the ones outside though Bob? with the bugs I mean

 

[bob65]

Yes mate, the ones outside are still getting hammered.
 
The tomatoes are a lost cause.
 
I have been given some advice from a commercial grower in regards to spraying them with stuff that is available to me, the trouble is it is either too hot to spray and will burn the plants, or it is raining. I have to pick the right time with the weather.

 

[bob65]

 

 

 

 

 

[bob65]

 

 

 

 

 

[bob65]