bstar2013's 2013 grow log

This is my first time making a grow log and only my second time trying to grow peppers. I tried last year but didnt produce hardly anything other then serrano, jalapeno and tomato. partly because i had neighbors that shot bottle rockets and fire crackers into my garden and partly because it was so hot last summer and mostly because i had no idea what was doing when it came to super hots. but i have moved since then and have my own backyard now im not sure i will have enough room for all the peppers that sprouted this year. i planted alot of peppers because of my failure last year and i got a heat mat this year for my seed starters i used jiffy pellets and when the peppers sprouted i planted them in solo cups so they wouldnt be on the heat anymore and i made a sort of grow box but its nothing special. i got most of my pepper seeds from wayland chiles accept the carolina reaper, pasilla bajio and saporro they came from pepper joe, here is the list of seeds i have planted and sprouted so far:


caribbean red habanero
orange scorpion
trinidad scorpion moruga blend (only had one out of 10 sprout so far)
trinidad scorpion (only 2 of these sprouted out of 10 planted)
naga morich
devils tongue
fatalli
yellow ghost
chocolate ghost
red ghost
serrano (my own seeds from last year)
jalapeno (also my own seeds)
tobasco (i had these from last year i cant remember where i got them from)
carolina reaper
bishops crown (only had 2 of 10 sprout of these also)
cayenne (store bough seeds)
pasilla bajio (free seeds from pepper joe)
saporro (free seds from ppper joe)
7 pot red
7 pot yellow
congo trinidad

I planted 10-12 seeds of each pepper. I sowed all thse seeds thinking i would only have maybe 2 of each sprout but instead almost all of them sprouted. all the seeds from pepper joe accept 1 or 2 sprouted and were vary fast about it also. i will post pictures of all my peppers when i get the chance to take them later today if i can post pictures from my phone. this is only my second post on this site so i still dont know how to do much of anything really.

 

[SeanW]

Welcome

Nice germination rates! The question comes down to cull or keep...or plan to cull, and keep anyway!

Glad your reapers sprouted, mine did bupkis :/

 

[Sawyer]

Great looking list.

 

[bstar2013]

Welcome

Nice germination rates! The question comes down to cull or keep...or plan to cull, and keep anyway!

Glad your reapers sprouted, mine did bupkis :/

Thanks! I think I will probably just give away the extras to friends or
family. And yeah the germination was alot better then I expected!

Great looking list.

thanks!

 

[bstar2013]

I have a bunch of peppers with seeds stuck on the top I was wondering what the best way of removing the seeds is and how can I prevent it in the future?

 

[Sawyer]

Aka helmet heads. Most people advise misting them to keep the hull from getting too hard. Some people then let nature take its course and a healthy plant should be able to push off the soft, wet hull. Others will use tweezers or needle-nose pliers applied to the edges of the seed to expand the hull a little and then slip it off. I just use my thumbnails to catch the lower edges of the hull and pry it off, pulling both sides away from the cotyledons. I kill more than I save, though.

Assuming you are planting directly into soil or mix, to avoid or at least minimize the problem, make sure the seeds are planted deep enough. I think 1/4" is the minimum recommended depth, though I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong on that. Another thing to do is to be sure the germinating temperature is not too high. For red bhuts 82ªF seems to be just right. I think you should target a maximum temperature of 85ºF, though others may have a different opinion on that.

Edit: Some people use nail clippers to snip the edge of the seed hull all the way around. Then the cotyledons can open up even if a bit of hull is still stuck to the underside. I haven't tried this yet, but plan to at the next opportunity.

 

[bstar2013]

I misted them usually two or three times a day but I didn't have the plastic lid on them because it made it way too hot in the seed starter so they dried out very quickly. I had my mom pick up a thermometer at the pharmacy she works at but it doesn't read temps below 90°F so that didn't help much accept to let me know that it was almost 98° in there with the lid on. I have been trying to pull the seeds off but I've already killed 2 plants trying that so I will try the tweezer idea or just let them work it out on they're own. It seems like I had it at the right temp once I took off the lid. Last year I was in a cold basement when I tried to start my seeds so I didn't take into account the temperature difference between a room and a basement which is why I didn't realize the heat mat would get them so hot. I think I planted my seeds in between 1/4 and 1/8 of an inch deep because I read different things on different websites. I need to figure out how to post pictures from my phone so I can post all my seedling pictures.

 

[bstar2013]

this is my second light. both my lights are kinda high for the peppers so they get leggy but i cant make the other light lower and i need to get some more chain for this one but i decided for now some light is better then none.

this is one of my yellow ghosts the leaves look kinda yellow and i dont know why.

here is one of my carolina reapers they got started a few weeks later then all the rest so theyre kinda behind but they caught up with some because they sprouted so fast.

these are half the one under my first light its only 18" so its not th best but its all i could fit where i put it and its better then nothing.

and here is the other half of the peppers under the little grow light. kinda disapointed that i only had one moruga scorpion and two trinidad scorpions sprout so hopefully they survive.

 

[PjPEPPERS]

Well your doing something right mate because there's some green there. May be obvious, but instead of trying to lower the light fixture have you tried raising the plants up. Maybe get a flat piece of spare something and put all the cups on it and then a pile of books or such like underneath it. Just a thought. You will be able to bury them more when you transplant then but you wana give them the best of chances from the get go really.

Keep it up though mate. Glad you managed to get some new digs to allow you to grow some mean ass super hot monster plants. And hope you sent the old neighbors a dog turd in the post! Bastards!

Pete

 

[Vegas_Chili]

Everything looks good. Some are leggy but you can fix that. Definitely see some green in there.

Do you have a fan on them? If not I recommend you do, that will help your seedling's stem get thicker and gaining more support.

Keep it up everything is looking good.

,Vegas

 

[midwestchilehead]

Welcome, from just down the road. My reapers were only 1/12 for germination (my fault). Do you want to trade some of yours for other varieties I have?

Thanks! I think I will probably just give away the extras to friends or
family.

 

[bstar2013]

Welcome, from just down the road. My reapers were only 1/12 for germination (my fault). Do you want to trade some of yours for other varieties I have?

Hello! I have 1 or 2 with 2 plants in each jiffy pellet that I could trade but I don't have a way to get them to you. What do you have to trade? I was going to order a yellow moruga and a red moruga plant online but if you have them I'll trade for those or just let me know what else you have to trade. I'll post some pictures of the Carolina reapers I have later today our tomorrow

 

[midwestchilehead]

I have some Trinidad Scorpion Morouga Blend or some Bahamian Goats, but do not have any Morouga Yellows.

 

[bstar2013]

Hmmm you would happen to have any aji lemon drops growing would you? I've wanted to try one of those peppers ever since I saw someone do a review on YouTube.

 

[midwestchilehead]

No lemon drops this season. Sorry. I do have some seeds, though.

 

[bstar2013]

Ok I'll trade for the goat and the moruga. do you think maybe I could get a few of the lemon drop seeds too?

 

[Sawyer]

Looks like you're getting something worked out with midwestchilehead, but I have some yellow Morugas (seed from pepperlover.com) I'd be willing to trade a couple for a Reaper. Like you said, though, I'm not sure how we'd arrange the swap unless you plan on being in NW AR sometime soon.

 

[bstar2013]

Sorry no vacations planned for there any time soon... But I would be willing to send you some seeds at the end of the season if you would like... I plan to keep one plant completely isolated (as well as I can anyways) so they should still be pure seeds.

 

[bstar2013]

thought i would stop in and post a few more pictures of my plants...

these two are my best looking carolina reapers so far

this chocolate ghost is my best looking plant so far IMO.

this is what i plan to fertilize with... not sure how good it works it had good reviews on the website i got it from. i ordered it and my seedling heat mat from greenhouse megastore. when should i start fertilizing my plants? when i put them in the ground or sooner?

 

[bstar2013]

quick update. i will be planting out next weekend as long as it stays warm this week so i can harden my plants off. ive been fighting fungus gnats that i didnt realize i had till i read someone elses glog and saw what they had was the same as what i had so i went and got mosquito drops. i will probably treat the dirt one more time before i put them outside.

i have this one moruga with almost white leaves and i dont know whats causing it maybe the fungus gnats...

if anyone has an idea of what could be causing it let me know please.