• Blog your pepper progress. The first image in your first post will be used to represent your Glog.

CaneDog - Off-Season Season 2018/19

Thought I'd post a few pics of what I have going on indoors this off-season.  I used to do a winter indoor grow about every season, but this will be my first in a couple years now.  I went a bit over-board with the number of plants, as usual, but I've culled a few already and I have expansion room if needed.
 
I'm using a handy little extra walk-in closet to start things out. Keeps temp well and makes it easy to chill and work with the plants.
 
20181008_PWalk30.jpg

 
 
Most everything's potted up into 1g Boxer Browns now.  Here's a few of this season's players.
 
Baha Goat
_20181119_BGoat.jpg

 
 
Fatalii
_20181119_Fatty.jpg

 
Bhut Jolokia White - topped it early on as it was already wanting to branch like crazy
_20181119_BJWhiteTopped.jpg

 
Butch T
_20181119_TScorpBT2.jpg

 
Kathumby starting to bud up
_20181119_Kathumby.jpg

 
 
And this guy is a 7 Pot White that sprouted late right up against another plant, so I yanked it out.  It had what seemed like only about 2mm of root still attached, but I stuck it in Kratky and it not only survived but seems fairly happy.
_20181119_7PW_KratkyTop.jpg

 
CD
 
Click to expand...
Hoping for a little input on where I go with the graft CGN 21500 + 7 Pot White.
 
Option 1:  Prune it somewhat aggressively now with the goal of making the 21500 branch on on the main stem below the graft and also lower on the left and right laterals, also making the 7PW develop the 3 - 5 "budding" laterals just above the graft.  Then take the plant into production as a mixed bush as soon as it's ready.
 
Option 2:  Leave it be for a while and see if it bushes out well on its own before it gets too tall, but risk having to cut it back later if it doesn't thus setting things back even more. 
 
BTW - All 3 mains were topped at least a week ago, but they're developing the laterals at the top much more so than lower.
 
I've been leaning toward Option 1.  I think it's strong enough now to deal with it.  Here's a couple pictures I just took showing the growth status.
 
Any input is appreciated!
 
 
You can see here both "plants" want to branch mostly toward the very top, but there's good potential lower.
20181221%20GraftFull.jpg

 
 
Better view of the lowest CGN21500 laterals.  I suppose where this picture is top-cropped is about where I'd be thinking of top-cropping the plant.
20181221%20GraftCU.jpg
 
That's a dilemma, CD.  Guess it comes down to what
kind of space you want it to occupy at mature growth.  
 
The graft really looks good, lots of really nice growth
at the nodes!
 
I decided rather than wait, I'd pot the rest of the current group of Bonchi.  Here's a group shot of the dirty dozen.  I realized I was leaving a bit too much leafage on the plants and trimmed a little more off after.  I don't want issues with too much transpiration putting the plants into shock and wilt with the newly chopped roots.
 
20181221%20BonchiGroupShot.jpg

 
 
The BOC has been the most temperamental variety of the grow. I have 2 of them - kept a second because they were funky from the start and I wanted a backup.  Both have been very sensitive to environmental conditions and periodically their leaves would cup and distort when the other plants were doing fine. If it were only one behaving this way I might chalk it up to its micro-environment, but with both acting the same I think otherwise.  You can see in the photo (2nd row center) that this one is acting funky again - though fortunately the other isn't ATM.
 
My grow has gotten a little hectic lately, but cutting back a handful of plants has helped and I'm rolling the first couple - B Goat and Kathy Black - out of production with will help a little more.  Next in line are a Peach Bhut and Chocolate Scotch Bonnet. 
 
My environmentals got a little shaky.
20181222%20PeachBhut850.jpg

 
But the flowers are coming on.
20181222%20PeachBhut2850.jpg

 
SB Choc looking compact with solid leaves.
20181222%20ScotchBonnetChoc2.jpg
 
Thanks man!  I'm pretty psyched myself.  I went ahead and cut the plant back significantly yesterday and it's already bounced back with noticeable growth at all the right nodes.  I think the CGN21500 must have had a good strong root system from the start, because no matter what I've done with this guy the plant's stepped right up and delivered.
 
Yeah, it was tough, but there's just too much going on to keep up with and they're so much easier to deal with as Bonchi - watering in particular is so simple without all the leaves in the way or else I might have just topped them.  I'm hoping these guys will develop into smaller fruiting bushes that I can get true seeds from and then cuttings for certain ones I want to grow more of for the outside season.  Plus I still have a bunch in the 1g bags that didn't go Bonchi.
 
Dogmessiah said:
I am pretty psyched to see your grafts progress. I have plans to graft a couple varieties this winter/spring to save on space given the number of varieties I want to grow.
Click to expand...
 
Me too.  Grafting branches seems to offer good potential for getting multiple varieties into limited space.  Seems it could be particularly useful for an indoor grow.
 
I'm seeing lots going on in your grow space.  Are you going to have room enough to grow a huge Chili Red?
 
Superb, 'Dog! That array of bronchi his impressive.
 
How's the leaf curl on the BOC? Sometimes, plants
just seem to sort of catch a cold or something, and
then kind of grow out of it   :think:    :rolleyes:
 
I do have a lot going on in my grow space. I have been thinking about what I am going to do to ensure being at least a notable mention in the throwdown, and I think grafting is in part how I am going to solve my space issues. We have a community garden not far from our apartment that we rent a 10'x10' space in every year. This will ease some of my space issues, but I am still concerned about the late March time frame.
 
Here are my musings for how I am going to deal with the space.
 
Harvest the lettuce hydroponic bucket and remove it from the grow tent in about 6-7 weeks from now. This should free up enough room for a couple of starts.
 
When they become of sufficient size I will select only one rocoto, and grow a single plant. I have yellow rocoto seeds in addition to the red rocoto starts. I am hoping to graft the red onto yellow or vice versa and keep only one plant to grow both varieities and see which I like better. I have never grown/eaten either before.
 
I think I am going to transfer my aji dulce, and orange hab to soil. I think I will attempt this sometime in late January. This will allow me to plant them into the community garden and free up some space. I have never done a hydro to soil transplant on plants that are this mature so it will be an experiment.  While I have had both these plants going for three years, and I don't want to loose them but the truth is they are both replaceable. I also typically prune them back pretty judiciously when I need the space. I also have some fatally seeds on order that haven't arrived yet. I am thinking of using the aji dulce as a mother plant, and trying to graft a few different varieties onto it once it recovers from the hydro to soil conversion.
 
The real question is whether I grow the chili red out indoors, or in the community garden. I see advantages to both. I am less likely to have issues with pests inside, but I could see the chili red as loving the heat that we sometimes get in the tricities in the summer.
 
As a side, are you getting chili red seeds? I didn't see your name listed for the people that The Guru had received a SASE from.
 
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top