Cappy's 2015 Chocolate BS

Plantguy76 · Mar 1, 2015

Looking good cappy! lots of green like what I see helps me through the winter wishing you the best this grow season!

Devv · Mar 1, 2015

Simply very nice!

Jeff H · Mar 2, 2015

Plants are looking great Cappy. Nice and healthy.

You must get a ton of light through that window. Any of my plants near windows look like crap this time of year since I don't have any south facing windows that I can really use.

Spicegeist · Mar 2, 2015

Pepper Ridge Farm said:

Healthy pepper plants, beer, and weather warm enough to have them outside in February! You're living the life Cappy :cool:

Pepper Ridge Farm · Mar 3, 2015

Jamison said:
They all look really good Cappy! Good luck with getting them in the ground. Seems like it would take the weekend and some serious work to get it done in a timely manner. Ever start any other strains yet?

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful springtime weather and got all the plants outside and deeply watered. I have not started any other peppers beside Chocolate BS in an attempt to collect some seeds. House hunting is very stressful and second guessing the move, price shock and we are sentimental to the house we raised our kids in. Taking a step back from moving so have a new found interest in this grow.

Noah Yates said:
Your plants look nearly perfect... just wow!!!

Thanks Noah it is all in the light, soil, and pH 6.0 water.

Scorched said:
That is one glorious carpet of greenery you have. Every damn plant I see looks perfect, just like Noah said. 150 chocolate brain strains, man, that is just freaking awesome to the thousandth degree. I hope that everything works out for the best Cappy, I really do.

Well I have decided it is a good time to sell, but not a good time to buy so we are staying put and growing this crop in the backyard again this year Tony.

Spicegeist said:
Picture perfect! Nice work Cappy!

Thanks Charles it's all about the Bhuts, about the Bhuts, no habanero!

Pulpiteer said:
Plants are looking beautiful! Too bad about all the upheaval this season. At least you have a place to grow the rest out at. Best of luck with that stuff!

All is looking my clearer now Andy thanks for your help. The plants are starting to look much better and getting a second wind with life. The grass ain't greener on the other side of that fence.

Plantguy76 said:
Looking good cappy! lots of green like what I see helps me through the winter wishing you the best this grow season!

Thanks for following my glog, starting new plants helps get me thru this time of year also. Spring is almost here already thinking about hardening off the plants and let the real magic happen outside.

Devv said:
Simply very nice!

Coming from you Scott that means a lot! I have learned everything I know about growing pepper from great growers like you.

Jeff H said:
Plants are looking great Cappy. Nice and healthy.

You must get a ton of light through that window. Any of my plants near windows look like crap this time of year since I don't have any south facing windows that I can really use.

My screens are ripped out by my dogs so the sunlight shines thru, also I can open those windows and let them get some direct light and some outside air when the weather is nice. This is just a staging area and no growth just keeping them alive until moving outside. Thanks so much Jeff!

Spicegeist said:
Healthy pepper plants, beer, and weather warm enough to have them outside in February! You're living the life Cappy

I am never one to complain Charles life is good. Beer and hot peppers makes it even better! Here's to warmer springtime weather.

Noah Yates · Mar 3, 2015

Pepper Ridge Farm said:
Thanks Noah it is all in the light, soil, and pH 6.0 water.

Your plants are so healthy and uniform it is as though they are all clones from on gigantic, vigorous super-mother plant. Monitoring and controlling the pH is something I have yet to employ as a grower. I have a feeling it would really help everything.

peppernovice · Mar 5, 2015

Cappy.....Do you mind elaborating on your lighting setup? Perhaps a picture if that's possible. I was so impressed with your results, I went in search of a metal halide HID light today. The only thing I could find local was an exterior flood light. It was regularly $110, but because it was last years model, it was only $65. I picked it up, and spent another $19 on the wiring required to hook it into a standard 110v outlet. I figured worse case scenario I could always use it as an exterior light. It has potential, but it's pretty heavy. I'm not sure how I'm going to mount it. It would help immensely if I had some more info on the lighting setups you professionals use. I've been growing 4 years now, and I've always used fluorescent lights. I can't imagine continuing to use them if I have a better option.

Tim

sirex · Mar 5, 2015

peppernovice said:
Cappy.....Do you mind elaborating on your lighting setup? Perhaps a picture if that's possible. I was so impressed with your results, I went in search of a metal halide HID light today. The only thing I could find local was an exterior flood light. It was regularly $110, but because it was last years model, it was only $65. I picked it up, and spent another $19 on the wiring required to hook it into a standard 110v outlet. I figured worse case scenario I could always use it as an exterior light. It has potential, but it's pretty heavy. I'm not sure how I'm going to mount it. It would help immensely if I had some more info on the lighting setups you professionals use. I've been growing 4 years now, and I've always used fluorescent lights. I can't imagine continuing to use them if I have a better option.

Tim

Yeah man those MH lights are heavy. My buddy has a 250W and even that's a beast!

PaulG · Mar 5, 2015

Your plants are just looking better and better! Nice to read
that you are getting to relax a bit from the house-hunting; now
you can dote on your peppers!

Pepper Ridge Farm · Mar 6, 2015

peppernovice said:
Cappy.....Do you mind elaborating on your lighting setup? Perhaps a picture if that's possible. I was so impressed with your results, I went in search of a metal halide HID light today. The only thing I could find local was an exterior flood light. It was regularly $110, but because it was last years model, it was only $65. I picked it up, and spent another $19 on the wiring required to hook it into a standard 110v outlet. I figured worse case scenario I could always use it as an exterior light. It has potential, but it's pretty heavy. I'm not sure how I'm going to mount it. It would help immensely if I had some more info on the lighting setups you professionals use. I've been growing 4 years now, and I've always used fluorescent lights. I can't imagine continuing to use them if I have a better option.

Tim

Hey Tim here is what I use an old 400 watt magnetic HPS ballast Sun System I w/ reflector running an Eye Hortilux Metal Ace conversion bulb. I also run a big box fan just outside the closet blowing in. My table sits up off the ground on two TV dinner trays and holds about 50 plants at a time. I don't use mylar because I get hot spots on the plants nearest the reflective film. My reflector hangs from the clothes rack, all is run on a timer 12 on 12 off. I am not professional but I do enjoy professional looking results of my plants. Get a grow lamp that is designed for plant growth most importantly.

Scorched · Mar 6, 2015

Hey Cappy, nice looking light setup. I'll have to look into something like that in the future. My first year doing seeds and not buying seedlings so I'm just using 2 2 bulb t8s per shelf. Have two 48 x 24 x 78 wire shelf, free standing shelving units. They seem to be working pretty good so can't complain.

A huge thank you for the butter knife trick. I just finished potting up 280 seedlings into solo cups and before you shared that tip I was wondering how I was going to get them out of the 72 cell trays without damaging the tray. Worked like a charm.

Pepper Ridge Farm · Mar 9, 2015

Getting some sun late this afternoon and staying outside tonight with temps favorable the next week to start hardening off some plants. Started another batch of 50 plants under my metal halide over the weekend to bring my total above 150 Chocolate Brain Strain this year. Still several more weeks until safe plant out but enjoying this nice weather the past few days. The next step is mixing my soil and start planting some peppers and being a weatherman predicting the last frost date.

Scorched · Mar 9, 2015

Wow, 150 Choc. Brain Strains. Man that's just a beautiful thing. I can't wait to see all these plants just loaded down with chocolate pods of destruction. Your plants are just looking so damn big and healthy, seriously jealous of your weather there as well.

Can't remember if you said before or not but do you do any sort of topping, pinching, stripping of your plants? I've heard arguments for and against. I tried it with a few plants last year and it did seem to work. My Jays Ghost Scorps were very bushy and loaded down with pods compared to the ones I didn't prune.

Pepper Ridge Farm · Mar 9, 2015

Scorched said:
Can't remember if you said before or not but do you do any sort of topping, pinching, stripping of your plants? I've heard arguments for and against. I tried it with a few plants last year and it did seem to work. My Jays Ghost Scorps were very bushy and loaded down with pods compared to the ones I didn't prune.

I don't top my plants just let them grow natural. I grew Jay's Ghost Scorpion last year and that plant was branchy and loaded with pods without any pruning so I think it is just a trait of that plant. I have learned that too much time under my light is not a good thing, two weeks is the ideal time. With the bad weather we were having I left the plants under the HID for almost a month and they got very tall not stocky like the first round. Part of that is the plants were so close together they were fighting for light, and very simply the plants took in too much light and grew to the light source. I will time the plants under the HID a little more carefully this third round and not over do it. Topping plants is just not my style, getting big bushy starts ready to go outside is. Thanks for your question Tony.

Sawyer · Mar 9, 2015

Scorched said:
...Man that's just a beautiful thing...

What he said.

peppernovice · Mar 10, 2015

Those plants look like they should be in a magazine. They are absolutely gorgeous. This has been my toughest year ever, aside from maybe the first year I ever grew peppers. I had a lot of issues, but it seems I'm finally getting things straightened out. I took your advice and shopped around for a metal halide light. I was able to find a used Sun Systems 3 400 watt setup on ebay. Hopefully this will help with the issues I've been having. Thank you for all the advice, I'll continue following this thread, I'm sure I'll learn a lot more!

Tim

Ozzy2001 · Mar 10, 2015

Those look awesome! Looking forward to seeing pods hanging off of them.

turbo · Mar 10, 2015

Beautiful plants! I can't believe you're already starting to think about hardening off. I'm at least an month and a half away from that. Jealous of your weather and plants!

Plantguy76 · Mar 10, 2015

Pepper Ridge Farm said:
Getting some sun late this afternoon and staying outside tonight with temps favorable the next week to start hardening off some plants. Started another batch of 50 plants under my metal halide over the weekend to bring my total above 150 Chocolate Brain Strain this year. Still several more weeks until safe plant out but enjoying this nice weather the past few days. The next step is mixing my soil and start planting some peppers and being a weatherman predicting the last frost date.

Gorgeous plants cappy !

Devv · Mar 10, 2015

Yeah there are!