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CMPMAN1974 2010 Growing Thread

Well, I sowed a ton of seeds on 2/8, 2/10 and 2/12. I've been playing around with my heat mat set-up to get temps up more. I'm thrilled I've achieved about 95% germination of all varieties I tried to plant. For me, this means if I started 100 different varieties, 95 of them are up. It's not seed count based, but I usually plant 1-2 per cell. I started some toughies too like Tovarii so that's a seriously good ratio.

I'll do a final pepper seed sowing on 3/15 of Annuums. I've already started too many. I have a hard time killing my babies. :) I didn't expect this many to come up either.

My plants are mostly in 2.5" square x 3.75" deep containers. I'm running fluorescents 12 on 12 off. I hope to stunt growth and maintain current pot size until plant out by not fertilizing too much or providing too much lighting time. I have a fair amount of lighting area, but I choose to use compact pots to cut down on lighting area and $$$$ on electricity.

It's odd how I keep having one variety that year after year refuses to shed it's seed cap. It's a specific Rocoto. It pisses me off because I always try to grow it and even if I plant six seeds, all six will have seed caps stuck. THis may be gross, but NOTHING works better than physically spitting saliva onto a seed cap / stem and spraying lightly with water. I get 90%+ of my stuck caps off like this with careful manuevering and this method. When you have only have a seed or two of a rare one, you'll resort to any method. lol.

Chris
 
Let me be the first to wish much luck this year Chris. The saliva trick is great, you just learn from experience how much you can pull on the cap before you do any damage. Just got home with 4 Sunshine 3.8 cu/ft bales of peat moss, one giant pag of perlite, and some dolmitic limestone. What is the best type of compost cow, chicken, mushroom, or cotton burr? My local garden center really is pushing the cotton burr but I'm thinking it may be too high in nitrogen because all the fertilizers they use on cotton. Any experience with the cotton burr Chris? Still feels like winter here but spring is just a few weeks away.
 
I used mushroom mix last year and will again if I can find it locally. The last harvest of the fall netted 123 pods off the douglah I had.
 
Right on Cmpman. Hope your weather's better for you this year. The varieties you sent are doing well here so far. Thanks again, and lookin forward to seeing what you're growin' this year.
 
1500 posts and such a great grower. man i am lookin forward to this log, keep us postd chriss gotcha bih's and theyre in dirt!
 
good luck to you this year on your grow season Chris...hope it all works out well for you...

he may only have 1500 posts but I guarantee you he is NOT a new grower...
 
thats what i was gettin at AJ:) or thats what i meant he has the most beautiful pics of the pod sinsode and out! most i wish i had!
 
Best of luck to you Chris.

Any reason why you posted your grow thread in the Hot Pepper Talk forum instead of the Pepper Growing forum?

Spit eh? Why the hell not.
 
Seed caps are a B**ch!I try the spittle and then resort to surgical tweezers but I still have a couple of green stumps standing in the flat!Thats why I'm not a surgeon I guess!Best of luck to you this year Chris!
 
About spitting on seed caps... Totally unnecessary :) Here's how I do it: pull the seedling out of growing medium and place in damp paper towel and throw in ziplock. Open the bag and check on it once-twice daily. Usually takes at most 2 days for the seedling to come out of its cap. Then place back into growing medium. Don't worry seedling won't die from this procedure. It's basically germinating via the wet paper towel method. Or you can do the humidity dome as shown in Willard's posts.

And good luck on your season Chris. Lookin forward to it!
 
Chris, add me to the list of members that are looking forward to your progress and pics!


thaichillihead said:
About spitting on seed caps... Totally unnecessary :) Here's how I do it: pull the seedling out of growing medium and place in damp paper towel and throw in ziplock. Open the bag and check on it once-twice daily. Usually takes at most 2 days for the seedling to come out of its cap. Then place back into growing medium. Don't worry seedling won't die from this procedure. It's basically germinating via the wet paper towel method. Or you can do the humidity dome as shown in Willard's posts. !

TCH- How do you seperate the roots from the papertowels when you germinate them that way. When I do it, the roots grow into the fibers/layers of the paper towels, and I have a tendency to break the roots when I try to gently seperate them.
 
Hey origami,

Cut carefully around the roots with scissors. Once it's free from the main towel it's easier to remove the small pieces stuck to the roots. Or if you're growing in soil you can simply plant the seedling with the bits attached. The bits of paper will break down as the seedling grows.
 
You need to check your paper towel daily once sprouting starts, or if you find you have problems with roots growing into the paper towel then you may want to try a coffee filter instead
 
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