Devv-2017-Having a good time in the dirt

Essegi · Oct 31, 2017

Sorry about critters. Last year was a bad one.
Some years ago there were so much grasshoppers near my home that in some place it was nealry Indiana Jones level, really! Now it's better.

Great poddage btw!

Devv · Nov 5, 2017

Essegi said:
Sorry about critters. Last year was a bad one.
Some years ago there were so much grasshoppers near my home that in some place it was nealry Indiana Jones level, really! Now it's better.

Great poddage btw!

Thanks Giancarlo

The last few seasons have been a critter challenge. We need a nice real 4 day freeze here :shh:

I pulled most of the dirt plants yesterday. If they didn't have pods going they went bye-bye via the shredder.

Still pulling a few

stettoman · Nov 6, 2017

Scott, good ol' THP buddy, I have some unpleasant news from Zone 3, where we experience the occasional 4+ day freeze...

It won't matter.

I have literally watched bugs that were frozen overnight thaw out and come back to life. We'll even get freezez that last months and the bugs simply regenerate over the span of the first 24 hours above freezing. Ticks will do that, the pesky varmints, and they dodge shotgun pellets better 'n barn swallows.

Not sayin' a good freeze wouldn't knock 'em down a tad, but bugs up here, when challenged, tend to overcompensate on the rebound.....

Devv · Nov 7, 2017

Well something is going on here. That colander only yielded about a cup and a half of produce worth processing. Leaf hoppers. I'm thinking that extending the season, and close to 3 years of wetter weather after quite a few dry ones may well be it.

Next season I play "Queen of Hearts" come late June :shh:

stickman · Nov 8, 2017

Critters are a PITA sometimes, but glad to see you're still in the game Scott.

Sent from my LGL44VL using Tapatalk

Devv · Nov 8, 2017

stickman said:
Critters are a PITA sometimes, but glad to see you're still in the game Scott.

Sent from my LGL44VL using Tapatalk

Thanks Rick,

We sent the soil samples off to Texas A&M today. I went with pretty much the full spectrum, skipping the organic material part. I think I'm good there

stickman · Nov 10, 2017

Devv said:
Thanks Rick,

We sent the soil samples off to Texas A&M today. I went with pretty much the full spectrum, skipping the organic material part. I think I'm good there

Good on ya Scott! I got mine bagged up and boxed for shipment. There's some difference of opinion over whether or not the PO is open today or tomorrow, so I'll just get it in on Monday. After all, spring is a little ways away...

Last year I tested for Phosphate, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, boron, iron, manganese, copper and zinc. This year I'll add cobalt, molybdenum, silicate and selenium to that. I believe my results in the Scotch Bonnet growing challenge speak for themselves.

Devv · Nov 10, 2017

stickman said:
Good on ya Scott! I got mine bagged up and boxed for shipment. There's some difference of opinion over whether or not the PO is open today or tomorrow, so I'll just get it in on Monday. After all, spring is a little ways away... Last year I tested for Phosphate, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, boron, iron, manganese, copper and zinc. This year I'll add cobalt, molybdenum, silicate and selenium to that. I believe my results in the Scotch Bonnet growing challenge speak for themselves.

With Texas soil, it can't be shipped out of state, so I have to use the A&M labs. It's supposed to have some organism(s) that other states decided they didn't want..LOL

So here's the form:

http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/files/urbansoil.pdf

I chose number 3. It wasn't a cost thing; I just felt I didn't need the other tests

stickman · Nov 10, 2017

Devv said:
With Texas soil, it can't be shipped out of state, so I have to use the A&M labs. It's supposed to have some organism(s) that other states decided they didn't want..LOL

So here's the form:

http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/files/urbansoil.pdf

I chose number 3. It wasn't a cost thing; I just felt I didn't need the other tests

Interesting... I wonder if low Boron is a result of adding lots or compost and/or manure. Apparently we're already low on it in our New England soils, and maybe the extra organic matter adds to the deficit. I'll have to look into it some more. One thing's for sure... the only way to raise the TCEC in sandy soils is to add lots of organic matter, and then you have to tune the nutes to bring it all back into balance. It pays dividends though.

Devv · Nov 11, 2017

stickman said:
Interesting... I wonder if low Boron is a result of adding lots or compost and/or manure. Apparently we're already low on it in our New England soils, and maybe the extra organic matter adds to the deficit. I'll have to look into it some more. One thing's for sure... the only way to raise the TCEC in sandy soils is to add lots of organic matter, and then you have to tune the nutes to bring it all back into balance. It pays dividends though.

Seems like this site has some good information regarding boron:

http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/B_Basics.htm

stickman · Nov 11, 2017

Devv said:
Seems like this site has some good information regarding boron:

http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/B_Basics.htm

Thanks Scott! Interestingly enough, the link you posted said that carrots and cabbage were particularly responsive to Boron deficiency and after adding Borax to my garden soil for the first time this year I've grown the best-looking examples I've ever done!
Cheers!

Sent from my LGL44VL using Tapatalk

Devv · Nov 17, 2017

stickman said:
Thanks Scott! Interestingly enough, the link you posted said that carrots and cabbage were particularly responsive to Boron deficiency and after adding Borax to my garden soil for the first time this year I've grown the best-looking examples I've ever done!
Cheers!

Sent from my LGL44VL using Tapatalk

Good the hear!

I'm still waiting on my report. But I imagine it will take a few weeks.

The weather is still quite warm here, but not for long...

PaulG · Nov 19, 2017

Hey, Scott, good to see your season is still hanging in there. I hope the rest of those
chinese's do something for ya. Maybe the leafhoppers won't like them :think:

We're totally done here. All the plants taken down, dehydrator and grinder put to bed,
and powders stored in mason jars in a closet. No real grow next year, we're going to
be gone too much to worry about a garden. I'll start some of Tristen's F6 cross for my
neighbor and I and he'll watch them while we're gone.

Would you like some of those seeds for next season? I've got plenty and am getting
ready to send them to folk interested in participating in Tristen's 'global grow'. Have 8
people so far. You can check out the F5 grow here:

http://thehotpepper.com/topic/64065-pimenta-de-neyde-x-bonda-ma-jacques/page-1

Sorry about the missing photographs, thank PhotoBucket for that.

Devv · Nov 19, 2017

PaulG said:
Hey, Scott, good to see your season is still hanging in there. I hope the rest of those
chinese's do something for ya. Maybe the leafhoppers won't like them

We're totally done here. All the plants taken down, dehydrator and grinder put to bed,
and powders stored in mason jars in a closet. No real grow next year, we're going to
be gone too much to worry about a garden. I'll start some of Tristen's F6 cross for my
neighbor and I and he'll watch them while we're gone.

Would you like some of those seeds for next season? I've got plenty and am getting
ready to send them to folk interested in participating in Tristen's 'global grow'. Have 8
people so far. You can check out the F5 grow here:

http://thehotpepper.com/topic/64065-pimenta-de-neyde-x-bonda-ma-jacques/page-1

Sorry about the missing photographs, thank PhotoBucket for that.

Thanks for stopping by Paul,

I'd love some of the seeds. Thanks for the offer

And good on ya for taking a year off. Travel and enjoy life; it goes by so quickly.

Next season I'm committed to a spring grow. I need a break..LOL. I still have plants growing and before you know it I'll be starting seeds again...

We had a front blow in and it blew the Scotchbrain off the table :shh:

Pretty much the South side of the gal is broken.

The plant has about 10 pods this size on it, 3 live on the top break :confused:

The plant grows more towards a classic bonnet pod. Never the less they rock; very P. Dreadie like pods.

Speaking of P. Dreadie's, they have a few smallish pods here and there.

It will get to ripen

The shop is just right there :shh:

PaulG · Nov 20, 2017

The ScotchBrain pods are beauties, Scott! Sorry it took a header - that usually
happens in the spring here, when I have plants on the table on the deck! I see
you need a front loader to haul your plants around!

Devv · Nov 22, 2017

PaulG said:
The ScotchBrain pods are beauties, Scott! Sorry it took a header - that usually
happens in the spring here, when I have plants on the table on the deck! I see
you need a front loader to haul your plants around!

Thanks Paul!

I really like the Scotchbrain pheno I have. It's not very strong heat wise, and it has a nice yellow bonnet flavor. I guess I could compare it to a MoA with 20% less heat. I've been trying to keep it and the P. Dreadie's off by themselves. I see some killer Pineapple-bonnet hot sauces in the near future. <-- And that's LB's take on how to use them. I think I just may have created a monster

That tractor among other things, is an old mans mega wheelbarrow. 10 years ago my wife and son told me I needed it; who am I to argue? Great for hauling fire&BBQ wood, mowing the fields, pulling mulch off the trailer, and a lot more.

Trident chilli · Nov 25, 2017

Great looking ScotchBrain shape with spikes clearly seen ... very nice

Devv · Nov 25, 2017

Hey there John!

I've been saving the bonnets for a pineapple hot sauce; AND letting each pod mature enough so I can save some seeds to share. This is one of my new favorites to be grown again next season

Trident chilli · Nov 26, 2017

Devv said:
Hey there John!

I've been saving the bonnets for a pineapple hot sauce; AND letting each pod mature enough so I can save some seeds to share. This is one of my new favorites to be grown again next season

Scott definitely a seed saver ... if your after any more bonnet seed give me a shout

Devv · Nov 26, 2017

Trident chilli said:
Scott definitely a seed saver ... if your after any more bonnet seed give me a shout

Thanks John, we need to swap seeds.

These are JA Habs, with a few Aji Oro in there.. It's one of those that just grows and shells out pods all season long. I just picked these today. I have P. Dreadie's, Scotchbrains, and MoA's as well

I have a few more pics...

Nice to see the purple, even this late in the season. Temps have been from 38° to 82° the last few weeks.

My Aji Lemon is still putting pods out.

My broken Scotchbrain is in rough shape but being a trooper, ripening up the last of this seasons pods.

I intend to let them ripen fully so I can save seeds, this plant is all by itself, and has been for the duration of the season.

Thanks for the seeds Paul!

I intend to grow 2 of each and keep them off to the side to isolate them as much as possible.

I intend to let the plants grow out until we have a frost. And hopefully I'm smart enough to know when that happens so I can move them into the shop...LOL