DocNrock's 2013 Glog - 7/11/13

DocNrock · Mar 23, 2013

Jamison said:
THem golden cayennes are awesome looking. GOnna have to try those sometime for sure. The Armageddons will be fun to watch for sure. Vlad sent me some Armageddon F1 powder and it was insanely hot. I'm hoping for mean scorp looking chocolates!

Thanks, bro! Are you done sowing annuums yet?
I am really looking forward to the Armageddon F2. Not sure what the phenotype will be, but hopefully it will be cool. The picture on Vlad's website looks kind of like the Sepia Serpent, but I'm sure that is just coindicence.

highalt said:
You and Shane are killing me with your full grown plants!!!

Seriously, your grow is amazing! I'd never guess this is your first full season. You sure seem to know what you are doing.

I tried growing the Golden Cayenne this year, but no germination after two sowings. I'll have to try a different seed source next time.

One question for you. Do those plastic grow bags have any drainage holes? They sure look like they would topple over in the wind once the top growth is taller than the height of the bag, but I like the price of them.

Thanks, Bonnie! We are lucky to have the SoCal sunshine. Shane grows well, I just fake it well.

I started growing chiles last July, and managed to kill far more than survived, hahaha! But I learned a lot and with the help of the collective knowledge of this board and help from the many awesome members, I was able to somewhat define in my own mind the limits of what chile plants like and don't like. I then applied that to this year's grow, starting back in October just in case things went horribly wrong I would have time to start over again. A solid working knowledge of the biological sciences didn't hurt, either.

Regarding the grow bags, they indeed have drainage holes. In fact, I think the person who designed these really put some thought into them. Not only are there eight 1/2" holes in the bottom, there are also eight 1/2" holes on the sides about an inch from the bottom. Not quite an Air Pot, but I think it helps ventilate the deep root zone a bit to prevent the mix at the bottom from getting soggy. The one and two gallon ones I have so far up-potted into five gallon ones had damp potting mix at the bottom, but nothing was soggy. The is unlike some of the two and five gallon pots I used towards the end of last season.

At this point, I could see the taller plants tipping over if a strong wind came along while they are in the 2 gallon bags. I suppose if the plants got to be over 5 feet tall it could happen with the 5 gallon ones. But I don't think the difference in weight between the empty bag and an empty nursery container of the same volume would be enough to keep it from being blown over given the same soil volume (weight). I think Ramon (WalkGood) had the idea of hammering the stakes through the bottom of the bag into the ground to anchor them. Not a bad idea. If I have any that blow over later this season I might try this.

WalkGood · Mar 23, 2013

DocNrock said:
…
Funny, the Serranos had decent flavor, but zero heat. Same with the Pepperjoe Jalapeno freebie. On the contrary, the Golden Cayenne pods are quite piquant! …

Great to read you’re eating pods now, everything looks great. Not happy to read that the Serrano has no heat :/ I’ll be trying the one I picked the other day tonight with some steak, luckily I have some JA Hab back ups

DocNrock said:
… I think Ramon (WalkGood) had the idea of hammering the stakes through the bottom of the bag into the ground to anchor them. Not a bad idea. If I have any that blow over later this season I might try this.

I can’t recall what I suggested but I believe it was to stake the bag down, heck you could have 4 tall bamboo poles surrounding the bags or even 3 short and 1 tall (outside the bad so you don’t mess with the roots but you can sung them up to the sides of the bags) and they wouldn’t budge, plus you could tie branches to the tall ones if needed. If there's any movement still you could use some cheap duck tape around the 4 stakes and make one wrap around the whole bag.

DocNrock · Mar 24, 2013

WalkGood said:
Great to read you’re eating pods now, everything looks great. Not happy to read that the Serrano has no heat :/ I’ll be trying the one I picked the other day tonight with some steak, luckily I have some JA Hab back ups

I can’t recall what I suggested but I believe it was to stake the bag down, heck you could have 4 tall bamboo poles surrounding the bags or even 3 short and 1 tall (outside the bad so you don’t mess with the roots but you can sung them up to the sides of the bags) and they wouldn’t budge, plus you could tie branches to the tall ones if needed. If there's any movement still you could use some cheap duck tape around the 4 stakes and make one wrap around the whole bag.

It was kind of surprising that the Serrano was heatless. Oh well, it still had good flavor and the seeds were free. It wouldn't have been on my grow list if the seeds weren't given to me, so at worst we have another variety of salad peppers. It's all good.

Yes, I do recall you had said to stake the bag down. I see what you are saying, now. I took what you then said to mean passing the stake that would otherwise be used to support the plant through the bottom of the bag and into the ground. If I run into issues with the plants blowing over, then I just might do that. Honestly, while possible, I don't really see that happening. Then again, I've never had 5+ foot tall plants loaded with pods. So we will see. Good luck with your grow, brotha!

GA Growhead · Mar 24, 2013

Im think some of your Trinidads are going to be 5 foot this year.

DocNrock · Mar 24, 2013

GA Growhead said:
Im think some of your Trinidads are going to be 5 foot this year.

That would be an awesome surprise, Jason.

stickman · Mar 24, 2013

That's a bummer that the Serranos you got weren't spicy enough for you... I don't know whether it was the variety or the hot, dry summer we had last year, but the Serranos I grew then were pretty darned hot! Especially the ones I let get red-ripe. It's early days yet, and the hours of daylight aren't up to where the plant needs it to be for hot chiles... Maybe all you have to do is to wait until late May or June for the heat to spike up.

DocNrock · Mar 24, 2013

stickman said:
That's a bummer that the Serranos you got weren't spicy enough for you... I don't know whether it was the variety or the hot, dry summer we had last year, but the Serranos I grew then were pretty darned hot! Especially the ones I let get red-ripe. It's early days yet, and the hours of daylight aren't up to where the plant needs it to be for hot chiles... Maybe all you have to do is to wait until late May or June for the heat to spike up.

No problem, they were pretty tasty. It's not that they are not spicy enough. They had the heat of a bell pepper...seriously! It is true that they were they first ripe pods off of this plant, so maybe they will heat up, but my Golden Cayenne was pretty hot. Even the first pod to ripen. It was much hotter than I expected, actually. Expected Scoville is 30k - 50k. I think it was right on the money, perhaps hotter. Not quite habanero heat, but way hotter than a hot Jalapeno. A Serrano should be 5k - 25k. But, every variety is different, so maybe the Serrano just needs more stress to make capsaicin. Anyway, not bummed at all. Now if my Brain Strains turn out like bell peppers, then I would be bummed.

HillBilly Jeff · Mar 24, 2013

Peppers are looking good. If you haven't tried a purple Jalapeno before they have a wide range of heat levels on the same plant. I ate some off the plant that didn't have any heat, then some that had the heat of a Biker. That is the status Quo though for this pepper.

Glad you got the Jimmy going!!!

DocNrock · Mar 24, 2013

Bodeen said:
Peppers are looking good. If you haven't tried a purple Jalapeno before they have a wide range of heat levels on the same plant. I ate some off the plant that didn't have any heat, then some that had the heat of a Biker. That is the status Quo though for this pepper.

Glad you got the Jimmy going!!!

Thanks Bodeen! The Purple Jal is definitely on the 2014 grow list. I have not yet tried one, but I see what you are saying. The Serranos may just be like that, as well. Looking forward to the Jimmy pods.

Well, this weekend had no real pepper related activities. This afternoon, the in-laws and extended in-laws were over for late lunch. Everyone is playing a card game now, so I've retreated to the home office. I did have a chance to snap some pics, though.

Haven't shown the HP22B or Primo in a while. Here they are, HP on the left and Primo on the right. Both are budding up, and a flower opened on the Primo.

First pod set (I think) on the Peach Bhut:

Aji Panca clone from a plant I bought from RFC last year. The parent plant was a healthy-looking three foot tall plant, but it never opened a single flower. The buds would start to form, then turn black, shrivel up, and fall off. Funny, but it looks like the clone might actually flower:

My White Bhut has been slower than the others. It got a bit sickly, but is coming back. Almost ready for a two-gallon gro bag:

Since the Sepia Serpent is an F4, I wanted to hedge my bets to getting the target phenotype. I have a total of five growing. Here are the smallest three. I think they are close to a two-gallon bag, as well:

I wanted to take more pics of plants grown from those who gave me seeds or pods. Thank you all again. Very generous.

Chocolate Scorpion (KingDenniz):

Rapires F1 (Stickman):

Bishop's Crown (GA Growhead):

Pointed Yellow Hab (PaulG):

Variegata (GA Growhead), Hawaiian Sweet Hot (Jamison), and Madballz 7 (Junglerain.com):

The Madballz was purchased, but it's in the same tray, therefore in the pic.

Have a great Sunday and week, everyone!

DesertChris · Mar 24, 2013

I germinated some of those purple jalapenos, and didn't realize the leaves are purple too

I figure it'll be a cool looking plant.

My serranos last year weren't all that hot either.
This year I have seeds from few sources, so hopefully some of them have more heat to them.

It is odd when jalapenos are hotter than serranos!

GA Growhead · Mar 24, 2013

That variegatta is not looking like its parent. The plant the seeds came from where seriously tri colored. Might be a mutant cross or was unstable. ? Bummer. Wonder what will pod up? Bishops looks good! I also have 5 sepia serps. for that same reason.

DocNrock · Mar 24, 2013

DesertChris said:
I germinated some of those purple jalapenos, and didn't realize the leaves are purple too
I figure it'll be a cool looking plant.

My serranos last year weren't all that hot either.
This year I have seeds from few sources, so hopefully some of them have more heat to them.

It is odd when jalapenos are hotter than serranos!

I'd never seen pictures of the purple jalapenos before until people posted them this year. Very cool looking plant. Definitely on my list for 2014. I think the seed source probably has a lot to do with the heat of the pepper. Given the source of these, it wouldn't surprise me if they were heatless. But, they were free, so who can complain?

GA Growhead said:
That variegatta is not looking like its parent. The plant the seeds came from where seriously tri colored. Might be a mutant cross or was unstable. ? Bummer. Wonder what will pod up? Bishops looks good! I also have 5 sepia serps. for that same reason.

Thanks for the info, Jason. I remember the leaves that were attached to the little pods you sent. They were quite variegated. I was wondering if it simply manifested this trait when it got more mature. Since you've grown it before, perhaps that is not the case. Oh well, maybe it will be a cool cross. Do you recall what was planted next to it last year? Yeah, I think the Bishop might grow into something cool. Regarding the Sepia Serpents, I'm hoping for either five widely divergent phenotypes or five of the target one...but who's greedy?

GA Growhead · Mar 24, 2013

DocNrock said:
Thanks for the info, Jason. I remember the leaves that were attached to the little pods you sent. They were quite variegated. I was wondering if it simply manifested this trait when it got more mature. Since you've grown it before, perhaps that is not the case. Oh well, maybe it will be a cool cross. Do you recall what was planted next to it last year? Yeah, I think the Bishop might grow into something cool. Regarding the Sepia Serpents, I'm hoping for either five widely divergent phenotypes or five of the target one...but who's greedy?

The variegatta was by the jamacian hot chocolates, a mulato isle, and hot cow horns. I still have one i just cut back overwintering, and just planted seeds from saved pods too. I am interested now if these seeds planted will lose the variegation too or if they are crossed also. If grows as a cross you might save seeds and grow out to see if the variegation shows up in F2s. Could be fun. They would show as seedlings so you could trash early on. I will let you know if any of my spouts come up showing any too.
Bishop crowns looked just like yours. Tall and skinny at that age. Taller than the others! They get huge, so that's your 5+ plant right there!
I remember two different phenos of the sepias. I have no idea which pheno the seeds i planted came from, or if they came from a different one altogether. So the sepias are going to be a surprise for sure! But with the parents involved, can't lose! Im just hoping for variation. 5 different ones would be cool

And a second look... that variegatta does have a similar growth pattern. So who knows?

DesertChris · Mar 24, 2013

I've read the Serrano Tampiqueno variety is very mild....I have those started, and my overwinters, and some started from free pepperjoe seeds....
I do have some seeds from a 50¢ pack from wallyworld....i might need to germ those too.
My guess is they will all be mild ones...lol
However, my gal will eat them like nobody's business if they on the mild side, although she has been using a lot of the cayenne flakes I made from our pods last year. Moving up the heat ladder

DocNrock · Mar 25, 2013

GA Growhead said:
The variegatta was by the jamacian hot chocolates, a mulato isle, and hot cow horns. I still have one i just cut back overwintering, and just planted seeds from saved pods too. I am interested now if these seeds planted will lose the variegation too or if they are crossed also. If grows as a cross you might save seeds and grow out to see if the variegation shows up in F2s. Could be fun. They would show as seedlings so you could trash early on. I will let you know if any of my spouts come up showing any too.
Bishop crowns looked just like yours. Tall and skinny at that age. Taller than the others! They get huge, so that's your 5+ plant right there!
I remember two different phenos of the sepias. I have no idea which pheno the seeds i planted came from, or if they came from a different one altogether. So the sepias are going to be a surprise for sure! But with the parents involved, can't lose! Im just hoping for variation. 5 different ones would be cool

And a second look... that variegatta does have a similar growth pattern. So who knows?

Cool man, hopefully it will be a cool cross with one of those. I don't see any chinense characteristics, so maybe a cross with the Mulato or the Cow Horn. How many seasons have you grown the Variegatta? Do you remember where you originally got the seed? Purchased or given to you by a private party? Anyway, I don't mind cool surprises like this. Still looking forward to growing it out.

DesertChris said:
I've read the Serrano Tampiqueno variety is very mild....I have those started, and my overwinters, and some started from free pepperjoe seeds....
I do have some seeds from a 50¢ pack from wallyworld....i might need to germ those too.
My guess is they will all be mild ones...lol
However, my gal will eat them like nobody's business if they on the mild side, although she has been using a lot of the cayenne flakes I made from our pods last year. Moving up the heat ladder

Yeah, hots and superhots are cool and all that, but unless you are into torturing yourself, it's not likely that you are going to sit down and snack on part of one or a whole one. I like mild chiles that I can just munch on, as long as they have a great flavor. I have an Anaheim plant I grew from seed that came from a store bought pepper. It was the only red one in the bag. Pretty sure it ripened off the plant since I got an awful germination rate, like one sprout out of 20+ seeds sown. Anyway, the chiles off of that plant have almost no heat, but when ripe red they are sweet as fruit. Very tasty. That said, I don't mind if the Serranos have no heat. They are tasty.

KiNGDeNNiZ · Mar 25, 2013

Nice. Pod porn in march!!'. When are you putting them in ground ?

DocNrock · Mar 25, 2013

KiNGDeNNiZ said:
Nice. Pod porn in march!!'. When are you putting them in ground ?

Thanks man! Starting in October, I was hoping for pods by March.

Regarding when they go in-ground, this a container grow only. Nothing is going in-ground. The ones in two gallon gro bags will soon be up-potted to five gallon, but that is pretty much it. Our soil pretty much sucks, and I don't have room for a plot to till and amend. Besides, this is a temporary house. I bought it back in '98, lived in it for three years, then moved away with my then new wife. It has been a rental until last year, when we moved back into it after I landed a job locally. We are now in the market for a house in the area. Hopefully we will buy one and move before mid-summer.

stc3248 · Mar 26, 2013

Sweet update Doc! They're looking happy and healthy. Did yours slow down for a week or so when you moved them outside? Mine did a little then figured it out and now they're moving again. Awesome job on giving the props...Almost all my plants are from the great folks on here. Fun stuff looking for those first pods to set with fingers crossed! Can't wait to see some color on those pods brother...it's going to be epic!

sicman · Mar 26, 2013

looking good! those plants look sexy!!

DocNrock · Mar 26, 2013

stc3248 said:
Sweet update Doc! They're looking happy and healthy. Did yours slow down for a week or so when you moved them outside? Mine did a little then figured it out and now they're moving again. Awesome job on giving the props...Almost all my plants are from the great folks on here. Fun stuff looking for those first pods to set with fingers crossed! Can't wait to see some color on those pods brother...it's going to be epic!

Thanks, Shane! Always a pleasure having you drop by. They did, in fact, slow down for a bit after moving them outside. They also stall for a bit after up-potting. I really think it has to do with gene expression. They get accustomed to a particular environment and express a complement of genes that optimizes their existence in that environment. Then when you put them in a different environment (ie., inside to outside, up-pot, etc.), the genes they are expressing are then not optimal for the new environment. They then "shift gears," so to speak. It takes some time for the previously expressed enzymes to degrade and for the newly expressed ones to be synthesized. I think this is the molecular basis for the "stall" that we see at the plant level.

Always happy to give props. I put the sources of the seed in my first post of this thread, but as the seeds start to grow, I'll start linking the plants to their sources. Like you said, sometimes those really early pods get aborted. So far, it looks like the Peach Bhut pod is starting to get a bit larger. Ah, full sized pods of color...the stuff dreams are made of.

Question to anyone about the Peach Bhut: Do the pods for this one grow pointing up? I now have three small pods forming and they are all pointing to the sky. They are still too small to predict their final shape, but the plant is definitely a chinense and the leaves look "Bhut-ish" (slighly jagged edges to the leaves).

sicman said:
looking good! those plants look sexy!!

Thanks, Siccy! Hopefully my wife doesn't get jealous of them.