DocNrock's 2013 Glog - 7/11/13

My 2013 grow officially began 10/14/2012, when seeds hit soil. After seeing Fernando (SocalChilehead) growing in his greenhouse "sanctuary" and KiNGDeNNiZ continuing to start new growth in his AeroGarden, as well as the community HP22B grow thread already being 8 pages, I broke down and started my 2013 grow. I was going to limit it to 50 varieties, but that ended up being 64, 77 including the plants I want to save from 2012. If some varieties don't pop or I end up losing some along the way, I might still be down to 50 (or less!) in no time. The grow list with pop dates is at the bottom of this post.

Since I had plenty of seeds I wanted to try an experiment. Which is better for germination, soil or Rapid Rooters? I have two mini-greenhouses with 36 soil cups each, and one mini-greenhouse with a 72 cell insert loaded with Rapid Rooters. All seeds were soaked overnight in water that had been boiled and cooled and contained a dilution of brewed chamomile tea and H2O2. The Rapid Rooters and soil were both moistened with the same mix. The soil is Sungro Sunshine mix #1 amended lightly with Ancient Forest and worm castings. Wondering if the organisms in the amendments might help break down the seed coat. Each cell contains about five seeds. This will force me to cull the weaklings, as opposed to trying to save them, hahaha! At most I will end up with two seedlings for each variety. If both survive, I can try to gift one of the two. I am thinking that some varieties may germinate better in soil, some better in the Rapid Rooters, and for some it may not make a difference. I read somewhere that kelp solutions are rich in growth hormones. Has anyone added a light kelp solution dilution to their germination setup? I was thinking of adding a couple of drops to each Rapid Rooter cell. Fert-wise, the kelp solutions are very, very weak. I doubt it would do any harm. Has anyone ever tried the kelp? I have not, but might try it later on anything that seems stubborn to sprout.

I am hoping these guys are all budded up come springtime, and ready for an early harvest. Since my indoor space is limited, I am giving serious consideration to building a small greenhouse in the backyard and putting in a couple of space heaters for the night time. I decided against a raised bed, and will probably go with 5 gallon Root Pouches for the larger plants. Some of the annuums and plants I'm as yet unsure of I will grow in 2 gallon pots. If I end up liking them, I can always up-pot them.

Getting organized:

Man, I hope I didn't mix any of these up! 64 cups to keep straight is a far cry from 3. It will be 6 months until I know for sure!:

Rapid Rooters:

Soil:

Let the waiting game begin!:

Also, in case anyone is interested, the white plastic labelling tags are available at Discount Hydroponics, $2.95/100! Cheaper than popsickle sticks!

Regarding the plants I already have, I am going to try to start cuttings off most of them in the event the plants don't make it over the winter. I won't need to start those from seed, although there are four varieties (Douglah, Fatalii, Barrackpore and Yellow Bhut) I am starting from seed, as well.

Question: When we start a new grow season, is it typical to just add to one's glog thread, or is it appropriate to start a new thread for the new grow year?

Anyway, happy growing to you all and thanks for looking. I'm hoping all the lessons I learned this year will help me to make this grow much more successful!

GROW LIST: I will try to edit in pop dates for both soil and Rapid Rooters. The Rapid Rooters might get earlier pop dates since I can see the rootlets before hooks form.

Sown seeds (65):

Trinidad Scorpion (AJIJOE) 10/20/12 (RR)
HP22B (Pepper Joe) 10/19/12 (RR), 10/27/12 (soil)
Primo (Primo) 10/22/12 (RR), 10/26/12 (soil)
Billy Boy Jonah (Silver_Surfer via Coheed) 10/22/12 (RR)
7 Pot Congo Gigantic (Pepperlover) 10/23/12 (RR), 10/26/12 (soil)
7 Pot Barrackpore (Biscgolf) 10/27/12 (RR)
Dorset Naga (Pepperlover - pods) 10/24/12 (RR), 10/26/12 (soil)
Naga Morich (Biscgolf - pods) 10/22/12 (RR), 10/24/12 (soil)
Bhut Jolokia (JoynersHotPeppers)
Red Rocoto (SocalChilihead) 10/22/12 (RR)
Malawi Peppadew (Refiningfirechiles) 10/19/12 (RR), 10/24/12 (soil)
Trinidad PI281317 (Pepperlover) 10/19/12 (RR), 10/24/12 (soil)
Anaheim (Pepperlover - gift)
7 Pot Chiguanas (Silver Surfer via Coheed) 10/23/12 (RR)
Red Devil's Tongue (Pepperlover - gift) 10/28/12 (RR)
Butch T (Pepperlover - pods) 10/24/12 (RR)
7 Pot Jonah (Pepperlover - pods) 10/27/12 (RR)
7 Pot Burgundy (Silver_Surfer via Coheed) 10/23/12 (RR), 10/26/12 (soil)
Infinity 10/20/12 (soil), 10/22/12 (RR)
Yellow Moruga (Pepperlover) 10/23/12 (soil), 10/23/12 (RR)
Yellow Brain (Biscgolf) 10/24/12 (RR)
Yellow Bhut Jolokia (Biscgolf) 10/26/12 (soil)
Fatalii (AJIJOE) 10/22/12 (RR),10/28/12 (soil)
7 Pot Yellow (Biscgolf) 10/24/12 (RR)
Peach Bhut (AJIJOE) 10/28/12 (RR)
Beni Highland (AJIJOE) 10/19/12 (RR), 10/22/12 (soil)
Trinidad Morova (Pepperlover) 10/23/12 (soil), 10/28/12 (RR)
7 Pot Orange (Silver_Surfer via Coheed) 10/23/12 (soil), 10/28/12 (RR)
Golden Cayenne (SocalChilehead) 10/19/12 (RR), 10/20/12 (soil)
Yellow Scotch Bonnet (AJIJOE) 10/22/12 (soil), 10/22/12 (RR)
7 Pot Brown (Biscgolf) 10/24/12 (soil)
Douglah (Biscgolf) 10/27/12 (soil)
Black Habanero (Refiningfirechiles) 10/20/12 (RR), 10/26/12 (soil)
Chocolate Scorpion (KiNGDeNNiZ) 10/22/12 (RR), 10/23/12 (soil)
Douglah x Chocolate Scorpion F4 (Silver_Surfer via Coheed) 10/23/12 (RR), 10/24/12 (soil)
Black Naga (Refiningfirechiles) 10/20/12 (soil)
Pasilla Bajio (Refiningfirechiles) 10/22/12 (soil), 10/27/12 (RR)
Long Chocolate Habanero (AJIJOE) 10/24/12 (RR), 10/24/12 (soil)
Chocolate Habanero (AJIJOE) 10/23/12 (soil), 10/24/12 (RR)
Black Stinger (Refiningfirechiles) 10/22/12 (RR), 10/23/12 (soil)
7 Pot White (Pepperlover) 10/24/12 (RR), 10/27/12 (soil)
Giant White Habanero (AJIJOE) 10/22/12 (RR), 10/23/12 (soil)
White Bullet Habanero (AJIJOE) 10/22/12 (RR), 10/26/12 (soil)
White Devil's Tongue (Silver_Surfer via Coheed) 10/28/12 (RR)
Serrano (Pepper Joe - free) 10/19/12 (RR), 10/19/12 (soil) ***FIRST SOIL***
Jalapeno (Pepper Joe - free) 10/19/12 (RR), 10/20/12 (soil)
Red Bell (store bought pepper) 10/19/12 (RR), 10/26/12 (soil)
Andy F1 Gochu (Stickman via SocalChilehead) 10/17/12 (RR) ***TIED, FIRST OVERALL*** 10/23/12 (soil)
Korean Winner Hybrid (Stickman via SocalChilehead) 10/17/12 (RR) ***TIED, FIRST OVERALL***
Pimenta de Neyde (SocalChilehead) 10/28/12 (RR)
Trinidad Scorpion Green (SocalChilehead) 10/19/12 (RR)
Most Prolific C.chacoense (Pepperlover - gift) 10/23/12 (RR)
Royal Black (AJIJOE) 10/22/12 (RR), 10/26/12 (soil)
Assam (SocalChilehead) 10/19/12 (RR), 10/22/12 (soil)
Trinidad Scorpion "FG" (AJIJOE) 10/19/12 (RR), 10/24/12 (soil)
Australian Lantern Habanero (AJIJOE) 10/26/12 (RR), 10/26/12 (soil)
Aji Yellow (AJIJOE) 10/23/12 (RR)
Jamaican Hot Chocolate (KiNGDeNNiZ) 10/22/12 (RR)
Aji Omnicolor (OROZCONLECHE) 10/19/12 (RR)
Not-Trinidad Scorpion (long yellow pod from Arboretum, KiNGDeNNiZ) 10/22/12 (RR)
Mystery Chocolate Mix (Silver_Surfer) 10/23/12 (RR)
Red Congo (AJIJOE) 10/23/12 (RR)
Peach Habanero (AJIJOE) 10/19/12 (RR), 10/22/12 (soil)
Yellow Hablokia (AJIJOE) 10/20/12 (RR), 10/22/12 (soil)
Sown 10/20/12
Yellow Bell (store-bought pepper) 10/23/12 (RR)
Sown 10/28/12
Chocolate Bell (Refiningfirechiles)
Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion (Refiningfirechiles)
Malaysian Goronong (Refiningfirechiles)
Douglah (Refiningfirechiles)
Peter (Refiningfirechiles)
Yellow Bhut (Refiningfirechiles)
Chocolate Bhut (Refiningfirechiles)
Aji Pineapple (Refiningfirechiles)
Aji Dulce 1 (Tradewinds)
Datil (Tradewinds)
Goat's Horn (Tradewinds)
NuMex Big Jim (Tradewinds)
Paprika (Tradewinds)
Brain Strain 7 (PepperRidge)


What I hope to save from my current grow, either whole plants or clones (13):

Carribean Red (local nursery)
Aji Panca (Refiningfirechiles)
Peter Pepper (Refiningfirechiles)
Jamaican Yellow Mushroom (Refiningfirechiles)
Moruga (Refiningfirechiles)
Malaysian Goronong (Refiningfirechiles)
Thai Dragon (North Park Produce)
Chenzo (North Park Produce)
Red Brain Strain (Baker's Peppers - pods)
Chinese 5-color (Orozconleche)
Aji Dulce (Orozconleche)
Datil (Orozconleche)
Bonnie "World's Hottest Hab" (Fatalii?) (Home Depot)

I'm going to do my best to keep one of each alive, but with 77 total, I might be lucky if a few croak!

 

[sicman]

looking fantastic i be digging that verde!

man up and eat that primo!!!! on video please

 

[DocNrock]

Very nice, plants are podding up without a hitch.

Be afraid,... of the Dorset Naga also. Strange things have left Bangladesh via the U.K............besides the "Naga Morich"
you have the music that George Harrison brought back home........................

Keep up the great photos !

Thanks, Greg! Yeah, I respect all the supers. I had one of the early misshapen Dorset Nagas ripen about a week ago. Fortunately I approached it with respect. Little friggen fireball, it was! My wife used it in some chicken curry. One small pod is all it took. I had to laugh at your comment about strange things leaving Bangladesh. Although she didn't come via the UK, my wife is originally from Bangladesh. But the Beetles have brought home even stranger things from elsewhere. Yoko Ono comes to mind...

Nice Doc! Beaten us Cali boys to the punch! Everything looks fan-freakin-tastic!

Thanks, Shane. I couldn't have done it without the excellent help from yourself and everyone else on THP. I had to get my stuff out there while I still could. Now that we are in prime growing season, you master growers are going to leave me in the dust!

Nice update!!

Thanks, Chris!

looking fantastic i be digging that verde!

man up and eat that primo!!!! on video please

Awesome Jason! It was pretty good if I do say so myself. I've tasted the Primo. Let's just say I am glad I approached it with respect. There is a reason I don't do pepper videos. Any momentary displays of idiocy I might have I prefer to do in private. And welcome to the top of page 42!

 

[Silver_Surfer]

Must be nice having pods this early in the year.

That Trinidad Scorpion "FG" pod looks like a pissed off dragon wearing a sombrero.

LOOKIN' GOOD.

 

[WalkGood]

Awesome update, awe-inspiring plants (they look great) and super looking harvest!!! I wish you good great luck with house hunting, wow that lower inventory rate is impressive IMO. Here a lot of banks have taken inventory off the market to drive prices back up but I know there is still a lot of repo’s out there. Shane’s right on short’s one of my best friends just closed and it took forever because of the bank that owned it kept putting the close off. My take was that the bank waited till the right time to take the write down. Have a great Weekend

 

[stickman]

Alright Doc! Glad to see you're starting to pull down some pods, and eating them too... good on ya!

 

[DocNrock]

Must be nice having pods this early in the year.

That Trinidad Scorpion "FG" pod looks like a pissed off dragon wearing a sombrero.

LOOKIN' GOOD.

S_S, thanks for stopping in! Loved those pods I bought from you last year and the ones I bought from Vincent that he got from your farm. I'm growing out a number of varieties from seed obtained from those pods. Not the least of which is your Sepia Serpent. It seems many are growing that one. I have five SS's growing. Hopefully at least one will have the same phenotype. It's great having the ripening begin, but I started my seeds in October. I can only hope that mine turn out nearly as perfect (and HOT) as yours. Love the description of the "FG" pod...hopefully it tastes like a "pissed off dragon wearing a sombrero!"

Awesome update, awe-inspiring plants (they look great) and super looking harvest!!! I wish you good great luck with house hunting, wow that lower inventory rate is impressive IMO. Here a lot of banks have taken inventory off the market to drive prices back up but I know there is still a lot of repo’s out there. Shane’s right on short’s one of my best friends just closed and it took forever because of the bank that owned it kept putting the close off. My take was that the bank waited till the right time to take the write down. Have a great Weekend

Thanks, Ramon! Appreciate the kind words. I think your analysis is spot-on, and I'm pretty sure it's pretty similar to what is going on here. Hopefully the bank will accept the short sale and things will move along, but we'll see.

Alright Doc! Glad to see you're starting to pull down some pods, and eating them too... good on ya!

Thanks, Rick! Glad to see yours are in-ground and spring has sprung for you!

 

[Sanarda]

Short sales are really a PIA...but you can find some really great deals. Hope to see some pics soon, but I know exactly what you're talking about when it comes to busy.

UMMMMMM i resent that ass

 

[Trippa]

looking good doc. Nice looking mini Harvest to start the trip into chilli season ...

 

[DesertChris]

My Gal is a Realtor.

I think Ramon is spot on with that analysis!

I have seen short sales take up to 9 months to close, and even saw one close in 30 days!

It really depends on which bank you are dealing with.

Overall, the banks have made the process much much faster, and far easier than a couple years ago.

Good Luck on the House Hunt, and I hope you get the house for a great price, and in a timely fashion!!

 

[DocNrock]

UMMMMMM i resent that ass

Hahaha!

looking good doc. Nice looking mini Harvest to start the trip into chilli season ...

Thanks Trippa! So happy you stopped in! Appreciate the kind words. Considering your grow is on your balcony, I was very impressed with what you were able to accomplish over your most recent growing season.

My Gal is a Realtor.

I think Ramon is spot on with that analysis!

I have seen short sales take up to 9 months to close, and even saw one close in 30 days!

It really depends on which bank you are dealing with.

Overall, the banks have made the process much much faster, and far easier than a couple years ago.

Good Luck on the House Hunt, and I hope you get the house for a great price, and in a timely fashion!!

Yeah Chris, Ramon is definitely spot on. We did all the signatures last night and our offer will be submitted today. Our realtor has told us many short sale horror stories, as well, but she has been in the biz for a long time and seems to know her stuff. She also had a number of "happy ending" stories. So we will see. If I can ask, does your wife know how Chase is with timely evaluations of short sales? Chase is the seller's lender. One big plus for the house: plenty of space for chile plants and a concrete slab in back where I can put my greenhouse.

 

[DesertChris]

She says she thinks Chase is pretty good about it.
The crazy thing is they were actually giving the sellers $$ to do a short sale, rather than have to foreclose etc....
One example was a sale at her office, where Chase gave the seller $20,000......

That sounds nice!! Anchor the greenhouse to the slab and fill the yard with peppers

 

[KiNGDeNNiZ]

Nice update Brent. Good luck with that rocoto. If you saw my OW manzano. They take that long to set pods. Even then the pods take forever to ripen!!

Short sale ?! Hey let. Me know my auntie is a broker and can eliminate a lot of the BS. If there's any problems. Let me know I gotcha on that

Here's to warmer days and nights!! Pod porn will soon come. As long as his overcast goes away!!

 

[romy6]

Love the pod action Brent. keep em coming. Have a great weekend!!!

 

[Devv]

Always nice to reap some rewards from your hard work. I think you did right sowing in Oct., look where you're at now.

Plants look great, nice and healthy! Plenty of pods.

Well done

 

[MGOLD86]

Holy CHEESUS Doc! I just went through your entire GLog and it was nothing less of amazing! If I didn't miss growing, I definitely do now! I am definitely gonna follow this one, all the way to page 100!

Keep it up man, it is awesome!

Matt

 

[RocketMan]

Really nice little harvest there Doc, very tasty collection. Interested in how that chocolate bell came out. Does it taste like a bell or is it a little distinct?

 

[Stefan_W]

Great looking plants! You should post a video of yourself trying that primo out.

 

[DocNrock]

She says she thinks Chase is pretty good about it.
The crazy thing is they were actually giving the sellers $$ to do a short sale, rather than have to foreclose etc....
One example was a sale at her office, where Chase gave the seller $20,000......

That sounds nice!! Anchor the greenhouse to the slab and fill the yard with peppers

That is incredible! I certainly hope Chase has the same perspective on this property. Thanks for the info!

Nice update Brent. Good luck with that rocoto. If you saw my OW manzano. They take that long to set pods. Even then the pods take forever to ripen!!

Short sale ?! Hey let. Me know my auntie is a broker and can eliminate a lot of the BS. If there's any problems. Let me know I gotcha on that

Here's to warmer days and nights!! Pod porn will soon come. As long as his overcast goes away!!

I'm just happy the Rocoto has made it far enough to grow flowers. The first one dried and fell off, and I expect the current ones will, as well. It will be a good candidate to overwinter if it doesn't grow any pods. If we have any issues with the short sale, I'll let you know. Spring is here! Supposed to be in the mid 90's this weekend.

Love the pod action Brent. keep em coming. Have a great weekend!!!

Thanks, Jaime!

Always nice to reap some rewards from your hard work. I think you did right sowing in Oct., look where you're at now.

Plants look great, nice and healthy! Plenty of pods.

Well done

Thanks, Scott! I'm pretty happy with my decision to sow in October. If the plants stay healthy into the fall, I might try to OW the most productive ones.

Holy CHEESUS Doc! I just went through your entire GLog and it was nothing less of amazing! If I didn't miss growing, I definitely do now! I am definitely gonna follow this one, all the way to page 100!

Keep it up man, it is awesome!

Matt

Hi Matt! Welcome! Thanks for stopping in, and thank you for the kind words.. I gather from various posts you are currently deployed but coming home soon. I'm happy you have been safe and wish you safe travels home. Thank you for your service! I was in the reserves for a number of years but never got deployed. I came close, but I'm glad it never happened. You sir, are a glutton for punishment, reading through all 42 pages of this. I don't think I'd read through 42 pages of my own glog! Seriously, happy to have you along for the ride.

Really nice little harvest there Doc, very tasty collection. Interested in how that chocolate bell came out. Does it taste like a bell or is it a little distinct?

Thanks RM, the pods are pretty tasty. I was amazed at how hot the Peach Bhut was. Regarding the Chocolate Bell, my wife used one in cooking recently, but I haven't tasted one yet by itself. I will try to get a taste in today and report back.

Great looking plants! You should post a video of yourself trying that primo out.

Thanks, my friend. Nah, I don't do videos. As I said before, any momentary displays of idiocy I may have I prefer to be in private.

 

[DocNrock]

One of my Sepia Serpents has finally set a pod. 

 

[DocNrock]

If Stefan_W hadn't already entitled his glog at one time the "What was I thinking" glog, I would do that now!    So much work has gone into this, and I still have 40+ plants needing bigger pants.  It is going to be a busy weekend.
 
First, baby Sepia Serpent pod: 
 

 
When I first up-potted into 5 gallon bags, I left almost a foot between each plant's canopy.  That was then.  This is now: 
 

 

 

 
In the last shot, you can see all the two gallons that need to be up-potted.  I'm pretty sure most are root-bound.