Dragon49's 2013 Grow Log

2013 Chile Pepper Grow Log:

My normal season begins in the middle of March, as I sprout 2 months before planting out in the garden. I’m dying to grow a superhot, but I have had 0% success in growing Capsicum chinense outside. A number of other factors prevent me from growing superhots in the garden.

I’ve decided on a small indoor only grow. A co-worker beekeeper jokingly offered to bring some bees into my apartment to pollinate, but I declined. If this works, I’ll have to expand my gardening skill set and figure out how to hand pollinate. I’ll also have to upgrade my lighting, as I’ve been told that my 54 watt T-3 florescent, while good enough to start seedlings, is not strong enough to get the plants to produce fruit.

Here we go. I’ve decided to sprout a Red Moruga Scorpion:

 

[ThePepperManiac]

looking good

 

[dragon49]

Some of the lower leaves of the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion are falling off. Not sure why. Not all of the downed leaves look unhealthy. The rate of growth and has slowed, but it is getting a little taller:

 

[dragon49]

Open Pollinated F4 (With F1 Characteristics) Superchile - A little dehydration and light stress. I soaked it, propped it up and moved it a few rows away from the light:

One More Pollinated Aji Cereza, followed by another of the Superchile's:

One More Open Pollinated F4 (With F1 Characteristics) Superchiles - Followed by another Cereza.

 

[dragon49]

I don't like the way this Superchile looks at all. Last season, one of my Fatallis looked exactly like this, and it stopped growing and died:

The rest are Superchiles as well:

 

[dragon49]

The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is starting to bud. I stare at it a lot, so I know they just came up today. I just pulled all 10 buds off. The plant is only 9 inches tall and if I didn't remove them, it would spend energy trying to open and grow the flowers, instead of getting taller and growing more leaves.

 

[dragon49]

I just moved the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion farther away from the light. It hasn't gotten much taller, but this plant doesn't react well to being very close to the florescent.

 

[dragon49]

One of the Open Pollinated F4 (With F1 Characteristics) Superchiles, looking good.

 

[Portuge]

Holy moly that moruga is busy.. Looking good Dragon... So did that one lil seedling make it or did it die off?

 

[dragon49]

Thanks.

That seedling is doing fine.

 

[Portuge]

Good good good.... Just that many more to love

 

[dragon49]

This Open Pollinated Aji Cereza took 19 days to sprout:

 

[dragon49]

Another sprout just popped up. One of My F4 (With F1 Characteristics) Superchiles also took 19 days to sprout:

 

[dragon49]

These are my best looking F4 (With F1 Characteristics) Superchiles:

 

[dragon49]

This F4 (With F1 Characteristics) Superchile just set a record for me. The Previous record holder, a Rocoto, took 31 days to sprout. This took 32 days to come up.

 

[dragon49]

The Open Pollinated Aji Cereza collection:

 

[dragon49]

Some developments today:

This Aji Cereza just broke my record, and took 34 days to sprout:



As I was about to water, I found a sprout inside the small Dixie cup! I'm not sure how it got there. The other day, I did have an accident, where I spilled some of the soil on top of one of the clay pots with an un-sprouted seed. I thought i looked carefully at the displaced dirt, but maybe somehow, this flew off and ended up in the cup? Anyway, I put it in soil and labeled it "unknown," It is either a Chocolate Bhut, an Open Pollinated Aji Cereza, or an F4 (With F1 Characteristics) Open Pollinated Superchile. These are only possibilities, based upon what I have sown and has not sprouted.

 

[dragon49]

Some Group Shots:

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[Portuge]

The New york weather should be just about right to put that big ol moruga outside now...

 

[dragon49]

Actually, the Moruga will be staying inside. All the other plants will be going into the ground on May 24th, but I'm keeping the Moruga for my first full indoor grow. I can't bring it outside for a number of reasons:

I've had 0% successes growing Capsicum chinense in my garden. I'm not sure why. Maybe the combination of my family garden's less than ideal sun coverage, coupled with my short season is to blame. In my garden, Capsicum annuum thrives. Capsicum baccatum does OK, IF my zone has a long summer, otherwise, I don't get enough pods. Also, I've got 2 nephews, 3 1/2 and 5, running around the garden. I'd love to bring them up as chilheads, but right now, there is too much danger for them to hurt themselves if it grew and they touched one of the pods.

I'm looking forward the indoor grow. I'm probably going to get one or 2 round florescent bulbs to saturate the bottom and sides of the plant with light. Then, I need to buy a fan and a thin bristle paintbrush to pollinate with.

 

[Portuge]

Well with the fan alone your plant should pollinate itself... Are you using coolwhite bulbs? Have you tried the daylight bulbs? Maybe experimenting with the two will offer the best of both for your plant...