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health Emeoba69's 2011 Doing it all wrong extravaganza!

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Emeoba69

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Ok so this is my second year and once again due to traveling I have gotten a really late start and have been messing up bad. The first few images are from Bhut plants I had my mom over winter for me as I was abroad. She cut them back very lightly. I got back from China and brought the plants outside for the first time around May 10th (there had actually been a frost the week before I arrived!). I never repotted these plants and stuck them out in some serious sun, for the half week there was sun. There has been almost 2 weeks of straight rain and cloudy skies here in Cincy. I also left this week for a buddies bachelors party/wedding in Vegas. Needles to say my plants need some TLC. I have leaf browning, leaf curl, disformed leafs, the works. I am wondering if I should go ahead and repot or try and add ferts/nutrients now, maybe both?


I also started some new seeds from last years pods and some facing heaven peppers I brought home from China. Having had a horrible experience last year with Jiffy Pots drying out way to fast and killing my seedlings this year I went with some plastic containers with a greenhouse like top. My seedlings sprouted fine (good results all around with the good ol' plastic baggie and wet paper towel). I think I may have over watered the lot of them. Before any sort of leafs could show the weather turned nasty and I put them under shop lights 24/7 before I left for Vegas last week. They looked great when I got back, maybe a little lanky. Today was a nice day so I took them out from the lights in my basement and put them in our south facing plants window sill. Within half an hour they were droopy and deathly looking like they are in the last photo. What could cause this? Im thinking a combination of overwatering/high humitity/and heavy sun might have shocked the little guys. I moved them out of the sun and they have turned back up a bit. Any suggestions on how to save these little guys would be great.


Thanks for all of the help!
 
looks like they are in shock nurse em back new soil? big one looks like it got soaked bad let it dry out a little more?
 
The hardening process is best done in small steps. Start off with a few hours a day of direct sun light and increase it a little each day over a period of a few weeks. By then they should be in pretty good shape. I have a large white maple tree that works great for this, 10 days and their good to go.

I wait until I see my plants wilt just a touch, and then I water them. During the real hot spells I do water them twice a day. Over time you learn how to read you plants, they'll tell what they need and when. If they're hardened up right they become easy to read.

Depending on how deep the roots are the pot forms a natural water table towards the bottom. You may gage the water content by the pots total weight. If they tell you they need water you better water them.

Good luck!!
 
Just a thought for the young seedlings. How hot is it by your window? It could be the hot temp making them droop. I am not sure how often or how much you are watering but too much is never a good thing. Too little and they shrivel up and die. Maybe give them a small shot of Epsom salts on next watering. It should perk them right now.
 
Kendog said:
Just a thought for the young seedlings. How hot is it by your window? It could be the hot temp making them droop. I am not sure how often or how much you are watering but too much is never a good thing. Too little and they shrivel up and die. Maybe give them a small shot of Epsom salts on next watering. It should perk them right now.
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The seedlings had been in a relatively cool basement, mid-upper 60s, then I put them in the sun with the clear plastic top on. I guessed the temp shifting so fast might have done it. Too bad the friggen forecast is supposed to be thunderstorms and rain until NEXT Monday, almost 3 whole weeks of gray!
 
Any luck getting the seedlings to perk up? I had a thought that you might be suffocating the poor seedlings. If you haven't already you should pop open the clear plastic with a pencil to get some air in there(maybe only an inch or so). I would do that for a day or two. Then get some air flowing. Get a fan and a use that shop light a few inches away from the plants(but directly above it). Water every few days. The top of the soil should be somewhat dry.
 
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Well my plants are doing much better. I think they were still basically dormant when I first brought them out and photoed them. They have sprung to life. Im still trying to learn the ropes. There was a good stretch with some solid sun and hot weather I watered well. The other day I watered having not checked the weather and have had two days of rain. I got out this evening to see that a lot of the new growth is drooping like crazy (as seen in the above pictures). Is this something normal with too much water? I did give them some Scotts 10-10-10 release feed a few weeks back. I put a very light dose of it, less than recommended, and up until today everything has looked great.



Also, just like to ask about pinching buds. The plants are still pared back from overwintering. The new growth has been great but it is no where near close to where it was last year. How long do you pinch off to let new growth flourish? Ive heard mid June before and mid July? The latter seems a little late.
 
Here is a pepper porn update. Got a dozen or more on my bigger plant with more coming (though it is hitting high temps here and have some serious flower drop). My two little plants perked up the best they could. Question. Though bigger and more robust the peppers on my larger plant seem short and stumpy, while one of the littler plants have the long evil look that Im used to seeing with Bhuts. I got these from NMSU so they should be pure bred. Could there be a nutrient problem or are there just different looks?


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I think some pods just do not get enough nutrients so they end up smaller and or deformed. Your plants have come along way from your first post.
 
Picture update:
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Some more pictures of my NMSU bhuts. Still kind of disappointed with the shape of the ones from my big plant. I don't think the soil drains well enough and that is causing the nutrients to cause these deformed peppers. I used some blood meal to boost nitrogen since the big plants seemed to be lacking it, they greened up pretty well.
 
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