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First Shot at Growing

Blister

Blister

This is my first attempt at growing anything, but since my g/f and I regularly use 2-3 serrano's a night I figured I'd give it a shot. I've started with:

Orange Habenaro (Chinense)
Cayenne Long Red
Demon Red
Indian Red (is this the same as Cayenne?)
Anaheim
Cherry Red Hot
Jalapeno M
Hungarian Yellow Hot
Super Chili
Serrano's.

I have the following seeds on order and have JUST received an e-mail telling me they've shipped!

Camino Real
Ancho Real
El Jefe
Ring Of Fire
Chili Grande

I'm in a northern climate and have a green house, but I am hoping that I can cultivate a few indoors. Basically the only ones I'm thinking of right now are the little Demon Red's and Cherry Red Hot's. Either way, this is my little makeshift set up.

chilis005.jpg


Here's what I've been able to grow so far. I put them out to get an hour or so of direct sun light. Too bad the sky clouded over within 45 minutes though.

chilis006.jpg


Super Chili

chilis007.jpg



I'm not using anything special right now. I started the seeds in mini-heated peat greenhouse until they sprouted. Once the roots started to poke out the sides I transplanted them to 4" pots and used Moisture Plus soil that has a .08-.12-.08 fertilizer content. I have the fluorescent lights on a timer set to turn on a 6am and off at 10 pm. I also have some old glossy white posters that I drape over the sides to reflect more light onto the plants. I'm not sure if tin foil would work better, but I have been getting fairly good results so far.


Neil
 
Nice looking setup you've got there. It won't be long before you're wanting a larger area. ;)
How do you water them without it dripping down on the lights below?
 
I'm already at the point where I need more room. I have three trays of peppers - the ones in the second pic - that are taking up most of the space. I also have some other plants 'finding' their way in there. Seems like every time I turn around my family has slipped some flower seedlings or herbs in there.

Also when I water them, I take them off of the rack and place them on a towel on a table. I put them back once the water stops draining out the bottom of the pots. It's a bit of work, but it's better than shorting out the lights or starting a fire.
 
Well I just installed some full spectrum florescent lights as well as one grow light (purplish). Funny thing was my dad kept saying "Oh you don't need those and they're really expensive. I've been growing tomatoes with just the standard floro's for years..." Once I showed him the ones I bought and told him how much they were, he pinched them on me! :lol:. Had to go and pick up a few more. Not sure how much of a difference they'll make, but I figured that I'd give them a shot.
 
Looks like your "makeshift" grow box is working perfectly, congrats! I think it's great that your family is adding things without telling you but your pops needs to stop stealing your stuff!:P
 
Great grow ! Ill be watching this one !

Dont use foil though it will create Heat spots due to uneven reflection ! What you got is the best Gloss white ! If you can get a product called PEGUIN PLASTIC (sheet plastic) it is white one side black the other - it is light proof and made for hydro lining ! And also agri uses..
 
Thanks for all the kind words folks. I've just finished an upgrade on the plant stand. Kinda had to considering how many other plants keep slipping under the lights... Dad wants to move his tomatoes under the lights from the ones he has, mom is already planning on taking over 3 shelves with flowers. Outdoor growing season can't get here soon enough! Anyways, the new rack has 5 shelves. 4 will be used for growing and the top will be used for storage of misc. things like fertilizer and possibly an extra germinating rack. I'm going to need more lights though.... The plants are much easier to get at as well. We put mac-tac down on all the boards to help prevent warping from any drips of water that may escape the pot. Hopefully I still have enough room for the 4 other pepper's I ordered!


My g/f is going to bring me some large pieces of white cardboard from work and I'll be able to box it all in so I'm not completely done yet.

chilis012.jpg
 
My folks had them on hand. I think they got them when they bought some potted flowers. You may be able to pick them up at Wal-Mart, but I'm not sure. I've seen them throwing them out after they sell off a whack of plants. I need to pick up a few more because I've got a few more seedlings that need to be transplanted.
 
Looks great. I need more room for my seedlings too and stacking the shelves looks like a good idea. I've got the same question as one of the other posts: how do you water without it dripping on the lights below? Aer they in trays without holes?
Are the fluoros pretty cheap to run?
 
Wildfire Chilli Australia said:
Looks great. I need more room for my seedlings too and stacking the shelves looks like a good idea. I've got the same question as one of the other posts: how do you water without it dripping on the lights below? Aer they in trays without holes?
Are the fluoros pretty cheap to run?
Click to expand...

The fluros are pretty cheap to run, its when your getting up to the bigger intense lights that the old western power bill starts to rise. Watering is easier if you put the we little monster chilli pots in trays, that way theres no drip factor. I'm thinking of bringing in my seven pods and trinidads this winter, not sure yet though! money money money hey!
 
The plants in the first setup had the trays sitting on a grate. The new setup has the trays sitting on particle board. I put some mac-tac down (plastic lining that's sticky on one side) to prevent the board from getting soggy. I still take the trays out of the shelf and water them on a table. I make sure that the water has stopped coming out of the pot before I put them back into the tray and back onto the shelf. It takes a bit of work but isn't that bad. Now that it's on a solid board the water issue isn't really a problem. I'm more concerned about getting the particle board soggy.

The trays are excellent for this sort of thing because then I can take down and water 12 plants in one shot. It'd be a real PITA if I had to do it one at a time. I'll snap a pic of the tray's I have and post it tomorrow.

At this stage, stacking them is the best way for me to deal with the space issue. I simply don't have any to spare, so I went up. It takes up the same amount of floor space, but because I've stacked the plants I've increased the usable space by about 2x's. Now I just have to time it right so that they're ready to go outdoors before they outgrow the space.



Neil
 
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