First transplant to 4" pots.. did I go deep enough? 50% Perlite ok?

[zumajoe]

Hey guys, 

First time grower, I just did my first transplant from Germination Station into their own 4" pots and wanted to see if things look ok from you pepper pros here.  I'm hoping it's ok that the RapidRooters not being fully "submerged" beneath the soil - some of the plug tops are exposed because i wanted to leave at least 1/2" of soil underneath them.

I was also a bit concerned because it seemed like I had way too much Perlite, as I was suggested by another forum member to use 50% Perlite +  (25% OceanForst / 25% CocoCoir) to prevent burning.  However, most photos I see around here don't have this much Perlite and was almost blinded by the light with how much white I had in there. Should I do anything different with this mix?  (water more / less?, etc).  

Mixed in a very small amount of Dr. Earth Fish Bone Meal & Kelp Meal as well, so things are a bit stinky in the house!  
 

 

[queequeg152]

i run 50 50 perlite coir.
 
you will need to fertilize more agressivly once these plants get larger... 
 
though some of your plants actually look nutrient deficient already.

 

[zumajoe]

i run 50 50 perlite coir.
 
you will need to fertilize more agressivly once these plants get larger... 
 
though some of your plants actually look nutrient deficient already.

Thanks for the input.  I had a feeling they were "hungry" as the rapidrooter plugs from my understanding don't have any sort of nutrients.. so hopefully the 25% OceanForest should help with that at the moment, since it comes preloaded with goodies?  

 

[stoney's_ghost]

At this stage, let them get larger before adding any more nutes.
Keep us posted!

Dave

 

[alkhall]

I am far from being a 'professional', but I wait until my seedlings have at least two sets of true leaves.
 
And, I use straight potting mix. Last year it was Happy Frog, this year I am using Ocean Forest.
 
As to the depth, I try to get my plugs (I used netted coir) just below soil level in three inch pots.
 
Anyway, good luck with your grow!

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

     I'm with queequeg. They look hungry. If you mixed the fish and kelp nutes into the soil, it may be a while before new roots have access to them. It may be worth it to try feeding them something extra in the meantime. Something with N - it looks like that may be what they're needing and I don't think any of your extra ferts have much N.

Mixed in a very small amount of Dr. Earth Fish Bone Meal & Kelp Meal as well, so things are a bit stinky in the house!  
 
 
 

 
     I just top dressed my plants with Tomato-Tone the other day, so my wife and I (mostly my wife) know all about organic fertilizer stank. Luckily we've been able to keep the windows open. 

 

[mrgrowguy]

I think your soil mix is great, I would only add a touch of bloodmeal... and bone meal (or other calcium soil additive). About 1/2 cup to 20 gallons worth of soil mix (I use a large plastic storage tote). Or, you can use straight worm castings instead of the bloodmeal.
 
I would DEFINITELY not add any more nutes, stick with the organic (not necessary, but safe).
 
If I get results like this, I just make a compost (worm casting) tea enriched with a little bloodmeal and cal+mag. Thsi usually fixes the problem.

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

 I just make a compost (worm casting) tea enriched with a little bloodmeal and cal+mag. Thsi usually fixes the problem.

 
(partial) Thread hijack in 3… 2...
 
     I was thinking of brewing a batch of compost tea with some bloodmeal or Tomato Tone the other day. My plan was to feed my plants some organic N, but I didn't want it to stink up the joint (see above). 
     How much blood meal do you add to a 5 gallon batch? Does it stink while it's brewing? How about after it's done - is it something I could get away with adding routinely without having to worry about throwing up every time I look at my plants?

 

[mikeg]

That is more perlite than i've seen used by some folk re-potting cacti. However, you will have good drainage. Note any color changes in your plants, now that they've been exposed to nutrients.

You've just exposed them to 3 different nutrient sources -- Ocean Forest soil, fishbone meal, and kelp meal, and, fortunately, some coco coir. This latter will offer humic and fulvic acids to assist the plants in absorbing the nutrients.

It's tempting to want to make things better, right now, but wait for 48 hours. You want to assess the effect of the changes you've made, and Google some pics of various nutrient deficiencies to do this right. Try to get pictures of pepper leaves, for examples of the symptoms each deficiency patterns on leaves, and what parts of the plant are affected. Some other species show slightly different yellowing patterns for, say, potassium or manganese.

Then post pics of your plants, taken 48 hours later, if you want anyone to offer input or a tentative diagnosis... Some members on the forum are quite good at diagnosing these.

 

[mrgrowguy]

 
(partial) Thread hijack in 3… 2...
 
     I was thinking of brewing a batch of compost tea with some bloodmeal or Tomato Tone the other day. My plan was to feed my plants some organic N, but I didn't want it to stink up the joint (see above). 
     How much blood meal do you add to a 5 gallon batch? Does it stink while it's brewing? How about after it's done - is it something I could get away with adding routinely without having to worry about throwing up every time I look at my plants?

 
 
partial hijack - maybe so , but good question (imho)
 
I use a very little amount, I never actually measure, but I would estimate ~1/8 cup at most to a 5 gallon batch (i prepare 5 gallons at a time too, and I go by the rule of thumb that less is more). And, no, I do not smell a difference. I have been experimenting with a high N bat guano in lieu of, but it does not seem to dissolve well, if at all (not that the blood meal dissolves well either, but much better than the high N bat guano). Total side note: my high P and K (Jamaican, I think) bat guano dissolves very well... good for flowering stages (for this I use a Kirkland baby formula scoop and only fill it half way - weird measure I know, but I have a lot of those little scoops around the house).

 

[ColdSmoke]

Do a light feeding using a syringe to apply to only the root zone. I use my meat injector to water almost exclusively until I know there's a decent root system. Otherwise you're simply wasting product. 

 

[mrgrowguy]

Do a light feeding using a syringe to apply to only the root zone. I use my meat injector to water almost exclusively until I know there's a decent root system. Otherwise you're simply wasting product. 

 
That's very interesting. I have a question for you, does the top of the soil dampen at any point after you "shoot up?" 
 
I am interested in giving this theory a try, but if the top soil gets damp at all, my current soil mix and environment combination would encourage algae/bacteria to grow/bloom on said top soil, and it may defeat the purpose - only speaking for myself, of course.
 

 
 
Otherwise you're simply wasting product. 

 
 
While I may disagree with this given a few situations I can think of, another plus for organic growing either way! My worms make my castings from left over veggies from preparing dinners, cost is 0 to ultra-low. Though, I do have to buy a few amendments and additives, but they are pennies on the dollar for my needs (this is to maintain, cost of making soil aside since everyone has to pay the piper in the beginning anyways - bravo to those that compost/cook their own soil).
 
 
@ColdSmoke - Thanks for the ignite to some new thought process for me (some random reader).
 
And sorry [to the OP] for my tangent. 

 

[zumajoe]

Cool, thanks everyone.  I'm just going to let them do their thing for a little while.. as mentioned the FFOF is 25% of the soil mix, which is said to have much of the nutrients and should hopefully have an impact on the seedlings.  The whole point of cutting it to only 1/4 of the mix was due to many reports of nutrient overload / burning from FFOF, so my best guess is any additional fertilizer at this point could be detrimental? 

Hopefully this phase goes well, can't wait until I can start training them to go outside in the real sun.  
 

 

[Gotrox]

Hmmm.
This year---from aerogarden to 4" pots, straight cheap potting soil.
Straight H2O till well developed 2nd set of leaves.
Alternating waterings with straight water, and a hydro mix of Sensei Grow.
Allowing to droop before watering---from the bottom, BTW.
 
Haven't killed or burnt any. (yet)
 
Less than 2 months from seed starting, and already root bound.

 

[ColdSmoke]

 
That's very interesting. I have a question for you, does the top of the soil dampen at any point after you "shoot up?" 
 
I am interested in giving this theory a try, but if the top soil gets damp at all, my current soil mix and environment combination would encourage algae/bacteria to grow/bloom on said top soil, and it may defeat the purpose - only speaking for myself, of course.
 
 

 
Of course it gets wet where you water it but top feeding is not going to cause a bacteria or algae bloom. Your medium should already have good bacteria to fend off that kind of thing. Bottom watering, in my opinion, is great but way overplayed on these forums. 

 

[mrgrowguy]

When I feed, it is always from the top (and now maybe by injection...I love experimenting). When I water, just plain water, I will top water when the last feeding was a few days or more old to help flush a little of the old stuff out, but when the last feeding was recent, I will water from the bottom to help retain some of my nutrients/bacteria/tea/molasses in the soil instead of flushing it through. But when I feed, never from the bottom.
 
Thanks for answering and thanks again for the idea.

 

[zumajoe]

hey guys,
 
So far everything has gone great with the initial transplant.   I'm guessing the plants are loving the nutrients found in the 25% FFOF, the leaves picked up and color has improved.  After a few days I did notice from the leaf color there could possibly still be a Magnesium deficiency, so I made a spray bottle mix with very diluted Epsom salt / water which seems to have helped the "old" leaves.  I'm doing my best to stick to advice of "leaving them alone", so i've been very careful not to dose them with fertilizers, etc. yet.  

Also i've begun to Harden Off, taking them outside for a few hours of morning sunlight - increasing more each day.  Gives me a nice excuse to hang outside with them with my coffee.The green color i'm starting to get from all the plants just makes me feel good inside.  I can't stop looking at these things like every 10 minutes.  Obsessed.  
 
Here's a few new photos.  My only concern is it seems that some of the "new" leaves are a bit yellow, not quite that dark green- is that normal?  According to the charts it seems it could be a slight Nitrogen or Iron deficiency?  

 

 

 

[suchen]

Those look excellent, nice work! Just continue with a normal feeding schedule. If in several weeks growth is slow and new foliage stays yellow, consider watering with Cal-Mag Plus from Botanicare. That takes care of iron, calcium, magnesium. I love the stuff.