contest Growdown Throwdown 2015 !!!!

Yup they all fried. I got cocky,couldnt leave well enough alone. If you think about it,its really all yalls fault. The guys with the big plants making me feel ashamed of what God had given me.
  oh well I realy didnt need a new cutting board anyways,but I sure did want it.
 
sicman said:
Yup they all fried. I got cocky,couldn't leave well enough alone. If you think about it,its really all yalls fault. The guys with the big plants making me feel ashamed of what God had given me.
  oh well I really didn't need a new cutting board anyways,but I sure did want it.
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Truly sorry to hear that. But, hey, "God works in mysterious ways!"    This no doubt saved you from a grisly chopping block accident in the future.  ;)
 
Mine are only now recovering from me stupidly giving them too much sun too early.  :doh:  They didn't burn outright, but were nicely stunted.  They're probably the runtiest plants in the contest.  :mope:
 
     OK. So I see a trend forming here. Folks seem to be turning to some pretty extreme methods in hopes of hardening and stressing their contenders. Some are using chemical warfare and poisoning their plants. Some have contracted their dirty work - paying children (RIP  :violin: ) or "window cleaners" to inflict physical stress or trauma to their plants. Some are even resorting to exposing subjects to intense UV radiation (rumors abound of other radiological testing...).
     Personally, I'm using a composite approach: under watering, over fertilizing, sun bleaching (sunny day + reflection from 2nd story window  :clap: ), unchecked insect infestation, slapping, cooking roots on a heat mat, starving of light, overwatering, wind damage (first day outside saw 30mph gusts) etc... These plants have never experienced normalcy. Like a friend of mine likes to say "This is the hood. A plant's gotta be tough to survive around here." (He doesn't live in the hood.)
     
 
Here are my future champions. (1L bottle for scale.) Notice the thin, yellowish-green leaves on the top of the big plant.
 
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Here's a better shot.
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     The one in the 6" pot (left) won't fit under my fluoros, so It lives in the front room getting lots of indirect light. No direct light, though. It takes a loooooong time to get that kind of a plant ready for direct sun (plus unexpected window reflections).
     I think the smaller one currently holds the world record for number of fungus gnats living on one plant. I had an infestation earlier this winter with my chinenses so I treated them with Bti and took care of business. By the time the first treatment (top dressing of crumbled mosquito dunks) wore off, my (untreated) annuums were prime targets for the rapidly increasing population. 
     I tried to "just keep up on them" with some sticky traps and peppermint oil sprayed on the soil's surface. I figured I could hold off a big outbreak before plant out. I was hilariously wrong. There have been times recently while watering when the sheer number of gnats crawling on / emerging from the soil gave me flashbacks of being swarmed with blackflies in the U.P.  :sick: Little do they know I've been SOAKING them with mosquito dunk juice for the last week and a half! muahhhhahahahaha!  :hell:
     The little guy is just starting to show signs of turning the tide on the fungus gnat infestation. A week ago, just spending a 70o day in the shade on the porch was enough to make every leaf go completely limp and slump along the stem. I think the fungus gnats were hitting the roots so hard it couldn't keep up with transpiration. Now it's out in the full sun and wind and lovin' it! And I think  :pray: the gnats I'm still seeing are just stragglers emerging from pupae that weren't affected by the dunk juice.
     So far they're looking good, considering. If they make it to plant out, I'll be happy. They're gonna be so happy to have Mother Nature taking care of them instead of this idiot! 
hogleg said:
I'd like to see a Rocoto or Manzano Growdown next year....too early???   :lol:
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     Hell yes. I have a Peru Bitdumi that is a monster!
 
Hybrid Mode 01 said:
     OK. So I see a trend forming here. Folks seem to be turning to some pretty extreme methods in hopes of hardening and stressing their contenders. Some are using chemical warfare and poisoning their plants. Some have contracted their dirty work - paying children (RIP  :violin: ) or "window cleaners" to inflict physical stress or trauma to their plants. Some are even resorting to exposing subjects to intense UV radiation (rumors abound of other radiological testing...).
     
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:rofl:
That made me almost spit beer on the screen.
 
     Glad I could make you chuckle. I would be pretty cheezed if my plants were toast. 
 
sicman said:
Yup they all fried. 
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     I figure I'd better play it pretty conservative with my LOTs. I wouldn't want to jeopardize my plants' chances in this contest ( :rofl: ) by stepping into any uncharted gardening technique territory. You know like keeping up on fertilizer or scouting for pests or watering.
     I'm giving them pretty much the same care (with a few changes) and so far they still seem to be not too crispy or mushy.  :scared:
 
Hybrid Mode 01 said:
Glad I could make you chuckle. I would be pretty cheezed if my plants were toast. 
 
I figure I'd better play it pretty conservative with my LOTs. I wouldn't want to jeopardize my plants' chances in this contest ( :rofl: ) by stepping into any uncharted gardening technique territory. You know like keeping up on fertilizer or scouting for pests or watering.    I'm giving them pretty much the same care (with a few changes) and so far they still seem to be not too crispy or mushy.  :scared:
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LOL.  Given the amply demonstrated Mad Skillz of the competition, simply keeping your plants alive to the end may earn you the win!   :halo:
 
Who else has done something dumb and counter-productive to their plants?  C'Mon, we know you're out there!   ;)
 
randyp said:
   Thai are now in the "On Deck Circle"one more week baby.
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screw it ""Batter up"""The 10 day has me no lower then 50.at night.They hit the dirt this morning.Frost date was 5-15 for my area.The weatherman has his schedule,and I have mine. :dance:
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u just couldn't wait could you....thats gonna turn into one giant bush!
I think mine has a drinking problem....

:drunk:
 
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