Growth rate slow or normal?

[klyth]

These are pictures of my Fatalii and my Scotch Bonnet. They were planted 3/31, sprouted around 4/16, so they're almost 2 months old since germination.

It seems like at this rate they'll never be big enough to give peppers this year. I should have started them WAY earlier, but this was my second try. My first round of peppers (planted 2/15) ALL died.

Did I start them too late? Are they growing exceptionally slow?

 

[Omri]

2 months? should be big enough to start flowering.
I don't see any purple color, so I'm guessing they're not exposed to direct light, right? that might be it. they do look healthy though.

 

[klyth]

Nope, they get direct light. There's a tree giving them morning shade, so they don't get DIRECT light until 11 AM or so, but then they get direct sun all day - and it's been VERY sunny lately. I'd say they get a good 7-8 hours of direct sunlight, and 4 hours of ambient light...

 

[rainbowberry]

I'm growing both varieties Klyth and no way (going by mine) would I say flowering in two months. Mine were held back quite a bit by seed hats but the few that weren't didn't have buds in two months. Mine were never purple either, just green.

 

[Omri]

Naga Morich, Fatalii, Orange Habanero, Chocolate Habanero and endless other Chinenses turn purple with ambient light alone. here anyway. your growth seem like the one of a 5-day-old seedling, not two months.

 

[rainbowberry]

What do you mean by purple though babe, we're not talking green or pink are we? So why haven't my Chinenses turned purpley with direct sun, English weather? I think I know what you mean by the leaves taking on a slight purple tinge but never when tiddly (little AJ) plants like Klyths.

 

[Omri]

I don't really have any Chinense seedlings, all of mine are pretty big right now and you can hardly notice the purple color. so here's a Frutescens one that sprouted two days ago, but the principal stays the same:

The light is pretty bright so I'm not sure you can see it, but the stem is bright purple. in a day or two the veins will be too.
The stems he has are all green and that means no direct light.

 

[AlabamaJack]

Omri...I totally disagree with the 5 day old seedling comment...the plants look healthy but small for their age...first thing I noticed in the first picture is the soil has shrunk away from the container...

Klyth...how heavy (dense) is the soil in your containers?...

I noticed with the 60/40 compost/sand I am using that it compressed a pretty good bit...the backup seedlings I planted, I mixed the 60/40 compost/sand with a good professional quality potting soil half and half and can definitely see the difference in plant growth...my theory is this...the compacted soil made it difficult for the roots to grow in my first plantout and didn't hold water very well either...but the plantout of my backups with the different soil are growing like wildfire...doubled in size in 2 weeks...plus the second soil try holds water a lot better...

again JMO

 

[Omri]

Omri...I totally disagree with the 5 day old seedling comment...the plants look healthy but small for their age...first thing I noticed in the first picture is the soil has shrunk away from the container...

Klyth...how heavy (dense) is the soil in your containers?...

I noticed with the 60/40 compost/sand I am using that it compressed a pretty good bit...the backup seedlings I planted, I mixed the 60/40 compost/sand with a good professional quality potting soil half and half and can definitely see the difference in plant growth...my theory is this...the compacted soil made it difficult for the roots to grow in my first plantout and didn't hold water very well either...but the plantout of my backups with the different soil are growing like wildfire...doubled in size in 2 weeks...plus the second soil try holds water a lot better...

again JMO

That's definitely a theory, but if you do disagree with the "5 day old seedling comment", at least say why. I had 5-days-old seedlings looking like that.

 

[AlabamaJack]

That's definitely a theory, but if you do disagree with the "5 day old seedling comment", atleast say why. I had 5-days-old seedlings looking like that.

Sorry for not explaining my disagreement Omri...first off that is a 5 gallon container the plants are in...and I don't think I ever had a 5 day old seedling with that many sets of leaves on it nor the stems be that thick...they look very healthy to me, just on the small side (vertically challenged)..

 

[Omri]

Sorry for not explaining my disagreement Omri...first off that is a 5 gallon container the plants are in...and I don't think I ever had a 5 day old seedling with that many sets of leaves on it nor the stems be that thick...they look very healthy to me, just on the small side (vertically challenged)..

I see 3 sets of leaves and I do understand where the plant is. YES, I HAD 5-DAYS-OLD SEEDLINGS JUST LIKE THAT.
You don't have to agree, I'm just saying what I think and know.

 

[klyth]

Omri...I totally disagree with the 5 day old seedling comment...the plants look healthy but small for their age...first thing I noticed in the first picture is the soil has shrunk away from the container...

Klyth...how heavy (dense) is the soil in your containers?...

I noticed with the 60/40 compost/sand I am using that it compressed a pretty good bit...the backup seedlings I planted, I mixed the 60/40 compost/sand with a good professional quality potting soil half and half and can definitely see the difference in plant growth...my theory is this...the compacted soil made it difficult for the roots to grow in my first plantout and didn't hold water very well either...but the plantout of my backups with the different soil are growing like wildfire...doubled in size in 2 weeks...plus the second soil try holds water a lot better...

again JMO

I'll see if I can get a picture of the bag, but I think it's like 50/30/20 or something, compost/aged bark/peat. It's organic potting soil from a place nearby me. It feels VERY light, and its very dark.

I'm actually inclined to agree with you about the slow growth due to the soil - but not the 50/30/20 stuff. These were started in bagged gardening soil, which was 50/50 compost/peat, I think. When it dried out, it got ROCK hard, so much so that I actually had to break it apart by massaging it to water it - otherwise it took 10-20 minutes for it to soften to the point where it would take in water. Thats why I changed to the potting soil when I went to the 5 gallon buckets. But the gardening soil is still what they're planted in, so until they break free of that crap, they might continue to grow slowly...

I'd feared as much - I'm not brave enough to pull them and wash the roots, and replace them into the potting soil... So they'll just have to do their best!

Either way... Do you think I have enough time to get any peppers from these? It could start getting chilly at the end of August (possibly), but it usually stays warm through most of September...

 

[AlabamaJack]

OK Omri...no arguments from me here...

Klyth...the soil you are talking about being light seems pretty good...my theory is cancelled...

 

[klyth]

OK Omri...no arguments from me here...

Klyth...the soil you are talking about being light seems pretty good...my theory is cancelled...

Not really - the soil they were started in was rock hard. They still might be confined in that stuff. Only way to tell is to pull them I guess.

 

[POTAWIE]

I agree, the soil looks a little crusty. I'd use some perlite and/or vermiculite to loosen it up. Also, I try to avoid bark in my mix, its just annoying filler IMO.

 

[klyth]

I agree, the soil looks a little crusty. I'd use some perlite and/or vermiculite to loosen it up. Also, I try to avoid bark in my mix, its just annoying filler IMO.

I'll make sure I get some perlite for next year. I've learned a lot this year, and next year I'm sure I won't make as many mistakes.

But as it stands, do you think I'll get peppers?

 

[AlabamaJack]

it scares me to death to try and pull plants up after they have been in the ground for so long...I have heard of people gently taking the plants out of the existing dirt/ground/soil washing the roots off and replanting in differnt soil....

any input about that guys/gals?

 

[rainbowberry]

I've had very compacted soil before with seedlings, almost like you could take it out in blocks and I found that the seedlings were very slow growing, I guess there's nowhere for the roots to grow if they can't get through the soil. I've never taken one out and washed the roots off to re-plant so I can't comment on that. I'm quite ruthless when re-potting though and sometimes the way I mess the roots about it's probably no different.

 

[Omri]

If it is like rock, cut around it and crumble the chunk.

 

[AlabamaJack]

that's what I was thinking Omri...gently crumple it if you can...

I was having problems with something...don't remember what it was and Pam told me to take the seedling out of the soil, gently wash the roots off, and replant it...I don't remember exactly what the problem was but it dang sure worked for me because it was in very light potting soil.....

I look at it like this Klyth...if that is the problem, the only way to solve it is to either keep the soil so dang wet that it will be as soft as possible OR take it up and see if you can get some/most of the roots free and replant it...when you are digging it up you (be very careful when digging down to see if there are any roots you are cutting/digging through...use your fingers and feel your way) will be able to tell if this is the problem...you will not have any roots outside of the original medium you started it in...

Please don't blame me for losing your plants if you do this and it doesn't work...