HeatMiser's 2022 Glog

Happy New Year!

I've been debating whether I should start a Glog this year or not given that I most likely won't have time to update it as frequently as previous years. I decided to still go for it in case somebody wants to know how a particular variety is doing, and also to document my progress.

We moved to a bigger place last year, and now that we actually have a decent sized yard, my outdoor grow will be expanded accordingly and my indoor grow might not happen at all. This year I'll be focusing on a couple of things:

1) Refreshing seeds I've bought over the years. Some of these are 10 years old
2) Experiment with two big (50 Gal) Kratky Setup. I'll be growing Zapotec Jalapenos and Lemon Drops since these are family favorites.

Here are the varieties I'll be playing with this year:

Name	Year Obtained	Species	Source
Jemez Pueblo	2020​	Annuum	SuperHotChiles.com
Numex Big Jim	2013​	Annuum	Tomatogrowers.com
Numex Thanksgiving	2012​	Annuum	Chile Pepper Institute
Poblano	2014​	Annuum	Tomatogrowers.com
Rayados Jalapeno	2021​	Annuum	SuperHotChiles.com
Serrano	2013​	Annuum	Tomatogrowers.com
Takanotsume	2012​	Annuum	Chile Pepper Institute
Zapotec Jalapeno	2021​	Annuum	My own seeds
Aji Lemon Drop	2021​	Baccatum	My own seeds
Peachadew	2021​	Baccatum	SuperHotChiles.com
Sugar Rush Peach	2021​	Baccatum	SuperHotChiles.com
Bhut Jolokia	2013​	Chinense	Tomatogrowers.com
Bhutlah Scorpion	2021​	Chinense	SuperHotChiles.com
Carolina Reaper	2021​	Chinense	My own seeds
Chocolate Reaper	2020​	Chinense	SuperHotChiles.com
Death Spiral	2021​	Chinense	SuperHotChiles.com
Fatalii	2013​	Chinense	Tomatogrowers.com
Habanero	2013​	Chinense	Tomatogrowers.com
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion	2013​	Chinense	Chile Pepper Institute
Trinidad Scorpion	2013​	Chinense	Chile Pepper Institute
White Habanero	2013​	Chinense	Tomatogrowers.com
Mini Red Rocoto	2021​	Pubescens	THP - PaulG
Peruvian Red Rocoto	2021​	Pubescens	THP - PaulG
Tatiana Yellow Rocoto	2021​	Pubescens	THP - PaulG

I think that's it for today. I'll be working on soaking up the seeds and putting them in rockwool cubes later today or early tomorrow. Pics will follow as well.

 

[francisp]

That Zapotec is really loaded.

 

[HeatMiser]

Awesome that the Oscar the Zapotec is cranking out pods like it is. Great one to have be the winner!

Totally agree CD... It has definitely been a good plant and it didn't even complain about the bad weather we had in June, nor the heatwave last week. I love it when they just do their thing and there's no drama. I think we're going to be set with Jalapenos for a while.

 

[HeatMiser]

So far things are going according to plan indoors. I started using 1 gal DWC to try out new varieties and experiment on Chinenses, and I think that's the ideal size. They hold a decent amount of water so the nutrients last a few days before refilling and the plants don't get obnoxiously big (so far....).

This is a Jimmy Nardello - never tried this one and we've heard good things about them.

It has about half a dozen pods, and the biggest one so far:

Can't wait to try this one out, I hope the kids will like it....


Now, the Reaper experiment is coming along. Here are the 3 plants. Don't mind the yellow leaves at the top - I forgot to raise the lights one day and they kinda got a little to close to their sun:

The biggest plant, on the right, is using CNS-17. This has resulted in a bit more vegetative growth when compared to the GH Flora series (left plant) using Mild Veg formulation. Flower buds have started forming, and there are a few more buds in the plant using GH Flora. Hope this means I'm onto something here...

And finally, it happened - something I said I wouldn't do, which is growing in soil indoors. I went full organic with this one to learn a bit more about growing in soil (I suck at that), trying out a blend that I hope to use next year (30% compost, 30% coco, 30% perlite, 10% worm castings + amendments) and compare production vs hydro on another Reaper plant. Fingers crossed:

 

[HeatMiser]

Quick pic of the outdoor plants:

The foliage looks great, even if they are smaller than last year's plants at this time. They seem to like their new location by the fence where they get some shade at various times during the day, but still have access to plenty of sunlight. The only thing that we are missing right now are pods! But this is not over 'till the plants freeze to death, so hopefully we'll get some fruit soon.

My effort to refresh seeds from 10+ year old seeds has been somewhat successful, even though it has been set back a bit by the weather. I have successfully isolated most Annuums and all Baccatums. Chinenses are still to set pods, so they are still wearing their netting. In terms of isolation, the 5 gal paint strainer bags work ok, but the plants quickly outgrow them, so I'll be trying something different next year. They are still an improvement over the little organza bags though, which are very hit-or-miss.

 

[CaneDog]

Your plants are looking great, HM. Hopefully they'll get down to business pronto. I've been using 8 x 12 organza bags this season to cover a branch or the whole top if it's a small plant. The foliage seems to "breath" better than with smaller bags and success rates are generally good, but it's not perfect either. I shake the branches periodically and on a few MVP's I'll remove the bags long enough to vibrate them with the toothbrush or otherwise encourage pollination. Perhaps that's helped some.

On another note, I still have three of your TX Tepin from the 2014 seeds, but they've not yet produced. Have you had success with them locally? Some tepin have been very long season for me here in the PNW, but these get the Heinz award for keeping me waiting the longest. I plan to drop a few more of those old 2014 seeds inside soon to give them a long lead-in to next season. I can't keep the old plants warm and growing during the offseason because aphids, but if I start new ones inside I can.

 

[HeatMiser]

Your plants are looking great, HM. Hopefully they'll get down to business pronto. I've been using 8 x 12 organza bags this season to cover a branch or the whole top if it's a small plant. The foliage seems to "breath" better than with smaller bags and success rates are generally good, but it's not perfect either. I shake the branches periodically and on a few MVP's I'll remove the bags long enough to vibrate them with the toothbrush or otherwise encourage pollination. Perhaps that's helped some.

On another note, I still have three of your TX Tepin from the 2014 seeds, but they've not yet produced. Have you had success with them locally? Some tepin have been very long season for me here in the PNW, but these get the Heinz award for keeping me waiting the longest. I plan to drop a few more of those old 2014 seeds inside soon to give them a long lead-in to next season. I can't keep the old plants warm and growing during the offseason because aphids, but if I start new ones inside I can.

Thanks CD! Yeah every time I'm by the peppers I give them a good shake to encourage pollination. What I saw on Jim Duffy's YouTube channel is that he uses mosquito netting, which allows him to group together several plants in order to isolate them. That would definitely make this less of a PITA... I'd be OK with some tulle bags that are big enough to just let the plant grow the entire season.

The Tepins have eluded me as well, lol! You haven't had a single pod? I've had bad luck due to external factors - broad mites decimated my plant in 2020 and the heat wave we had last year killed my most recent attempt at growing them in hydro. Last year I only got 1 pod from that plant, but I had trouble with flower drop. They are in my list for next year though - maybe third time's the charm? Please do keep me posted when you drop those seeds, since I'm definitely determined to get them to produce. And if you need more seeds please let me know, my parents usually bring some pods with them when they come visit, and that's how I get the seeds.

 

[HeatMiser]

Let's talk a little about the big outdoor hydro plants I'm growing....

I did this only because I had the two Brute bins, extra MasterBlend and the space to grow a couple massive plants. The intention from the beginning was to have a true "set-it-and-forget-it" Kratky system that I was not going to stress about. As a result, the only time I checked pH or messed with the nutrients was when I put the plants in their corresponding 32 gal bins a couple of months ago. So far things have gone pretty smoothly considering the weird weather we've had this summer.

Here's the Lemon Drop - this guy lost about 50 - 60% of its leaves during the heat wave we had recently, but has recovered since I moved it right next to the fence:

And here's the Zapotec Jalapeno. Some leaves look a little roughed up because of the intense sun we had during the heat wave - at least that's what I think.

In terms of production, these two plants have been the bright spot in my grow this year.

Here's a sample of what I've been picking from the Lemon Drop every couple of days for about a month. It's been a steady supply of peppers, and there's more coming:

The Zap has already given us a couple heavy harvest of mostly small pods, but make no mistake, they were hotter than whatever you can find at the store. Here's the latest harvest from that plant. These are going to be pickled, I think we're going to be set for a while

Overall, this has been a great way to get a good harvest of our favorite varieties without the upkeep of my 5 or 1 gal systems. I think I'll keep doing this in future grows, the hard part will be deciding which varieties to grow in these containers

 

[CaneDog]

Great that worked out so well.

I think I'll keep doing this in future grows, the hard part will be deciding which varieties to grow in these containers

No tough decision if you grow 'em all that way

 

[Downriver]

Nice HM!

So, a true "set-it-and-forget-it" Kratky system is fill the reservoir, put a lid on it, stick a plant in it and you're done, correct? You don't add more water or nutes or anything like that? That sounds....relaxing lol.

 

[HeatMiser]

Great that worked out so well.

No tough decision if you grow 'em all that way

Lol! true, but perhaps I should rephrase:

Overall, this has been a great way to get a good harvest of our favorite varieties without the upkeep of my 5 or 1 gal systems. I think I'll keep doing this in future grows, the hard part will be deciding which varieties to grow in telling my wife we need to get 18 more of these containers

 

[HeatMiser]

Nice HM!

So, a true "set-it-and-forget-it" Kratky system is fill the reservoir, put a lid on it, stick a plant in it and you're done, correct? You don't add more water or nutes or anything like that? That sounds....relaxing lol.

Yup, that's it DR. In the strictest sense, the reservoir should be big enough to be able to support the plant over the entire lifecycle.

Anyway, it was great to just set the system up and come back a couple of months later to a bunch of pods!

 

[HeatMiser]

At long last - the Gnarlies are coming

Chocolate Reaper. Completely missed this one, and it's already ripe:

Death Spiral:

This one is labeled "Carolina Reaper", but there's a 50/50 chance I screwed up and swapped the label with a Bhutlah Scorpion when I repotted them. It looks a bit big for a Reaper, we'll see how they turn out as they mature.

"Bhutlah Scorpion" - this one does have the Reaper stinger. I think I did swap the label.

and lastly, White Habanero:

The other chinenses are in the process of setting pods. I'm crossing my fingers we still have good weather to see them ripen.

 

[HeatMiser]

Between being busy and not having much to report, I haven't updated my glog in a while. Here's where things stand at the moment -

We are having an unseasonably warm fall so far here in the PNW, with temps in the 70's and 80's (!!). At this point last year, I was schlepping the plants into the garage at night so the last pods would ripen. While that hasn't been necessary this year, I'm anxiously looking at the weather because I'm still waiting for the first pods to ripen on some plants. To that end, I won't have a bumper crop this year, but at least I'll get to achieve my goal of getting fresh seed on some varieties that I've had for about 10 years.

Either way, the Chinenses have caught up and have many pods. Here's a few recent pics:

The whole crew - things improved quite a bit since I moved the plants right against the fence. Also, you can see the giant Kratky plants are already dead - I didn't want to refill them since it would've taken a while for the pods to ripen.

Fatalii:

Chocolate Reaper:

Numex Thanksgiving - this is the only plant I wasn't able to save seeds for. I'll have more chances to grow them hydroponically and save seeds:

Death Spiral showing color progression:

Jalafuegos from my 2 year-old bonchi - this plant is going out with a bang!

Sugar Rush Peach - These are a new family favorite - they make OUTSTANDING pepper flakes

White Habanero - I wasn't sure when I saw yellow pods, but these ripen to yellow and then to a creamish-white

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion:

Trinidad Scorpion:

Small Harvest - This is what I'm getting this year - nothing to brag about, but still allows me to try different varieties. Sugar Rush Peach, Serrano, Carolina Reaper and a lone Rayados Jalapeno at the bottom:

Tatiana Yellow Rocoto - Thanks @PaulG! However, I think there was a mislabel as I have these labeled as Peruvian Red Rocoto:

Jemez Pueblo - I guess I was quick to judge these peppers earlier - they have a nice smoky flavor:

Bhutlah Scorpion - I definitely mislabeled these:

To finalize - I apologize if the pictures come out too big. Imgur changed their interface for editing the pictures and it sucks now!

Hope everybody's having a good end of the season!

 

[PaulG]

Hey, HM, looks like the nice Fall season so far
is going to save our bacon, again. I can't believe
how much the chinenses have come on in the
past month or six weeks.

Maybe you will get some nice scorpions before
the rains come and start causing the big pods
to split!

Carry on, brother!

 

[HeatMiser]

Hey, HM, looks like the nice Fall season so far
is going to save our bacon, again. I can't believe
how much the chinenses have come on in the
past month or six weeks.

Maybe you will get some nice scorpions before
the rains come and start causing the big pods
to split!

Carry on, brother!

That is definitely the case @PaulG - I'm glad the plants finally got it together to make up for the crappy Spring we had over here. However, these late finishes are stressful!.

Hopefully the rains will come after the pods ripen, I know we need some rain, but I got a grow to finish!

 

[PaulG]

I hear that, my friend! I hope the weather
gods smile kindly on us for another month

 

[HeatMiser]

Some harvest pics...

Poblano - all of these from the same plant

A world of pain - Reapers (Top Left), Death Spiral (Top Right), Bhutlah Scorpion (Bottom)

And the winner of the gnarliest pod this season - Chocolate Reaper. They are coming in slowly, but they are coming:

This thing just looks menacing:

And it seems like they are built to maximize surface area for capsaicin to stick to:

 

[CaneDog]

Awesome stuff, HM! Those poblanos are chunky and a lot of pepper on one plant. How big are those guys?

Nice to see the iso tag on that c reaper.

 

[HeatMiser]

Awesome stuff, HM! Those poblanos are chunky and a lot of pepper on one plant. How big are those guys?

Nice to see the iso tag on that c reaper.

Thanks CD! They definitely are smaller than what you find at the store. About fist-size (I should've added some size comparison to the pic).

Yeah, I'll definitely be growing those reapers again in the future, just the looks alone justify growing them. Pretty cool looking pods.

 

[CaneDog]

When I grow poblano types here in the PNW they're smaller than the store peppers too, but they look so chunky when a bunch of them like yours are all clustered up on the plant