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It was a dark and stormy...forever

Alynne

Alynne

Here in DC we have been cloudy and rainy for 14 days. Set a record. I planted out 3 weeks ago and had beautiful weather for the next 2.

Have flowers on the plants but they are still the same size as when I got them. They seem ok but I'm hating this!

Pull the blooms until they get bigger? Set off some kind of device to change the clouds? Pray?

Anyone else on the East Coast as frustrated as I am?
 
4 hours to the north and it hasn't been as bad.  Unfortunately the weather has not been ideal, but we are not dealing with all the rain you are getting.  Hopefully it will dry out soon and let us get to pod season.  
 
Not so much rain here, but it's pretty cold for May. We even had a small cloud of snow and hail this Monday.
But luckily this year I grow in greenhouses 
cool2.gif
 
Pulling the buds/flowers is likely a good idea if the plants are still young. 
 
Rain.... the past two years we had excessive rain. The first of the two, I kept thinking it was going to let up long enough for the plants to dry out, but it never did. I ended up moving the plants into the garage, but they stayed fairly small and yellowed, and didn't produce well. Last year, though, I almost fanatically moved them in and out of the garage (keeping the door open so they would get good light.) Needless to say, they got larger and produced more. But then, I grow in containers, while you put yours in the ground. I would consider rigging some kind of shelter if mine were in the ground - a canopy of some sorts - so they didn't get quite so much rain. 
 
Well on the East Coast here (South Carolina), just went from a beautiful sunny few days to just having the sky rip open, lightning light shows and thunderous sonic booms abounding! Hopefully it clears up and gets back to 'beautiful' mode soon. Just about a week and a half ago we went through a dreary almost week long spell of constant downpours on a daily basis (gully washers... lot's of flooding in some areas).
 
Other than that, this season seems very mild (good for peppers compared to last years which were filled with early abysmal heat!!)
 
I'm thinking now I made a mistake in not going ahead and getting some plants ready for outdoors to try again and see if I can get some fruit on my 2nd story balcony - I, of course, had no idea the weather wouldn't be as scorching.
 
Hope the bad weather lets up soon and your plants are OK.
 
Today in SE Pa we had hazy sun and plants spent all day soaking it up. Tommorrow, back to t-storms and up to another 1/2". Beds are still to wet to till, need a couple days of sun with wind to dry up a bit. Larger peppers will end up in pots at this point cause they gotta get out of their current homes. Smaller plants can wait for beds. Not much you can do but adapt at this point. At least the pots have dry shelter outside when needed and room to grow.
 
Not exactly east coast, but here in SE Michigan, we've had rain every other day with hazy days in between. It's making it a little easier to harden off my tiny plants with the overcast days, but they and I haven't seen direct sun in a while. This weekend is supposed to have a low of 34°f. I'm hoping it won't be too much longer to plant out.
 
I live in NOVA, DC suburb. Exact same weather as you. FML, this rain has been the worst. My plants are very upset right now. It should finally stop on Sunday and Monday, but then it is expected to rain for another week straight! I have plants in the ground, that I can't just dig back up to bring inside. I feel your pain! Since the first hard frost of last year, I have been meticulously planning my grow for this year, it was going to be epic... Now with the longest rainfall in DC recorded history, my peppers are pissed!

Aside from not seeing the sun, my peppers are getting hit hard with mites. WTF, I've never seen mites here, and I've been out here for almost 7 years. The mites have completely obliterated my roses and asiatic lilies as well. I normally have a huge blossoming rose bush by this point, but now I have to resort to spraying it with neem oil or natria daily, just to keep it alive. Ridiculous!

I think the abnormal constant rain is keeping all of the beneficial insects in hiding. I haven't seen a bee, ladybug, or wasp in at least 2 weeks!

I came home from a meeting this afternoon to see more of my rosebuds getting destroyed, pic attached.
 

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Trust me man, I'm from New Mexico, and used to growing in the brutal heat. You can't effectively grow peppers outdoors if the plants only see the sun for 4 or 5 days a month. Once you add rain almost every day, your plants get water logged, plus desperate for some sunlight.

I know how it goes though in the South West, rain is very scarce, but when it rains, it pours. Some of the hardest rains I've ever seen have been in central New Mexico and West Texas. It rains ruthlessly hard for like 10-15 minutes, then the clouds vanish.
 
Mountain Maryland checking in. Finally seen the sun today. First time in over a week. Nothing but rain and fog the last two week's. Was going to plant out this weekend. They are calling for a chance of snowy mix Sunday night.
 
OP, I had to do it...
 
Twas a dark and stormy night,
And the wind it blew a gale,
So to save our ship from sinking,
We hung it on a nail,
And the Captain said 'Mate! Tell us a tale'
And the Mate began as follows...
 
Twas a dark and stormy night,
And the wind it blew a gale,
So to save our ship from sinking,
We hung it on a nail,
And the Captain said 'Mate! Tell us a tale'
And the Mate began as follows...
 
Twas a dark and stormy night...
 
geeme said:
Pulling the buds/flowers is likely a good idea if the plants are still young. 
 
Rain.... the past two years we had excessive rain. The first of the two, I kept thinking it was going to let up long enough for the plants to dry out, but it never did. I ended up moving the plants into the garage, but they stayed fairly small and yellowed, and didn't produce well. Last year, though, I almost fanatically moved them in and out of the garage (keeping the door open so they would get good light.) Needless to say, they got larger and produced more. But then, I grow in containers, while you put yours in the ground. I would consider rigging some kind of shelter if mine were in the ground - a canopy of some sorts - so they didn't get quite so much rain.
Click to expand...
Geeme

I'm in pots on a balcony, but the lack of sun is killing me. Got sun this afternoon for an hour but going back to clouds next week. Haven't watered since planting out 3 weeks ago. Soil won't dry.
Alchymystic said:
Well on the East Coast here (South Carolina), just went from a beautiful sunny few days to just having the sky rip open, lightning light shows and thunderous sonic booms abounding! Hopefully it clears up and gets back to 'beautiful' mode soon. Just about a week and a half ago we went through a dreary almost week long spell of constant downpours on a daily basis (gully washers... lot's of flooding in some areas).
 
Other than that, this season seems very mild (good for peppers compared to last years which were filled with early abysmal heat!!)
 
I'm thinking now I made a mistake in not going ahead and getting some plants ready for outdoors to try again and see if I can get some fruit on my 2nd story balcony - I, of course, had no idea the weather wouldn't be as scorching.
 
Hope the bad weather lets up soon and your plants are OK.
Click to expand...
I was in Folly Beach 2 summers ago. Two beautiful days and two days where the rain was so torrential water was up to me knees crossing the street. ( I am short );)
Thegreenchilemonster said:
I live in NOVA, DC suburb. Exact same weather as you. FML, this rain has been the worst. My plants are very upset right now. It should finally stop on Sunday and Monday, but then it is expected to rain for another week straight! I have plants in the ground, that I can't just dig back up to bring inside. I feel your pain! Since the first hard frost of last year, I have been meticulously planning my grow for this year, it was going to be epic... Now with the longest rainfall in DC recorded history, my peppers are pissed!
Aside from not seeing the sun, my peppers are getting hit hard with mites. WTF, I've never seen mites here, and I've been out here for almost 7 years. The mites have completely obliterated my roses and asiatic lilies as well. I normally have a huge blossoming rose bush by this point, but now I have to resort to spraying it with neem oil or natria daily, just to keep it alive. Ridiculous!
I think the abnormal constant rain is keeping all of the beneficial insects in hiding. I haven't seen a bee, ladybug, or wasp in at least 2 weeks!
I came home from a meeting this afternoon to see more of my rosebuds getting destroyed, pic attached.
Click to expand...
Haven't seen any critters yet, but the plants are the same size as when I planted them 3 weeks ago. Last year was so perfect but this year sucks!
 
Well, being located in SE Michigan as well, I can say that my frustration comes from the fact that my plants are still inside the grow tent due to cold weather (supposed to hit mid 30s at nights this weekend) so I'm running out of space to keep them. Plan on potting them up to 1 gallon pots on Monday and hope they can get outside before they grow to much bigger.
 
Come on really, mid to upper 30's tonight in se pa with heavy rain coming teus into wens. Shuffling pots again and its getting old. Luckily I held off on plant out in my raised beds down at the shore house but its even more pots to shuffle here. Dug a 12" deep hole in garden bed yestetday and ground is still real wet and cold. Frustrated, yup.
 
We had a frost warning last night so everything in pots got brought in. It was a mad dash to find things to cover the  plants that are either in the ground or in planters too big to move. I just uncovered everything outside and they all look fine. I hope when the rest go out later today, it will be for the last time this season.
 
 
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