After a bit of a hiatus... I'M BACK BABY!
Towards the end of last season I drifted off THP due to having had such a poor season and my ever-increasing race schedule on the weekends. My plants just didn't produce very well last year. There wasn't a single reason; the combination of too much rain early in the season, leading to brownspot issues and then a really bad whitefly infestation brought my garden to its knees. I did manage to overwinter several plants and get the pests under control which has given me a bit of a head start on this year. That said, I've still found a way to be a little late to the party.
Let's start off with the Good News
In the "fall" (Florida doesn't really have seasons) I had a bit of a brain spark and realised that I could use my 35 pound kitty litter containers as 5-gallon equivalent growing pots. I transplanted 5 plants into these makeshift buckets and was therefore able to shelter them indoors during the worst of the "winter".
As a result, going into the year I had two Red Savina Habaneros and 2 Trinidad Moruga Scorpions and 1 of something that is definitely a superhot (maybe a Butch-T) get a running start with 18" of established growth. They are now almost 3 feet tall and putting on tons of pods.
The kitty litter container garden.
More detail on the kitty litter containers.
Possibly Butch-T?
I've been planting out some of my 7" pot over-winters as buckets became available, and these include:
3x Carolina Reaper
2x Chocolate Scorpion
2x Doughlah
2x Yellow Scotch Bonnet
1x Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
1x Devil's Tongue Yellow
I have had a few small early pods from the Scorpions.
In the back garden I had three Moruga Scorpions survive, and they are all putting on large pods with distintive tails.
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Tails
I also have several Devil's Tonuge Yellow plants in both the front and back garden area. Only the plants in the front yard are putting on pods, but they are doing so in a spectacular fashion. I've already been able to harvest several pods in April.
Devil's Tongue Yellow
I started a batch of seeds in the propagator about 5 weeks ago and they have already migrated through the 4" pots up to 7" pots on the back porch light table. This year I've decided to do early topping of all of the seedlings to try and get them to branch out and be less leggy.
I started a second batch of seeds in the propagator last weekend, mostly replacements for the low-germination seeds from the first round. This only also includes a variety of tomatoes.
Some of the Bad News
I only had two of my Bhut Jolokia (Red Ghosts) survived the winter and they are in pretty poor shape. I may start some new plants now so they can overwinter for next year; they might even produce a few pods before it gets too cold this year.
I lost most of my Kung Paos. I have one very health plant that survived the worst of the "winter" being nestled up next to the fence.
I lost my one and only established Cherry Bomb, but more seedlings have already been started.
I lost all of my Golden Cayennes, but as with the Cherry Bombs I have seedlings started.
I am having one hell of a time trying to get any Bishop's Crowns to germinate. This year I ordered seeds from pepperlover.com and not a single one of them germinated on my first-round attempt. We'll see how it goes for round 2. If none of them start that will make FOUR YEARS in a row I've tried to grow these and never gotten a single hook.
And the Indifferent News
I'm abandoning any tobasco growing for this year, while the plant is very pretty and was massive last year, I never used the pods and it is taking up precious space. If I can't find a home for it in the yard elsewhere it will just be culled.
KINGLEERUK'S 2014 GROW LIST FOR KIDS WHO CAN'T GROW GOOD AND WANNA LEARN TO GROW OTHER STUFF GOOD TOO
7 Pod Brainstrain Yellow
7 Pot Jonah
7 Pod Primo
Aleppo
Aribibi Gusano Orange
Bhut Jolokia Red (p)
Bishop's Crown
Brazilian Starfish
Carolina Reaper (p)
Chichimeca Jalapeño
Chocolate Scorpion
Cowhorn
Datil
Devil's Tongue Red
Devil's Tongue Yellow (p)
Douglah (p)
Giant Jalapeño
Giant Mexican Rocoto
Golden Cayenne
Kung Pao (p)
Mariachi Jalapeño
Mucho Nacho Jalapeño
Naga Morich
Naga Viper
Olive Primo
Purple Jalapeño
Red Cayenne
Red Cherry Bomb
Red Savina Habanero (p)
Trinidad Barrackpore 7 Pod
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
Yellow Scotch Bonnet (p)
(p) indicates pods in production now
More updates when I can. Same bat time, same bat channel.
Towards the end of last season I drifted off THP due to having had such a poor season and my ever-increasing race schedule on the weekends. My plants just didn't produce very well last year. There wasn't a single reason; the combination of too much rain early in the season, leading to brownspot issues and then a really bad whitefly infestation brought my garden to its knees. I did manage to overwinter several plants and get the pests under control which has given me a bit of a head start on this year. That said, I've still found a way to be a little late to the party.
Let's start off with the Good News
In the "fall" (Florida doesn't really have seasons) I had a bit of a brain spark and realised that I could use my 35 pound kitty litter containers as 5-gallon equivalent growing pots. I transplanted 5 plants into these makeshift buckets and was therefore able to shelter them indoors during the worst of the "winter".
As a result, going into the year I had two Red Savina Habaneros and 2 Trinidad Moruga Scorpions and 1 of something that is definitely a superhot (maybe a Butch-T) get a running start with 18" of established growth. They are now almost 3 feet tall and putting on tons of pods.
The kitty litter container garden.
More detail on the kitty litter containers.
Possibly Butch-T?
I've been planting out some of my 7" pot over-winters as buckets became available, and these include:
3x Carolina Reaper
2x Chocolate Scorpion
2x Doughlah
2x Yellow Scotch Bonnet
1x Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
1x Devil's Tongue Yellow
I have had a few small early pods from the Scorpions.
In the back garden I had three Moruga Scorpions survive, and they are all putting on large pods with distintive tails.
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Tails
I also have several Devil's Tonuge Yellow plants in both the front and back garden area. Only the plants in the front yard are putting on pods, but they are doing so in a spectacular fashion. I've already been able to harvest several pods in April.
Devil's Tongue Yellow
I started a batch of seeds in the propagator about 5 weeks ago and they have already migrated through the 4" pots up to 7" pots on the back porch light table. This year I've decided to do early topping of all of the seedlings to try and get them to branch out and be less leggy.
I started a second batch of seeds in the propagator last weekend, mostly replacements for the low-germination seeds from the first round. This only also includes a variety of tomatoes.
Some of the Bad News
I only had two of my Bhut Jolokia (Red Ghosts) survived the winter and they are in pretty poor shape. I may start some new plants now so they can overwinter for next year; they might even produce a few pods before it gets too cold this year.
I lost most of my Kung Paos. I have one very health plant that survived the worst of the "winter" being nestled up next to the fence.
I lost my one and only established Cherry Bomb, but more seedlings have already been started.
I lost all of my Golden Cayennes, but as with the Cherry Bombs I have seedlings started.
I am having one hell of a time trying to get any Bishop's Crowns to germinate. This year I ordered seeds from pepperlover.com and not a single one of them germinated on my first-round attempt. We'll see how it goes for round 2. If none of them start that will make FOUR YEARS in a row I've tried to grow these and never gotten a single hook.
And the Indifferent News
I'm abandoning any tobasco growing for this year, while the plant is very pretty and was massive last year, I never used the pods and it is taking up precious space. If I can't find a home for it in the yard elsewhere it will just be culled.
KINGLEERUK'S 2014 GROW LIST FOR KIDS WHO CAN'T GROW GOOD AND WANNA LEARN TO GROW OTHER STUFF GOOD TOO
7 Pod Brainstrain Yellow
7 Pot Jonah
7 Pod Primo
Aleppo
Aribibi Gusano Orange
Bhut Jolokia Red (p)
Bishop's Crown
Brazilian Starfish
Carolina Reaper (p)
Chichimeca Jalapeño
Chocolate Scorpion
Cowhorn
Datil
Devil's Tongue Red
Devil's Tongue Yellow (p)
Douglah (p)
Giant Jalapeño
Giant Mexican Rocoto
Golden Cayenne
Kung Pao (p)
Mariachi Jalapeño
Mucho Nacho Jalapeño
Naga Morich
Naga Viper
Olive Primo
Purple Jalapeño
Red Cayenne
Red Cherry Bomb
Red Savina Habanero (p)
Trinidad Barrackpore 7 Pod
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
Yellow Scotch Bonnet (p)
(p) indicates pods in production now
More updates when I can. Same bat time, same bat channel.