• If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.

Logchief's 2011 Grow

Looking good Loggy! I'm hopefully going to get my germinator in the mail next week. And brilliant idea on the pvc setup! I've been noodling how to set up lighting for months now and pvc never occurred to me. Totally stealing your idea for my spicey babies this year! :dance:
 
U)<now said:
I just kept a blanket over mine as seen in the video link below from last years plants and just the little heat from the three 48" Florescent fixtures was enough to keep it between 80-82F in there which is about perfect. And the blanket was free from my closet! :-) I did still use the a couple heat pads on the two trays with the really hot stuff since they are sometimes harder to germinate, and those trays stayed at 85F or less.

Check it out...

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=2M1G5pBtnog
Click to expand...

That's a good idea and sure looks successful, thanks for the advice. I think I'll redesign my grow station so that I can adjust from germination to seedlings and have a more consistant heat for germination and still maintain the simplicity
 
:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

I got green hooks showing on my NuMex Jalmundo, 6-4 and Caribbean Red. I'm such a proud Papa

34zwo51.jpg
 
One other thing I noticed is a white fuzz growing on a couple of the popcicle sticks I'm using for markers right down at the soil line. I'll post a pic or two in the morning. Any thoughts
 
Well between last night and this morning this is what has popped up. Went in the dirt on the 16th.

CPI
NuMex Heritage 6-4 - 3
NuMex Jalmundo - 2
Caribbean Red - 2
Orange Hab - 1

Pepper Ridge Farm - Cappy

7 Pot Brain Strain - 1
 
Looking great LC. I like the PVC. I could have used that to make my area just a bit bigger. Things are a bit cramped at exactly 2x4 in my setup. In that last pic, the soil looks very wet. Was that bottom watered? Also were the pop sticks brand new?
 
Sticks were fresh right out of the plastic. Yes bottom watering, though they did get a light mist day before yesterday. I''ve taken the domes off to get better air flow and am going to put the flouros back up this afternoon and take out the incandesants. Maybe I should take them off the bottom water for the night.
 
logchief said:
Sticks were fresh right out of the plastic. Yes bottom watering, though they did get a light mist day before yesterday. I''ve taken the domes off to get better air flow and am going to put the flouros back up this afternoon and take out the incandesants. Maybe I should take them off the bottom water for the night.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you need to dry them out a little bit. Nothing worse than losing seedlings to damping off.
 
When you say take them off the bottom for the night… do they have bottom water 24/7? This is my first year growing from seed so I am really asking a question here not saying anything is right or wrong. I had asked AJ how often I should bottom water and he suggested sticking them in bottom water about every 3 days or so for a few minutes. Wondering now if I misunderstood what he said. Like I said in my log, I hate seeing that dry soil but I know the bottom is moist. The way I understand it, having the top drier than the bottom makes the roots go deep looking for water. Would love to hear how often your bottom watering or if it’s 24/ 7 or something in between. I know the seeds have to be moist to germinate so it is really seems to be a balancing act... not too wet not too dry.
 
Well I'm brand new to starting seeds and I'm trying to figure out that balancing act. The thing that sold me on this tray is that the cells are 3" and deep so the plants can stay in there longer before planting up, I hope. The trays I'm using have a water container and a wicking mat that the rack of cells sit on 24/7. Each cell has a 1/2 to 3/4 hole in the bottom and the soil contacts the wicking mat. You have to refill the container every few days. They have been under a dome lid holding in the moisture. This system was something i just came across and as an FNG thought it sounded good. Time will tell though I have 30% up now. Here is a link to the tray.



http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/19342-deep-root-seed-starting-system/page__p__409393#entry409393
 
Beaglestorm said:
When you say take them off the bottom for the night… do they have bottom water 24/7? This is my first year growing from seed so I am really asking a question here not saying anything is right or wrong. I had asked AJ how often I should bottom water and he suggested sticking them in bottom water about every 3 days or so for a few minutes. Wondering now if I misunderstood what he said. Like I said in my log, I hate seeing that dry soil but I know the bottom is moist. The way I understand it, having the top drier than the bottom makes the roots go deep looking for water. Would love to hear how often your bottom watering or if it’s 24/ 7 or something in between. I know the seeds have to be moist to germinate so it is really seems to be a balancing act... not too wet not too dry.
Click to expand...


logchief said:
Well I'm brand new to starting seeds and I'm trying to figure out that balancing act. The thing that sold me on this tray is that the cells are 3" and deep so the plants can stay in there longer before planting up, I hope. The trays I'm using have a water container and a wicking mat that the rack of cells sit on 24/7. Each cell has a 1/2 to 3/4 hole in the bottom and the soil contacts the wicking mat. You have to refill the container every few days. They have been under a dome lid holding in the moisture. This system was something i just came across and as an FNG thought it sounded good. Time will tell though I have 30% up now. Here is a link to the tray.



http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/19342-deep-root-seed-starting-system/page__p__409393#entry409393
Click to expand...

Watering frequency depends on many things such as air temperature, soil temperature, lighting (more intense lights may cause plants to need more water), I like bottom watering my self also. I usually water every other day but I check each tray cell individually. For the trays with the heat pads on... the middle cells tend to dry a little faster than the out side cells so I may have to top water the middle cells to avoid over watering the cells on the outside.

Basically, "when in doubt, wait another day" better to under water than over water. Plants recover faster from being a little under watered than over watered.
 
Thanks U and Beagle. Well as of this morning I'm up to 60% and they went into the dirt on the 16th so I'm a happy camper.
 
I was out of town in Tucson at a meeting this week (thanks to Mrs. Logchief for keeping an eye on the little brood) and this is what I came home to last night. Seeds in the dirt on 1/16, 90% on day 12 :woohoo: I was hoping for 50

#2 cell on the far right middle is the one that got the guillotine when I tried to take the helmet off, looks like it might make it.

#7 NuMex 6-4 didn't come up for some reason, I just may have screwed up and missed putting in a seed (I looked to see if I could find it.)

A few are just barely starting to show the 1st set of real leaves

28a1glh.jpg



Here's tray #2, everything is up except the 2 Yellow T Scorps, guess they just need more time. The Clavo #27 just popped up last night.

2qt9toh.jpg
 
Update time, lots of true leaves coming out. I've been trying to post my excel spreadsheet showing the grow log data. I've tried pasting direct, putting it into a word table and it comes out garbage in the forum post, OH WELL. Seeds in the ground 1/16 and first hooks showed up 1/22.

Hopefully these little guys are on track. The three empty cells I replaced (added) the seed with 2 NuMex 6-4s and a NuMex Jalmundo on the 30th.

I have a fan on them and was just wondering how long each day :?: :?: Right now I have it set for 30 min. and the tallest ones are waving in the breeze.

2ufeq8i.jpg


#2 there is the one that got partially decapitated taking off the helmet, but seems to be making it.

I'm noticing that the cotyledones on the annums are much bigger than the chinese or pubesenes. Is that the norm???

3005xc3.jpg
 
Well after another week long business trip this is what I came home to (day 27 since seeds went in the ground except for 3 with just the cotyledone they replaced 3 that failed on the 30th). A couple have a little yellowing and I was reading in another thread where Josh said that was probably too much water. They're off the wik mats to dry out more and have the fan on them for about a hour a day and under the lights 24/7 right now.

Any thoughts or recommendations on progress after 27 days??? Sure looks like there's a difference between the chinese and the annums in how fast they grow.

2rzaqeg.jpg


2rrue0h.jpg


Not sure what's up with # 27 the Clavo????
 
logchief said:
Sure looks like there's a difference between the chinese and the annums in how fast they grow.
Click to expand...

Yes there is a huge difference, not so noticeable yet, but those annuums will be 2 foot tall before you know it!
Your plants look really nice,Has it been 27 days since you planted or since they sprouted? Either way is impressive! :cool:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top