Marturos 2024 Glog.

It's that time of the year, cold & gloomy outside, & inside the magic is happening. Those little green pepper plants are pushing up
towards the artificial sun. Who came up first? The early Jalapeño, Serrano, & the Sugar Rush Stripy. A little game we play LOL.

This is the best set up we have ever had before. 4 LED grow lights 2 heating mats, room stays at 66 F at night & 74 F during the day.
With 22 varieties & 50 plants we hope to have a real special grow for the 24 season, with a lot of great tasting peppers.

When I joined THP I had just moved from Fluorescents lights to the new LED lights. Outside everything is about the same, it's the indoor
adventure that has changed for the better. Compact high output grow lights, heating mats instead of heating cables without thermostats
it's a lot of fun once again.

This is my first Glog. Welcome to the ride.

Grow list:

1. Antep Aci Dolma
2. Aji Panca
3. Aji Strawberry drop
4. Sugar Rush Stripy
5. Aji Pineapple
6. Aji Chombo Amarillo
7. Aji Fantasy
8. Pasilla Oaxaca
9. Pasillo Apaseo
10. Pasilla Mixe
11. Chilhuacle Negro
12. Aji Chombo Rojo
13. Aji Rainforest
14. Brazilian Starfish
15. Jamaican Scotch Bonnet
16. Aji Charapita
17. Jigsaw ( ornamental )
18. Poblano Rojo
19. Early Jalapeño
20. Serrano
21. Lesya
22. Datil

 

[Marturo]

Looking really good! From here on they grow faster and faster!

Thank you @Linyera It's my favorite time of year. I'm outside with plants just waking up from winter & need sprays & food.
Then i'm inside with tropical plants growing with an artificial sun & with a human caretaker. Yep it is a nice time of year to be alive.

 

[PaulG]

You have a nice grow going, @Marturo! Good luck
getting all those to plant-out.

 

[Marturo]

I have some new pictures of a plant that is 12" tall, the Pasilla Mixe. The Scotch Bonnets are about 3" tall by comparison.

Right rear corner. How tall will it be at planting time?

Can't forget the bonnets & their cute wrinkly leaves, LOL.

 

[Marturo]

Last seasons grow set up with 2 LEDs looks a little crowded. 42 pepper plants.

This season we added another 4' x 2' grow area with 2 more LEDs. Still looks a little crowded. 64 Pepper plants.
I wonder if I should get 2 more LEDs & another heating pad? What do you all think?

One interesting thing this season is the way the Scotch Bonnets are developing. The Baker Creek seeds have small plants that have branched
into a Y while the seeds we saved from one Berry we named Mother Of All Bonnets. No branching on the MOA plants all 5 have a single top.

 

[Marturo]

Some recent pics of the plants after their bud trimming & bottom watering.
So far starting the peppers 3 weeks later has worked very well, I just hope we can get them in ground soon.
Hoping to get them outside to harden off next week, real sun & wind.

They are getting dilute doses of Fish & seaweed fertilizer, so far no signs of Fungus Gnats. Perhaps the early use
of Yellow sticky traps & just maybe the Bio Fungicides we water with kills the fungus that feeds the gnats. Who Knows.

 

[ahayastani]

Hoping to get them outside to harden off next week, real sun & wind

When does the risk of frost pass in your area? A bushy basement you have

 

[Marturo]

When does the risk of frost pass in your area? A bushy basement you have

Typically our last frost is April 15, however don't bet on it LOL.
We wait until the soil is warm enough, too soon & these tropical beauties will be set back for weeks.

A bushy basement you have

I see you noticed LOL. Yes we have a real estate problem, again.
Just yesterday when we were bottom watering the girls I was saying to Mrs. Marturo, we need more space.
So it looks like we will be getting another 4 foot by 2 foot grow area for next season. Next season 100 pepper plants


I have a plant like I've never seen before, it is the tallest plant on the left at 17" tall. Two Serranos & 2 Brazilian Starfish are also tall
however nothing like the Pasilla Mixe. How tall will she grow outside? Should I over winter her LOL.

 

[Marturo]

The day has arrived, it's 54F with light rain. Now it's critical to wait for the right soil temp before plugging them in.

 

[Marturo]

The soil temperature is perfect & the monsoons have begun, 46 plants in the ground with more to go, getting wet & lovin it.

Still in a learning curve with the LED Grow lights, however with different starting times for plants I do see a pattern.
All the pepper plants were started Feb 19th except for 3 Aji Fantasy plants that were started on Apr 1st.
All plants were rooot bound & way ready, except for the Aji Fantasy they were much less root bound a little less than I would like.

Next season we will start the peppers on March 15th, that should make for a less rootbound plant. For years we planted out single weak steamed light green start's grown under Fluorescent 8' lights, no complaints with the quality of the seedlings now.

 

[Downriver]

Looks like you're jungle bound @Marturo. Great looking starts!

 

[Marturo]

It's been a busy spring planting, feeding, spraying all the different plants & now we see the results of all that hard work.

All the plants did really well after planting out, flowers turning into peppers & all plants growing very well.
It's looking like a great season so far, a freeze free spring with ample rain & temps staying between 60 & 80 F.

We are enjoying every minute of the 24 grow so far.








Pasilla Oaxaca

Early Jalapeños

Pasilla Mixe.

Lesya.

Baby Bonnet.

Aji Pineapple

Aji Strawberry

Baby Scotchies.

Lesya.

Aji Chombo Amarillo.

3 tear old Chiltepin.

Early Jalapeños.

Aji Rainforest

Red Haven peaches.

Niagara Grapes

Royal Empire Apples.

Shellie guards the peppers from pests.

 

[CaneDog]

Lookin' good, Marturo!

 

[Downriver]

Plants are looking good @Marturo! Looks like you got a great jump on this year's growing season. Your bounty should be plentiful!

 

[Marturo]

Plants are looking good @Marturo! Looks like you got a great jump on this year's growing season. Your bounty should be plentiful!

While we never got a killing freeze in early spring, the weather was cool & the soil took longer to heat up.
In mid May we started to transplant, the plants were loaded with flowers & now have many good peppers.

I have to mention this, it is the first time we have had so much fruit set in 3 seasons since we have been using the Bio Fungicides.
The effect the BF had on vegetables was fantastic, however the clear smooth scar free fruit we have this season is very impressive so far.

I am having trouble finding information on the Aji Chombo Amerillio, got one seed to pop & so far the plant is doing great.

 

[Downriver]

...I am having trouble finding information on the Aji Chombo Amerillio...

My seed source described it as "aka “the Black man's Aji”. Looks like Scotch Bonnet. Hot as hell. Germinates easily. Easy to grow".

It's the yellow version of THIS. As I recall, their description is pretty accurate. My notes simply say "HOT", lol.

 

[Marturo]

A starfish is born.

Aji Chombo Rojo.

Aji Rainforest.

Lesya.

Tomatillos behind wire. Groundhogs love the greens.
I found a bottle of Woodstock Scorpion sauce a friend gave me as a joke.
Before I tried it on Rocky Rockchuck, I had to see how hot it was first. So a nice hot bowl of Amy's Mushroom Bisque soup with
some scorpion sauce.

A small shake & I tasted it, humm just a little more. I love my Mushroom Bisque, I ate it all & burned like no other pepper I ever ate before. Ok back to reality, what I did was mix 1/4 bottle of Scorpion in a gallon of water & a dash of soap. This whistle pig was eating everything he found tasty. After we sprayed everything I watched him come out at high noon saunder up to a volunteer Tomatillo outside the wire & chomp down. I know just how he felt LMAO at first you get a pepper taste, & then it's like you ate a lit flare it don't stop burning.
Rocky has not been back ever since.

Next season I will grow 3 Carolina Reapers to make a real repellant that works great.

Tomatillo : Chupon De Malinalco a really tasty Tomatillo for making salsas.

 

[Marturo]

It never gets old. Watching them grow up & produce beautiful peppers of all colors & flavors.
I ate a green Aji Rainforest today, it's crunchy sweet & about as hot as a serrano.

Just some shots taken today, it's raining lightly with temps in the 80s just perfect.

 

[MarcV]

Looks like things are going great over there

 

[Marturo]

Looks like things are going great over there

9 Bonnets @MarcV I am watching as your Bonnets grow & produce some really tasty varieties this season.
7 Lesya plants loaded with pointy pods.

It's been in the low 90F with very little rain, I have been watering every other day, & everyday for the Peppers in Pots.

 

[Marturo]

This is the Aji Chombo, thanks to @Downriver

I have to say, if you like Scotch Bonnets & don't mind a little more heat this is one to try. I have never grown the red Scotch bonnet
& have not tasted it either, so this could be a red Bonnet type pepper for super flavor & very spicy use.
We picked one & cut it in half, no seeds yet however the smell was sweet with a tropical bent & yes you can smell the .

Mrs. Marturo likes Scotch bonnets & eats a piece from a fresh pepper now & then. She took a piece of Aji Chombo put it in her mouth & spit it out toot sweet LOL. This is not a snacking pepper, it does flavor & spice most things like bean soup & spaghetti sauce etc.