Mas Fuego's South Florida Grow 2017

solid7 · Dec 28, 2016

mas_fuego said:
Right now I am thinking I am going with 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 perlite 1/3 black Kow / Mushroom compost. Mix in some lime, some bone meal, some epson salt. Boom. done

I would avoid using so much compost. I know that a lot of people claim to use it, but honestly, every time I've tried using that much compost, it resulted in failure. It seems to get rock hard, almost like concrete.

60/30/10 peat moss/perlite/aged manure or compost

For mixes that have good air holding properties, you don't really want to go more than 5-10% compost. Heavy compost is great for in-ground growing, but not so much for containers.

In truth, you can do just fine with only a top dress of manure.

You can make your mix go even farther, if you can find some pine bark mulch. It's cheaper than either peat moss or perlite, and really adds some good properties to your mix. (while cutting the cost, drastically)

mas_fuego · Dec 28, 2016

solid7 said:
You can make your mix go even farther, if you can find some pine bark mulch. It's cheaper than either peat moss or perlite, and really adds some good properties to your mix. (while cutting the cost, drastically)

I simply can't find it anywhere. Only the big mulch type. I read folks go 5.1.1 with pine fines but I can't seem to source it.

solid7 · Dec 28, 2016

mas_fuego said:
I simply can't find it anywhere. Only the big mulch type. I read folks go 5.1.1 with pine fines but I can't seem to source it.

That sucks. In our area, all of the WalMarts carry it. Timberline Pine Bark Mulch, in a purple bag.

5:1:1 is a very needy mix. It dries out SUPER fast.

I found that you can grow just as well with a 3:2:1 mix, and get the same results. You can also use it in a wicking container. (SIP)

There is a cult of people who surround that guy Al (tapla) and his recipe. But there have been some published analyses that compared the water retention, porosity, and several other factors, and found 5:1:1 to be so close to several other mixes - but the other mixes had better nutrient and moisture retention. I believe the one that was preferred was 7:5:2

I grow in very similar conditions to you. If you can't find the pine bark mulch, you can still grow in a mix of 70/30 peat moss and perlite - although I'd be tempted to only use that in a SIP type container, because when it dries out, it's a bitch to get wetted again. That's where about 10% compost added to that will come in handy.

You may also want to check local nurseries for their nursery mix. You can often find that in bulk, for a very good price, and it's got everything but fertilizer in it. In Florida, nursery mixes are almost always bark based. Fantastic for containers 7 gallon and less, and perfect for the compost pile or raised bed when it's done.

mas_fuego · Dec 28, 2016

I am no closer on the soil front but made big progress on the watering front.

Tapped into the line from the water softener (we used it when we first bought this house but it made the water slimey). Don't judge me on the messiness. This turned out to be a serious pain.

That leads to this on the side of my house.

Tapped into my OpenSprinkler Rasberry Pi sprinkler controller.

Added its own zone. Now I can control and monitor it from my phone.

Bayoubulldog · Dec 28, 2016

I spent some time in S. FL. I miss the weather!

That said, I never grew Tomatoes there! Family grows lots of fruit and peppers though!

Cool thread! Good luck!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

reelfunkedup · Dec 29, 2016

I'm in SFla and feel your pain. I've tried tomatoes for a couple years and always get mediocre results. Except from a variety called the everglades tomato. It's a small cherry or currant tomato. They grow like weeds! Before recently, I didn't even have to start seeds because I'd find volunteers all over the place. Here's one of the final harvests from a single plant back in 2015.

Also, I'm interested to see your drip system as I've been really considering installing one here.

mas_fuego · Dec 29, 2016

reelfunkedup said:
I'm in SFla and feel your pain. I've tried tomatoes for a couple years and always get mediocre results. Except from a variety called the everglades tomato. It's a small cherry or currant tomato. They grow like weeds! Before recently, I didn't even have to start seeds because I'd find volunteers all over the place. Here's one of the final harvests from a single plant back in 2015.

Also, I'm interested to see your drip system as I've been really considering installing one here.

So funny, I just got seeds for everglades tomatoes started yesterday. I made progress on the drip system today and should get some pics tomorrow.

You gon learn today!

mas_fuego · Dec 30, 2016

Ok, so I am fighting a nasty cold today. I felt it coming on all week but powered through it because I wanted to get a bunch of home projects done between Christmas and New Year's Day.

So I am on hold for the next few days. In the meantime, I am trying to source more mild / sweet pepper seeds to grow. If you have any recommendations please chime in. If you have seeds . . . well . . . . hello friend! lol

Seriously, I have come to realize that I have been putting my seedlings outside too soon. I am going to risk them getting leggy by keeping them inside a little longer. Also, I am not convinced that the area I am looking to place my garden will get enough hours of sunlight during the day. I will keep my eye on that as well.

Here are seeds I am currently looking for:
aji jobito <-- I now have some on the way!
Sugar Rush Peach Pepper
Malawi Piquante

reelfunkedup · Dec 30, 2016

I grow pretty much all hot peppers. Though I'll look through my stash to see if I find anything on the milder side.

I don't really start plants inside except for seedlings. They go either inside on a south-facing window sill or outside under partial sun. They seem to do well either way. This is from a couple weeks ago.

It looks like your yard is north-facing like mine. If so, try putting your plants nearer one side so they get some extended light around dawn/dusk. Really, my only concern with starts right now are the dropping temps. Just keep an eye on the weather so if there happens to be a particularly cold night you can bring them inside.

Sorry to hear about your cold, man. Get some rest while you can.

Sorry to hear about the cold. Get some rest while you can.

solid7 · Dec 31, 2016

I got my Jobito and Malawi Piquante seeds from The Hippy Seed Co. in Australia. The price was good, and even shipped, they were cheaper than a lot of domestic sources. Fast, too!

I would highly recommend growing out some Aji Amarillo this year, as well.

mas_fuego · Dec 31, 2016

reelfunkedup said:
I grow pretty much all hot peppers. Though I'll look through my stash to see if I find anything on the milder side.

I don't really start plants inside except for seedlings. They go either inside on a south-facing window sill or outside under partial sun. They seem to do well either way. This is from a couple weeks ago.

It looks like your yard is north-facing like mine. If so, try putting your plants nearer one side so they get some extended light around dawn/dusk. Really, my only concern with starts right now are the dropping temps. Just keep an eye on the weather so if there happens to be a particularly cold night you can bring them inside.

Sorry to hear about your cold, man. Get some rest while you can.

Sorry to hear about the cold. Get some rest while you can.

It's my seedlings that I think I put out too early. That rain we got last week really flooded them a few days in a row. That's what I mean. Part of the reason I started so early is that I figured that I had time to learn how to do this well and it seems that getting the first sprouting seedling to adolescent has been a bit of a challenge for me.

My house faces south south west. Where I am planting, I think, will have good sun in a few months. We will see.

I worked on my drip system today and got completely exhausted doing very little. This cold is knocking me out.

solid7 said:
I got my Jobito and Malawi Piquante seeds from The Hippy Seed Co. in Australia. The price was good, and even shipped, they were cheaper than a lot of domestic sources. Fast, too!

I would highly recommend growing out some Aji Amarillo this year, as well.

I will look into that, thanks.

So I made up a batch of soil with three parts peat, 2 parts perlite, 2 parts compost but I think it was too dense. That seemed like so much perlite but I will try it with less compost in my next batch.

solid7 · Dec 31, 2016

mas_fuego said:
So I made up a batch of soil with three parts peat, 2 parts perlite, 2 parts compost but I think it was too dense. That seemed like so much perlite but I will try it with less compost in my next batch.

Definitely too dense. I've tried that exact mix before. It will compact later, and that's where the troubles be3in.

Try 1 part perlite to 3 parts peat, and top dress with the compost, about an inch thick layer.

mas_fuego · Jan 1, 2017

I got lots accomplished on my drip system. I will hopefully post some pics tomorrow.

Here is my first Red Paper Lantern (Juanitos)

My first Scotch Bonnet MOA hook (Juanitos)

And who says Comcast is good for nothing? Orange Hab seeds getting warm

reelfunkedup · Jan 2, 2017

I love your "heat mat"!

It looks like you you've got germination down. Now go stick those bad boys under some good lights.

mas_fuego · Jan 2, 2017

reelfunkedup said:
I love your "heat mat"!

It looks like you you've got germination down. Now go stick those bad boys under some good lights.

There's my issue. The only light I use is the sun.

solid7 · Jan 2, 2017

mas_fuego said:
There's my issue. The only light I use is the sun.

Why would that be an issue? You'll be fine right now. I just germinated some seed outdoors.

mas_fuego · Jan 2, 2017

solid7 said:
Why would that be an issue? You'll be fine right now. I just germinated some seed outdoors.

Because the last batch got flooded by the rain.

You gon learn today!

solid7 · Jan 2, 2017

If your plan is to keep the seedlings out under the sun, plant your seeds in a larger container. I start my outdoor plants in 5" net pots from the hydro supply store.

You can see it if you look really close. (or zoom) I planted it just before the little cold that blew through this weekend.

PaulG · Jan 3, 2017

Alright, Carl - good to see some hooks coming up!

mas_fuego · Jan 3, 2017

I got some seeds from Streamer and Juanito in the mail today.

Also, I bought some Cherry Peppers at a Farmers Market and was instantly surprised how hot they were! Not what I was expecting at all!

And i stopped by a Commercial Garden Supply shop hoping they would have small pine bark and they only had the stuff that is as big as your hand. I checked their potting soil and they had one product that looked to be mostly pine bark and peat moss. I am now going to move forward using that as the base of my potting soil.