Mas Fuego's South Florida Grow 2017

mas_fuego · Jan 19, 2017

My Current Seedling Status

mas_fuego · Jan 21, 2017

Since I had such terrible germination rates I decided to load up each peat pellet. Well, I finally found a system that works really, really well. I put them in pods, in those little Jiffy dome things and place them high in my networking closet. i keep the door closed and it stays toasty in there but doesn't cook the seeds. I am pretty sure that I have consistently had them in too warm a place. When I kept them on electronics I got far worse germination rates.

Also, I got slightly better germination rates of the seeds I simply placed on top of the pods. In any event, they are growing like crazy. Here comes challenge two, going from seedling to adolescent.

In the past I put them in little 3 oz cups outside. Inevitably they would get completely doused in the rain. Our dry season has been super wet this year and I lost a bunch of little plants this way. I knew there would be a learning curve, that's why I started so early.

With success has come challenges. This is not going to work long term.

So today I did this with just a few of them. I have 18 little cells filled.

They will stay on the window sill for a little while longer. It is supposed to storm sometime in the next 36 hours.

moruga welder · Jan 21, 2017

mas_fuego said:
That's my question, what do you mean by great powder? Is that like flakes? Teach me your ways.

what ya wanna know , my friend ?

moruga welder · Jan 21, 2017

i graduate them to 16 or 18 oz. solos . remember if you can , bring them inside , house, shed , garage , during the rains . put back out after . thats whats nice about growing in containers , i grow 5 / 7 gal. containers about 20 . I'll move them to the garage when storms are predicted . no problem . The ones in the garden fend for themselves but their really big by then and can handle it .

mas_fuego said:
Since I had such terrible germination rates I decided to load up each peat pellet. Well, I finally found a system that works really, really well. I put them in pods, in those little Jiffy dome things and place them high in my networking closet. i keep the door closed and it stays toasty in there but doesn't cook the seeds. I am pretty sure that I have consistently had them in too warm a place. When I kept them on electronics I got far worse germination rates.

Also, I got slightly better germination rates of the seeds I simply placed on top of the pods. In any event, they are growing like crazy. Here comes challenge two, going from seedling to adolescent.

In the past I put them in little 3 oz cups outside. Inevitably they would get completely doused in the rain. Our dry season has been super wet this year and I lost a bunch of little plants this way. I knew there would be a learning curve, that's why I started so early.

With success has come challenges. This is not going to work long term.

So today I did this with just a few of them. I have 18 little cells filled.

They will stay on the window sill for a little while longer. It is supposed to storm sometime in the next 36 hours.

mas_fuego · Jan 21, 2017

moruga welder said:
i graduate them to 16 or 18 oz. solos . remember if you can , bring them inside , house, shed , garage , during the rains . put back out after . thats whats nice about growing in containers , i grow 5 / 7 gal. containers about 20 . I'll move them to the garage when storms are predicted . no problem . The ones in the garden fend for themselves but their really big by then and can handle it .

I decided to do something similar. But I have only relocated 5 gallon buckets for the hurricane.

I was doing 3oz, 12oz, then 20oz cups. I am now going to go 72cell then when established 20oz cup or #1 container. The solo cups turn over a little too easily.

As far as the powder, how do you make it?

moruga welder · Jan 21, 2017

mas_fuego said:
I decided to do something similar. But I have only relocated 5 gallon buckets for the hurricane.

I was doing 3oz, 12oz, then 20oz cups. I am now going to go 72cell then when established 20oz cup or #1 container. The solo cups turn over a little too easily.

As far as the powder, how do you make it?

deseed , dehydrate , and grind :party:

mas_fuego said:
I decided to do something similar. But I have only relocated 5 gallon buckets for the hurricane.

I was doing 3oz, 12oz, then 20oz cups. I am now going to go 72cell then when established 20oz cup or #1 container. The solo cups turn over a little too easily.

As far as the powder, how do you make it?

I gather you don't have them under fluorescent lights

mas_fuego · Jan 21, 2017

moruga welder said:
deseed , dehydrate , and grind

I gather you don't have them under fluorescent lights

Window sill. That's why putting them outside was so tempting. I didn't have anywhere to put them.

Then I realized my son has a huge southern facing window. That's where they are now. And they seem pretty happy for now.

juanitos · Jan 23, 2017

did u get the cumari growing? i could send you a few more seeds if u need.

mas_fuego · Jan 23, 2017

juanitos said:
did u get the cumari growing? i could send you a few more seeds if u need.

thanks for checking in. Here they are:

This one is a little leggy but I will let them grow a few more days to see who is the alpha.

BTW,

I asked you about lolipopping instead of topping your plants in another thread. Don't remember which one.. I can't find anything else on it other than a comment you made in a video. What are you doing these days and why?

juanitos · Jan 23, 2017

hah yeah that one does look a bit leggy i would repot him cover most of the stem with medium.

answered u in other thread.

mas_fuego · Jan 23, 2017

juanitos said:
hah yeah that one does look a bit leggy i would repot him cover most of the stem with medium.

answered u in other thread.

Thanks. Great read.

The leggy ones just got into the light recently. I left them in the closet a little long. I will deep plant them in a day or two.

Love following your posts. Looking forward to your 2017 grow.

mas_fuego · Jan 31, 2017

The temps dipped so I brought the seedlings in. Here they are in their current glory.

mas_fuego · Jan 31, 2017

My current grow list (this has gotten a little out of hand):

Aji Dulce 1
Aji Habanero
Aji Jobito
Aji Lemon Drop
Aji Omni color
Brazilian Ghost Pepper
Cherry Bomb
Cherry Peppers
Chocolate Habanero
Cumari do Para
Datil Sweet
Jalapeno
Mini orange bell pepper
Pink Habanero
Red Paper Lantern
Red Sweet Pepper
Scotch Bonnet MOA
Serrano
Trinidad moruga scorpion
Yellow 7 Pot
Zavery

Cherry Red tomatoes
Everglades wild tomato
Homestead Tomato
Husky Cherry Red Tomato
Tomatillo
Cucamellon
Pickling Cucumber

reelfunkedup · Feb 2, 2017

Everything's looking good for you. I didn't bother moving my plants in with the temp dip. I did move them so they wouldn't get soaked by the rain. If you haven't done so yet, make sure to gradually place them back into direct sun or they might burn like a couple of my smaller ones did. Im definitely interested in how your tomatillo and cucumber turn out. While I used to have nice tomatillo bushes, I never got any fruits. No space for either this year though.

Keep it up!

mas_fuego · Feb 2, 2017

reelfunkedup said:
Everything's looking good for you. I didn't bother moving my plants in with the temp dip. I did move them so they wouldn't get soaked by the rain. If you haven't done so yet, make sure to gradually place them back into direct sun or they might burn like a couple of my smaller ones did. Im definitely interested in how your tomatillo and cucumber turn out. While I used to have nice tomatillo bushes, I never got any fruits. No space for either this year though.

Keep it up!

Did you have 2 tomatillo plants? They say you need at least 2 since they don't self polinate.

mas_fuego · Feb 2, 2017

reelfunkedup said:
Everything's looking good for you. I didn't bother moving my plants in with the temp dip. I did move them so they wouldn't get soaked by the rain. If you haven't done so yet, make sure to gradually place them back into direct sun or they might burn like a couple of my smaller ones did. Im definitely interested in how your tomatillo and cucumber turn out. While I used to have nice tomatillo bushes, I never got any fruits. No space for either this year though.

Keep it up!

Also, I only brought in the little ones. I did it Sunday during that storm and then again a night or two during the Cold Snap but I put him out in the morning for the sun.

reelfunkedup · Feb 2, 2017

mas_fuego said:
Did you have 2 tomatillo plants? They say you need at least 2 since they don't self polinate.

I sure did have two. They were right next to each other. My best guess was that the bees just didn't care to go to that part of the yard.

mas_fuego · Feb 2, 2017

reelfunkedup said:
I sure did have two. They were right next to each other. My best guess was that the bees just didn't care to go to that part of the yard.

That is not encouraging

reelfunkedup · Feb 2, 2017

I haven't known anyone else with that problem. Also, I grew them on a whim and kind of just went with set-and-forget. I was going to try again this year with more care, but the seeds went missing and I never got around to getting any more. If anything, just watch for whitefly and feed them regularly.

solid7 · Feb 2, 2017

reelfunkedup said:
I sure did have two. They were right next to each other. My best guess was that the bees just didn't care to go to that part of the yard.

Tomatillos are hit and miss. I had one plant that was loaded with more than it could bear. It didn't set until late in the summer. I had another one that set fruit when it was 8" tall, after the cold moved in. There were many more that never did anything. The best tip with tomatillos, is to plant a lot, cull the ones that aren't producing within a few weeks of the first one.
.
I'm just going to say that tomatillos are crazy prolific producers, when they go. If you have 2 bearing plants, you have one too many!