Matt Berry's Grow Log 2010

Matt Berry · Mar 1, 2010

That's funny, see and all this time Marks been going on and on about his pepper guy, and here we've all ready meet. You have a pretty good list going. The chinense are a little more difficult to start if you don't have a heat mat. Ideally if you can get them up to about 85 degrees you should see sprouts in 7-14 days. Now without a heat mat it can be done it is a little more challenging. First off, your sprout times will more then likely be in the 14-21 day mark, but don't be surprised if they go a little longer. Now they can't dry out and they can't be too wet either.

Your best bet without a heat mat is to do the moist paper towel method and a plastic bag placed in a warm location. Once they sprout then plant those. Do a quick search if you need more info on this method. On the plus side I'm sure Mark will be bringing you some of my peppers this summer as I expect to have more then enough for myself. I know I can only use so many of the super hots.

boutros · Mar 1, 2010

Plant out date is late May? Hope it is a good outdoor year for you! Nice job on all the indoor stuff. Still have a Nova Naga around?

MIPEPPERGUY · Mar 1, 2010

I have them all (3 trays x 50) on heat mats (one hydro farm and a couple of Meijer $13 heating pads). I have them in my basement as well and try to keep the temp. up as high as I can, registering around 73 degrees on a cheap thermo. setting on the tray. They are on a homemade grow stand with two double bulb FL 6500k light fixtures running 18 hours a day. A example of the the problem: 3 Carib. Reds (out of 8 started) popped within two weeks and none since then, no Jam. Hot Choc. (out of 8 started), no Fatalii (out of 4). All seeds from tomatogrowers.com. I mist water them everyday to keep the soil moist. Quality seed starting trays and starter mix (purchased from Wojo's greenhouse, same stuff they use for starting all their plants). As mentioned, did a restart on 2/17 with the varieties that I have some abundance of seeds. I'm not looking for an abundance of the superhots; just looking to have 2 - 4 "solid" plants to put into the pepper garden 6/1.

Already making plans to build a AJ style germination box for next year.

Mark's a wimp when it comes to the hot stuff (ha!). He thinks the serranos I've given him the last couple of years are "hot". I keep telling him about these ridiculous peppers (jolokias, douglahs) that I will have this year (hopefully).

Matt Berry · Apr 30, 2010

With plant out day fast approaching, only have a couple of weeks now, I think all my plants are going to make it. I tell you what, this overwinter project along with this years starts has proven a little more challenging then previous years. The biggest challenge has been keeping the spidermites and thrips under control. They have made some of my plants look just terrible, but the nice thing is the plants are still alive. Anyways here are some pictures of the pepper jungle in my basement. Grow area is actually 10x9.

Goats weed 2010 seedling 2.5 gallon pot

Picture of my overwintered chile de arbol, started august 2009, 5 gallon pot, attacked by thrips. It has been producing peppers all through the winter.

Matt Berry · Apr 30, 2010

View of the left side of the jungle. The plant reaching past the light is the barrackpore 7pot. I think it's going to be huge this year.

here is the right side, the ones in the middle are showing the most damage from the spider mites and thrips. The real damage is from the spider mites. I hate these things, I'm getting ready to nuke um.

millworkman · Apr 30, 2010

Are you using metal halide street lights?

Aside from the bugs, that jungle looks great.

Matt Berry · Apr 30, 2010

Those bugs have definitely been taking their toll on my plants. You can see it in the bottom picture, all the dried up, crusty leaves, the leaf drop, oh the horrors. It's suppose to be nice this weekend, I think I'll be taking some of them outside and really hosing them down, that should help. It gets hard to spray them off in the sink or shower when you are dealing with 3' plus tall plants.

The lights I'm using are 2 400w MH Shop lights bought off from craigslist for like 25 each, they were used, and had to be rewired for 120, but have worked out quite well. I also have another 400w MH from HTG supply. I hung that one up on earth day, no better way to celebrate earth day then that, right? I like the light from HTG supply a lot better then the shop light ones I have, I plan on buying a couple more for next season.

It's pretty bad, it's not even plant out time yet, and I'm already thinking ahead for next season. There has to be something wrong with me. I already picked up a heat mat for next year, while I know they are not necessary, I want to optimize my germination rates and times. I also am thinking about starting my seedlings in some rockwool, I'll probably do a trial run this fall.

The only downside to having a jungle in a small space is it is harder to take individual plant shots, hence the group photos. There is at least 72 plants on the floor and another 24 or so up on the tv trays waiting to be transplanted from the 6" pots to the 2.5 gallon ones. I'm definitely going to be swimming in peppers this year.

millworkman · Apr 30, 2010

I too am looking forward to next year because this year so far has been terrible for me. Last year this time I had pods setting on 3' tall plants outside and this year they are about 8 inches. Good luck Matt.

Noah

FadeToBlack · Apr 30, 2010

Matt you do have a nice jungle except for the bug damage. I think ive been fighting a very similar battle.

Do any of your plants look similar to this?

Matt Berry · Apr 30, 2010

I went through "ground zero" and pulled out 15 plants that had been hit by the spider mites. I think they do more damage then the thrips as the plants that are hit by the mites always look worse. I'm starting to think that I should have destroyed the plants that I first found the spider mites on at the begining of winter.

Fadetoblack - yes I have some plants that after a mite attack looked similar to yours, last year my overwintered jalapeño got attacked by aphids, after that it also had distorted and twisted leaves. Most of the plants that have the twisted leaves are the younger plants that were attacked. Just remember that both thrips and mites are extremely small and are very hard to see. In this regard they are worse then aphids because they can go longer undetected. On the plus side they don't seem to destroy the plants as quickly as aphids do. Good luck, I hope you find the source of your trouble soon.

Matt Berry · Jun 1, 2010

Well it's time for a small update. All my peppers have made the transition outside a couple of weeks ago, thanks to a nice warm up. Everything is looking good, and the nasty bugs are more in check now that they are outside. All plants are in 5 gallon pots with 3' tall stakes.

First up is a picture of the Harolds St Bart

Chocolate Habanero

Chili De Arbol probably about 30" tall now

That's it for now, it was a busy weekend fertilizing, staking and tying up the plants. I'll have to take more pictures and post them soon.

franzb69 · Jun 1, 2010

Great plants ya got there.

Geosojda · Jun 1, 2010

great looking plants and awsome job with the overwintering, those MH bulbs sure seem to do the trick

Matt Berry · Jun 11, 2010

Time for a real update. The plants have been outside for about 3 weeks now, and have bounced back nicely from all the bug attacks I battled through the winter. We have been getting a lot of rain lately, yesterday was the first day that SOME of my pots actually started to dry out. I really need to fertilize these, but haven't been able to because they have been too wet.

Right side, closest plant is a paper lantern - showing a lot of new growth after dropping most of it's leaves because spider mites.

Center yellow habanero from peppermania

The plant in the front left 7-pot from peppermania

Aji Panca, behind it are the red slim cayennes, yellow leaf to the right is a fresno (got hit hard by spider mites and thrips)

More coming ......

Matt Berry · Jun 11, 2010

Next up is my yellow scorpion

Now it's time for some pod shots:

Yellow Scorpion

A currently unknown chinense from peppermania mix

Aji Limon

more coming .....

Matt Berry · Jun 11, 2010

One of the chili de arbols loaded with pods

Burkina pod

Finally a picture of my latest outdoor harvest. A bowl full of Red thai, orange thai and the few slightly dried up pods were some chili de arbols that I picked earlier in the week.

Well that's it for now, hope you enjoyed.

chilehead70301 · Jun 11, 2010

Nice jungle you have. It will be a couple more months until most of my seedlings are big enough to be outside. Hopefully I will get production from all remaining seedlings and my hab, jap & tabasco. I did get a late start as nothing was planted before 5/1.

Silver_Surfer · Jun 11, 2010

Nice work Matt; your harvest has started.

Matt Berry · Jun 21, 2010

Time for a small update, spent part of fathers day fertilizing and rearranging all the pepper plants.

First up is an Orange Thai, this is one of the overwintered plants I started last September.

Next is one shot of my small pepper army

Same group showing back row better. Front and center is my Aji Panca

Matt Berry · Jun 21, 2010

Now for a couple more pod shots.

First up is a 7 pot from peppermania

Paper lantern from peppergal

That's all for now.