maxcaps 2014 grow: avoiding the freeze!

maximumcapsicum · Feb 28, 2014

Thanks guys! I appreciate the visit. Jeff, your video was one of my many references when working up a plan for this batch. Next batch I'll add some heat, either from powders or from fresh market-bought habaneros, depending on what's available. They do have some dried nagas at the store, but they want 8 bucks for 4 pods. Yikes!

I am out of space, some some of my more precocious starts have definitely worn out their shoes. Took me off guard because it looks like they needed pot ups a week or two faster than some of the plants posted on other glogs... maybe its because I can keep the apartment fairly warm economically.

It's still too cold to use the balcony full time, so I had to extend the grow area:

They're starting to take over my desk!

My plan is to add another grow area on the top of the grow shelf when I move the ficus outside. I *think* its warm enough for the bonsai trees outside now... pretty sure you just have to protect ficus from frost.

So, here is the barrackpore tepin cross:

Yikes! Root bound for sure, but the roots are all very healthy. Moreover I was able to remove them from the drainage holes with very little damage. Actually my pepper plant roots have never looked this good before. I think it's the Ocean Farm.

In its new home:

Meet my somewhat tranplant shocked Chiletepin X Barrackpore aka "Bronislaw." Names increase yield right?

Blondie aka "Margaret" was also a bit stressed out. Both Marge and Bronsilaw had some yellowing leaves just before transplant. I actually think this was the result of drying out... it was simply impossible to keep them moist in the solos when they reached a certain size. I'm hoping they rebound quick enough now. I am thinking the leaves will bounce back now that they're in bigger pots where soil moisture is easier to control.

Brown Egg, aka "John" got potted up as well. Very healthy plant, though in recent days started curling the top leaves a little. I suspect it was getting too close to the bulbs.

And finally my current stars:

White and Yellow Bhuts. Marcell and Radcliff, respectively. I swear these plants have both doubled their leaf size since I potted them up.

Gonna be able to pot up 5 more when the temps go up a little, and another five after that. Unfortunately I am going to have to buy another bag of Ocean Forest (yikes!), pricey but works very well. I don't think I would have been able to keep the starts in solo cups so long without it.

Unfortunately I still haven't gotten a Aji to sprout for the Growdown. May throw another seed in the soak this weekend but I am losing hope. If I do I'll keep it away from the heat mat. Seems most people get them to sprout at lower temps.

So many pepper plants, so little shelf space.

Pinoy83 · Feb 28, 2014

all plants looking great...are you gonna top them off, or just let it grow out.

Spicegeist · Feb 28, 2014

Haha, Bronislaw and Radcliff are looking great!

HillBilly Jeff · Feb 28, 2014

Some really nice looking plants.

MeatHead1313 · Feb 28, 2014

That's some healthy looking roots! Your plants are looking great Adam. Looks like you should have a great season!

Devv · Feb 28, 2014

Nicely done Adam!

Plants look mighty healthy from my house for sure!

Keep up the ~~good~~ great work!

maximumcapsicum · Feb 28, 2014

Devv said:
Nicely done Adam!

Plants look mighty healthy from my house for sure!

Keep up the ~~good~~ great work!

Thanks Scott! Just got to keep making space under the lights. Next week the temps are up a bit... I think that'll let me pot up about 5 more big guys. Thanks for all the support!

MeatHead1313 said:
That's some healthy looking roots! Your plants are looking great Adam. Looks like you should have a great season!

I thought so too, even with all the twists and turns, no brown spots and plenty of hair. In an ideal world I would have potted them up a week or so ago though.

HillBilly Jeff said:
Some really nice looking plants.

Thanks HJeff!

Spicegeist said:
Haha, Bronislaw and Radcliff are looking great!

Thanks Charles! Both came from you man! The Bhuts are probably my hardiest growers right now. Amazing!

Pinoy83 said:
all plants looking great...are you gonna top them off, or just let it grow out.

Thanks Jericson! What do you think I should do? I was thinking about letting it grow in order to get a taller plant, but it is very hard to get light to all the leaves at this size. If the temperatures are up next week I'll probably let it go. If not I'll probably top it.

maximumcapsicum · Mar 5, 2014

Getting close. Average highs during the day are in the 60's, lows in the high 30's and 40's. I think on Friday we start the climb into Spring temps. I think I'm looking at a March 20ish plantout, maybe a little sooner for the 'maters.

Couldn't come sooner, I am definitely tapped out for indoor space. I am hoping I can get away without doing any more pot ups, but I'd love to hear your thoughts. Think I need to invest in another bag of Ocean Forest? I am looking at about 3 weeks till plantout, but some of my plants are getting cramped in their solo cups. Still, not real health problems other than edema, which seems to be cured by increasing airflow and putting the plants outside. Course waiting for signs of stress before potting up isn't necessarily a good strategy either.

Overflow plants recovered from their bound roots pretty quick. Some yellowing on the edges of the most stressed plants, but most of the yellowing has abated and leaves have turned green again. Pretty cool actually. It's impossible to get light to the entire chiletepin X barrackpore... think I should top it? I hesitate because I am going for taller plants this year due to space constraints in the garden itself.

I should be able to start putting the plants on the balcony during the day, which should help them straighten out a little and green out the branches that aren't getting enough light.

OW's and bonsai's moved to the top, dim shelf until they can go outside permanently. These guys are really starting to suffer. I blame the soils they're in. Gonna do some work on that this summer actually.

Tomatoes and larger peppers have taken over the OW space. They are really thriving on this shelf now that I can spread them out a bit. I think it was getting cramped in the baby chambers. Actually just spreading them out seems to have boosted their growth. Leaves have also gotten nice and dark green.

Growdown Aji Chuncho is up and growing. This'll be fun. I'm looking for a privileged spot in the community plot; maybe they'll give me one of the tree beds for it.

\

Red Bhut has really taken off over the past couple of days. The Bhuts in general seem to be my best growers, and extremely good looking plants. Got yellows, whites, and reds coming. Time to start thinking up some bhut projects...

The 7 pots are my second most successful set of superhots. They're looking good as well. Especially love the flavor of the yellow 7 pot powder that Jamison sent me... somehow subtle and hot at the same time. Not sure how to describe it, but I think it'll go well with alot of pairings.

Potted up the Giant White Hab... the most root bound of my plants. "Mary" doesn't seem to be minding the cramp though, I got to say.

"Devo" the TFM Scotch Bonnet. Got to say, the TFMs and JAs are gnarly looking plants. Big, flowing leaves that just fall all over the place. Seem to devour the ground space, but aren't all that concerned with growing "up." Can't wait to see how they produce.

Habs and Bonnets are my most used pods next to jalapenos I'd say, and my wife likes 'em as well (she's a little hesitant on the superhots), so looking forward to a big haul of those. Anyone ever preserved habs in honey? May be fun to soak 'em in honey for a month or so then dry 'em out. Of course you could just eat 'em.

Mind is all over the place. Happens on writing days.

Saving the best for last, I got a fun package from Hawaii on Monday:

Jericson sent me some samples of his very cool looking powders. After seeing all the prep that went into them I just had to give them a shot. Are the numbers the same as the ones you sent Rick? I'll have to think up some dishes to try them in.

Next update I am going to start working in the beds. Need to clear out the kale and garlic... see how I did ultimately, and add compost. I've requested mulch for the beds as well, and plant to add a handful of tomato tone to each hole when I plant out. Getting close... Still got too many plants though.

HillBilly Jeff · Mar 5, 2014

Plants are really looking nice. I must say I would love a March 20th plant out. More like May 20th here. Would love your temps too lol but it looks like we take the turn for the better this weekend. Snowing here again today.

JJJessee · Mar 5, 2014

Looks good, Adam. I think your solos can go three weeks or a little longer without too much stress. They will slow down naturally unless you are adding ferts. They would benefit from bigger shoes but, if light is a premium, then it's about a wash, aside from another 20 bucks on soil.

Your record lows for late March to early April are in the 30°s, so watch that 10 forecast. Also, I'd counsel having some row cover handy for a March 20 plant out or some kind of individual cloches just to knock some cool wind off of them if your space is susceptible to wind.

PaulG · Mar 5, 2014

Wow, Adam, your grow has really exploded since I was here last!
Good work, brother! Everything looks really healthy. I wouldn't worry
about the odd leaf curl or yellowing here and there. The plants seem
to be able to shake it off if they are otherwise well-fed and have sufficient water.

Looks to me like you are good to go!

Pinoy83 · Mar 5, 2014

plants looking great adam....i dont have any clue about weather forecasts, over here also in hawaii is getting chili not like yours prolly more to 60 to 70degrees at night but it gets hot in the afternoon...

for the powders i added 2 other samples, so you got 3 same ones with the THP members i sent too and 2 different ones i made after i sent the other 3, let me know hows the taste if you liked it

Devv · Mar 5, 2014

Plants are ready to rumble Adam!

Great job on getting them up to speed!

Just becareful of a late frost, I'm already a week behind this season due to the colder weather.

Hope spring is gentle, and summer holds back!

Keep doing whatyou're doing!

Jeff H · Mar 6, 2014

Plants look really nice Adam. Keep it up. Atlanta plant out date is coming up sooner than later.

maximumcapsicum · Mar 11, 2014

HillBilly Jeff said:
Plants are really looking nice. I must say I would love a March 20th plant out. More like May 20th here. Would love your temps too lol but it looks like we take the turn for the better this weekend. Snowing here again today.

Yeah I think we lost about 10° next week so I may be pushing it back another week. Can't wait to get them out for reasons below...

JJJessee said:
Looks good, Adam. I think your solos can go three weeks or a little longer without too much stress. They will slow down naturally unless you are adding ferts. They would benefit from bigger shoes but, if light is a premium, then it's about a wash, aside from another 20 bucks on soil.

Your record lows for late March to early April are in the 30°s, so watch that 10 forecast. Also, I'd counsel having some row cover handy for a March 20 plant out or some kind of individual cloches just to knock some cool wind off of them if your space is susceptible to wind.

Thanks JJJ. You know reading this I've decided I got to spring for another bag of soil. May head out and pick one up tomorrow.

PaulG said:
Wow, Adam, your grow has really exploded since I was here last!
Good work, brother! Everything looks really healthy. I wouldn't worry
about the odd leaf curl or yellowing here and there. The plants seem
to be able to shake it off if they are otherwise well-fed and have sufficient water.

Looks to me like you are good to go!

Thanks Paul! Yeah most are doing very fine. Just the odd edema or patchy leaf.

Pinoy83 said:
plants looking great adam....i dont have any clue about weather forecasts, over here also in hawaii is getting chili not like yours prolly more to 60 to 70degrees at night but it gets hot in the afternoon...

for the powders i added 2 other samples, so you got 3 same ones with the THP members i sent too and 2 different ones i made after i sent the other 3, let me know hows the taste if you liked it

Thanks Jericson! I'll do some reviews when I get them integrated into the meal calendar. Probably sample 'em with eggs!

Devv said:
Plants are ready to rumble Adam!

Great job on getting them up to speed!

Just becareful of a late frost, I'm already a week behind this season due to the colder weather.

Hope spring is gentle, and summer holds back!

Keep doing whatyou're doing!

Yeah looking at the 10 day its gonna be cooler than I anticipated, but right where it should be. May be looking at the start of April more realistically.

Jeff H said:
Plants look really nice Adam. Keep it up. Atlanta plant out date is coming up sooner than later.

Thanks Jeff!

Alrighty, been hardening the plants as best I can. All I have is a shaded balcony, so they go out when the temps get about 60° and come back in at night. Plants aren't dying or looking stressed, save for the tomatoes, so I guess it's working?

Those that I did pot up are looking fantastic. Makes me wish I'd potted up more.

Yellow Bhut is my superstar right now:

White Bhut isn't too shabby either:

BarrackporeXChiletepin got a little stressed before I potted him up. And its hard to get enough light to all his leaves. But he's still taking off.

Bonchi's and ficus are also enjoying the weather:

Got two weird things going on among the solo cup plants. First is a white hab that got too much fan early on and nearly snapped in half. I gave it some support and it bounced back, growing very quickly. Now it's putting out a ton of buds. Very strange growth:

Also had some leaves join on a purple jalapeno plant:

Weird huh?

Alright guys, I've asked this question dozens of times. I started early, and it looks like a bunch of my plants in solos are pretty darn root bound. They're healthy, very little signs of stress, but growth has slowed down and I'm worried about root rot in the crowded cups. In an ideal world, I'd pot them all up, but as I mentioned earlier light is at a premium. I am thinking about potting up the biggest and letting them rely primarily on the balcony for light. It'll slow them down for sure but at least their roots will breath.

From your experience, do you think I should pot up the largest plants in solo cups? I know many of the largest plants are root bound, but can I hold them there for another couple weeks, or am I doing a ton of damage to their root systems? I don't actually need them to get much bigger before plant out, but I don't want to compromise their long term health.

The five I did pot up were very root bound, but all five have bounced back extremely well, suffering now from lack of light. How much can I get away with here?

My 2nd generation Chiero Roxa is doing great! One last pic for closing:

He's gonna want a pot too now!

To pot up, or hang in there for another 2-3 weeks?

HillBilly Jeff · Mar 11, 2014

I struggle with the pot up thing as well. I think back to how big plants are at nurseries and they seem to do okay. It is like they plant them and then just water them until they sell. For me the hardest thing to water is the gallon pots and those are the only plants I have that got edema. Even saturating the 3 /12 pots through bottom watering didn't cause it. Don't know what to tell you. I am planning a later start next season, which is easier said now than in December lol.

Your plants are showing some great color. Looking good.

PaulG · Mar 12, 2014

Nice looking grow, Adam! Plants look very healthy.
Good luck with your potting up dilemma; I guess you can
only pot up what you have room for and let the chips fall
where they may. Maybe you'll be able to plant out sooner.

Devv · Mar 12, 2014

Plants are fantastic Adam!

I think two weeks will be OK, they won't fill the gal pots in that time frame anyway. You'll probably have to water them more, but go by weight.

Almost time!

stc3248 · Mar 14, 2014

Looking great Adam...the pot up or wait problem is one we all have. I followed Greg's (Pic1) lead last season and bought some 5.5" square nursery pots...they fit 2 wide and 4 deep in typical grow trays and are a real space saver and are cheap. They are about a 2/3 the size of gallon nursery pots give or take and can grow some pretty big plants.

Here is what they looked like on my grow shelf last year...

I got them for about 45 cents each...too late for this season, but they're a must have for early starts as far as I am concerned. I didn't need to pot up any of them bigger than these and they got really big. As far as the edema goes...once again too late to really sweat it. We all get caught up with growing perfect looking plants, but in reality most of the nice, huge pretty indoor leaves get dropped soon after putting them out in the real world. Your plants look good and will really take off once outside. Can't wait to see what they look like in a couple months!!!

Devv · Mar 14, 2014

Too true, once outside they turn into teenagers, lose those large leaves and take on the smaller "summer" leaves.

Thye're not as pretty once outside, but they kick in and do their thang!