maxcaps 2014 grow: avoiding the freeze!

Hello All,
 
New here, but feeling right at home. I figured I'd go ahead and get my glog started, though I may wait a few weeks yet before starting anything.
 
I'm pretty new, not totally new. I had a small grow last year, mostly in containers, bringing up plants that I hoped would make cool overwinter bonsai's (bonchi's). I ordered a handful of different varieties from http://fataliiseeds.net, all  95% of which sprouted nicely, though something must have gone wrong because many never grew true leaves. I think my house was too cold... I've moved now and now have an excellent heating system. I also kept the seeds by a window that I think got too drafty. 
 
I did have a handful of chinenses survive, including a wonderful Red Habanero from fataliiseeds, and some chiero roxa plants that produced a handful of tasty purple pods. I purchased some local Scotch Bonnett starts from a small scale nursery, and grew jalapeños and serrano starts from a local nursery. It's safe to say I am now addicted, as all these fire worked its way into my family's weekly diet. I have a 12'X8' plot begging for plants, and I may do some extra in containers...
 
Enough background. Here's the plan. As jalapeños (salsa, roasted, and canned) are not a staple, I want to grow a handful of varieties. The chinenses have amazing flavors, so I'm going to branch out with two or three new varieties (though sadly I did not save any scotch bonnet seeds from the last season... what is wrong with me?). Last year I tried some super hot varieties... none lived. I am going to try again! I actually ordered most of these seeds before stumbling upon this wonderful community. In any event, here is the lineup:
 
Chinenses:
 
Red Habanero (seeds kept and OW bonchi (thanks fatalii)
Chiero Roxa (seeds kept, may use OW bonchi, haven't decided)
Scotch Bonnett (forgot to keep seeds, but I can replant OW bonchi)
White Habanero (seeds from Pepper Joe, should arrive soon...)
Chocolate Habanero (seeds from Pepper Joe, should also arrive soon)
Fatali (from pepperlover.com)
Big Sun Habernero (from pepperlover)
 
Superhot Chinenses:
 
Carolina Reaper (seeds from PuckerButt)
Naga Morich (seeds from PuckerButt)
Bhut Jolokia (seeds from PuckerButt)
Dorset Naga (seeds from PuckerButt)
7 pod (from pepperlover.com)
 
Other Superhot:
 
Tiepin (seeds from PuckerButt)
 
Annuums:
 
Poblanos (from Pepper Joe... growing to Acho's to use as powder base)
Giant Jalapeño (from Pepper Joe)
Early Jalapeño (from Pepper Joe)
Black Jalapeño (from Pepper Joe)
Purple Jalapeño (from Pepper Joe)
Fresno Pepper (from Pepper Joe)
 
Wish I had found you guys sooner, I'd have added some douglah's to the list. I am also on the fence about adding a couple more chinense varieties. 
 
Also growing some companions. Planning on putting in a couple tomato plants, garlic, cilantro, and carrots (had a lot of luck with tasty fat purple carrots... atomic purple I think they were called)
 
Will post some picks of my OW bonchi's tomorrow, and start going into techniques. On the fence about coffee-filter germination versus sowing in a tray.

 

[Devv]

Are you going to get the wind too? It's beating the heck out of everything down here.
 
I just looked at your temps, and yikes 33°!
 
Fingered crossed for you bro!
 
Edit: This time of day, you show 20mph steady winds...hope you got these up yesterday, or today is a kite flying experience!

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Everything is looking fantastic.
 
I concur with the others on the hoops and wind is the challenge in this case.
 
If had some extra lumber, I'd lay it on the sides on top of the plastic and then lay the rocks on the lumbers to help distribute the weight and seal up spots the wind could get some leverage.

 

Thanks for the tip JJJ! Just happened to find a big pile of timbers on the next lot. Gonna use them to secure the plastic.

 

Score the PVC that is gray, electrical conduit. Cheaper than white PVC and UV stable, so will last longer.
I will be bringing everyone back in the garage!

Found it! Thanks for the tip Jason! Was dirt cheap too.

  

Fajitas look really good!  Keeping my fingers crossed for ya on the weather.  I'm back up here in WI for the rest of the week and they are calling for snow tomorrow!  Unbelievable!  I remember why I moved to the mid-south.

They were delicious! Really went well with the primo powder. Probably should have added some goats weed too just to make it maximum delicious.

  

Looking great.  So, how does it feel?  Month to go here, then the kids go off to college!!!

They are really taking off today! Hopefully this cold snap doesn't ruin it all!

  

Yikes I think they are predicting 29 here on Tuesday, but we are 400 miles north of Atlanta. I wouldn't expect it to be that cold down there.
 
I wish your plants the best of luck through this (hopefully the last) cold snap, but I would recommend putting that low row cover on the day before. It will help heat up the soil a little more and the warm soil will keep it nice and warm in there.

 

Luckily everything is plenty warm at the moment. I got the pipes up and some anchors for the plastic up today. Forecast will probably go up now.

 

Are you going to get the wind too? It's beating the heck out of everything down here.
 
I just looked at your temps, and yikes 33°!
 
Fingered crossed for you bro!
 
Edit: This time of day, you show 20mph steady winds...hope you got these up yesterday, or today is a kite flying experience!

Luckily downtown Atlanta breaks the wind for me a little. It hasn't been to bad yet, but I haven't really experienced it going over 15 mph. I've set up some breaks just in case.

I did get out there today and stuck some PVC pipes in the ground. Got two plastic sheets big enough to drape over them too. Hard to secure with just the planks, so I may head out and get some rope tomorrow. The hoops in the farm plots are secured with plastic zip ties.

Here they are. Tomorrow around 6 I'll head out and secure the plastic sheeting, probably with zip ties or twine and planks with bricks on top of them.

On the upside, plants were definitely looking the best they have looked today.

Not cardi lost most its leaves. Don't think it hardened off properly. Self strip basically. It had two new leaves today though!

JA hab is officially the first flowering true chinense. These are vigorous plants Scott!

Purple jal is flowering like mad.

Cracked jal. Good thing all these jals are getting started... I'm hungry for salsa.

So is Santa Fe grande.

Save for the impending cold apacolypse, everything has really started moving. Alot of the chinenses I was worried I'd stunted from too much solo cup time have begun getting bigger and putting on new leaves. The stems on the bhuts have really thickened in the wind... The white bhut stem has doubled in thickness over the past few days.

Here's hoping these cold nights don't throw a wrench in things. The farm manager doesn't seem to think we have much to worry about... Says it won't be a hard frost even if it freezes.

Thanks again for all the advice and support. Man typing all this on a phone is gonna kill my wrist.

 

[Devv]

Looking good Adam!
 
Good luck the next two nights!

 

[stickman]

Nice job Adam, it looks like you've caught it in time with the cover. Good luck with the next few days!

 

[GA Growhead]

Way crazy windy today! Hope you figured out how to tie that plastic down good!
Doesn't seem like it's going to be below freezing for more than a few hours up here. Think you we pull through this just fine being in the concrete jungle!

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

Things are looking well for you.  I am seriously considering hoops for the fall to extend the season and wait and see how they work for me in the early spring next year.  
 
Hope they all do well for you.

 

[romy6]

Looking nice A . Hopefully this will be the last cold snap then it's on for you Ga boys !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Looking nice A . Hopefully this will be the last cold snap then it's on for you Ga boys !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
 

Things are looking well for you.  I am seriously considering hoops for the fall to extend the season and wait and see how they work for me in the early spring next year.  
 
Hope they all do well for you.

 
 

Way crazy windy today! Hope you figured out how to tie that plastic down good!
Doesn't seem like it's going to be below freezing for more than a few hours up here. Think you we pull through this just fine being in the concrete jungle!

 
 

Nice job Adam, it looks like you've caught it in time with the cover. Good luck with the next few days!

 
 

Looking good Adam!
 
Good luck the next two nights!

 
I knew I was in trouble. Strong gusts zipping through downtown when I was on my way to my second lecture for the day. Looks like we capped out around 30 mph winds. Temps at the airport were at their lowest since 1962. Crud.
 

 
Got there as soon as I could and set up the covers. Left them open because temps were still high... didn't want to cook anything. Also wanted to see how they performed. Everything was rustled but intact around 3:00 when I covered everything.
 

 

 
Sadly, the worst of it was still on its way. When I went out at 6:00, everythone was tussled but upright. I battened down the hatches and hoped for the best.
 

 
Temps dropped fast. On my balcony we hit 30°. Yikes.
 
So, damage report. Hardest hit were the taller habs and bonnets. TFM bonnet and White Hab lost their tops. Looks like frost damage:
 

 
Next worse off were the 7 pots. Interestingly there was no rhyme or reason to the damage pattern. They were distributed in a strip, and reapers next to them went unscathed.
 

 
Brainstrain with the worst leaves removed.
 

 
Frosty 7 pots. Both bubblegums were in bad shape. I think the one that was in a pot was done for. Yellow Bhut in the pot is in rough shape too, but had some healthy leaves so maybe it'll pull through.
 
Annuums were fine, sept one jal that got knocked over. I staked it up... think it'll be fine.
 

 
One tomato plant snapped too, but I think staking it up will fix it.
 
Will do a final head count later this week, see where I'm at. I got two back up plants on deck. Strange that all the 7 pots took so much damage, irrespective of their location or size.
 
All in all it could have been much worse. 8 of ~50 plants show serious damage, scattered damage on others. If I hadn't covered them, I doubt I'd have anything left. Got another cold night on the way. Will head out and set up the plastic around 8.
 
Can't wait till this weather is over!

 

[Devv]

Sorry about the damage Adam! So you got to go kite flying? That wind and plastic don't mix well, been there done that.
 
Not liking it, but you got one for effort
 
This spring has been a hard one for all of us. I wouldn't do anything but let them grow, they will certainly surprise you as to how fast they come back.
 
I'm thinking some wind got in there and did the damage, the hoops if they had no air leaks should have done the trick. I had one leak one night when it got down in the low 30's and a mater looked like it had a torch held to it.
 
You have this again tonight? If so I think the wind won't be a factor.
 
Don't give up!

 

[stickman]

I don't see any deal breakers in the pics you posted Adam. It looks like they'll all survive. Losing the tops just means the primary nodes are gone... Axillary growth will make them come back even bushier! Like Scott pointed out... air leakage is the worst thing that can happen inside your low row cover right now, and the tallest plants are the most prone to freezing... the ground will radiate heat at night, so the plants that are closest to the ground will get through the cold evenings the most intact. Try to button up the cover at least an hour before sundown so the soil can heat up as much as possible and the cover will trap the heat the soil radiates. The sun angle will be so low then that you won't need to worry about burning your plants. Just make sure to open up the covers again before the sun gets high enough in the sky to really heat things up... say by 9 or 10 a.m. Good luck... we're pulling for ya!

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

Sorry about your damaged plants.  Usually if you can wash the frost off before the sun gets to them it helps a great deal.
 
Good luck and I hope you have a good bounce back.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Sorry about the damage Adam! So you got to go kite flying? That wind and plastic don't mix well, been there done that.
 
Not liking it, but you got one for effort
 
This spring has been a hard one for all of us. I wouldn't do anything but let them grow, they will certainly surprise you as to how fast they come back.
 
I'm thinking some wind got in there and did the damage, the hoops if they had no air leaks should have done the trick. I had one leak one night when it got down in the low 30's and a mater looked like it had a torch held to it.
 
You have this again tonight? If so I think the wind won't be a factor.
 
Don't give up!

 
Thanks man, sure did. Didn't help that the plastic was about 10 sqft bigger than I needed. Ended up doing lots of tucking. I don't think there were any bad air leaks, weighed it down with bricks that were intact in the morning. However, the hoops themselves were all pushed back almost 4 inches. Wind must have been absolutely nuts.
 
They were predicting 39° tonight. I went ahead and sealed 'em up just in case. I built the hopes why not use 'em?
 

I don't see any deal breakers in the pics you posted Adam. It looks like they'll all survive. Losing the tops just means the primary nodes are gone... Axillary growth will make them come back even bushier! Like Scott pointed out... air leakage is the worst thing that can happen inside your low row cover right now, and the tallest plants are the most prone to freezing... the ground will radiate heat at night, so the plants that are closest to the ground will get through the cold evenings the most intact. Try to button up the cover at least an hour before sundown so the soil can heat up as much as possible and the cover will trap the heat the soil radiates. The sun angle will be so low then that you won't need to worry about burning your plants. Just make sure to open up the covers again before the sun gets high enough in the sky to really heat things up... say by 9 or 10 a.m. Good luck... we're pulling for ya!

 
That's good to hear Rick. Goes against my stripping strategy a little, but there are definitely some fried primary nodes. 
 
What's strange is many of the tall plants, in fact the tallest of the plants, didn't have any damage at all. They looked great! I think the 7 pots were just particularly susceptible. I sure hope they're not down for the count.
 
Putting the cover up again tonight just to be safe, then should be in for smooth sailing.
 

Sorry about your damaged plants.  Usually if you can wash the frost off before the sun gets to them it helps a great deal.
 
Good luck and I hope you have a good bounce back.

 
Thanks HJeff! Hoping for the best.
 
Went out and covered them all again tonight. 80% of the plants came through it without any damage at all, so I should probably count my blessings. Thanks for all the support guys!

 

[JJJessee]

Those all look like survivors to me.
They'll have stories to tell their grandchildren
 

 

[GA Growhead]

They will pull through fine! Glad you were able to save them. Would have been over without the hoop cover!

 

[stickman]

Those all look like survivors to me.
They'll have stories to tell their grandchildren
 

 
And mightily bored they'll be...

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Part of running an honest glog is showing off your troubles as well as your success. This year is going very well, but that cold snap and continued hardening difficulties are taking their toll.
 
A couple days of gentle, cloudy rain coupled with nice cool temperatures have given the winter-battered plants a break. A couple aren't quite out of the woods, but I think we're getting there. Good news is most of the plants are acting like nothing happened at all. Some chinenses have started flowering, tomatoes are taking off, and all in all visiting the plots is one of the most relaxing parts of my day, even if I am surveying some debris still.
 
From worst to best...
 
The worst news pertains to my growdown plant. Should have had a couple waiting in the wings. Didn't have the heart to post earlier, but here he is:
 

 
Hardened off perfectly... didn't lose a single leaf to sunburn, and surrounded by plants that didn't have any problems with the cold at all, but definitely got hit with some frost damage on its top leaves. He'll survive for sure, but the leaves on the primary node are damaged, which means he'll probably branch out. I haven't touched it yet... waiting to see if it puts some energy into that nose after all. Hoping it does, but I think my growdown stock is sinking. May have to convince Kevin that it was the widest plant growdown, not the tallest plant. That'll work right?
 

 
Not Cardi is going for the leafless look. This was probably my healthiest plant indoors, must have completely failed to harden. Ironically it didn't take any cold damage... lost its leaves in the storm. It has a couple of nodes putting out leaves so I don't think its down for the count.
 
Okay, those are the only two damaged plants I uploaded images for. The 7 pot bubblegum in pot is in rough shape, as is the 7 pot brainstrain in the bed. There are new leaves on the 7 pot primo so I think it'll come back. Giant White Hab put some new leaves on as well. No movement on the TFM Scotch Bonnet, but it hasn't been too long yet. All in all I am looking at a potential loss of 3 plants. and a slowdown on around 10. I have two plants waiting in the wings to replace any fallen comrades, but want to give the injured plants adequate time to bounce back before I make a move.
 
Let's lighten it up a little.
 

 
White Hab seems to like buds more than leaves. Odd little guy... strangest of the strippers.
 
 

 
Blondie is putting on flowers... had about doubled in stem thickness. Very healthy plant.
 

 
Green annuum patch is greening up nicely. The yellows and drooping leaves from transplants don't seem to have affected them at all, and many have put on flowers.
 

 
Black Jal is setting pods the fastest. Stomach is rumblin'... thinking of stuffing halves with mozzarella and sprinkling panko on them. Backing for 20 minutes or so should be quite tasty. Do you guys eat the pods with your eyes long before they're done?
 

 
Santa Fe Grande is looking quite grand. Not droopy.
 

 
Giant Jals!
 

 
Thought I photographed the Goat's Weed... apparently I couldn't stop taking pictures of the purple jals... In the background is my tall, flowering chiletepin x barrackpore c/o Charles!
 

 
Henry! just turned 10 months old today! Helpin' do damage control and having a blast!
 
Stats and chinense stats are coming soon... got to grade some papers first.

 

[MeatHead1313]

Good to see the damaged plants bouncing back Adam! Those purple jal's sure are a beautiful plant. And I'm the same, always eating the pods with my eyes before they're anywhere near ready. 

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Plants are going to come back strong. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Jeff H]

Adam, you aren't the only one who has damaged primary growth tips on their growdown plant. Looks like the mites found mine. I'll just have to train the branches to reach up instead of out.
 
Looks like they all survived with minimal damage. Good for you. Did any of your neighbors loose crops? I didn't see any other plastic row covers on neighbors in the photos 'cept for the two beds to your right. .

 

[Devv]

Henry looks like he's havin' a ball helping Dad, cutie he is!
 
Gee where I have seen plants that look like that before? Well right outside my door.
 
The Chuncho, if it sprouts multiple branches you can remove the lesser ones and it will hardly miss a beat.
 
The rest will settle down and perform for you. I always push the spring here, because the oppressive heat comes too soon. I think I pushed them too hard this season, or maybe Ma Nature just slammed me.
 
It's all part of the game. And this is just a minor setback.
 
Wishing you continued success!