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.

 

[PaulG]

The bonchis are looking good, MC!
 
I haven't seen a tray like that.  Cool idea
at first blush.  Will be interesting to see
how it works for you!
 
Happy New Year!

 

[maximumcapsicum]

The bonchis are looking good, MC!
 
I haven't seen a tray like that.  Cool idea
at first blush.  Will be interesting to see
how it works for you!
 
Happy New Year!

Thanks Paul! New year means countdown to germination...

I am probably gonna switch to jiffy's, as I did some reading and the self watering mat interferes with the heat mat... Probably no the best setup for pepper germination. Also, folks on THP seem to have great success with the jiffy's, which are also very space friendly, so leaning that way.

 

[GA Growhead]

That kit looks cool. I like the bottom self watering idea. If the lid stays on tight, and the heat mat heats the water enough to keep temps inside up, that might be a winner. You might need to do some experimenting for us!
Does it mention any trace elements or nutrients in the coco?
I have seen someone on here germinate in a tub full of water with a fish aquarium heater to temp control, with everything above the water.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

That kit looks cool. I like the bottom self watering idea. If the lid stays on tight, and the heat mat heats the water enough to keep temps inside up, that might be a winner. You might need to do some experimenting for us!
Does it mention any trace elements or nutrients in the coco?
I have seen someone on here germinate in a tub full of water with a fish aquarium heater to temp control, with everything above the water.

No nutrients in the coco cubes. They actually recommend adding nutrients pretty quick after the seeds pop.

I am dubious because I was reading some reviews and the humidity can be very bad when used with a heat mat. Of course you only need the mat to germ the seeds, theoretically you could take it out pretty quick after everyone is standing up. Then the water mat may be good to keep the surface dry and prevent damping off.

Pros and cons...

Another downside is I was gonna plant in two batches and the jiffy's save space.

Upside is it may work really well...

 

[GA Growhead]

True true. Jiffys it is then.
Save it for your other veggies!

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Yeah, leaning that way. Gonna scout out the hardware stores sometime this week or this weekend and see what they have on hand. Also got to set up a light, probably CFL's in a power strip or work light reflectors. Haven't been too thrilled with my full flouro options.
 
Now that the company is gone, took a little time to work on the bonchis. The ones in the back are thriving. Leaves are actually getting a little too big for proper bonsai, so I decided to do an experiment. I moved the big roxa to the front of the light and the short roxa to the back. Both are pretty happy right now so hopefully the stress doesn't hurt 'em too much. Also gave them both a bath.
 

 
Here is shorty, bearing the weight of the world. Hoping the repositioning will encourage a nice set of leaf platforms. He's really come to life over the past couple days... shaking off some of the wiring stress.
 

 
I gave stretch the one two punch. I decided to go ahead and shoot for a more tree-like shape instead of trying to get some pods on the plant. Moved it forward and wired the branches down to try to encourage a canopy. When he starts thriving again, I'll probably prune the big leaves. His roots were starting to shoot out the bottom of the bot, so I trimmed them back as well. Gonna have a stressful couple of days.
 
If this goes well, I'll probably repeat the experiment with the habs sometime in the next two weeks.

 

[Pinoy83]

those bonchis are looking good....fatten those roots up and put in a nice bonsai pot

 

[maximumcapsicum]

those bonchis are looking good....fatten those roots up and put in a nice bonsai pot

After I get the grow chamber set up and some peppers in the dirt, it'll be time to go shoe shopping for the permanent bonchis.

 

[Devv]

The grow tray is a nice gift, do you grow tomatoes? You could do a mix and see which you like better too between the Jiffy's and the new tray.
 
Your OW's are looking really good, keep up the good work!
 
 
And have a great New Years!

 

[MeatHead1313]

Looking good maxcap! I had good success for my first ever seed grow in September using a similar Burpee kit. Your bonchi grow is giving me ideas to try doing some ornamentals that way for use as houseplants. Do you have any tips for bonchi grows for a beginner?

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Looking good maxcap! I had good success for my first ever seed grow in September using a similar Burpee kit. Your bonchi grow is giving me ideas to try doing some ornamentals that way for use as houseplants. Do you have any tips for bonchi grows for a beginner?

 
Yeah my only hesitation with the burpee kit is the self-watering mat. I think it'll interfere with a heat mat. Got another week or so to decide though... hoping to find someone with some experience with the self-waterer. On the other hand it may make it easier to prevent damping off.
 
The bonchi's are fantastic, but I'm definitely a beginner myself. I grow ficus trees as bonsais, a habit I picked up after visiting the national bonsai garden in India. A very cool place. Pepper bonsais are nice because they grow much faster, encouraging more experimentation. They're aren't proper bonsais for the hardcore set, but I like 'em. I got all my starting info from fatalli.net. Actually I got my first wave of pepper seeds from there as well. There are some spectacular bonchi photos there as well.
 
I actually think the plants look much nicer than many bonsai possibilities. Pepper plants look fantastic, and purple pepper plants look doubly cool. So far my bonchis aren't really looking like trees yet, but I am getting there. Going to need to do some experiments with leaf sizes.
 
I'll write up a full discussion of my bonchi experience after one or two is "complete," for now I am still experimenting. So far it has surprised me just how resilient a healthy pepper plant can be. I swore I had cut too much root from the red habanero plant, but it is actually thriving more than the others. You can probably removed between ~80% of the root ball from a thriving healthy pepper plant and have it bounce back pretty quick. Aphids have been the biggest challenge so far. Also, use the thinnest bonsai wire you can find... pepper branches snap pretty easily.

 

[MeatHead1313]

 
Yeah my only hesitation with the burpee kit is the self-watering mat. I think it'll interfere with a heat mat. Got another week or so to decide though... hoping to find someone with some experience with the self-waterer. On the other hand it may make it easier to prevent damping off.
 
The bonchi's are fantastic, but I'm definitely a beginner myself. I grow ficus trees as bonsais, a habit I picked up after visiting the national bonsai garden in India. A very cool place. Pepper bonsais are nice because they grow much faster, encouraging more experimentation. They're aren't proper bonsais for the hardcore set, but I like 'em. I got all my starting info from fatalli.net. Actually I got my first wave of pepper seeds from there as well. There are some spectacular bonchi photos there as well.
 
I actually think the plants look much nicer than many bonsai possibilities. Pepper plants look fantastic, and purple pepper plants look doubly cool. So far my bonchis aren't really looking like trees yet, but I am getting there. Going to need to do some experiments with leaf sizes.
 
I'll write up a full discussion of my bonchi experience after one or two is "complete," for now I am still experimenting. So far it has surprised me just how resilient a healthy pepper plant can be. I swore I had cut too much root from the red habanero plant, but it is actually thriving more than the others. You can probably removed between ~80% of the root ball from a thriving healthy pepper plant and have it bounce back pretty quick. Aphids have been the biggest challenge so far. Also, use the thinnest bonsai wire you can find... pepper branches snap pretty easily.

Can't give any help on the Burpee kit with a heat mat unfortunately. I used mine while it was still fairly hot here so had it outside in the shade with no top on it (had no idea what I was doing and got lucky lol). I did find the self waterer worked really well with the burpee pellets, but had to switch to jiffy pellets after though as I couldn't find anywhere that sold the burpee one's other than their website, and at the time couldn't convince my better half it was worth the extra money. I've had no problem with jiffy pellets on it so far, but it does keep the jiffy pellets on the very wet side compared to their own. 
Thanks for the info on the bonchi's. My Dad had a bonsai plant while I was growing up and it always fascinated me. Definitely agree a purple pepper would look great as a bonsai. Aphids are definitely a challenge, but I think my biggest challenge would be keeping our cat away from them if I do some. Best of luck with your experiment and your grow, and hope you have a great New Year's!

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Can't give any help on the Burpee kit with a heat mat unfortunately. I used mine while it was still fairly hot here so had it outside in the shade with no top on it (had no idea what I was doing and got lucky lol). I did find the self waterer worked really well with the burpee pellets, but had to switch to jiffy pellets after though as I couldn't find anywhere that sold the burpee one's other than their website, and at the time couldn't convince my better half it was worth the extra money. I've had no problem with jiffy pellets on it so far, but it does keep the jiffy pellets on the very wet side compared to their own. 
Thanks for the info on the bonchi's. My Dad had a bonsai plant while I was growing up and it always fascinated me. Definitely agree a purple pepper would look great as a bonsai. Aphids are definitely a challenge, but I think my biggest challenge would be keeping our cat away from them if I do some. Best of luck with your experiment and your grow, and hope you have a great New Year's!

 
Yeah I think that the burpee stuff is much rarer this year than it was last year. I was scoping out what they had at the box stores and I think some only have burpee materials as leftover stock.
 
Happy New Years to you as well!

 

[Capsicum Select]

Happy new year! Bonchis are looking great!

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Happy new year! Bonchis are looking great!

 
Thanks CS! Happy New Year to you as well!
 
Did some experimental pruning on stretch. Cut two large leaves after a branch to see if that encourages smaller leaves further down the branch. Will post pictures once I know how it goes. Definitely getting a good angle change on the branch.

 

[capsidadburn]

Cool Bonchi's Adam!  I use CFL's mostly.  Someday I'll graduate to the new T5 but not soon. 
 
Thanks for the comments about my sauces.  My 2013 glog has much better pics of them and some cool bugs too.  Sorry for the shamless promo.
 
Bottom watering is the best thing since the big bang!  Humidity germinator wins!
 
Have a great seasson in 2014!
 
Mike

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Cool Bonchi's Adam!  I use CFL's mostly.  Someday I'll graduate to the new T5 but not soon. 
 
Thanks for the comments about my sauces.  My 2013 glog has much better pics of them and some cool bugs too.  Sorry for the shamless promo.
 
Bottom watering is the best thing since the big bang!  Humidity germinator wins!
 
Have a great seasson in 2014!
 
Mike

 
No worries! I enjoy the sauce pics and info. And thanks for the comments about the self-watering tray. I wonder if its worth trying with the heat mat and then swap it out after germination. I'm still leaning toward the jiffy pellets, as I don't need to germinate 72 seeds at one time, but I may experiment with the self-waterer with tomatoes. Need more space.
 
I tinkered with a spreadsheet, based on some of those I've seen on other glogs. Here is what it looks like right now:
 

 
Basically I'll track germination and yield with one table and individual plant histories on the other table. Should be a good, organized way to maintain a log and see how the decisions I make affect specific plants. Also could help me hone in one whats working for bonchi prep. 
 
One of these days I am going to start listing smaller-leaved varieites, but I think with peppers the key to a good bonchi is going to be to pinch leaves at a certain size/after a certain level of branching. Stretch isn't letting me know just yet, but I'll post a pic when I can assess the results of a couple of pinches.
 
Less than two weeks until dirt time!

 

[Devv]

Oh, your spreadsheet beats the heck out of mine.
 
My sorry record keeping is just about what I'm growing, and I have trouble keeping that straight. Already have 3 or 4 mysteries. Always wondered why peeps called the plants mystery, now I know!

 

[Capsicum Select]

Nice start of a log. Between work and grad school I have enough to keep track of so I just do it in my glog haha. But I did organize my seeds into a binder.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Oh, your spreadsheet beats the heck out of mine.
 
My sorry record keeping is just about what I'm growing, and I have trouble keeping that straight. Already have 3 or 4 mysteries. Always wondered why peeps called the plants mystery, now I know!

 
I am actually thinking another fun side project would be to track the generations between THP members. I bet there are some interesting lineages interweaving THP growers. Maybe next year. I too have graduate school responsibilities. Let's see how the 2014 season goes first.
 

Nice start of a log. Between work and grad school I have enough to keep track of so I just do it in my glog haha. But I did organize my seeds into a binder.

 
Yeah, I hesitated to track too much information, but came around as I realized that the garden data is a nice divergence from my regular research activities. I am also in grad school. I set up databases for my own research all the time... I was considering doing all my garden logging on paper to have something different away from the computer, but keeping a glog here seemed too compelling. Figured this would make the data easier to share.