Megamoo's 2012/2013 Glog

harry · Dec 30, 2012

The caterpillars that damage my pods never stick around long enough to be caught in chillies. I have only ever sprung them inside a tomato. Your Bhut pod looks as though it took several rounds of micro meteorites.

gasificada · Dec 31, 2012

Caterpillars..... :mad:

The caterpillars here are stupid enough to hang around even after making it painfully obvious that they are inside the pod. If I didn't hate 'em so much they would be funny as heck. As soon as you start slicing the pod, they shoot out like a bullet and start wriggling away for their dear life. Oh little caterpillar, try as you might............

megamoo · Jan 2, 2013

Trippa said:
Looking good mega as per normal ... not those pods though ... not sure what is eating them?? Maybe even birds?? Just poking holes in them ( I had crows do that last season)
As for the pods ripening it depends if you are planning on keeping the seeds for trading etc?? If you are I like to leave the pods on the plant until they are fully ripe. If not I usually pick them just before they fully colour up (tiny bit of green/orange) to ensure Max heat and keeping/freezing quality

Thanks.
Wouldn't be birds because the massacred pod was deep deep in the bush.
I will be keeping the seeds most of the time so I guess I'll leave the pods on the bush until they fully ripen.

harry said:
The caterpillars that damage my pods never stick around long enough to be caught in chillies. I have only ever sprung them inside a tomato. Your Bhut pod looks as though it took several rounds of micro meteorites.

gasificada said:
Caterpillars.....

The caterpillars here are stupid enough to hang around even after making it painfully obvious that they are inside the pod. If I didn't hate 'em so much they would be funny as heck. As soon as you start slicing the pod, they shoot out like a bullet and start wriggling away for their dear life. Oh little caterpillar, try as you might............

I'm thinking it is caterpillars but the plants with affected pods don't seem to have any holes in their leaves. So perhaps a different sort of caterpillar to the leaf eater?

Hope you give them a little :flamethrower:

Gas

Mowed the lawn today. Didn't take any photos cos its just lawn

But after sitting down and looking at it I decided to extend the shade cloth to behind the shed.
Check out the flowers in this pic. Many of the plants are so covered in flowers it looks like its snowing!

In keeping with the rest of the shading its not pretty

Might have to cut off that excess cloth hanging down, so when I'm climbing around in there I don't get covered in spiders nests etc.

Checked out a new ripening pod and found this little soft and soggy looking spot. Do you think this is evidence of fruit fly Gas, or anyone?

The first ripening pod also has a similar spot.

I was spraying them down with water through the recent heatwave so maybe its from too much moisture? Hoping its not bug invasion.

Massive Brandywine tomatoes starting to ripen.

One of the tomato plants was invading a chilli area so instead of getting something to cut it with I wrestled a branch off. Came back later and found I had injured my big Bhut Jolokia plant and a Jalapeno.
The whole branch had come away at the soil level

Had two young pods on it. Zero signs of damage like the massacred one.

So now I've got to make something to eat with these bad boys

stickman · Jan 2, 2013

Hi Moo
Loss of side branches isn't too much of a loss... I actually had to do it on purpose last summer because I planted the Habs too close together. It didn't hurt them at all... it opened up the leaf canopy to let in more light and air (preventing rot) and made it easier to spot the ripening pods. I think it made it easier for the pollinators too.

gasificada · Jan 2, 2013

megamoo said:
Checked out a new ripening pod and found this little soft and soggy looking spot. Do you think this is evidence of fruit fly Gas, or anyone?

The first ripening pod also has a similar spot.

I was spraying them down with water through the recent heatwave so maybe its from too much moisture? Hoping its not bug invasion.

Only one way to find out.... cut 'er open! If it's fruit fly, there will be maggots in there for sure (the maggots are what cause the rot). The rotting usually starts around a sting mark though (makes sense as that's where the maggots hatch from) and I can't see one in either of your pics.

I dunno.... blossom end rot or something maybe?? Whatever it is, it can't be good.... :scared:

Trippa · Jan 2, 2013

I would say blossom end rot too if I had to hazard a guess. I have only ever seen it on bigger fleshier sweeter pods personally and sweet capsicums

megamoo · Jan 2, 2013

I thought blossom end rot started at the very end where the pistil comes out? Only seen it on tomatoes before. If it is BER then at least its an easy fix. I recall its a lack of calcium.

Whatever it is it ain't going to fix itself. I'll operate tomorrow and have a good look.

Just read that a lot of fungus and bacterial stuff is because of humidity. Definitely planted them way too close together, and hosing them down wasn't the best idea in the heat

Might give the all lower branches a good pruning tomorrow, and clear a gap under the fence to let air get in.

megamoo · Jan 2, 2013

Thought I'd take the torch out and see what critters are up at night.

Ants are still crawling around.... real troopers!

There are also a lot of slaters crawling about. (apparently they are also called wood louse, pill bugs or armadillo bugs... you know the ones that roll up into a tiny little ball if you touch them) I always considered them harmless but Wikipedia says although they turn stuff into compost like worms they can munch on young seedlings. I assumed they were just there for they wood chip mulch. They could be responsible for the little nibbles on my pod stems.

Also found a big snail tucking into a Jalapeno :mad:

Looked for a long time but could only find one.

This is the Jalapeno

The snail is no more.

Lavatung · Jan 2, 2013

Your bugs suck moo.

Trippa · Jan 2, 2013

Geez mega where do you live the island of Dr Moreau or something

harry · Jan 2, 2013

megamoo said:
I'm thinking it is caterpillars but the plants with affected pods don't seem to have any holes in their leaves. So perhaps a different sort of caterpillar to the leaf eater?

The majority of the leaf eaters I have encountered are the spawn of White Cabbage Butterfly. I have one of the pod destroying pests trapped in a container. The aim is to see it through to maturity so I can identify the adult form.

Lavatung · Jan 2, 2013

harry said:
The majority of the leaf eaters I have encountered are the spawn of White Cabbage Butterfly. I have one of the pod destroying pests trapped in a container. The aim is to see it through to maturity so I can identify the adult form.

I see those fockers flying around all the time. I used to think they were cool because it meant the weather was warming up. How wrong was I.

PaulG · Jan 2, 2013

harry said:
The majority of the leaf eaters I have encountered are the spawn of White Cabbage Butterfly. I have one of the pod destroying pests trapped in a container. The aim is to see it through to maturity so I can identify the adult form.

We have those here, as well, although not in infestation proportions.
How big was the snail? A snail that is 2-3cm across can eat a boat-load
of vegetation very quickly. The soft spots on your pods sure look like over-
watering. Mine get that during the cool rainy season if I don't pull them first.

We have 'pill bugs' by the ton. I leave them alone as great composters. I'm
not sure i've ever seen signs of them eating seedlings. Slugs and snails are
far worse, I think. Isn't gardening cool?

megamoo · Jan 3, 2013

Thanks everyone for all the responses.

Lavatung said:
Your bugs suck moo.

Trippa said:
Geez mega where do you live the island of Dr Moreau or something

I know! Damn things!!!

It has been going bug free for a long time. Maybe this prolonged hot weather (made humid by me) has sparked a bug breeding frenzy.

I'm also 99% sure there are mice outside too. Saw a silhouette of one run across the top of the fence last night, and some seedlings I have one a high shelf next to the fence have been completely eaten free of leaves. I like to let nature balance things out with the bugs... but I'm not getting a cat! Time for some traps and ratsac.

harry said:
The majority of the leaf eaters I have encountered are the spawn of White Cabbage Butterfly. I have one of the pod destroying pests trapped in a container. The aim is to see it through to maturity so I can identify the adult form.

I had lots of those when the oldest plants were still babies but as I find the caterpillars I feed them to the ants and the leaves with holes are rare now.

Seeing more leaves eaten around the edges on the Jalapenos. Must be the slugs and snails. Might have to set out some beer traps and see what falls in.

Lavatung said:
I see those fockers flying around all the time. I used to think they were cool because it meant the weather was warming up. How wrong was I.

Exactly the same here.

PaulG said:
We have those here, as well, although not in infestation proportions.
How big was the snail? A snail that is 2-3cm across can eat a boat-load
of vegetation very quickly. The soft spots on your pods sure look like over-
watering. Mine get that during the cool rainy season if I don't pull them first.

We have 'pill bugs' by the ton. I leave them alone as great composters. I'm
not sure i've ever seen signs of them eating seedlings. Slugs and snails are
far worse, I think. Isn't gardening cool?

It sounds like I've over watered the top of the plants and the humidity is causing problems. Going to reduce the watering time, now its a bit cooler too.

It's really only been small problems but its annoying when all the ripe really hot pods so far have been messed up by something. If I start getting a lot of good ripe pods I won't even worry about the odd bugged out or moldy pod.

stc3248 · Jan 3, 2013

Sluggo, or a similar off brand works for the slugs and snails...we get them so bad here that sometimes on my night runs it sounds like I am running on popcorn for miles at a time. Tomato horn worms will eat your pods too....grrrrrrr. I sure do hate them pesties! Seems like every glog I check today is full of fungus gnats, snails, slugs or some other type of enemy!!!

Your plants look amazing, You're about to be swimming in the pods!!!

megamoo · Jan 3, 2013

stc3248 said:
Sluggo, or a similar off brand works for the slugs and snails...we get them so bad here that sometimes on my night runs it sounds like I am running on popcorn for miles at a time. Tomato horn worms will eat your pods too....grrrrrrr. I sure do hate them pesties! Seems like every glog I check today is full of fungus gnats, snails, slugs or some other type of enemy!!!

Your plants look amazing, You're about to be swimming in the pods!!!

Yes the plants are looking great

There aren't that many pests around. The vast majority of my plants are doing well, but I've posted enough pics of green pods.

Cut up the pods and it was clear there was mold and not bugs inside.

Trippa · Jan 3, 2013

megamoo said:
Yes the plants are looking great

There aren't that many pests around. The vast majority of my plants are doing well, but I've posted enough pics of green pods.

Cut up the pods and it was clear there was mold and not bugs inside.

Now you are making me feel guilty for posting so many photos of my Green pods

.
Well at least you know what is causing your issues mega!!
Nothing worse then to still be scratching your head in 6 months time as to what the issue is. You are soon going to be rolling in plenty of coloured pods no doubt!! So I expect plenty of photos then

Stefan_W · Jan 3, 2013

That is heartbreaking. On the plus side, the pods are practically dripping. I'm sure they will rock when the mold issues pass.

megamoo · Jan 5, 2013

Trippa said:
Now you are making me feel guilty for posting so many photos of my Green pods .
Well at least you know what is causing your issues mega!!
Nothing worse then to still be scratching your head in 6 months time as to what the issue is. You are soon going to be rolling in plenty of coloured pods no doubt!! So I expect plenty of photos then

Can't post enough pictures of pods Trippa

I think I've fixed one issue at least. "rolling in plenty of coloured pods" me want

Stefan_W said:
That is heartbreaking. On the plus side, the pods are practically dripping. I'm sure they will rock when the mold issues pass.

It is sad but I think the mold is a one off. They had quite a potent smell to them!

Harvest pictures

Small harvest yes but the snowball is small at the top of the hill.

Got one small ripe Jalapeno and a near perfect looking Magnum Habanero. Plus two slightly nibbled Bhut Jolokias

The Magnum Hab has two very small dots or bumps on it, not clear in the photos. It's probably nothing but I'll know more when I cut it open.

I've propped up the Bhut Jolokia so her branches or pods aren't sitting on the ground. Just had a look with the torch after dusk to try and catch the nibbler in the act but all I could see was the two very slightly damaged pods.

The marks appear to have caused the tissue around it to ripen. Could it possibly be an infection and not a bug?

I've just been out again and took some night shots. In these photos you can see the little white splotches on the pods.

The white marks are from the bore water, they are all over the Jalapenos too. The original system had a spray so everything was wet down, but yesterday I changed it out and put individual drippers under these plants instead.

Perhaps the marks on the pods aren't nibble marks, but rather mold or fungus grown from the white residue left by the water?

If so :pray:

then I've just solved this problem

The large L shaped pod was one of the first to set so I'm checking it all the time for colour.

Last night I ate a wrap with one of these pods cut up in it.

Didn't really know what to expect. The hottest pod I've eated previously was an orange hab.... and that was only half the pod.
The burn from the green Bhut wasn't as hot, and wasn't enough to stop me eating, (probably cos its green) but it was strong. The flavour was much better than I expected, a real allover mouth burn. Really want to try a ripe one now.

Stefan_W · Jan 5, 2013

There is no comparison between heat levels in green bhuts and what happens when you let them ripen. Strap yourself in!

Moving to individual drippers and avoiding sprays is a great idea. I am much lower tech so I just collect my water in rain barrel and water my pepper one watering can at a time. I don't mind it though, because it gives me time to really look at the plants.

I actually started a thread last summer when something was gnawing on my bhuts and causing almost identical damage. You can check it out to see if any of the comments help:
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/33619-something-eating-my-bhuts/