MikeUSMC 2017 Grow

A little late in the season to start a glog probably, but I figure if I want to trade seeds with some of you guys at the end of the year, at least you'll know I'm not full of shit when I say I have stuff to trade

Anyway, I had a pretty rough start this year. Started my seeds mid-February, then proceeded to fry half of them when they dried out from being in the living room with my pellet stove (Doh!). After that, my two overwintered plants (a Manzano and a Rocoto) turned into aphid magnets. Those promptly got chucked outside in March (I think?) to freeze and die a cold, miserable death. Of course, the aphids found their way to (what was left of) my seedling tray, but I got those under control.

Ok, enough whining. I'll try to get you guys caught up.....
Last year, I grew about 30 different Scotch Bonnet plants, which caught the attention of Superhot Sim and Trident, who are also huge Bonnet fans. We ended up doing a seed trade last year, so a lot of my seeds this year came from my chilehead brothers from across the pond (in the U.K.) Thanks guys!

Here's my 2017 list (this will be my 4th year growing), which is a little smaller than last year due to a lower back surgery I had about a month ago. All is well, I'm on the mend, and back out in the garden

-Numex Twilight x3
-7 Pot Douglah x2
-Chocolate SB x2
-Scotchbrain (F4) x2
-Cappuccino Scotch Bonnet
-"Yellow" Scotch Bonnet
-TFM Scotch Bonnet
-Tobago Scotch Bonnet
-M.A. Peach Scotch Bonnet
-M.A. Daisy Cutter x2
-Bahamian Goat
-Aji Mango
-Aji Jobito
-Orange Blob
-Chocolate Bhutlah (DM)
-Nagabon
-Mammoth Jalapeño x2
-Poblano

Here's some pics from earlier in the year:
March 30, 2017

April 16, 2017- First look at the sun

I always grow in 5:1:1 mix (and add in CRF granules) in 5 gallon buckets. Here's a couple shots of my 5:1:1 "Graveyard" in the woods behind my house, and the new stuff ready to be mixed.

May 21, 2017- All potted up

What a difference a few weeks makes (Pics taken this morning)
I'm also trying CNS17 (3-1-2) instead of DynaGro this year. It's just so much cheaper.

Chocolate Scotch Bonnets on the right, Douglahs on the left

Numex Twilight (biggest plant in the middle). I had 2 Belingrath Gardens plants in that pot last year, and now there's a TON of volunteers popping up. Almost looks like ground cover, haha. Gonna leave 'em just cuz

Another Numex Twilight out front. Getting some volunteer Twilights in that pot too, but I'll probably pull those

Besides the Twilights, the only pods I have so far are a couple of 'peños...

...and a couple of small Poblanos

5 Tomato plants for Mrs. USMC

Thanks for looking, everybody

 

[MikeUSMC]

"Killing it," Chuck? I wouldn't go THAT far, but thanks

Glad to hear the Capp is doing well for you too, John!

Thanks guys

 

[Mr.CtChilihead]

Looks awesome Mike...I did a bunch more five gallon pots this year after reading your last years Glog..

 

[MikeUSMC]

Looks awesome Mike...I did a bunch more five gallon pots this year after reading your last years Glog..

Look at you!!! I got ya fermenting AND growing in buckets! "Stick with me, kid..."

Just kidding, Walt! Thanks man, hahaha

 

[MikeUSMC]

Your Aji mango looks really healthy and a nice size.

Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough, Sim. This thing is LOADING UP!

I'm really looking forward to the Daisy Cutter to start podding up. I can't wait to taste that bad boy!

I've gotta say, I'm liking where this is going..... I'm loving the perfect Bonnet pheno on this Daisy Cutter. Hopefully they'll get more pimply

Looks like I'd better start having my coffee in the morning on my back deck with the pellet gun instead of on the front porch, because I'm sick and tired of finding these on the ground every morning

 

[Genetikx]

Love the 5 gallon bucket grow and the varieties you're going with. Great work Mike!

 

[MikeUSMC]

Love the 5 gallon bucket grow and the varieties you're going with. Great work Mike!

Thanks, Ryan! I had every intention of building a raised bed this year, but then this happened to my lower back around Memorial Day.....

So, obviously THOSE plans got delayed

If I do get around to building some next year, they'll definitely be elevated (less bending down). But, for 4 years now, 5:1:1 mix in buckets hasn't steered me wrong

 

[Genetikx]

Holy cannoli! That's pretty intense

I made 5:1:1 for the first time this year, growing in ~8 gallon square buckets. The plants aren't doing terrific in it. I think it's either too acidic because of the peat, or nutrient deficient due to the lack of "soil". The leaves are kind of yellow and the plants just aren't growing as fast as I'd like. I've used a good amount of epsom salt and Espoma Garden Tone without much of a boost. Also added myco and kelp blast at the start of the season. I'll probably reuse the mix next year but add a bunch of soil I trust and some compost.

Edit: btw, if you can get that bed built, your back will thank you. The one at my last house was about 3 feet tall... Was awesome to not have to bend over

 

[MikeUSMC]

btw, if you can get that bed built, your back will thank you. The one at my last house was about 3 feet tall... Was awesome to not have to bend over

Yeah, you ain't kiddin' bro. I'm still having a rough time getting my own socks on

I made 5:1:1 for the first time this year.....plants aren't doing terrific in it. I think it's either too acidic because of the peat, or nutrient deficient due to the lack of "soil". I've used a good amount of epsom salt and Espoma Garden Tone.....Also added myco and kelp blast.....

That sucks, man. I'm sorry to hear that. I absolutely swear by that mix. Drains fast with lots of aeration (although it does dry out quickly). As far as I know, 5:1:1 is inert so you really need to depend on synthetic ferts.

The mix I use is:
-a 2cu ft bag of pine bark fines/mulch/nuggets, sapwood screened out, aim for minimum particle size of 1/4"
-4 to 5 gallons sphagnum peat moss
-4 to 5 gallons perlite
-1 1/2 cups dolomitic lime
-2 to 3 cups of granular CRFs (usually Osmocote 14-14-14)

That's it, dude. Nothing else. No kelp, seaweed, fish emulsion, bone/blood meal, kelp, myco, epsom salt, compost, tea, Bolivian unicorn tears Nothing. Else. At. All.

Once they get to be about a foot tall, that's when I'll start hitting them with a full dose of water soluble ferts weekly. I have no clue what my water or soil pH is either. Never had an issue so I've never bothered to check, haha

The last few years I've used DynaGro, but this year I'm trying CNS17 (3-1-2) because it's less than 1/2 the price, plus has all the micro/macro nutes and calcium and magnesium. I've found that DynaGro tends to have a calcium "clumping" issue in their containers too (binds up into big chunks at the bottom). Supposedly, CNS17 doesn't have this issue. Time will tell, I guess

 

[Bhuter]

I'm very interested to see how CNS17 works, as well. This is my first year trying fish and, even though the tomatoes are rockin', the peppers are lacking and lagging. Maybe it's because mine are in-ground and not in containers?? Who knows.

 

[stettoman]

I too like your 5 gallon bucket grow, Mike. Being a paint contractor I have about 200 buckets with nothing to do around here beyond catching rain.
 
Have you considered hanging those buckets with the plant coming out the bottom? I see more and more of that around here, especially with tomatoes, but the peppers I've seen look pretty happy too.
 
Really nice, well ordered grow!

 

[SavinaRed]

Thanks Chewi! Here's some pics of all the different Bonnets I grew last year:

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For flavor, the TFM has gotta be my favorite. I tried getting the P. Dreadie onto my list this year, but just couldn't get them to germinate. There's always next year, right?

Great pics and just a quick question how did the Choc SB taste compare to peppers such as the Jamaican HC and the Choc Habs ?

 

[Devv]

Been a while, so I guess I'm overdue for an update

Tomato plants are going bonkers, but one is having some BER issues

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2 Numex Twilight plants out front. One with 850 Belingrath Gardens volunteers popping up. I left them in there because I thought it'd look cool, but now I think the Twilight is competing pretty hard for nutes and water. It hasn't grown much lately, haha

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MA Peach SB

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Aji Mango (flowering, but no pods yet)

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Cappuccino SB

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Tobago SB

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Chocolate Bhutlah (DM)

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Nagabon

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Chocolate SB

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"Mammoth Jalapeño" (thanks, Home Cheapo! Grrrrrrrr.....)

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Scotch Brain. I'm hoping the pheno gets a little better later on

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Orange Blob, putting out 3 different pod shapes so far (same plant), but these are the first pods of the year

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Chocolate SBs (right) seem to be outperforming my Douglahs (left) this year. These are my 4 main "sauce plants"

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Group shot

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Also, something's been eating the fruits off my Poblanos (pretty sure it's rabbits). I had two HUGE pods on there and they were both ripped right off the stem, with the calyx still attached to the node. I found one on the ground with a lot of bite marks in it, but the other one completely disappeared. Whatever it is sure as hell doesn't like Nagabons though, haha! Found one in the dirt with a bite mark taken out of it, but they decided to leave it there

Thanks for looking, everybody

 
looks good from here Mike!
 
Lots of sweet looking pods
 
BER tomato solution: 1tsp of calmag per gallon of water applied 2 times a week via foilar application, early in the day. It works, or I would lose 50% or more of my maters. Canned 100 quarts last season, lost 5 or 10 maters to BER.
 
Edit: saw those xrays.....no fun there! I've been running from that sh!t for close to 30 years...long story. Get well!
 

 

[moruga welder]

Great grow Mike !   Sending good vibes on your back !  

 

[MikeUSMC]

I too like your 5 gallon bucket grow, Mike. Have you considered hanging those buckets with the plant coming out the bottom?
 
Really nice, well ordered grow!

 Thanks Eric! Nah, never even crossed my mind. I've heard of it being done with tomatoes and strawberries, but not peppers. That's a first for me, haha! I don't see why it wouldn't work though, I guess (?)

BER tomato solution: 1tsp of calmag per gallon of water applied 2 times a week via foilar application, early in the day. It works, or I would lose 50% or more of my maters. Canned 100 quarts last season, lost 5 or 10 maters to BER.
 
Edit: saw those xrays.....no fun there! I've been running from that sh!t for close to 30 years...long story. Get well!

Thanks for the tip, Devv! Good luck with your back too, brother. Believe me I feel your pain! Mine's from a 30' fall at work, back in 2010, finally caught up with me. No other choice

Great pics and just a quick question how did the Choc SB taste compare to peppers such as the Jamaican HC and the Choc Habs ?

Thanks SavinaRed! Hmmmm..... it's been a few years since I've had any of those other varieties, plus I've only eaten like 2 or 3 of each pod. Back in 2015, The NorthEast ChileMan sent me a SFRB of assorted brown pods when he did a strictly "Chocolate" grow that year. Anyway, going from memory, I'd say:

Chocolate Hab: I found to taste outright nasty. Slight smoky taste (which I really like), but with a nasty, overly bitter, green Bell pepper aftertaste, and I don't mind green Bells at all. Maybe it was just a fluke pod (?). I dunno. My initial impression wasn't a very good one though. Super bitter (almost acidic) aftertaste

Jamaican Hot Chocolate: I remember liking these quite a bit. I remember them being sweet upfront (until the heat kicked in), with smoky
undertones on the back end. I think I also remember them being very juicy as well, probably indicating thicker walls than the Choc Hab

Chocolate Scotch Bonnet: (disclaimer: I've ONLY had the strain from CCN, so keep that in mind) To me, and I know taste and heat are subjective, these are pretty damn close to Jamaican Hot Chocolate pods, but better. Just as juicy, maybe a little less sweet (but it's still there), nice and smoky, but hotter than the JHC. I think these can get close to 500,000 SHU. Definitely hotter than a standard Bonnet, but the heat (to me) isn't completely overwhelming. Very nice long, lingering mouth burn that travels down into the chest a little. Sweat on the brow, and kinda warms you up all over, ya know? Hope that helps a little, man

Boy, now I'm dying for ripe Chocolate Bonnets!

Great grow Mike !   Sending good vibes on your back !

Thanks Frank! Getting a little better every day, I guess. Got my "Bone Stimulator" a few weeks back. They replaced 2 of my discs with spacers that have bone graft material in them. Eventually those 3 vertebrae (L4, L5, and S1) will all become "one" long bone. I strap this bad boy on for 1/2 an hour each morning, and let it do it's thing. Silent, and I don't feel anything. I guess it sends some kind of radio waves through the bones or something

So, if you guys see me posting here a lot throughout the day, it's not because I'm a lazy bum who just doesn't work I'll probably be out until the wintertime, I'm guessing (?)

 

[stickman]

Sorry to hear your back is bothering you... It's a pretty common complaint in your trade. My Dad was a fabricator, and he ruptured a disc when he was 30.
Chocolate Chinense varieties are definitely not as sweet and/or fruity as the others and some are quite bitter. Smoking them with Cherry wood helps improve the flavor some, and they make good sauces if you add lots of fruit. I made a good one with Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic, smoked Douglahs... And to add a touch of fruit and sweetness I also added Maple sugar and Blueberries.
Keep 'em rolling!

Sent from my LGL44VL using Tapatalk

 

[Superhot Sim]

Rolling along nicely Mike and picking up speed , plants look steller buddy, your like me i had to look for ages to find the Aji mango pods , did not expect them to grow skywards
 
your Daisy cutter is bang on the money and a great pheno , good growing my man.
 
Keep up the physio advice mate they will get you fighting fit in next to no tiime.
 
Your soon be picking pods Mike , keep up your good work.

 

[Trident chilli]

Ok so what little b#gger is eating toms ... time to dig in on the back porch with your pellet gun or send out a fighting patrol this evening ... you could always drop the Daisy Cutter on it/them

 

[MikeUSMC]

you could always drop the Daisy Cutter on it/them

Sounds like a plan, John!

 

[MikeUSMC]

Not too much to update around here. Lots of green pods; none ripe. Still having critter problems with the tomato plants. At first I thought it was a rabbit, now I'm thinking it's something taller like a woodchuck or groundhog. I'm not ruling out deer 100%, but my backyard is fenced in, and this particular tomato was literally on the "back" side of the plant about a foot away from the fence

I found this this morning. This tomato (on the plant) is probably close to 2 feet off the ground. That's why I'm thinking it's something taller than a rabbit

The only color I have in the garden so far is from my Numex Twilight plants
Here's one

I promise there's another one in here, haha! Can you see it trying to peek its head out? It's buried in volunteer Belingrath Gardens plants. I never thought they'd get as big as they're getting. I'd just assumed the Twilight would've hogged all the nutes, but I guess I was wrong. Might be time to thin the herd

Here's the same plant(s) on June 29

Hopefully I'll be getting some ripe pods soon; I'll have a better update

 

[tctenten]

Do you have chipmunks?