• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

Misting System Success Stories?

Eephus Man

Eephus Man

Anyone in two-season grow areas ever try misting systems with their peppers? Tomatoes are sure to spontaneously combust under such conditions, but my hunch is that peppers (if you don't scald the leaves) might do okay.

My summer doldrums just kill me every year. My production slows to almost nothing.

I'm trying to control for that where possible in pots this year.

Thoughts on whether it might be worth it?
 
Just wondering how well a misting system will work in Austin. I remember summer school at A&M, outside was not an option if you wanted to be comfortable. Seems like when you would need it most in Austin, is also when it is like 80% humidity. It's been a long time and I admit I was a humidity wimp back then but I thought I would ask. Also, have you already tried just erecting a shade cloth. FWIW Here in El Paso with 20% humidity the misting systems work great except for our hard water kills them after just a season or two. I hope someone in a similar climate to Austin chimes in, I am curious if they will work for you. I have the same problem here, June is 100+ and 15% humidity every day and the plants slow to a crawl for me.

AJ has great success growing in Dallas. He grows in full sun and no shade. He would be a great person to ask. I have been told by several of the local chile farmers in our area that in order to grow in the high heat you have to water a little bit several times a day. That is for green chile though, not sure if it will work for our SuperHots or you in 75% humidity. I may try that this year on one row of plants. Most of the advice here on THP that I have read says never water in the heat of mid day. Good luck
 
I tried a cheap misting system in my greenhouse but its already humid enough to start with there, and the misters barely lowered the temps enough to notice. I just stick with my shade cloth and fans/blowers now
 
Eephus Man said:
Thoughts on whether it might be worth it?
Click to expand...

we will find out this coming year...going to put up 30% shade cloth with a misting system for about 100 plants to find out if the plants will continue to thrive in 100+ temps here in Fort Worth...each year, I completely lose July/August production because of the heat...first thing that happens is the pollen becomes sterile, then pollen production stops completely...once the cool down comes in September, pollen starts to reappear...although sterile at first, it becomes viable after about 10 days of coolness...hopefully the shade cloth and misting system will help out during the July/August heat...


Beaglestorm said:
AJ has great success growing in Dallas. He grows in full sun and no shade. He would be a great person to ask. I have been told by several of the local chile farmers in our area that in order to grow in the high heat you have to water a little bit several times a day. That is for green chile though, not sure if it will work for our SuperHots or you in 75% humidity. I may try that this year on one row of plants. Most of the advice here on THP that I have read says never water in the heat of mid day. Good luck
Click to expand...

I do NOT live in Dallas...I DO live in Fort Worth...we Fort Worthians have a saying...Life is too short to live in Dallas and I take it a step further and say Life is too short to GO to Dallas...(inside joke up here)

Back on subject...as I said above, I lose July/August like you do down there...so I am going to try what I typed above this coming year...shouldn't be too costly...hopefully anyway...

Watering multiple times a day during the extreme July/August heat...I am so grateful I put in my drip fertigation system this year...not only did it save me about 3 hours a day because of hand watering, I was able to control exactly how much water each plant got...I watered 3 times a day...0500, 1200, and 1900, each time giving each plant one pint of water...

If you grow in containers, the main thing you have to watch when watering in the summer time is Root Rot...3 years ago, I lost about 75 plants to root rot...I only lost 2 or 3 this year out of 350...

Improving the growing conditions for my plants each year is a goal I set when I first started growing peppers...so far, I think I have been successful, and I have learned so much from this forum over the past three years...you can read and read and read and learn and learn and learn and learn, BUT, you have to put into practice what you have read and learned...it should be a goal of all pepper gardeners to hone their skills year to year...I have not made drastic changes all at once but have tried to eliminate one mistake each year...there is always something that can be improved...

sorry to ramble here folks...just got carried away..
 
Thanks, AJ. Will be very to eager to hear of your results. I'm just tired of fighting summers at the same time I'm thankful I still have live plants outside right now. Double-edged.

And...yeah, I feel about Dallas much like Jimmy Dale Gilmore did back in '72. That song fits the city like a glove :). Dallas' 'LA Freeway', if you will, but more poetic.
 
good one Willard....roflmao
 
havent' bought the misting system yet...will buy drip irrigation tube and the misters this spring after plantout...
 
Ok I'm a first time grower and this post was news to me :shocked:

It gets pretty hot where I am and it's summer right now so what is the actual ideal growing temp for Chilie plants? We get some 40 C days here (104 F). Is that too hot for good pod production?

I have read that chilies need full sun but I put up shade cloth for protection for the young ones until they get big enough. After reading this post should it stay up for all summer?
 
megamoo said:
Ok I'm a first time grower and this post was news to me :shocked:

It gets pretty hot where I am and it's summer right now so what is the actual ideal growing temp for Chilie plants? We get some 40 C days here (104 F). Is that too hot for good pod production?

I have read that chilies need full sun but I put up shade cloth for protection for the young ones until they get big enough. After reading this post should it stay up for all summer?
Click to expand...

My personal experience is:

1. 40C is WAY too hot for good pod production. For some varieties, the plants can barely handle that if you don't babysit them.

2. And I'd say that shade cloth can't hurt in the longest and hottest days. 'Full sun' instructions come from seed company packets prepared by Yankees. ;)

Seriously, though, my best (and latest) tomato and pepper plant production almost always come from plants shaded from the sun after 1 or 2pm in the summer.
 
megamoo...your best bet is to check with tony or billyboy or hippy @ THSC and see how your other down under mates do it...
 
How long would one run the mister? If it was nearly constant (to keep the temps cooler) wouldn't that be an incubator for fungus and/or mosquitoes, or do you all not have them (mosquitoes) in your area? Last summer, and it bone dry after July, I had to cover myself in Deep Woods Off if I planned on spending more than a few minutes in the garden.

Also, is BER a problem for some peppers?

It'll be interesting to see how you all do with it.

Mike
 
wordwiz said:
How long would one run the mister? If it was nearly constant (to keep the temps cooler) wouldn't that be an incubator for fungus and/or mosquitoes, or do you all not have them (mosquitoes) in your area? Last summer, and it bone dry after July, I had to cover myself in Deep Woods Off if I planned on spending more than a few minutes in the garden.

Also, is BER a problem for some peppers?

It'll be interesting to see how you all do with it.

Mike
Click to expand...


you don't run it all the time...just the peak heat of the day...usually between 2:30 and 5:30...but in July/August, I may try and keep the temp below 95F...its hot here at 104F and 40-50% humitidy...I don't have to worry bout mosquitos here...we are a long way from water and almost all of our neighbors are aware that standing water breeds mosquitos...

I know this is a double edged sword, but will be very aware of warning signs...

Here is a bit of trivia I learned when I was Wildlife Management school back in the late 70s...

Mosquitos lay their eggs above the water line...and their eggs are viable for 7 years out of the water...meaning...the wettest year in the next 7 will be the worse for mosquitos...
 
so you plan on useing your existing drip system and just add misters here and there? what PSI do you think you will achieve?

i just had a quick look at barbed misters you could use with normal black irrigation hose, and they recommend 30-40psi.


edit: typo
 
queequeg152 said:
so you plan on useing your existing drip system and just add misters here and there? what PSI do you think you will achieve?

i just had a quick look at barbed misters you could use with normal black irrigation hose, and they recommend 30-40psi.


edit: typo
Click to expand...

no...will install a new system under the shade cloth structure...mind you it is just a "blueprint in my mind right now"...haven't had time to firm up the design yet...I got about 7 months before I will need it...
 
AJ,

I played with learning misters earlier this year, with the idea of using them as part of an aeroponic grow. Some findings: buying "Patio Misters," the kind that come preassembled and hook to a garden hose can become expensive - ~$1-1.50 per linear foot. One can buy fittings that connect to PVC piping - more expensive - ~2.50 per foot (assuming you have a mister every foot). But, if you buy a drill bit and one to drill thread in the PVC, not very expensive at all. Maybe 25¢ per mister.

But... finding a pump to power them, especially if you have more than a dozen - that gets expensive. If I was going to do it, I would simply hook it up to a garden hose.

Mike
 
i use these misters in my setup.
http://cloudtops.com/misting_systems_misting_nozzles/mistingnozzles.php
the red ones... no problems yet to speak of, they come with a built in screen to collect debris.
they also come in a check valved model to cut down on drips.

as far as a pump goes... if you even choose to get one. id look on ebay for an old RO booster pump... i use an 8800 aquatec. with an 1/16" allen i turned it up to 140 psi could easily push like 48 of these misters at once.
 
megamoo said:
Ok I'm a first time grower and this post was news to me :shocked:

It gets pretty hot where I am and it's summer right now so what is the actual ideal growing temp for Chilie plants? We get some 40 C days here (104 F). Is that too hot for good pod production?

I have read that chilies need full sun but I put up shade cloth for protection for the young ones until they get big enough. After reading this post should it stay up for all summer?
Click to expand...


Megamoo, I have found that orange habs, caribbean reds and red savinas thrive in our hot sun but the superhots including bhuts, 7 pods and scorps all like to be shaded from the sun from about 11am to about 3pm. It is pretty hard to cool them enough in our extreme summer temps for pod production but as long as you have a healthy plant as soon as the autumn cooler weather kicks in so does pod production. So grow them early , keep them healthy and happy and shaded during our hot days and sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labours in the autumn and early winter.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top