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More questions from a new guy.....(Picture update Week 9)

J

JayC

Ok, so some more indigestion from Jay...
Just some question that have been bugging me. I did get a lot of helpful answers from my other thread and have come to terms with my edema. I just seek more knowledge....so here goes.
At any point will the foliage on my plants be to heavy for the size they are (sagging leaves)? Should I trim lower leaves that may not be getting light?
My plants are about one month old. My light schedule is 15 hours on 9 hours off is this in the correct neighborhood?
Everything appears to be green with some minor shriveling. My potting medium was just some miracle garden mix is there anything else I should be adding? 
Here some some updated pictures of my TMS peppers. Maybe give me a bit of a critique?
There are lots of large holes in the bottom of the buckets for drainage but the soil seems to keep moist for over a week before i need watering. I have other pepper seed I plan to start soon, maybe I should user a lighter growing medium?
Just tell me to stfu noob if I am being an idiot about all this.....
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Here are some of my backup plants overly small pots.I plan to move them into 5gal buckets this weekend.
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And this last one was a bit small due to my two year old helping me re-pot and having a small accident. But he is bouncing back.
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with less heat and no wind indoors it's common for the lengthy period of the soil staying wet.  You can add a fan that will help with that, and toughening up the plants. Water less, but more more frequently if needed.  Also, since it helps dry the soil it lowers the odds of getting a mold growing on your soil and/or damping off issues. 
 
If you're still having a warm day here and there in Maryland and you can, open a window once in a while to get some fresh air rolling through

if anything is done to the medium I'd just add some more perlite
 
You can add some perlite to your mix if you want. Make sure you sure have a fan going for your plants. You can add rocks to the bottom of your pots before transplanting, this will help with the drainage, If adding Perlite, using a fan or fans, and potting rocks in the bottom of your pots doesnt work or sound good to you, then I suggest you switch growing mediums to something lighter. Hope this helps
 
Hold off on the waterings. My seedlings were looking like crap til I got advice on here, held back on watering now they're doing great again.
 
Maybe I'm just concerned that for the first 30 days they grew like a weed and now I got nothing over the last week or so......
The plant itself seems to be having an issue supporting the large leaves and the stem is not getting any thicker or hardening up. Still kinda spongy....
Being new I automatically assume that it because I don't know what I'm doing......
 
A few things....
 
You say the soil is some "miracle garden mix" - if the packaging said garden soil and not potting soil, you're using the wrong medium. Yes, potting soil is mixed for better drainage, and is lighter than garden soil. 
 
Your plants are still small - don't worry about trimming leaves off at this point, unless they start showing signs of infection or something like fungus.
 
Could just be the pics and lighting, but it does seem that some of the upper leaves are yellowing. This is most often caused by overwatering. Changing out the soil might be sufficient if you are only watering once a week.
 
Some of your plants also seem to be exhibiting early signs of fertilizer burn - what might be described as puckering of the leaves or what you described as shriveling (pepper leaves that are healthy are relatively smooth and flat. Not 100% so, but relative to what I'm seeing.) If your garden mix came with fertilizer mixed into it, it may be too strong for your plants at this age. Also, if you're fertilizing in addition to what's in the mix, you should back off for a while. 
 
Yes, as said by others, get a fan on them. This will help reduce hardening off time if you are going to move them outdoors at some point, and will also help prevent damping off (a soil fungus.) 
 
Your light schedule is fine. Some people keep light on their plants 24/7. I believe we should try to mimic nature up to a point, though, and give them a period of rest each night. I certainly know people (like me...) and animals do better with a period of rest, so it makes sense that other living things need rest, too.
 
Glad you're getting the edema under control!

Just read your most recent statement "The plant itself seems to be having an issue supporting the large leaves and the stem is not getting any thicker or hardening up. Still kinda spongy..." Sounds like your plants might have damping off starting. The first evidence of damping off is often a soft spot on the stem at the soil line. It's really a soil fungus, and is very common when the soil remains wet too long. Stake up your plants for support, scrape off the top of the soil and mist the top of the soil with hydrogen peroxide to help kill off the fungus. If you're going to repot using potting soil, you won't need to scrape the surface, but go ahead and use hydrogen peroxide for several days to ensure any fungus that's on the stems gets eradicated. Getting a fan on your plants will help dry out the top layer of the soil and so help kill of the fungus, too. Additionally, if you can, bottom-water to ensure the top surface of the soil doesn't get wet in the first place. 
 
Add perlite as others suggested. I now also use a fan and try to keep the top layer of soil dry to prevent damping off and fungus gnats finding interest in my pots.

Potting mix and garden mixes are different products. I use a potting mix with added fertilizer and other crap in it. My seedlings are still tiny so I didn't add perliteu til they get a little bigger to be potted up.

Try watering from the bottom and keep a fan on them when ever possible. The more they shake and dance the more they will need to strengthen up. Its like you going gym and lifting a weight. Your body will keep building it self up until it can handle the weight.

Your plants look great otherwise. You're doing well.
 
Wow thanks for all the tips! I got a fan on them tonight. Its a large fan but i put it a good distance away from them in my large shop so that they get a slight breeze. I don't see any kind of growth on the top layer of soil or the plants themselves but I guess that doesn't mean there is something going in there. I'm going to let them dry out pretty good, and have no plans for any kind of fertilizer until they are much larger. When I get a chance I'll have to see what the bag of soil said on it. Its in the back of my truck....not that it matters much now. I'll update when I have some changes for better or worse I guess....

OK it was kill'n me so I went out and checked,  it was Miracle grow potting mix....so it looks like I might not be so bad off.
 
Ok, I'm under the impression that Miracle Grow remixed its potting soils this year - several members have mentioned they're getting fert burn from it. Don't add your own ferts until the plants get more mature. Note that potting mixes typically come with perlite already mixed in. You may add more if needed, of course, but I'd suggest you give the fan a chance first. 
 
Leaves will never get to heavy, the plant drops them before this becomes an issue. Depending on temperature, I would put some sort of heater over them to avoid cooling issues from the fan. Watering less would definitely help, for example a barrackpore that I have is bouncing back now that I water less(for images on how much, check my other threads). Next time you re-pot into miracle grow, flush the soil out with water next time they get watered to get rid of some of the extra fertilizers. Peppers like heat, so like I said earlier, get some heater or something to make up for the fan cooling them off. I put my seedlings on top of the grow lights in winter, they should get enough light if you rotate them out from being on top of to under the lights every other day.
 
I got the fan going last night but put it on a timer this morning before work. Since its not to cold yet I just put a portable oil filled heater in the the shop on the lowest setting. The place is insulated with R32 all around and heats and cools with the season very easily. The fan blows over the heater and in the general direction of the plants (just warm..not hot). It's kind of hard to say but I think they look better already. My edema is all but non existent and the top of the soil has dried up nicely! The fan kicks on and off a few hours apart during the day to give them a break. It might just be in my head or it could be the air movement but the leaves look higher to me and not so droopy. Thanks everyone!
I'll keep doing what I'm doing and update if anything changes. I will be adding another light fixture this weekend to accommodate more plants. .....this is very addicting...
 
You can actually ramp up light an air to 24/7 as long as you give the plants some time to adjust. Peppers are pretty friggin' sturdy if a bit brittle and they'll take all the light and CO2 you throw at 'em. I have a small (~4" diameter) desk fan placed inside my grow closet aimed at my plants 24/7. It's low enough where it doesn't bend any leaves or stems, and it keeps fresh anabolic material a'flowin'! Best of luck to you with your plants. They look great!
 
Looking great and all the advice in here is spot on.

Are they only I side under the lights? If so I wouldn't worry so much about the leaves being kinda wrinkled like in the last picture. All my Trinidads did that when they were only under lights. Once outside the leaves flattened out.
 
Well these guys will have till spring before they go outside. I'm adding more lights tomorrow I hope its enough to keep them happy through the winter. 
What temperature should I keep my garage at the lowest. I don't mind keeping the heat on I just don't want to kill the electric if it doesn't have to be crazy warm in there.
 
I don't have any pictures but my little plants are growing like crazy! I had to build a different rig to hold my light and I added an other fixture. I'll be getting two more tomorrow or Friday. From October 19th they have grown about 12". I did get a little yellowing after I used some fish ferts on my once ever two week water schedule. But they look to be recovering. I have TONS of flowers but nothing else showing up yet....I have a fan on when I'm home from about 6 to 12...is that not enough time. How else can I help to get things moving along? The anticipation of seeing a pod forum is killing me!
Total plant height is just over 24" now...
 
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