MrSpiffy 2020 Glog

Well...  I'm late to the party, and have almost no plan.  But, here goes my grow log for 2020.
 
I just planted seeds today.  (I know...  as I said, I'm late to the party.)  Varieties include:

• Red habanero (one of my all-time favorites)
• Dragon's Tongue cayenne
• Aji Pineapple
• Aji Mango
• Aji Rainforest

I was recently the lucky beneficiary of a huge variety of seeds on another forum.  A user offered free seeds, we conversed, I said I like sweet and fruity hot peppers, I sent a few bucks for postage, and I got 36 varietals at my doorstep!  I picked out a few from my new cache.  The only ones I've grown previously are the red habaneros.
 
I grow in pots on my porch.  The last few seasons have been just miserable.  I had aphids one year, and I've had odd blistering on my peppers and cherry tomatoes, with leaves eventually turning yellow and dropping off.  I'm guessing I'm either over-feeding, over-watering, or they're just spending too much time in direct sunshine to grow in pots without getting too warm.  I had actually planned to skip growing this year, but this crazy-huge batch of seeds got me motivated to get something growing.  So, this year, I'll move them to the eastern side of my porch, meaning they'll be shaded during the hottest portions of the day.  I'll also try going back to plastic pots, or may even try clay pots.  Hopefully that will help.
 
Obligatory pic of the first planting.
 

 

[PaulG]

Good luck, Spiffy! Better late than never.
 
You should get some good eatin' out of those!

 

[dragonsfire]

Good Luck !

 

[MrSpiffy]

Thanks!  I'm hoping that, since they're not super-hot varieties, they'll sprout and grow fairly quickly.  We'll find out!

 

[Tybo]

Thanks!  I'm hoping that, since they're not super-hot varieties, they'll sprout and grow fairly quickly.  We'll find out!

 
 
I grew Aji Mango's last year and they took a long time to ripen.  You may have better luck!  Hope so.
Good luck this season.

 

[MrSpiffy]

I grew Aji Mango's last year and they took a long time to ripen.  You may have better luck!  Hope so.
Good luck this season.

Looks like Aji varietals are easier to grow, so if nothing else I'll get some good practice with easier peppers this season.  Last year I tried TMS, ghost, and some red habaneros.  The TMS seemed pretty fussy.  This should hopefully be a more forgiving bunch.
 
For late-ripening, we tend to have some longer growing seasons in this area, though weather is all over the place lately.  (Snowed 6" last week, now it's 70°F.)  But, I can bring them inside under a grow light, if necessary.

 

[MrSpiffy]

Looks like Aji varietals ...

Side note:  Guess I should've used the term "cultivar" and not "varietal".  Not only does "varietal" use specifically refer to grapes and wines, but it's singular and not a group.  Cultivar seems a more-appropriate term for cultivated individuals species groups with desirable traits.  (e.g. tasty peppers)
 
No one corrected me (aside from myself).  I was curious and discovered my term was incorrect.  My brain can be strangely nitpicky about terms sometimes...

 

[PaulG]

Folk here are pretty forgiving, Spif!

 

[MrSpiffy]

Folk here are pretty forgiving, Spif!

I know!  Everyone's been very helpful.  It's mostly for my own reference.  As I said, my brain gets nitpicky about details sometimes...  apparently, this is one of those times. 

 

[MrSpiffy]

The first seedling is beginning to curl out of its shell! Hopefully the others aren't far behind.

 

[sirex]

Steer away from the clay pots. They will wick your water. Stick to the plastic or cloth bags.

 

[MrSpiffy]

A few more poking out this morning already.  All from Aji Rainforest.  After work, I plan to set up the T5HO lights.

 

[MrSpiffy]

Currently showing 4 Aji Rainforest seedlings, one that only has a single cotyledon leaf.  Will it survive?  We'll see!  Also just had a single Aji Pineapple pop up.  It's still curled over and hasn't opened up.  Not sure what's up with that, as I've never run into that issue previously.  Hopefully it's just a little bit slow...
 
I stopped in at the local nursery yesterday and also snagged a couple tomato plants and a nice-looking Carolina Reaper plant.
 
Since sprouting some seedlings, I've removed the dome cover to let things breathe a bit.  The soil may have been overly wet, so maybe letting it dry just a touch will help the seedlings sprout.

 

[MrSpiffy]

Couple more sprouts popped up overnight.  I now have 4 Aji Rainforest seedlings, 2 Dragon's Tongue cayenne, 1 Aji Pineapple, and 1 Aji Mango.  Still waiting for my red habaneros to sprout.  The seeds are a couple years old, though, and came from plants that didn't do so well that season.
 
Edit:  I take it back!  Just starting to see a red habanero beginning to peek through the surface!

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

Couple more sprouts popped up overnight.  I now have 4 Aji Rainforest seedlings, 2 Dragon's Tongue cayenne, 1 Aji Pineapple, and 1 Aji Mango.  Still waiting for my red habaneros to sprout.  The seeds are a couple years old, though, and came from plants that didn't do so well that season.
 
Edit:  I take it back!  Just starting to see a red habanero beginning to peek through the surface!

 
Sounds like your younglings taking off! Not trying to put the cart before the horse but have you made progress on pot decisions?
 

Great timing!  I was just starting to research growing peppers again, as I've really struggled trying to grow them in containers on my porch compared to the garden we used to have.
 
Are there any thoughts on cloth pots?  I had originally used some larger pots (probably 6-8 gallon or so), but I ran into issue with my peppers apparently getting hot during the summer months and wilting frequently.  So, I had to water often to help keep the roots cool.  I switched to cloth pots to see if giving the roots more air would help keep them cool, and this seemed to help a little bit, as I could use evaporative cooling all the way around the pot as I watered them on the top and sides.  But, I still struggled with peppers eventually getting yellow leaves that fell off, pods that would get these odd blisters, and a lack of fruit.  Something was stressing these plants, and I have no idea what it is.  So, I'm starting with the pots..
 
I rambled a bunch there... my apologies!
 
So, the questions:  Cloth pots vs plastic pots?  Is watering frequently in either pot to help cool the roots good or bad?  Should I take them out of direct sun during the summer months to water them less?

 

[MrSpiffy]

 
Sounds like your younglings taking off! Not trying to put the cart before the horse but have you made progress on pot decisions?
 

I did!  When I stopped at the nursery, I picked up a handful of black plastic pots and some drip trays to go underneath them.  The pots weren't labeled, but I would estimate they're 5 gallons, based upon the size of previous pots.  I still have a couple pots from a couple seasons ago that I plan to use, and those are 7 gallons, I believe.

 

[MrSpiffy]

Quick update:
 
The Aji Rainforest seedlings are beginning to show their second set of leaves forming.  A second Aji Mango popped up, as did a second red hab.  My second Dragon's Tongue cayenne seedling struggled to get out of the seed and doesn't look great, but we'll see if it survives.
 
Current totals:

• 4x A. Rainforest
• 2x A. Mango
• 1x A. Pineapple
• 2x red habanero
• 2x DT cayenne
• 1x Carolina Reaper
• 1x Gold cherry tomatoes
• 1x San Marzano tomatoes

 

 
(The tomatoes got a touch wilty in the sun, a little water and shade perked them up after the photo was taken.)

 

[MrSpiffy]

Man, I keep forgetting to provide updates on my glog...  I've finally transplated my peppers into separate pots and have gradually moved them outside onto my porch.  They're pushed back a ways so they get some eastern sunshine in the mornings, but by mid-morning they start getting shade.  The sun is so intense here, I won't be surprised if I have to leave them there quite a while until they're bushy enough to cover the exposed soil.
 
Unfortunately, I think my peppers have caught the Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus.  I thought it might be a fungus, but neem oil has done nothing to slow the progress.  And I'm seeing some dark spots appearing on leaves that are turning yellow, along with some of the veins darkening...  It seems there's no cure for this, so I guess I'll have to toss them out.
 
Can peppers catch this virus?  Would it hurt to reuse the soil from the tomato plant to pot my tomatoes as they get larger..?  I'll have to do some research and find out.  I'd hate to toss that much soil.

 

[MrSpiffy]

My Carolina Reapers next to San Marzano tomatoes (which I'll likely lose, per my previous post...).  The reapers got a bit of sunburn earlier, so the leaves have some brown spots.  Otherwise, they seem to be doing fine.

 
Mix of Aji Rainforest, Pineapple, and Mango peppers, as well as red habaneros.

 
Sweetgold cherry tomatoes (also infected... notice the yellowing leaf near the bottom)

 

[ahayastani]

I don't know what disease it is, but it recently killed one of my tomato plants. It infected the lowest set of leaves and slowly climbed upwards until the whole plant had succumbed. Removal of intermediary leaf sets didn't help...