My first "real" indoor grow, unknowns and purple cayenne

Hello.
 
I live in a rather small apartment in the city and have previously had plants by a window in summer. They've all started flowering and the flowers have always dropped and no fruits have ever developed.
 
This glog will be about the couple of unknown plants I initiated in soil, by the window sometime during the middle of this summer. Seeing they'd have no chance to develop properly before fall and 6 hrs of dim daylight per day I started researching how to go about growing them under artificial lighting in a space efficient manner indoors. Also wanted to pick a couple of seeds that were attractive myself, so the glog will also be about those later starters. Finally I was intrigued by this hydro method: https://gabeshydroponics.wordpress.com/2015/06/12/tomatoes-and-chillis-grown-in-hempy-buckets/ and decided it seemed space-effective and not too complicated for a wannabe gardener.
 
2017-10-05, sunshine & soil

 
 
 

 

[chelicerae]

2017-12-22
 
"Soldier on"
 
The transplants continue to grow. When emptying what water is left in the buckets in the tent a host of fallen flowers are included.
-Many leaves are partially yellow so I added some Flora Nova Grow to this week's watering (around half a dose).  
 
-The sole purple cayenne now in soil has fishy looking bottom leaves, something that needs changing?
 
-The Royal Black seedlings were pushing against the ceiling of the small greenhouse and have been put in pots (with soil) and a plastic bag loosely fitted over.
 
If you believe I am getting a continuous flower shower for reasons other than slightly too low RH then please enlighten me! : ) 
 
For what is scheduled to happen next with rh is heavier artillery.
 
May a Merry Youle Befall You All
 

 

[PaulG]

Hey, David.  You have some really nice plants and grow tent!
 
Not to worry about the dropping flowers. My plants
often drop the first flowers because they are not ready to set and
support fruit, yet. Right now, you want to focus on root develop-
ment and healthy vegetative growth.  A little Cal-Mag foliar spray
can sometimes help the overall appearance of a plant, as well as
some Kelp foliar spray every so often. Go easy on the Nitrogen
when they are developing the first 2-3 sets of true leaves. When
leaves turn yellow, I cut them off; they aren't doing the plant any
good.  Make a nice, clean cut a little ways from the stalk, and the
plant will excise the stem and leave a clean end.
 
You are doing a good job - keep it up! 

 

[chelicerae]

2017-12-30/31:
 
The horse aten't dead yet!
 
Hi PaulG and many thanks for your encouraging answer! I suppose root development has lots of potential in a 10l bucket.. for the original transplants are starting to seem like small trees. Cheers for the hint on Nitrogen and regarding yellow leaves. Closer inspection today has verified that there are almost only yellow leaves where the plant is pressing against the mesh cage of the HPS light..so maybe heat damage.
 
A Hace PCMH45 has been added to my apartment and the indoor RH is now a rather steady 60%...there's water droplets forming at the base of every window.. and it is making some noise..but if it is needed for fruit development then it is worth a shot! (Perhaps only time was needed and they would have produced fruit eventually at rh 40% but I figure that this way the chance of it happening should be higher)
 
There's a new transplant in town (tent) - one of the Blacks is now in a bucket, one remains in soil.
 
I will be switching over to this combo http://gb.eurohydro.com/floramato.html as well as the current micronutrient bottle is done (combined with the PH-lowerer as usual). It seems it can do the job for seedlings to full grown trees
 
Here are some documentary shots.
 
I wish everyone a pleasant 2018!
 
 
 
 

 

[chelicerae]

2018-01-07:
 
Hello everyone,
 
current inhabitants in the tent:

• -2 unknown transplants from soil, now in hydro in 10l buckets, have grown alot in a few months. No dead or discolored leaves at the moment, lots of flowers, all falling off either when I attempt to pollinate or on their own. (images 4 and 5 - (10_ and 11_)
• -1 Royal Black (annuum) in a hydro 10l bucket, has been there for a week, coming from soil; phosphorus or potassium issue* although less than sibling, see images
• -1 Royal Black still in soil, phosphorus or potassium issue, see images
• -1 Purple Cayenne in soil, originally in rock wool. Has had dark / purplish bottom leaves for a while, hasn't changed a lot over time. Growing well (image 2 (8_) )

 
-8hrs darkness / 16hrs sunshine, 250W HPS
-Turbo fan blowing up, channel fan with passive intake through mesh in tent, directly hitting parts of the transplants
-Temps are between 21C and 26C night/day
-RH is betwen 49-55% now, when the entire apartment is at 60 thanks to a very large humidifier (can't put one in the tent really as the zipper will probably break from opening and closing twice a day)
 
 
* - from those images it looks more like phosphorus ..though "
"Potassium deficiency can be caused by excessive perspiration of plants, so check humidity in your greenhouse and mist with water if too dry. " - that is rich, give me a break, I'm turning the entire apartment into a rain forest to give these funky plants a chance to thrive
 
-I have watered both royal black with a bit of FloraNova Grow for phosphorus.
 
Found http://thehotpepper.com/topic/44051-humidity/ and maybe * desperate hope * that the two transplants are chinense sp?
 
Lens for today: Jupiter 8 w. close focus adapter
 
 

 

[chelicerae]

2018-01-17:
 
"Some new flowers on the transplants, try to pollinate with a cotton bud, most fall off..the floor of the tent is littered with shrivelled little flowers..fall into the couch, kick back, let "Shards of Love" vibrate through the RX6s"...
 
But sometimes, just sometimes, there's a glimmer!!
 
(I don't think this is the small, red variety I got from a couple of colleagues)
 
 
 

 

[stettoman]

Hey, luck on this indoor grow, I tried something vaguely familiar last winter, which turned into a pretty fair summer for a lot of my plants.
 
I'm probably wrong, but the blossoms on one of your unknown plants looks really familiar to the blossoms on a mystery plant I grew last season. I too tried to pollinate with a Qtip, but if you look close, the flower hasn't yet developed a pollen coat, hence there would be no pollination. Mine began to fully develop as they got more real sun, wound up to be a wonderful chinense called Aji Limo. They are really prolific with a sweet flesh and a nice sharp bite. I really hope that is what you're nurturing, I think you'd love them.
 
...then again, with the thousands of pepper varieties out there, maybe I should go sit over there and wait with everyone else...

 

[chelicerae]

2018-01-30
 
"Micro Nikkor" (55mm f/2,8)
 
 
-I think FloraMato + FloraMicro in different ratios depending on whether soil or hydro and plant lifestage is looking rather good, no noticable dead-leaf problem
 
-The large humidifier keeps all the windows humid on the inside of my apartment but the tent humidity has been between 40 and 70% (for a few hours each night the channel fan is turned off and the rh goes up, up) . Mostly it's around 50%, which is higher than before and this does probably help.
 
-Haven't cross-pollinated via the cotton top but it may have happened with the wind,  I don't know the likelihood.
 
1- The Royal Black in a (small) pot of soil has yet to develop a "Y" shape but it has shown a cluster of purple flowers at the top
2- The Purple Cayenne in a larger pot of soil has produced a few pretty flowers too and when I touch these with a cotton top there's like a small waterfall of pollen; hasn't happened with any of the others' flowers yet
3- A shot of the same fruit as above but in color. They are hard to spot, being as green as the plant stem
4- Some budding fruits I think on the same plant (the more bushy and 'centralized' of the transplants
5- The one fruit of the other transplant (which has developed looong arms; had to prune it some in order to keep it from the ventilation. The transplant fruits do not seem to be of the "small, perky" kind
 
 
Edit. Aji Limo as in "Lemon Drop"?  C. Baccatum? I read about the latter just now, thinking it seemed like a nice variety and maybe it's precisely what you meant : )
 
 

 

[chelicerae]

2018-02-03:
 
"Minolta MC Rokkor 28/2 and a defined list of suspects"
 
 
The first fruit on the bushiest transplant (one of the two unknowns, both of which are in 10l buckets and hydro, I will not use 10l buckets for this nor pots of soil next time) is beginning to show a different color than green.
 
The first fruit on the leggier transplant (the second of the two unknowns) is still green. Both are showing a couple of pods, the pod shapes match the current fruits, which is elongated for the second leggier transplant and squat for the first.
 
Have received the list of species of the mixed seeds the transplants are from, from these the following three are squat and red: 7 pod brain strain, 7 pod barrackpore, Trinidad Scorpion..so they would appear to be Chinense sp. which might partially explain the dead flowers and humidity issue. If the elongated transplant fruit turns yellow it is likely another member of the same list: Devil's Tongue Yellow. I sure hope it doesn't turn red, I wonder how these 1 million scoville things are going to be useful.
 
In contrast to dead flowers the first flower of the Purple Cayenne plant (in soil) looks as if it is podding.
 
One of the images show a creative addon to the shield around the HPS lamp..am not using 10l buckets again as mentioned, I've grown a couple of tropical trees with lethal fruits.
 
 
The last image is of the Purple Cayenne, a rather delicate plant in comparison to the others, it seems..lithe, graceful, pretty...one flowering arm being squashed against the side of the tent by one of the tropical trees..
 
 
 
Edit. The bokeh gets quite funky with the reflective material on the inside of the tent
 
 
 

 

[chelicerae]

2018-02-11:
 
"Chinense"
 
-The two trees are taking over my grow tent and more flowers are forming pods and more ugly little white flowers are appearing everywhere (10L hydro is massive overkill for this tent)
 
-No flowers have aborted on the purple cayenne yet, they seem to be developing into fruit (next grow will be only Annuum I think; don't need superhot and don't need high humidity requirements)
 
-The Royal Black plants have a different structure..less like a Y and more like a single stalk so far with the flowers in clusters
 
-Am not certain when to pick the red 7 pot brain strain or 7 pot barrackpore or whatnow evil ilk it is..when do they tend to fall off? Are they ok to eat then still?
 
 
 
Photos (neutralized the white balance for a few ..the HPS light is very orange):
 

 

[chelicerae]

2018-02-17
 
Close call
 
So far my experience is such that I will likely not use soil again in a similar setup, since a day of getting home too late from work to have much energy can leave them looking very sad. Luckily there's not an immediate extinction event now that they aren't seedlings anymore.
 
The leggier of the transplants, that I was hoping might be Devil's Tongue Yellow is turning red, with shades of brown..it could be Bhut Jolokia Chocolate* as that is the closest on the list I provided above but not if it turns red obviously. What do you think? (First two images)
 
Third image is of the first fruit, on the other transplant. Still believe it to be 7 pot brain strain, would you agree?
 
The two Royal Blacks have started fruiting too, they sure are different plants than the other three.
 
*The transplants can be
Pimente da Neyde, Bhut jolakia chocolate, Trinidad scorpion, 7 pot Barrackpore, Trinidad mortuga scorpion, 7 pot Brain strain, Red demon, Devil's tongue yellow, 7 pot Douglah.
 
 
 

 

[Devv]

I just found and read your whole glog
 
Quite a challenge to attempt this wholly indoors.
 
Good work! You learn as you go!

 

[chelicerae]

Thanks for your comment!
 
Yep, this has been a pretty eventful learning curve so far. Like the other night I noticed that a Tempur pillow I had placed against the window frame in the largest room (the tent is in my bedroom) had grown moldy and there was mold along the wooden frame..this because the rh indoors has been around 50-60% thanks to the large 30l humidifier. "Summer!" I've thought, since without a large humidifier it's around 35% in winter and you need lip balm and there are small flashes when touching the cats, but there's an end to everything, in my case chinense (5 fruit on one of the transplants, 7 on the other, may not get more until perhaps summer if they're still around then) and super humidity in the entire apartment.
 
As for outdoors I have no space. The balcony doesn't receive sunlight more than an hour a day (in summer).
 
The two earth dwellers need water every other day, the three buckets once a week.
 
Next time: Two plants, 5l buckets, same substrate, same GHE nutrients, same lamp if not in summer.

 

[chelicerae]

2018-02-24:
 
No more fruits on the two chinense transplants. If you feel that you know what kind they are from the photos below-  do chime in! i Think the current fruits developed when the inside of the tent was above fifty for around two weeks (+ celcius out and large humidifier in apartment). Am running the small humidifier outside of the passive intake of the tent, getting around rh%40-45.
 
The Purple Cayenne is developing new fruits though.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[chocolatescotchbonnet]

I've had great success with hempy buckets in the past.. was thinking of mixing hempy bucket with top feed hydroponics recirculating buckets. 

 

[chelicerae]

Chocolate: interesting! Can't exactly picture how it would work. Did you start already?
 
2018-03-10:
 
-The earthers are watered every 48hrs, the others once or twice a week.
 
-The Royal Black in earth is smaller than the one in a 5 l hydro bucket..I can however not reach the 5 l RB's flowers very well (experience gained) so I shake that plant gently when I cotton-top the others' plants. Can't even see if that is producing any fruits..the earth one is.
 
-The Purple Cayenne isn't producing a lot of new flowers, most flowers so far however have produced fruit. It's a rather small and spindly plant, in comparison to the rest of the inhabitants..
 
-The left transplant with the red and rather chubby fruits (probably 7 pot brain strain) isn't producing as many fruits as the right transplant. The right transplant (some Bhut I think*) is having a blast or so it seems. 10 fruits or so now and in spite of me having pruned a couple of its arms it is still the domineering presence in the tent.
 
 
(*The only Bhut in the list of seeds I was given was supposed to be chocolate but these go from green to brown to super red)
 
 
 

 

[dragonsfire]

Nice looking fruit
 

 

[AndyW]

Definitely looks like a chocolate bhut. It seems like your indoor grow is going better than my outdoors last year!

 

[chelicerae]

2018-03-14:
 
Acquired a new lens and tried it out. I don't suppose there's a choice of compression level for the files I upload? They become quite artifacty (at least the 7-pot-brain-strain ones for whatever reason ) I understand the need to keep things compact however and one can always link to a photo hosting site.
 
Anyways, first PC fruit to mature.
 
 

 

[KAOS]

I use a program called File Minimizer Pictures.
 
Real easy to use and drops file size without resizing or artifacting (you can change settings though)
 
http://www.balesio.com/fileminimizerpictures/eng/index.php

 

[chelicerae]

Thanks for the suggestion.  I meant mostly what the forum does to uploaded files but it isn't every file, only some. May try linking to Flickr some day : )
 
For today, 2018-03-18, I have a cellphone shot of the first harvest. One of the 7 pot brain strains has been ready for quite some time now..all went into the freezer except for the two purple cayennes. I really like those, perfect amount of heat, slightly fruity taste, slight delay for the heat.