Thanks for the very entertaining videos Blaze... I have really enjoyed watching them. I think your regular and consistent updates will be very beneficial to growers with less experience, so thank you for your contribution. However, one of the things I thought would make the series more useful is if you included more details about your process.
Comments:
- It stood out to me that you call your ajis "aw-jees." It surprised me since you mention in one of the videos that you work with several pepper-growing Mexicans. Aji is Spanish for "chili." In Spanish, the "J" is pronounced like the "H" is pronounced in English, so Aji is pronounced "aw-hee"
- You asked about your early blossoms. Peppers produce blossoms when under stress (maybe the result of your pesticide treatment that is effecting some of your plants, or other conditions), but also, many of those plants will produce blossoms that never come to fruition on their initial round or two of flowers. Totally normal behavior. I wouldn't expect pods from the first set of flowers or two.
- Scrufy has a great suggestion about how to use your peppers. Pods come in batches, and most of us like to have access to piquance year-round despite the fact that pods have a very limited shelf-life. For those pods you are not able to enjoy fresh, I think drying and powdering them is the best way to go. I disagree with his suggestion of de-seeding the pods before you powder them though. The seeds actually contain no capsaicin, the capsaicin protein is primarily expressed by the uterus aspect of the plant, which is the spongy material in the center of the pod. However, due to anatomical proximity, the seeds are often coated with a great deal of capsaicin. If piquance is a desirable outcome, you should not de-seed the chilies before powdering them because you risk substantially reducing the pungency of the final product by doing so. I use a simple, cheap, hand-held electric coffee grinder (available for $10-20 at most retail outlets) to make powders. It will macerate the pods, seeds and all, into a fine, consistent powder suitable for cooking and seasoning.
It seems like your plants are enjoying vegetative growth about 50% greater than my own. It's not surprising to me, since it seems like you are a professional horticulturist (not to mention I have been struggling with a nasty spider mite infestation this season), so I'd like to know some more details about your grow-op.
- Light cycle (time, intensity, wavelength)
- Soil composition
- Feeding schedule (how much of what, when, and how often)
- Ventilation (I've heard you got some nice air movement in that joint)
- Approach to pest control (as I alluded to, any specific recommendations on how to combat spider mites would be particularly appreciated)
- What do you plan to do with the plants eventually? Will you be setting them in the ground, or just staying in containers?
Finally, what sort of company do you work for that specializes in growing ornamental peppers and hops?
Sorry... not trying to ask you to write a dissertation on how to grow peppers. I just thought they were great videos, and I think they would be useful on top of being entertaining if you provided some details on just how you are doing it.
Best of luck on the remainder of your first super hot season, you're doing a great job and I'm sure you'll have an incredibly fruitful season. And if you have any need for any more seeds next season, I'd be happy to help you out (at last count, I have 65 different varieties going this season
)
