Need some advice!

HydroFyre

HydroFyre

Hey Guys,
I have a large indoor garden in my home and have been interested in growing hot peppers in it for some time now! I am a total beginner to peppers. Right now we have a few green chile growing just to get an idea of what I can expect from these kinds of plants. 
 
My question is this. What are some of the best peppers to start off with? Which strains tend to be hard to mess up?
 
I bought a few packs of random pepper seeds from a local nursery. I had alot of trouble seeing as the seeds took like 3 weeks to germ. Ended up having mold problems. I am looking to keep trying and would love any kind of guidance from all of you "Pepper Heads"
 
Haha I really love that term.
 
Thanks :)
 
Well that is a loaded question... the real answer is to plant what do you like..  mild to super hot... there are hundreds of varieties out there and all have different  qualities.. for mild i would suggest a jalapeno or manzano.. above that in heat i have had great luck with habeneros.. and there are a bunch of varieties of those... above that in heat is the fatallis or douglas.. great heat good flavor.. next try the ghost peppers.. or bhut jolokia.. also hotter but still good flavor. the top of my tasting is the butch t and the trinidad moruga scorpian.. hotter than hell but good flavor till the heat kicks in. If you have room for all or some of those give em a go. the super hots take much longer to germinate.
 
If i were you i would do a couple of each and see what works best with your setup. it would also allow you to sample each variety..
 
just my 2 cents...
 
I have a Thai Dragon in a small flower pot that produces all year (after it's first blooming) and is on it's 3rd year.
Nothing I have tried has killed it.
Tastes exactly like a fresher version of the little red peppers you find in hot chinese food.
But as you have a large garden, try a few of each of the 3 (or 4)main subspecis of capsicum.
 
Harvest time, and sales are going on everywhere. (Check the vendors list). Maybe buy a mixed box or 3 and plant the seeds out of the ones you like.
A bit of hit and miss, as most or all will be open pollinated and may end up with a cross or 2, but it's all good.
 
You can always start with jalapeños everyone likes them. For super hots you can start with some bhut jolokia there not the hottest but have great heat and flavor.
 
If its your first year, grow Trinidad perfumes for mild. They are around 500 to 1000 Scoville, the hottest I had was a mutant plant at around 4000. That puts them at half a jalapeno at hottest. For superhots grow a bhut jolokia or sunrise scorpion, maybe a fatali. Nothing that gets above 900k scovilles average until you get used to the taste of c18h27n1o3(can't spell the chemical's name) chemicals inside the pepper. 
 
Thanks for all the suggestions guys!
 
I was more looking for the easiest strains for the growing side of it. I have eaten a whole fresh TMS and it taught me my lesson lol.
 
The purpose for me growing these plants is 
1. I think they look beautiful
2. Peppers are in my blood being born in Arizona, living in Florida, and now opening up a company in Albuquerque.
3. In about a month I will be opening my hydro store. Most of these peppers will be grown in displays in the store itself.
 
Thanks again!

I guess you can say im looking for the visually most appealing plants. Short, Symetrical, Good producer, quick growth, easy to manage, etc.
 
TNMCPI is a great resource for good looking plants. If you want more general advice, get annuums. They tend to grow fast and many strains are great producers. In addition to that, most people recognize annuums more readily than bacatuums or chinenses. Jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, poblano are all annuums and are all great choices for DWC.
 
Lots of strains can take 3 weeks to germinate, just plan that into their growth schedule and try to keep them between roughly 75F to 90F temperature.
 
Mold is generally from too much surface moisture.  Try to water deeper and less often, and a low volume fan, just enough to keep air moving, helps a LOT.  If you are covering pots with plastic wrap to retain moisture, or have a lid over everything, try to avoid doing so if possible.
 
Mold is also more likely to grow if you use peat pots.  Mist any mold with a solution of 1:10 ratio OTC hydrogen peroxide to water in a spray bottle.
 
Growing and managing different strains is not all that different, pick what you like the taste of.  Personally I won't grow anything tiny like white habaneros because they're too much of a pain to pick and process.
 
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