NeedsWork 2016 - Year Two

Trident chilli · Feb 5, 2016

I would be tempted to lower your lighting set up down by half ... this will increase the foot print of light

NeedsWork · Feb 7, 2016

Trident chilli said:
I would be tempted to lower your lighting set up down by half ... this will increase the foot print of light

Thanks for the tip! The early Jalapenos were starting to stretch. I lowered the light and upped output to 1000w. I'll check back tomorrow morning to make sure I didn't overdo it.

1000w MH spectrum

The plants. I over watered on Friday so they aren't very pleased with me.

Marigolds are up.

Biker Billy, Yellow Cayenne and Chocolate Scorpion germinated.

NeedsWork · Feb 10, 2016

Hangijao #5 germed

Ordered a few seeds yesterday:
Thai Culinary
Fatalii
Chili De Arbol
Cayenne Joes Long

OK no more!

One month out on all of these. One reaper isn't doing so hot. He will be replaced once I get more reaper seed from Buckeye Pepper Co.

Babies:

Flat of cleome germinated in six days. There are probably five plants per cell on average. All of the seeds were harvested last year and I had too many beers in me to plant those little (buggers).

Basil, coreopsis and cosmos are all up. And my finger...

72 cells of french marigolds back left. Those are going to be out of control.

NeedsWork · Feb 14, 2016

I had to turn the lights on early due to the cold wave rolling through.

I moved the Biker Billy Jalapenos and a few others to new homes.

I topped the Early Jalapenos and Big Thais. They are going to be monsters by May!

Before:

After:

Space is filling up quickly

NeedsWork · Feb 18, 2016

I had to invest in a fan because temps in the tent were hitting low 90'sF at night. I went with a six inch inline. It's wired through a fan controller (low setting) into a temp sensor. The temp sensor has heat and cool functions. For forty bucks this thing is neat!

It has a grounded outlet for heat and another for cool. You set temp min / max and plug in your goodies. I also moved all of my electronics outside of the grow room as condensation was becoming a concern. They say they are rated for humid environments but i'm OCD.

Most everyone big is five weeks and a day.

Not sure where to put this thing. It's hanging out on an extra hanger right now waiting to suck the hot air out of the room. I probably should move it up toward the ceiling...

NeedsWork · Feb 22, 2016

I'm finally finished with indoor planting!! :dance:

I topped all of the older plants. I let one Butch T get a little too dry and it wilted. Hopefully it recovers. There is hardly room for error under this light.

The Growdown cups and other 'late'

starts.

This is all Cleome that needs to be culled back to 1 plant per cell. I guess the seeds I harvested last year were viable...

chocolatescotchbonnet · Feb 24, 2016

nice grow room!

Freedom89 · Feb 24, 2016

Everything is looking really good. You will have a jungle on your hands in the short future. Good to see the space chillis are up.

NeedsWork · Feb 25, 2016

chocolatescotchbonnet said:
nice grow room!

Thanks! My wife kicked me out of our 'extra' room so... :party:

Freedom89 said:
Everything is looking really good. You will have a jungle on your hands in the short future. Good to see the space chillis are up.

Thanks! Yeah, I'm out of walking room. Watering is going to be fun.

So I have three pages of glogs to read tonight! :dance:

I'll get my update out of the way. Thanks for checking it out!

Sooo yeah... let's start with the green one.

Almost two month old reaper that was topped.

Same goes for the wilted Butch T... it seems to have recovered since my last post.

And this Big Thai. It is going to need to be topped again.

Babies and extras I started for local trades with co-workers.

The free Brain Strain seeds from Buckeye Pepper Co. are up. 100% germ

Baby Bhut for a co-worker

A poor picture of the only overwinter that I have managed to keep alive, a Bhut.

Cleome forest

Second tray of Cleome is up after four days. I may put a few too many seeds per cell.

And we got some snow, this was at 12 noon EST.

cubbieblue82 · Feb 26, 2016

Awesome setup!!

NeedsWork · Feb 27, 2016

cubbieblue82 said:
Awesome setup!!

Thanks!

Roots are poking out of the bottom of the cups so I fed everyone for the first time in a few weeks.

I start with a bucket I found at the local hardware store that has liquid measurement markings. I fill it with 3 gallons (~11.4 liters) of city water with a starting pH of 7. I bring that down to 6 with GH pH down. At this point I am going through ~ 6 gallons (23 liters) of pH adjusted water per week. Thank goodness a little pH down goes a long way.

Then 12 teaspoons (~60 ml) of Grow Big, 12 tablespoons (~180 ml) of Big Bloom and 6 teaspoons (~30 ml) of Kangaroots after the water sat for 6 hours and came up to room temp. I only use Kangaroots once every six weeks or so.

Not pepper related, but the second tray Cleome are really coming up after six days. I can't believe these sell for $4-5 per plant.

They bloom almost all season. They look questionable until they flower. (Shot from last year)

Soon we will be outdoors! (Another shot from last year)

NeedsWork · Mar 3, 2016

Inspired by Coup, I made a video update using my phone. I'm open to suggestions for next week!

Cheers!

NeedsWork · Mar 6, 2016

I moved a dragon cayenne, long red cayenne, hot cayenne and caribbean red hab to 1 gallon (3.8L) containers. I hung a fan to free up some floor space. On the lowest setting it does a great job moving the air around. With the larger containers, there is no more room on the floor of the 4x8 tent.

Edit video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D45IUHoL1E0

NeedsWork · Mar 9, 2016

How to make a salad

NeedsWork · Mar 10, 2016

2016 Glog is two months old today!

The Big Thai was the first to flower after opening the seed packet exactly two months ago. Time to make peppers!! :dance:

And a video where I ramble about boring stuff...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPIfPWBvKf4

NeedsWork · Mar 12, 2016

Whole Amish chickens were on sale so.... I made the best beer can chicken that I have ever made. (Pepper related posts are afterword)

I made a dry rub following this recipe:
http://www.food.com/recipe/texas-dry-rub-beer-can-chicken-237676

I excluded:
Vegetable oil
Rosemary
Shallots
Lemon

I added:
Super hot powder from last year's garden

Beer:
Coors light

1/4 of the dry rub went into 1/2 of the 16 oz can that went inside of the chicken.

After the remaining rub was mixed I added a stick of melted butter.

I rubbed most of it under the skin of the chicken. The leftovers went on top of the skin.

I fired up the hardwood charcoal and pushed it to the edges of the grill. 24 oz of beer went into a drip pan in the bottom. The lid needed some coaxing to stay down.

This was by far the best chicken that I have ever made. It was so tender that the bones pulled out when I tried to break it down. The skin was crispy and the flavor was spot-on.

Next time I would inject some of the rub into the breast meat.

Pepper related:

The Biker Billy Jalapeno that almost damped off decided to flower.

I had a few fungus gnats so I ordered some yellow flypaper. This is 24 hours later.

And a quick video:

chocolatescotchbonnet · Mar 13, 2016

I like the Fox Farm nutrient line. That's what i'm using this season too!

NeedsWork · Mar 14, 2016

chocolatescotchbonnet said:
I like the Fox Farm nutrient line. That's what i'm using this season too!

I've had good luck with it. I don't think all of their stuff applies to peppers... but what I've used has worked well.

I have my first pod of the year! :dance:

Burpee Big Thai
http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/peppers/pepper-hot-big-thai-hybrid-prod001146.html
Seeds were started 1/10
Plant is approximately 14" / 35cm tall
Hand pollinated with a cotton swab

chocolatescotchbonnet · Mar 14, 2016

NeedsWork said:
I've had good luck with it. I don't think all of their stuff applies to peppers... but what I've used has worked well.

I have my first pod of the year!

Burpee Big Thai
http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/peppers/pepper-hot-big-thai-hybrid-prod001146.html
Seeds were started 1/10
Plant is approximately 14" / 35cm tall
Hand pollinated with a cotton swab

I like their nutes, but, I might try compost tea using alfalfa meal/ kelp meal/ compost!

NeedsWork · Mar 19, 2016

Weekend update!

I had to harvest the spinach because it was going to seed and getting bitter. I gave a flat to my neighbor because I couldn't eat it all before it goes bad.

And pictures making faces with a cat.