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New guy to the world of pepper growing! need advice!

U

USMC

Good afternoon all,

First off I'd like to say thank you for the plethora of information in these forums. It's helped me thus far, I just wish I had researched a bit before jumping in and planting some seeds lol. I have a small dilema that I was hoping someone can help me out with. Im sure its been asked before and Im sure most of you could point out many mistakes I've made while jumping into this without a well rounded knowledge base first.

I bought a set of Bhut seeds (20), kept them in a moist paper towel under a lamp for about 8 days or so (until i saw them beginning to germinate). I planted each one into a small pot (6" pots, good sized for them for awhile) BOOM they shot up to two inches very quickly, about 18 of them did anyways) 2 of them are stuck at about an inch tall but ALL of them have completely stopped growing. They seem perfectly healthy but will just not grow. By now I should be looking at 6"+ plants correct? Im 2 months into growth.

Mistake #1 - I didnt start them inside, being in south florida the weather seldom gets cold, and on our cool nights I brought them inside the house. I watered them only when I saw the soil was dry on top (MG soil mix with a little domestic dirt)
Mistake #2 - I say I watered them when the soil was dry on the top, which was about every other day, am I overwatering here? Shoulf i let it go a few more days?
Mistake #3 - should they absolutely be started indoors even when the weather is permitting?

I havent had any plants die off as of yet, they just seem very stunted in growth and I hope this wont kill any idea of a harvest, maybe just delay it. I've already ordered a new batch of seeds just in case these go down the drain (which im hoping they dont).

Also, I've recently purchased one of those mini "greenhouses" from Walmart, basically its a small shelf-like structure that has a clear plastic tarp that can be put over it and zipped up. I opened it yesterday to find that it hold humidity a lot more than I actually thought it would. So i figure with this I will have to water a lot less.

Thank you guys in advance, as I said this is my first time with this and I've already planned to do more andmore but I need expert advice!
 
The roots shoot below the top of the soil so you could be overwatering let them go until they droop a bit and then hit them with fish fertilizer every couple weeks
 
Since you live in Florida you can start them outside, so long as the weather stays warm. Its bettter to bottom water when they are in the seedling stage. If you keep them outside you will need to filter the sunlight they get, I think my buddy who lives in FL grows his seedling in the shade. Its all up to you where you start them. If you start them inside you will need a weaker florecent bulb. But I recommend starting them outside to get them used to being ourside. Plants want to be outdoors!
 
Had this happen with my first set of seeds I started. They shot up to about 2 inches and then stopped growing. They stayed at about 2 inches for about 2 mths and then died. They are starving for nutrients.

I started another batch of seeds and as soon as they sprouted I potted them into some micracle grow seed starting soil and they took off.
 
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)] :welcome: [/background]to THP and Greetings from the Metrolina of North Carolina!

That's quite a sacred user name you took.... What is the connection ?
 
your soil mix might be a problem, what do you mean exactly by "domestic dirt"? as in dirt from your yard? i don't know about you but my yard is about 90% sand. you should use your potting mix alone, in my opinion. that's probably one of your first problems.

also, how much light are your seeds getting? i have my starters setting in a spot where they get about two hours of filtered light (pool cage) per day, max. they will get to be a decent size then you can start introducing them to the sunlight a little bit at a time once they get about 6" or so.

and finally, nutrients. what are you using (besides the miracle grow soil)? have you fed them since you planted them? maybe think about getting yourself some fertilizer and give them a half strength dose. see if that does anything. you can get decent chemical nutrients (unless you want to go organic) at lowes or home depot. get some general dissolving or concentrated fertilizer. you can use regular miracle grow for now in the vegetative stage, but i would recommend maybe a 15-30-15 or something like that. mix up a half strength dose like i said, and give them a water. or, of course, you can get an organic fertilizer. i've heard good things about the fish emulsion stuff but have never used it. i use jobe's organic fertilizers and also some liquid organic fertilizers i get from the hydro store. either organic or chemical, the plants will grow. good luck
 
welcome also from another leatherneck My bet is yours roots are going to grow out.In a 6 inch pot they will grow a while before you start getting real above ground growth. Just don`t keep them wet Great season and thanks for the great choice of service sir !
 
Thank you all for the quick responses, i haven't fed them yet but I'll be stopping on my way home to get some fertilizer mix and pull back slightly on watering.

As for how much sun they are getting once they were above surface with a leaf or two they stayed outside, generally 4-5 hours a day in their location, which i now know is too much too soon. I was browsing through the forums some more and may need to check the ph in my water as well.

Thanks for the advice hopefully i can turn these guys around. As for my user name i am a Marine and it's easy to remember lol thank you all and Semper Fi
 
Keep in mind that if you overwater you stunt root growth. If they have an abundance of water available at the roots there is no incentive for the plant to put out more/longer roots. It is as the pot/soil is drying that the roots expand and grow to seek out more water and nutrients. If you have an extra 6" pot fill it up with your soil mix to get an idea of how heavy the pot is when dry. You should be waiting until the pots with peppers are almost that light before you water them again. It is different outside with faster evaporation but indoors with a 4" pot I go between 6 and 8 days before I water them again. I am guessing you will be in the 3-5 day range with a 6" pot with smaller plants.
 
hey guys, thank you all for your advice, my plants have made a dramatic turn-around. I've quit watering them so much, did a half dose of feed (mg 15-30-15) and the plants are beginning to shoot right up. however, this morning i noticed that 3 of my plants have dropped a leaf. i was wondering if this is normal at their size/age. they are only about 3" tall now but 3 of them dropped a leaf at the same time. last night i checked on them they were fine, this morning there was a small leaf detached from 3 of my plants sitting in the pot. Is this normal or is there something I should be looking for?
 
USMC said:
Thank you all for the quick responses, i haven't fed them yet but I'll be stopping on my way home to get some fertilizer mix and pull back slightly on watering.
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If I were you, I'd get some worm castings, pour 1/2" layer on top of your soil and then water (when watering is due) from above 2 or 3 times (normal watering cycle).

the beauty of worm castings is that unlike synth. ferts, they will not burn your roots and also have a ton of microorganisms.

So, right there is your $3 solution ...

and +1 on that they might be focussing on growing roots, but thats easy to find out - just put the content of your pot into your hand and you will know ... is the root system in line with this smallish plant (which would be bad, as they have stalled) ... or do you have a much larger root system (for the 2" of plant) - which means the plant focussed on roots (which is good).

you cant go wrong with the worm castings !!!!
al
 
h00raH! and Semper Fidelis.. damn it sure seems like there are a lot of jar heads floating around this place!

@birdfather - LOL "domesticated dirt" I'm going to be getting a good laugh off of that one for a long time...

I also agree with megahot, and as poypoyking points out, you should be bottom watering until you plant up to larger pots. It will not only help you to not over water, but it will also promote root growth.

I wouldn't be too concerned about some minimal leaf drop.. this could be related to over watering due to top watering. Just assess the overall health of the plant. If it is progressing, there is no need to be too concerned... just make your appropriate corrections, and I'm sure they will be fine.

As far as your Bhuts that are sort of stuck in a static state of growth... this is an interesting situation. It seems like to me from my own personal experience, and also things I have seen posted by others, that plants sometimes have a mind of their own when it comes to growth curves (especially super hots). Sometimes they just get stuck in some part of their growth stage, and don't progress much. And then at some self-determined time, they decide to take off again and are just fine. This might not be preferable, but I don't think it is abnormal, and certainly not detrimental. I'd just give them a little time.
 
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