New member with jolokia question

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IGROW

Hello everyone, I started growing the jolokia pepper about 60 days ago and I don't really know if things are going that good. I have a total of 4 plants but only 2 of them are doing good. Right now the biggest one is about 5 inches tall and I think they are ok but after getting rid of the gnats and some small red bugs I'm still left with some strange spots on the leaves. Some look like burns, some like mold and some like its dieing. There are also some spots where it looks like something has been eating at the plant but when you look close there is no bite marks.

I have been doing most of my growing indoors with 100w 6500k CFL bulbs but I have taken the plants outside for some natural sunlight on nice days. This is all pretty new to me and the lingo is still something I'm trying to catch on too, If there is a good link on growing the jolokia please point me to it.

Here are some pic's of what I have now and some of the problem spots. Maybe these pictures can tell a better story than I do.

Gostpeper001.jpg


Gostpeper004.jpg


Gostpeper010.jpg


Gostpeper009.jpg
 
Don't know what the problems with the leaves are but I would put those two small ones back in failry small pots until bigger. They will grow faster that way and the roots won't get water logged.
 
chillilover said:
Don't know what the problems with the leaves are but I would put those two small ones back in failry small pots until bigger. They will grow faster that way and the roots won't get water logged.
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Sci said:
yes i agree with the last post
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Not me. Smaller pots=more waterlogged/air if overwatered. The plants are higher (further from the waterlogged dirt) in those pots.
The soil does seem kinda dense though. Tilt the pots for an hour or so to get rid of extra water.
What kind of fertz are you using?
 
ABurningMouth said:
Not me. Smaller pots=more waterlogged/air if overwatered. The plants are higher (further from the waterlogged dirt) in those pots.
The soil does seem kinda dense though.
Click to expand...

I was taught by my golf pro bro-in-law to aerate my lawn with spiky shoes & and special pole.

Good advice for grass, so I take one of those long weed tools and push it as far down into my pots as possible all around the plant.

Besides giving the roots some air, this helps me determine how dense the dirt has packed over time, and if I should poke many more holes to loosen the soul somewhat.

I also have learned to make sure there are easily accessible holes at the bottom/side of my pots to poke a screwdriver or bigger tool so when I pull it out I can see how wet the bottom soil is - kinda like when you poke a roast or chicken in the oven to see if it's blood or juice.
 
I always pull the plate (not sure what it's really called) off the bottom of my pots so the plants don't end up sitting in water.

With the bhuts I'm growing this year I've learned they need/want a lot less water than I thought they did and you can't give them too much sun. My best ones are getting 8+ hours of full sun a day.
 
SanSoo said:
I was taught by my golf pro bro-in-law to aerate my lawn with spiky shoes & and special pole.

Good advice for grass, so I take one of those long weed tools and push it as far down into my pots as possible all around the plant.

Besides giving the roots some air, this helps me determine how dense the dirt has packed over time, and if I should poke many more holes to loosen the soul somewhat.

I also have learned to make sure there are easily accessible holes at the bottom/side of my pots to poke a screwdriver or bigger tool so when I pull it out I can see how wet the bottom soil is - kinda like when you poke a roast or chicken in the oven to see if it's blood or juice.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was going to say "poke holes in there" too, but most people think that's too radical.
Seriously, tip the pot at a 45, then see how much water comes out (If there are holes toward the sides on the bottom).
Earlier quote: Smaller pots=more waterlogged/air if overwatered.←That's supposed to be: more waterlogged/less air. Sorry 'bout that.
Roots need a semi-moist area between the top of the soil and the saturated bottom to have Oxygen with their food. Aerobic bacteria are better too.
The pots I use I never have to worry about over watering. I could water 3 times a day if I wanted, because they don't have that saturated layer on the bottom. It's wicked away.
 
Yep, get rid of those drainage saucers. The 2 on the left look fine and be careful to not over water. Stick your finger into the soil just past the first knuckle, if you feel moisture don't water.
 
I can't take off the bottom part of the pot, its all one piece. I tried what everyone said and their was a little too much moisture. I am going to back off on watering and for fertz I have yet to use anything, just the potting soil. Is their a fertilizer that you could recommend for this Bhunt jolokia.

I am also going to move the plants into a larger pot when they get a little bigger, would 5 gallon buckets work ok?
 
chillilover said:
Are you going to continue to grow inside come frost?
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Yes, the other day I set up a spot inside and I think that it where they will stay. I also trimmed them for the first time so we will see how that goes.

What should I do to get rid of the gnats?
 
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