New to growing in general.

M

Milkshakes00

Hi guys, I just got some pepper seedlings in the mail that I ordered, they are Moruga Scorpion plants. 

I'm entirely new to this. I got some plastic pots to plant them in for the time being, and the place I ordered them from, pepperparadise, has given some instructions but I'm not entirely 100% certain. They said the seedlings have been hardened off, but the poor guys are so small I don't really know how well that went.

I went and bought this soil (http://blackgold.bz/black-gold%C2%AE-natural-organic-potting-soil/) as my girlfriend is allergic to Miracle Gro, and I went with what my mother said of getting vegetable soil. I also have pepperparadise's Nutrient Kit ( http://pepperparadise.org/US/pepper-nutrient-kit ).

The real conflicts I'm having is that I live in New York City. On the 6th floor of an apartment. I don't really have the ability to put the plants outside. They have a pretty good window space, though. We get sunlight through the window almost all day.

I'm not even sure how much to water it. I watered it until the soil felt moist, and 6 hours or so later, it's still moist, so I'm not sure if I should be watering them again, or holding out until it feels more dry? The plants are all sad looking, since they've been in the mail for a couple days, and didn't have sunlight. I used the supplied sticks and lightly twist-tied the seedlings to them.

My next large issue is I'm kind of on a tight budget for now. 

I'm basically looking for tips on dealing with this. Should I get a lamp? Should I not? 
 
Hi, and welcome to THP!
 
Pictures of the plants would help, but yes, plants often stress in transit. Pepper plants (and veggies in general) need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. If that window is getting direct sun for at least that amount of time then you don't really have to get a lamp. However, the thing I would highly recommend, if you don't already have one, is to get a fan for them. Preferrably an oscillating fan, but it doesn't have to be. You want good air circulation around them. This will both help strengthen the stems so they can handle the weight of the peppers later, and also help prevent things like soil fungus and mold. The most common fungus found when plants are grown indoors is the damping off fungus. It causes a weak area at the base of the stem at the soil line. Eventually that area weakens to the point where the plant falls over. Some can recover, but some don't. Better to get a fan to prevent this from happening in the first place.
 
While the plants are small, you can bottom-water - fill your sink with water and dip the pots into it, such that the water does not reach the soil surface. This also helps prevent fungus and mold from developing at the surface. Let the pots drain thoroughly. When to water again? For those new to growing peppers, the easiest sign to see is that the leaves droop just a little - this is the plant telling you it's thirsty. Another method is to simply lift the pots and judge the weight of them. Let the leaves droop just a tad, then pick up the pots a tad and feel how light they are. Then water them thoroughly, let them drain, then lift again and note how much heavier they are, now that they're' fully wet. After a while, you will get to a point where you don't have to let the leaves droop at all - you will know by the weight of the pots if it's getting time to water again or not. 
 
Once your plants get big and bottom-watering is no longer feasible, water from the top and give them a good drenching so that the water flows out the drainholes freely. Again, let drain thoroughly then wait until the plant tells you it wants water again, either by the leaves drooping a tad or by pot weight. It is especially important to have a fan on them once you start top-watering. 
 
If you have any questions or run into any issues, there are many people here who are willing to help diagnose and offer suggestions for correcting any problems. Posting pics almost always helps, as some signs may fit several possible issues. There's a thread sticky in the support area about how to post pics - generally you'll upload them to some other site then link to them here.
 
Best wishes with your grow!
 
I have never grown indoors but I literally wait for the plants to droop a little before I water. I imagine you won't be watering nearly as often indoors… especially compared to my 110+ Sacramento heat. Good luck, and have fun!
 
Plant size has little to do with hardening off--if seeds are started outdoors they start the process from day one.  If the window gets full sun most of the day you may be ok but if you have a balcony patio that might be your best option.  I've never had much success with window growing but there may be some members here who know some tricks.  Would you be able to use the roof of your building?  I know that's becoming a more common practice in urban areas and maybe you could get a "green roof" project going for your building.  Food for thought :)
 
Do you have a fire escape that gets full sun? (laughing) I know it sounds weird but you could put the plants on that for a few hours a day. You can make your own grow lights/grow system if you want too. Here i a video.
He's using a drill but you could use a nail and a hammer to make the holes. You cal also buy a light fixture that already has the cord attached so you don't have to do the wire splicing. It's easy though, my father showed me how to do it when I was 10.  
 
Here's some pictures of them currently, sorry for the cell phone quality pictures. They lost a couple leaves in transit, but I expect that. They're just awfully droopy. Tomorrow will be the first day they see a little bit of sunlight since transit, so hopefully they perk up a bit.

http://imgur.com/a/TmsUQ

I don't have an oscillating fan, but I do have a normal fan. I'll also leave the window open, we get a nice breeze considering we're 6 floors up. :D

Unfortunately no access to a balcony or the roof as far as I know, but I'm sure I could ask the supervisor of the building about the rooftop idea; It's a good one. It would have never crossed my mind. The window in the apartment spans the entire living room wall, so, it gets sunlight as long as the sun is up, fortunately.
 
 
 
Those guys look thirsty!  It's unwise to overwater them but try completely drenching the pot until water strains out...they usually will only need water every few days but they will let you know when they want more...well, they'll look like they do now.  You can also tell when the lower soil is drying by feeling its weight when you pick it up--compare it to when the soil is drenched to when it dries out and you will get used to it.
 
ikeepfish said:
Those guys look thirsty!  It's unwise to overwater them but try completely drenching the pot until water strains out...they usually will only need water every few days but they will let you know when they want more...well, they'll look like they do now.  You can also tell when the lower soil is drying by feeling its weight when you pick it up--compare it to when the soil is drenched to when it dries out and you will get used to it.
Click to expand...
 
Alrighty. I watered them to the point where some water leaked through to the bottom pan. I guess the only question is, should I be pouring water right at the base of the plants, or all over the pot? I've been kind of evenly distributing, haha.
 
Milkshakes00 said:
 
Alrighty. I watered them to the point where some water leaked through to the bottom pan. I guess the only question is, should I be pouring water right at the base of the plants, or all over the pot? I've been kind of evenly distributing, haha.
Click to expand...
 Evenly distributing across all of the soil is good--the plant will know it can use as much of the pot space for roots as it wants that way.
 
Any estimation on how long it should take for them to pick up? I know not to expect miracles, but the plants don't seem to be responding to water and sunlight. :(
 
dont give up on them. 
I think you should put more soil in your pots - the sides look to be taller than the plants so im guessing the sides of the pot would block much of the sun light.
 
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