No-Tech and Earlier Than Ever Glog 2012/2013.

Season 2012/2013 will be my 6th growing year and while first three years were quite successful (beginners luck ) last three are not so good especially last one primarily due extreme weather in this part of the world (eastern Europe, Croatia) - this year last frost date was in the middle of May followed with hot June/July and extreme scorching August with temperatures around 40C (104F) and with humidity around 20%.

At first part of this growing season plants were full of pods (Trinidad Scorpion Butch-t, Nagabon, Douglah and Naglagh) and everything looks like perfect year but when heat started plants constantly lose all flowers so production of pods was quite poor.

I'm not biggest fan of overwintering plants and I prefer to start fresh every year so it's quite impossible to have adult plant at beginning of the May...or is it ?

My buzzwords for this growing season are early and no artificial light:
- starting from seeds at the middle of September so fresh sprouts can still receive at least 30-45 worm days with natural light
- during cold winter months plants will receive only natural light from south facing windows and occasionally, if weather permits small greenhouse will be used

This idea was based on this years experience - TSB was started ant beginning of January and received artificial only for first few weeks, Nagabon started at middle of February didn't get any light except weak winter sun but they performed quite well and when transplanted in their final destination in the middle of May all plants literary exploded under perfect conditions.

Will it work ? Will see

 

[AndrejX]

First few details about previous season, let The Picture Speak For Itself.


Everything was perfect during first part of the summer - Naglagh and Trinidad Scorpion BT looks quite nice:

All three plants are grown in same conditions except larger one in the middle that was planted in air pruning pot and difference is amazing.

Naglagh

Trinidad Scorpion BT

Until first signs of late blight appears on all plants:

10 hours later anti-fungicide medication (Quadris) was applied but to my surprise about 50% of leafs are already infected and badly damaged so I cut them:

Plants recovered few weeks later and then were struck with 45 days of extreme weather, every day bunch of flowers are produced but unfortunately they all drops without pollination.

But there's another interesting symptom caused by extreme heat, pods that are forming in higer temperatures are much longer and thicker than usual.
As example this are pods from same TS plant:

And best pod of this season (TS) with extreme heat (drops of oil is visible) with extreme heat and 82 seeds:

But always are some exceptions as this Jamaican Red plant:

There is always about 10 pods on plant in various stages, when some of them have been removed in a next few days plant produce few new flowers and they were pollinated regardless weather condition

Even we still have beautiful and warm weather plants didn't produce any more pods except young Douglah that sprout at April 15th;

 

[Datil]

My climate is similar to yours so your idea makes sense to me, i'd like a climate like September year round
Some supplemental artificial light would be useful for short and dark winter days probably..
I've experienced too massive flower drop on my chinenses during August, annuums were ok though. Maybe consider adding extra varieties.

Good luck

Datil

 

[AndrejX]

Yes, this summer was quite devastating but looks like autumn will be great for pods production - all plants flowering like mad and almost every flower has been pollinated: