PaulG 2014

PaulG · Jun 16, 2014

Devv said:
Happy Fathers Day Paul!

Nice update, things are looking better and better

Thanks, Scott!

stc3248 · Jun 16, 2014

Hey Paul! Nice updates! Your yard is a work of art! I promised a pic of my Galapagoense a few pages ago then I went MIA for a bit. Sorry about that. I have three going and they all have an upright growth habit so far but are starting to bush out a little now. Here are the pics...

Even a few small buds forming!

PaulG · Jun 16, 2014

Okay - same growth habit as mine, although maybe farther along. Has
some flowers here and there. The weather has been cool and damp,
so hard to tell what it's really doing! I'll go grab a pic now...

Later. Between a Rhododendron and Jamie's BrainStrain. It's a very
healthy plant, but a real slow grower at this point in time:

The 'understory'. You can see a flower hiding at about 5 0'clock:

The plants that grew from seeds you sent are all doing great, buddy - thanks a bunch!

PaulG · Jun 16, 2014

Here are the pics of the pupating ladybird beetle larva. Not much has happened since my last mention of it.
Here is the first pic - immobile, abdomen glued down, end closest to the tip of the leaf:

Some kind of change obviously underway - looks like the beginnings of the shell being built at the stem end:

A clearer look at the 'fibers' that appear to fasten the pupa to the leaf:

A number of times I found it standing erect like this; when I bumped the plant, it returned to the leaf:

A pretty good picture of the developing pupa after a substantial downpour:

A day later, now to just watch. I'll check it every am and pm and
try to capture any interesting moments, or at least their aftermath:

In this view, it doesn't look like the white threads are attached to the leaf, but something is:

Okay, now just to wait to see what happens!

KevinH · Jun 16, 2014

Hope you made it thru the crazy weather....

PaulG · Jun 17, 2014

KevinH said:
Hope you made it thru the crazy weather....

We were pretty lucky here, really pretty mild today, considering.
How about Salem area?

Here's a look at the plants in the back corner of the yard.
This is an intense sun area from about noon until almost sundown.

Let's start with the Cheiro Recife _ Stickman, very bushy and
robust, but not much flowering or setting pods going on, yet:

Jamaican Red Habanero - Devv, starting
to color up a few fair-sized baby pods:

The following two are the only plants directly in ground. they are in an old
bed I prepared for squash, then let sit fallow for a year,

Sweet Hungarian Paprika - Balázs via Stickman, nicely podded
up and waiting warm weather for ripening:

The Marconi is doing pretty well, too:

The PI441598 - GaGrowhead, looks like it might be getting ready to ripen:

Here's a shot of the whole group. Front to back: Sweet
Hungarian Paprika, Marconi Rosso, Cheiro Rrecife, Jamaican
Red Hanbanero, Romy6Mystery x Goat's Weed (at last measure-
ment, 5'1" tall!):

stickman · Jun 17, 2014

Thanks for the pics of the Chiero Recife and Szegedi Paprika Paul, I was wondering how they were doing for you. Your CR is already twice the size mine got to last year, and it looks like it's just waiting for the right conditions to start flowering heavily. Nice pics of the Ladybug pupa too. It's really interesting to see the process of change from larval to adult stages. Good work my friend!

PaulG · Jun 18, 2014

stickman said:
Thanks for the pics of the Chiero Recife and Szegedi Paprika Paul, I was wondering how they were doing for you. Your CR is already twice the size mine got to last year, and it looks like it's just waiting for the right conditions to start flowering heavily. Nice pics of the Ladybug pupa too. It's really interesting to see the process of change from larval to adult stages. Good work my friend!

My pleasure, brother, sorry it took me so long! And sorry I forgot to credit
you with passing on Balázs' paprika seeds :oops:

I think you are right about the Cheiro Recife - a few weeks of warm, sunny
weather and it will be loaded.

Haven't checked the pupa yet today, will go out in a minute and see what's up.
The cool weather has probably slowed down the process quite a bit.

Here's a lttle mini-mini harvest. Top: 7 Pot Jonahs. Middle: Mountain Pepper, Datil, Choco Bhut,
NagaBrain. Bottom: Your Douglah, Rick, and a Fatali/Savina:

I had to add an extension to the pole with the Mystery x Goat's Weed :rofl:

I measured the plant yesterday at 5' 6":

stickman · Jun 18, 2014

I think you may be a shoo-in for the growdown Mr P! It's only mid-june and that puppy's almost 6 foot already, really!? :onfire:

Glad to see Douglah pods already, though the one pictured seems a little green still. When ripe last year, the pods had a distinctly reddish-brown cast... I'll be curious to hear your take on the taste when they fully ripen. Last year I detected notes of earth and wood in the flavor. Smoking with cherry wood improved that a lot and made for some great sauces. Cheers!

GA Growhead · Jun 18, 2014

Cool selection of baby pods!
The baby 441598Xs pods look peach!
That's the plan!

OCD Chilehead · Jun 18, 2014

Had to pick my jaw off the ground. Your plants are a work of art. Great looking pods as well. Thanks for sharing.

Penny · Jun 19, 2014

Well done Paul.....everything looks great!! :dance:

stc3248 · Jun 19, 2014

Your Romy Mystery looks exactly like the mother plant. Mine topped out at about 6'6" but I am certain that in ground it would have kept on growing. Very cool plant...I saved a bunch of seeds and as Rick suggested I nominated it for the tallest plant growdown...but the selection turned out to be the Aji Chuncho this season.

Your Gala is definitely a little ahead of mine, but mine are all closing the gap quickly and should open those flowers this week. Glad to see them and the rest of the wilds doing so well for you!!!

Sawyer · Jun 20, 2014

Fascinating pictorial series of the ladybug, Paul. What's the current status?

One of my most memorable experiences as a kid was when my dad brought in a cicada that had just emerged from the ground and was crawling up the side of a pine tree. He stood a roll of paper towels in the middle of the dining table and put the cicada on it. The whole family sat around and watched it hatch out of its shell. Good times.

Dot Com · Jun 22, 2014

coming right along & nice big pots to allow for root growth.

PaulG · Jun 23, 2014

Thanks for the heads up on the Douglah, Rick. There are some

I think you may be a shoo-in for the growdown Mr P! It's only mid-june and that puppy's almost 6 foot already, really!? :onfire:

Glad to see Douglah pods already, though the one pictured seems a little green still. When ripe last year, the pods had a distinctly reddish-brown cast... I'll be curious to hear your take on the taste when they fully ripen. Last year I detected notes of earth and wood in the flavor. Smoking with cherry wood improved that a lot and made for some great sauces. Cheers!

more baby pods turning brown, I'll let them go longer.

I swear the Mystery x GW has grown a few more inches in the
past two days. I have to measure again!

Hey, Jason - the baby crosses are indeed ripening to a peach color as the purple goes away :party:

Cool selection of baby pods!
The baby 441598Xs pods look peach!
That's the plan!

Thanks, Chuck. It's been a good Spring so far!

Had to pick my jaw off the ground. Your plants are a work of art. Great looking pods as well. Thanks for sharing.

Penny said:
Well done Paul.....everything looks great!!

Thanks, Penny. Lots of green tomatoes on the plants from your seeds!

stc3248 said:
Your Romy Mystery looks exactly like the mother plant. Mine topped out at about 6'6" but I am certain that in ground it would have kept on growing. Very cool plant...I saved a bunch of seeds and as Rick suggested I nominated it for the tallest plant growdown...but the selection turned out to be the Aji Chuncho this season.

Your Gala is definitely a little ahead of mine, but mine are all closing the gap quickly and should open those flowers this week. Glad to see them and the rest of the wilds doing so well for you!!!

Hey, Shane, I expect by the end of the season your galapagoense
will have left mine in the dust!

I think the Mystery cross GW is going to get over 6'. Don't know if
it will make 6-6 or not. That's impressive.

We're going to the Oregon Coast for the week, but I'll get some pics
up of the plants that came from the seeds you sent.

Sawyer said:
Fascinating pictorial series of the ladybug, Paul. What's the current status?

One of my most memorable experiences as a kid was when my dad brought in a cicada that had just emerged from the ground and was crawling up the side of a pine tree. He stood a roll of paper towels in the middle of the dining table and put the cicada on it. The whole family sat around and watched it hatch out of its shell. Good times. Yeah, that's awesome!

Very minor changes day by day, John. Here are pics from yesterday. It sort of looks like the old larva exoskeleton is starting to separate
from the beetle shell looking part. I think the fuzzy stuff is what is left of the abdomen:

This is a Spotless ladybug -Cycloneda munda. Have seen several of these this spring. It has very interesting thorax markings:

Dot Com said:
coming right along & nice big pots to allow for root growth.

Yeah, the utility tubs make great cheap planters.

KevinH · Jul 5, 2014

Hay Paul had to step up to a 4 foot 8 bulb T5 HO light. Any advice on bulbs and watering?

PaulG · Jul 6, 2014

KevinH said:
Hay Paul had to step up to a 4 foot 8 bulb T5 HO light. Any advice on bulbs and watering?

Dude! That's awesome!
That should give you a t on of light.

I think the guidelines I read said to keep T5 HO lights about 4-10 cm (about 2-4 inches)
from the plants. I found I could keep them a little higher with no apparent ill effects.

I watered from the bottom trays - the 1/2 gallon starter pots took about 3-4 ounces every day or two
depending on the garage temperature. Once the plants got bigger their water needs increased, of course.

PaulG · Jul 6, 2014

Hey, everybody - I am alive! Had a great week at the Coast, and have been busy
since getting back. The weather has just been too good to spend time inside at the
computer! Looking at mid to high 80's (30˚C or so} this week, then a weedk of 90's,
followed by a cooler, by about 10˚F, week. Should be good h=growing weather, if a
bit hot for pod setting, which slowed a bit in the cooler June weather, but is picking
up now.

This is the last pic of the ladybird beetle pupa before we went to the coast. It was a brittle shell
when we came back. I did see it stand up a few times before we left, a behavior I have seen re-
peated the past few days by other larvae/pupas:

Some plants starting to form more mature-looking pods. This is the 3rd gen. Fatali/Savina:

Some early Congo Trinidad - Sanarda, pods. They have a shape reminiscent of Bonnets to me. These are thumb-tip size:

Seven Pot Jonah - GaGrowhead:

Sweet Hungarian Paprika - Balázs via Stickman. Showing some color :party:

:

JA Red Habanero - Devv. Wow - the big pod had great flavor and heat. Awesome to think what the mature pods will be like!:

The Seven Pot Burgundy is finally getting down to business:

The bushy Goat's Weed - Stc3248, 2nd generation. Pinched a few times since start-
ing last August and OW-ing

:

One of the Goat's Weed pods:

The front-yard plants starting to fill out and extend. Lots of flowers, a few pods showing up:

Will check back in with more later. Hope everyone is well!

stickman · Jul 6, 2014

Nice Paul! The Szegedi Paprika was my first to ripen too. Big bonus that you got JA Hab, Congo Trinidad and 7-pot Jonah pods ripening too! :dance:

Looks like things are perking up for us Nortenos...

Keep up the good work!