PaulG 2022

PeriPeri · Jul 25, 2022

thank you buddy, AA seeds will be an absolute treat

PaulG · Jul 29, 2022

This is a good example of the effect of the Spring Suck
on some of the wild varieties, the rest just didn't bother
to flower at that time. The normal sized berry at the top
set and developed before the Suck hit. All the others set,
grew for a while, then just stopped developing. Would
have been awesome if all those smaller-than-BB's were
normal-size berries :crazy:

Dwarf Chiltepin, Semillas la Palma:

HeatMiser · Jul 29, 2022

Hey @PaulG, I'm in the same boat. I thought I had royally screwed up this year's grow, but looking at the posts in the PNW grow it seems it's just not a good year for peppers overall. Between messing up the plant-out, getting hit by the suckiest June, and now a heatwave, my plants are nowhere near the size they were last year. Chinenses have runt pods, and the other plants just don't have as much fruit. Lots of stuff learned this year though...

At this point I'm just trying to get the plants limping through the finish line. Hopefully we can still get some redemption, but I'd be happy with just enough isolated pods to try again next year.

Hope some of your plants are doing fine though!

OZZZ · Jul 30, 2022

Hey Paul! Everything looking beautiful up in here!

What kind of soil are you using? Or what’s in your soil mix?

Also, if you don’t mind…. What’s your water like? Running them off irrigation lines? I think you mentioned you were using half gallon drippers?

PaulG · Jul 30, 2022

HeatMiser said:
Hey @PaulG, I'm in the same boat. I thought I had royally screwed up this year's grow, but looking at the posts in the PNW grow it seems it's just not a good year for peppers overall. Between messing up the plant-out, getting hit by the suckiest June, and now a heatwave, my plants are nowhere near the size they were last year. Chinenses have runt pods, and the other plants just don't have as much fruit. Lots of stuff learned this year though...

At this point I'm just trying to get the plants limping through the finish line. Hopefully we can still get some redemption, but I'd be happy with just enough isolated pods to try again next year.

Hope some of your plants are doing fine though!

@HeatMiser - Feeling your pain, my friend. Only now
am I beginning to see some chinense pods, and a 'real'
berry or two here and there on the wilds. Foliage-wise
the plants look great. Hoping along with @CaneDog
that a return to 'cooler' weather will pick up the flowering
and fruit setting pace. November harvest, anyone?

Good luck going forward, Roberto!

OZZZ said:
Hey Paul! Everything looking beautiful up in here!

What kind of soil are you using? Or what’s in your soil mix?

Also, if you don’t mind…. What’s your water like? Running them off irrigation lines? I think you mentioned you were using half gallon drippers?

@OZZZ - The heat has caused some expansive growth
on both the wild and domesticated species, but at the
same time, the chinenses have only great vegetative
growth to show for it. Wilds flowering more, but most
flowers just dropping off. Really looking forward to temps
in the 80's again!

We have great water here. pH usually around 7 and not
too hard. The large containers, 7-20 gallons, are on the
drip irrigation. I have switched to 2-gallon per hour this
season. With the heat wave in high gear, it turned out to
be a good thing. The zones run 5-6 minutes twice a day.
The wild species in the #2NC and 2-gallon containers
get bottom watering. Some take water 2-3 times a day
in the 100˚F heat.

As for soil, Indoor starting and growing is in Fox Farms,
a mix of Happy Frog and Ocean Forest. In the yard con-
tainers, the base is my own mix of compost, peat, and
horticultural pumice. I add recycled soil and amendments
to them every year.

Hope the rest of the season is productive for you. Stay cool!

OZZZ · Jul 30, 2022

PaulG said:
@HeatMiser - Feeling your pain, my friend. Only now
am I beginning to see some chinense pods, and a 'real'
berry or two here and there on the wilds. Foliage-wise
the plants look great. Hoping along with @CaneDog
that a return to 'cooler' weather will pick up the flowering
and fruit setting pace. November harvest, anyone?

Good luck going forward, Roberto!

@OZZZ - The heat has caused some expansive growth
on both the wild and domesticated species, but at the
same time, the chinenses have only great vegetative
growth to show for it. Wilds flowering more, but most
flowers just dropping off. Really looking forward to temps
in the 80's again!

We have great water here. pH usually around 7 and not
too hard. The large containers, 7-20 gallons, are on the
drip irrigation. I have switched to 2-gallon per hour this
season. With the heat wave in high gear, it turned out to
be a good thing. The zones run 5-6 minutes twice a day.
The wild species in the #2NC and 2-gallon containers
get bottom watering. Some take water 2-3 times a day
in the 100˚F heat.

As for soil, Indoor starting and growing is in Fox Farms,
a mix of Happy Frog and Ocean Forest. In the yard con-
tainers, the base is my own mix of compost, peat, and
horticultural pumice. I add recycled soil and amendments
to them every year.

Hope the rest of the season is productive for you. Stay cool!

Excellent! Thanks for the info.

PeriPeri · Jul 31, 2022

I love growing in soil as it is so much more forgiving iro weather. I have never liked growing in pots, but circumstance finds me having to do just that. I find having the right medium to cope with the seasonal weather is so critical. I struggle with this every season. We only get rains in Joburg from September - April. Our summer rainy season usually entails daily thunderstorms and heavy downpours. So my medium is usually geared towards lots of rain. Last summer we had more rain than we have seen in decades, courtesy of La Nina. Which resulted in lots of dank soil issues. Apparently we are still in a La Nina wet cycle for this coming season, but if the weather in the northern hemisphere is anything to go by we may get some insanely hot weather too. I am going on a hunch here. So, as I approach this upcoming season I am trying to formulate a better medium which will have better drainage but also navigate a potential heat wave. I can appreciate the F1 teams having to decide what tyres to use for the race.

PaulG · Jul 31, 2022

@PeriPeri -

Hey, Lourens, we are into our third year
in a row of La Niña. I would like to see the
ENSO swing back to the El Niño part of
the cycle. The heat waves have been im-
pressive here in the PNW, and way out of
normal variation.

Downriver · Aug 1, 2022

@PaulG

I think the whole country, if not the world, is lit up in one form or another.

HellfireFarm · Aug 1, 2022

My hot peppers are doing fine, but my tomatoes and bell peppers are only just now starting to set any fruit. Never run into that before. I'm hearing similar stories all over. Just a weird year all around.

ahayastani · Aug 5, 2022

PaulG said:
Hey, Lourens, we are into our third year
in a row of La Niña.

Congratulations with the new arrival in the family, Paul! Although I'm afraid La Niña will gain the upper hand in the years to come

PeriPeri · Aug 9, 2022

Hear hear, congratulations Paul! I hope you have an awesome trip to see your daughter and the new arrival in the family

Plantguy76 · Aug 12, 2022

There sure is volunteer vigor my JM Purple Cherry tomatoes are volunteers form some critter & those plants take heat ,tomato worms & flower profusely

PaulG said:
I guess there must be such a thing as 'Volunteer Vigor'.
They seem eager to flower and get it over with. Will be
interesting to see what comes of the early flowering.

Plantguy76 · Aug 12, 2022

We are finally getting a break from the heat a bit here .
I've gotten a few JA habs would of had more but some bird as a thing for them it's like a ninja never seen it
I guess I need to get my bird feeder out haven't had it out this season
Paul love your grow hope you get better weather soon.

PaulG · Aug 13, 2022

Plantguy76 said:
We are finally getting a break from the heat a bit here .
I've gotten a few JA habs would of had more but some bird as a thing for them it's like a ninja never seen it
I guess I need to get my bird feeder out haven't had it out this season
Paul love your grow hope you get better weather soon.

We are having some nice weather at the
moment. Forecast for above normal highs
next week, but no triple digits, at least.

PaulG · Aug 14, 2022

Aji Amarillo ‘2017’, pic 8/4, #15 NC container
H x W: 60” x 32” (150cm x 80cm):

Growing up into the Red Osier Dogwood.
The dark leaves are the Aji.

PaulG · Aug 14, 2022

Diente de Perro, pic on 8/6, #10 NC container.
H x W: 25” x 20“ (63cm x 50cm):

Spring Suck and proonged heat wave have left
this plant with no flowers at all, so far.

PaulG · Aug 15, 2022

Some plants enjoying some less-than-brutal heat

Capucinno Chiltepin, Tovari, Tepin. #2 NC's.

Two Variegated Jalapeño 'Mattapeño'. #2 NC's

Aji Amarillo (20-gallon, rest in 15T's), Trippaul Threat v2 F4, Purple Thunder F4, Fatali, BOC.

PaulG · Aug 15, 2022

Can't complain about the Inca Red from @Pepper Merchant.
Has been setting pods since growing up in the greenhouse,
through the Spring Suck and following heat waves, just like
the Aji Amarillo and 'Matapeño'. I need to harvest these ripe
pods. At least as many more green on the plant. A lot more
ripe pods than can be seen in this pic From 8/9.

PaulG · Aug 15, 2022

Tiger Jalapeño, #10 NC container, pic on 8/10.
Plant is full of upright purple pods. Can’t wait
for them to ripen.
H x W: 40” x 25” (100cm x 63cm):

First ripe pod. The first two pods had be-
gun to dry on the plant. There are about a
dozen or more nice upright pods on the
plant, they are not drying out at the tip.

Had a nice, mild flavor, no discernible heat.
texture juicy and crunchy. Great snacking
pod. Will have to wait and see how the late
season pods compare.