PeriPeri's Grow Log 2012: South Africa

PeriPeri · Jul 4, 2013

DocNrock said:
Dude, great shots at the Chile Festival and great stories to go along with it. Best of luck with the new venture. The logo is great and the packaging is even better. "Exceptionally Hot"...love it. Good luck on the new starts, and even more luck on resurrecting the greenhouse!

Hey Doc! Nice of you to drop in. You are having one hell of a great grow in your garden there my friend. I look forward to my next grow log in the knowledge that friends like you will be there to assist in times of need! Yea, I quite like that too "Exceptionally Hot"... was a bit bored of the old 10/10 heat rating. Thank you for your feedback... now if only I could get people to buy online lol Oh some day they will invent blow up green houses

WalkGood · Jul 4, 2013

Big Up Lourens! Thank you for da seed mon!!!!

PeriPeri · Jul 4, 2013

Hey Ramon, no probs man. Hope there are some there you don't know. Enjoy!

saugapepper · Jul 4, 2013

Waar is my sous?!?!?!

stickman · Jul 5, 2013

WalkGood said:
Big Up Lourens! Thank you for da seed mon!!!!

Alright Ramon! I'll be growing the King Nagas next year too, so I'll be watching both of y'alls glogs to see how they do for you. Mine'll probably come in quite a bit after yours...

Nice to see you've got your mail order seed business started Lourens. Have you got a website up yet for that?

PeriPeri · Jul 5, 2013

saugapepper said:
Waar is my sous?!?!?!

lol Sold Out :oops:

stickman said:
Alright Ramon! I'll be growing the King Nagas next year too, so I'll be watching both of y'alls glogs to see how they do for you. Mine'll probably come in quite a bit after yours...

Nice to see you've got your mail order seed business started Lourens. Have you got a website up yet for that?

Hey Rick, you guys must have a growoff! My Naga King is indoors and still producing pods. I have about six pods on my plant

Chillihead is up and running. Not sure I can post the website on thp?

stickman · Jul 5, 2013

PeriPeri said:
lol Sold Out

Hey Rick, you guys must have a growoff! My Naga King is indoors and still producing pods. I have about six pods on my plant

Chillihead is up and running. Not sure I can post the website on thp?

I don't see why not in the vender's vault. To make sure it's OK, why not check with the boss first... http://thehotpepper.com/user/2-the-hot-pepper/

I checked out your website, and it looks pretty slick! So many sold-out varieties too!

PeriPeri · Jul 5, 2013

stickman said:
I don't see why not in the vender's vault. To make sure it's OK, why not check with the boss first... http://thehotpepper.com/user/2-the-hot-pepper/

I checked out your website, and it looks pretty slick! So many sold-out varieties too!

Thanks Rick! Sold out varieties still need loading - ftsh! That whip needs cracking! I will definitely check with the boss...

saugapepper · Jul 5, 2013

I know, I was just teasing you Lourens.

WalkGood · Jul 5, 2013

I thought the site was linked here some pages back when you showed the logo and other pics. I spent some time looking at it and think it's great!

PeriPeri · Jul 5, 2013

saugapepper said:
I know, I was just teasing you Lourens.

I know

But next Season I shall make sure to make more and you will get for sure

WalkGood said:
I thought the site was linked here some pages back when you showed the logo and other pics. I spent some time looking at it and think it's great!

I think there may have been a bottle pic that had the address on... no flies on you my friend!

PeriPeri · Jul 13, 2013

It's been a while my friends.

We have turned the corner on winter here. It's been a very pleasant winter so far. We had a few days of frost early on. In typical fashion, with me being at the chilli festival, it was that weekend Jack Frost decided to pay my chillies at the farm a visit

Nailed the plants real good before I had a chance to move them indoors lol You know when the leaves don't just curl and dry up... but those leaves are instantaneously turned to a black crisp? Well, let me say it was a war zone out there! It still is out at the farm... but there is signs of life again. I can report that plants have made it this far through our South African winter - frost and all!

I made haste and moved about 100 of my most precious plants indoors. Lots of bagging to be done.

The plants looked like they were gonners for sure. But I gave them a good dose of my trusted friend Seamonmster Grow pellets and gave them a good watering. Locked them in my garage for a few days and just held my breath :sick:

I think we are over the worst now. I am glad to report. Plants are all looking up. I lost only two. The Champagne Haba (as I call it) and my Bhut Jolokia x CARDI Scorp Yellow - which I am a bit upset about (what father wouldn't be). But having said this, I will say that the variety was not especially noteworthy IMO.

Anyway... loads of come back. Loads of new shoots... loads of pods still hanging from branches.

My modus has been as mentioned to get the plants into bags. Bring them into the garage (away from direct sunlight). Don't prune them. Give them Seaweed supplement to get over the shock and spur on new growth. Lets face it these plants were in a serious state of shock. So oddly enough, pruning them was not something I thought was appropriate. Over the last week or so, with new leaves showing, I have made a point of removing any pods and dried leaves on the plants.

The garage has some soft light coming through glass blocks on the East side and during the late morning, when temps go above 14ºc I open the roller shutters on the garage and the plants generally get some dappled light as the garages are north facing. But making sure there is not too much light as this would just dry out the plants - In my experience. In winters past I did the pruning of dead branches in preparation for overwintering and found this to be disastrous for me personally. I found that pruning the plants made them die off even more. So this was my reasoning for not pruning the plants down for overwintering. It seems to be working for me.

This having been said, I will definitely prune the plants, but will only do this when the plants show signs of substantial new growth ie early spring (soon)!

Enough of the chatter... here are some pics

So above is the double garages I keep the plants in. Not much room. But on a warm day I open the roller shutters to give them light and on a cooler day I leave the metal shutters closed. The shutters actually absorb the heat and radiate into the garages... which is great as on colder days, the inside temperature remains nice and warm.

Beginning of this month I took the plants out for a count. Gave them a good does of seaweed suppliment and watered them. Left them in the sun pretty much all day just to warm those plant cells into getting that grow on. I also sprayed them all with Neem Oil... some hitch hikers on the plants that were sure to cause problems with the new leaves... but I think this is sorted now.

Trippa · Jul 13, 2013

Good on you PeriPeri

Looks and sounds like you have it all sorted!!

May the best plants win

PeriPeri · Jul 13, 2013

Stripping unwanted pods and dead leaves that drain the plants resources and just get a good clean slate for regrowth.

I have about 100 plants I saved from the outdoors.... made me feel a bit like Jonah lol and have tried to stick with 2x2 principal as well.

Some plants looked like dead stalks - seriously... I could have chucked them. But nature is amazing!

Trippa said:
Good on you PeriPeri

Looks and sounds like you have it all sorted!!

May the best plants win

Hey Trippa! Thanks my friend. Getting very excited with the new foliage coming through!

One very odd looking wintery pod. Did a taste test and I am guessing this is actually a Moruga. This pod took me for an absolute surprise... man it was super super hot! And tasty as hell... which why I am guessing this was not a ButchT lol

This Red Haba was at the Chilli Festival with me and has never stopped producing pods through winter... I know its just a Red Haba... but this little guy deserves a medal!

Sawyer · Jul 13, 2013

PeriPeri said:
...unwanted pods...

Does not compute...

PeriPeri · Jul 13, 2013

As did this Red Fataii (in the background)

Sawyer said:
Does not compute...

lol Morning Sawyer... crazy isn't it? I had to slap myself six times before saying this lol
A very wintery ButchT, but nice colours..

And a Douglah that decided to throw a winter pod. Looks odd enough... but give it some warmer weather and I am sure the Phenotype will come right.

Sawyer · Jul 13, 2013

Morning! I hope I get some coloration like that Butch T on some of mine.

PeriPeri · Jul 13, 2013

As for the Naga King Jolokia... it never closed shop. 'Till I relieved it of its pendages... it still had a good dozen fiery pods on it.

Pods are all looking smaller, smoother and rounder.... but I put this down to the colder weather. Can't wait for the warmer weather and for those evil sick pods to show again lol

Sawyer said:
Morning! I hope I get some coloration like that Butch T on some of mine.

Faith my friend... time will reward you with some good colour!
Thai Dragon never closed shop for a minute... still got close to a hundred red pods...

Spring is so close... I can almost smell it.... BRING IT ON!

But now I do need to go.... I am fetching my greenhouse this morning. Its in a million pieces... but I like a challenge!

chilli whisperer · Jul 13, 2013

Wow Lourens,its WINTER,and you're still busy kicking some butt!

PeriPeri · Jul 13, 2013

Hi Jacobus. Winter has been good - bit of an oximoron there - but yea... my plants have repayed me for giving them shelter for the winter. I can't wait for them to get going again... having this kind of a head start is fantastic! I will post the varieties that have overwintered later some time.

I have also started the germination and Betsy (the propagator) has been fired up again. Loads of hooks on the go. Probably looking at 70 more varieties this season