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PJ's 2012 Glog with a Kaleidoscope of Colored Peppers

This is my second season growing superhots. I decided to branch out and grow some tasty peppers that others will enjoy. I've been collecting and buying seeds busily!

So i decided to start my seeds early-mid january since last frost date last year was in early april. Here is my list. Some i bought, some i got for free from the amazing THP members! Thanks again all,

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I'll be germinating my seeds in cups. I had great success last year using this method. Once they sprout, i'll move them to my 72 plug seed tray. I'm using gardener's supply germinating mix. It has very fine peat, vermiculite, and trace minerals and is pH balanced. Once they get their true leaves, i'll move them to 3.5x5 inch pots (P86D) and 1 pint root pouches (just to experiment). After that they will go into their 5, 7, 10 gallon root pouches and plastic nursery pots.

I started the kashmiri seeds 1 weeks ago to see if the dried pods' seeds i got from UK were viable. They were! So these were the first to go into the 72 plug tray.

I have some plants in the garage under flourscents that are overwintering since november. They are brain strain, red bhut jolokia and chocolate bhut, red and yellow 7pods, fatalli, and a bhut-habanero hybrid. Also some annums like serrano and kung pao just to see if it works
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I dedicated one room in the house as my "plant room". Pretty bare bone, its a 48 inch wide, 7 foot tall steel rack. 2 of the shelves each have 4 T12 GE aquarium and plant flourscent bulbs. I have a heat mat where they cups are sitting on to help in the germination.

The Plant Room
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The Seeds in their cups
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The Kashmiri Mirch in their 72 plug tray, i'm using little cups as a "dome" to keep humidity in. Using foil to cover the other plugs so water doesn't just evaporate away making the germinating mix really dry and also keeps it from growing algae.
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Lets see how it goes! Wish me luck!
 
Nice mix with the varieties.....your first treats from whole foods, you typed pickled, did you mean fresh picked from the produce sec?

Greg
 
Awesome set up and great list.

Thanks!

Nice mix with the varieties.....your first treats from whole foods, you typed pickled, did you mean fresh picked from the produce sec?

Greg

This is a pure experiment. I got some pickled red and orange peppadews from salad bar in whole foods. I saw some seeds still in a few (must have missed them during processing in Africa since they are a protected pepper to be only grown in Africa). So i dried them and am trying to germinate them. Its been 3 weeks so far with nothing. If it doesn't work out, its fine, just experimenting :D
 
Good list, good setup, good plan and bonus overwinter plants points. Nice going, PJ!

I've been jonesing for a big tall plant rack like that. Very versatile. Add lights as needed and would be nice next to a window, also. Good ideas on the mini cups as temporary gh toppers, too.

off topic: will that outstanding pizza dough you made in the throwdown bake up well (enough) in a conventional oven? Mine maxxes out at 550F. For those of you that mighta missed it, check recipe and then his pizzas on the following page. Pizza Throwdown p 2 Not only a great recipe, but great instructions for a knucklehead like me.

Good luck on your grow.... :cool:
 
Good list, good setup, good plan and bonus overwinter plants points. Nice going, PJ!

I've been jonesing for a big tall plant rack like that. Very versatile. Add lights as needed and would be nice next to a window, also. Good ideas on the mini cups as temporary gh toppers, too.

off topic: will that outstanding pizza dough you made in the throwdown bake up well (enough) in a conventional oven? Mine maxxes out at 550F. For those of you that mighta missed it, check recipe and then his pizzas on the following page. Pizza Throwdown p 2 Not only a great recipe, but great instructions for a knucklehead like me.

Good luck on your grow.... :cool:

Thanks Sillman, can't wait to grow out those Siling Labuyo you sent. About the pizza, yes you can use it in a conventional oven. Do you have a pizza stone? If not, it is a good investment for making pizzas and bread. If you do have one, that will help in getting a nice crust. If you have two pizza stones, one where you put the pizza on, and one ontop sitting on a rack. That way you have radiant heat cooking the pizza from up top. Keep the stones in the oven at 550 for an 45 - 60 mins so that stones absorb all that heat.

For me i have had more success hand kneading the dough, so don't be afraid to get your fingers messy. A hydration dough (65% of flour weight in grams is water) means more fluffy crust. Also shape the pizza dough by hand and not a rolling pin or else you will loose all those bubbles. There are videos on youtube that teach you how to do this.

Also make sure not to over proof your dough, if you do, it won't have that spring and your dough will not be good. Look at the pics in the thread before and after the dough balls rise in the containers. This webpage is a great resource to help you out. The guy on the site, Jeff hacked his oven to make those wonderful looking pizzas.

Have fun!
 
Fantastic info and link, PJ. Much obliged! I've got one pizza stone, will be gettin another. The wife unit is stoked with pizza recipes!

Pepper growing is a great way to eventually making a great pizza..... :cool:
 
Nice setup and even nicer variety of peppers your getting started! You got a little bit of everything going on! Correct me if I'm wrong but I do believe you have a great climate to grow.. I'm excited to see these all grow up. good luck, this will be fun to watch :D

Brandon
 
Great list! And with the Upside down cups.. Does that lead to water accumulation directly underneither them?

Thanks, yes that is condensation from the water in the soil. Keeps things humid and prevents drying of the soil so the seed has a chance to thrive.

Fantastic info and link, PJ. Much obliged! I've got one pizza stone, will be gettin another. The wife unit is stoked with pizza recipes!

Pepper growing is a great way to eventually making a great pizza..... :cool:

No problem, glad to help a pizza lover. For me it was pizza making was a great way to eventually grow great peppers :)

Looking great PJ! I like the cup method and you definitely have a diverse list. Good one to follow!

Matt

Thanks MG, the cup method is awesome. I'm have 1-2 day germination rates on annums, and after 4-5 days, some of my chinese are sprouting! its crazy!

Nice setup and even nicer variety of peppers your getting started! You got a little bit of everything going on! Correct me if I'm wrong but I do believe you have a great climate to grow.. I'm excited to see these all grow up. good luck, this will be fun to watch :D

Brandon

Thanks BigCedar, it is a great climate during spring and early fall. The summers here are brutal. We had a heat wave in Texas in 2011. Bare any rain and millions of trees died all over texas. Its was probably the greatest drought. But as long as you keep the peppers watered, and shaded they will thrive.

The kashmiri mirch seedling now has its humidity dome off. Its ready to grow!
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I'm getting great short germination rates with the cups. Already have 24 / 72 filled up.
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Here are the start dates:
  1. Cups 1 - 4 - 12/20/2011
  2. Cup 6 - 1/3/2011
  3. Cups 7 - 42 - 1/8/2011
Here is what germinated so far
  • Kashmiri Mirch - 6 days
  • Siling Labuyo - 2 days
  • White Habanero - 2 days
  • Pepperonicio (Round) - 2 days
  • Indian Jawala - 2 days
  • Serrano del Sol - 2 days
  • Bahamian Goat - 5 days
  • Butch T - 5 days
  • Chocolate Scorp - 5 days
  • Cheiro Recife - 5 days
  • Scotch Bonnet Foodarama - 5 days
Pretty wild!
 
PJ that is crazy wild and good! What temps in the germinating area and what kind of paper / medium and number of layers in the bottom of the cups?
 
PJ that is crazy wild and good! What temps in the germinating area and what kind of paper / medium and number of layers in the bottom of the cups?

Mat is set to 85, and im using 3 layers. I put a little extra water than just making the paper towels damp because when condensation happens the paper towels will still be wet.
 
That's it, I'm upgrading from baggies to try this. Organizing seed trials, and the occasional temporary use for the cups as little domes will be real helpful also. Should have gone this route a while back! Thanks, PJ... :cool:
 
My overwinters are doing fine, i think my annums are dead. Probably from under watering. I water maybe every 3 - 4 weeks just a cup or so. The chinese are doing well with leaves and buds.

Some c. chinese ready for their monthly drink of water :D
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Choc Bhut
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Yellow Bhut
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Red 7Pod Buds
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Anyways, back to to indoors. Almost all my varietes are germinated. Just 3 or 4 left. I look at the cups daily, if i see any sign of sprouting, i use tweezer to pick up the seed and sow them into the 72 plug tray. That way i know that spot is going to sprout :)

I only have one heat mat 20x20, so the 72 plug tray and the germinating seed cups are sharing space.
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Close up of the seedlings, Ones one the left are the oldest, and go when you progress to the right, the seedlings are younger :D
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I started watering with Botanicaire Pro grow 3.5ml/gal + Liquid Karma 5ml/gal as recommended by AJ. Lets see how that goes.

Here is what i have so far. Love Google Docs. I made a formula to replace the numbers i'm using to track the seeds with their names :D
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