Pulpiteer's grow log 2012

slashroot · Mar 29, 2012

Great plants! Hope your Peach Bhut will improve growth

Hendrix1326 · Mar 29, 2012

Wow, the roots are mighty fine on that Peach Bhut! Do you use Mycoblast or anything similar? I've considered obtaining a product like that to enhance root growth, but I have Liquid Karma, which functions similarly.

mjdiamond83 · Mar 29, 2012

That peach bhut with the bent stem looks like it decided to try to drag itself outside, it's sick of being holed up in a grow room!

3/5King · Mar 30, 2012

Your PB Hut reminded me of the art in the movie Beetle Juice, when it comes to life and starts dragging itself around the room..ha. Nice grow mang.

Pulpiteer · Mar 30, 2012

PaulG said:
Lickety-split, buddy, lickety-split

Great, I'll keep that in mind as I'm digging.

ChrisHutch35 said:
Your grow is looking outstanding. Can't wait to see more.

Thanks Chris! And thanks for stopping by, and welcome! :welcome:

slashroot said:
Great plants! Hope your Peach Bhut will improve growth

Thanks slash - I think it's been responding well to the treatment over the last few days. I did put it too close to a bulb and singed some leaves, but that won't do too much damage.

Hendrix1326 said:
Wow, the roots are mighty fine on that Peach Bhut! Do you use Mycoblast or anything similar? I've considered obtaining a product like that to enhance root growth, but I have Liquid Karma, which functions similarly.

Thanks Karl. I have some Mycoblast, but haven't used it yet. I only have one small pack and am waiting for the right time. Not sure. I may use some on plant out... What I did have was some Happy Frog "jumpstart" fertilizer that I put in my original soil mix, and I think that is one of the things that helped my mix. I am curious to see how the Mycoblast works though.

mjdiamond83 said:
That peach bhut with the bent stem looks like it decided to try to drag itself outside, it's sick of being holed up in a grow room!

Yeah, I think you're right. I've got too many plants per square foot. They're definitely ready for more space and soil. That time will come.

3/5King said:
Your PB Hut reminded me of the art in the movie Beetle Juice, when it comes to life and starts dragging itself around the room..ha. Nice grow mang.

Nice visual! Wow, it's been forever since I've seen that movie. Alec Baldwin looked nothing like he does now.

Pulpiteer · Apr 10, 2012

Wow - so I'm coming off of the busiest week of my year, and along with that, I had some major space issues I've tried to begin to address. It's been two weeks since update, I think, so I've got lots of catching up to do.

First, here is an update shot of that Peach Bhut that was bent at 90 degrees. You can see that I've got it supported but, it is in much better condition now. It has pretty much corrected and has taken to the new pot well.

Second, another update. Here is one of my Aji Pineapples from the leftover plants I had. This is one of the ones I had in the other soil mix that was doing so poorly. The yellow is leftover from that, but it has really bounced back and is doing pretty well.

One of the big things I've done is to change the old setup:

By taking the top off and bringing up the cfl's that were on the bottom level to get light to as many plants as possible.

There is not enough room, so here are the ones I've got on the side (which doesn't count the youngest seedlings on the lower level:

As I pot up, they get happier though. Here is the Douglah I potted up awhile back:

It's got some leaves growing out of its stem

I think I've got about 20 of them in 6 inch pots, several in old cottage cheese containers, and I'm running out of pots and space. Depending on how the plants are arranged in my home office, I sometimes cannot get to my computer. I'm thinking of running a small space heater in my little greenhouse outside on a timer a la Paul G, in order to keep several outside and free up space. I hope to do that this coming week. It's a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless.

One of the plants I potted up and topped off a bit was a Red Scotch Bonnet. Here is one of its blossoms (I think this is the Scotch Bonnet, not the Red Jamaican Mushroom...)

And here is the Red Rocoto I potted up awhile ago. This is a view from the top - it's kind of branching out. Pretty cool.

In other news - thanks to a person from church, I was hooked up with some composted organic turkey manure for a part of the garden I hadn't fertilized yet. Awesome stuff, I've read. The stench is unbelievable. I'm glad we're on good terms with our neighbors. Extra vegetables for them this summer.

I've got more to update, but it's after 2:00 AM here and I've got to work tomorrow. Thanks for reading and Happy Easter for those of you who celebrate it.

Pr0digal_son · Apr 10, 2012

This is a common theme I am seeing. I have given away 20-30 plants and still not enough space. I am seeing thicker stem up top compared to a thinner stem towards the soil like on your pineapple. I am running strong lights but the canopy is too thick. Next year I will be starting a lot later. I wanted good starts to transplant in the spring. Well I had that almost a month ago. Aye aye aye Keep up the good work.

MGOLD86 · Apr 10, 2012

Andy! I woke up this morning and had this whole thing planned out to put on your GLog, like "Holy Week is over, and Christ has risen. Time to get back in the garden!" BUT to my surprise, you did a late night update!

Everythinig is looking like it is busting at the seems. I really wanted to pot up some of my guys that are really pushing it, but with planting out in under 2 weeks, I don't think I have enough time to get an established rootball on em. I really think that you are gonna have some massive harvests with those babies goin in the ground. I love that lateral growth on that Rocoto. I have a red cheiro that is only about 2 inches tall, but Yd and is about 3 or 4 inches across. I think it is cool how they spread out a bunch, but sadly, mine doesn't have that crazy hairy leaves (should have planted a few rocotos...).

I have probably asked before, but when about are you planting out? I used a small space heater that I picked up at Lowe's (http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&cId=SEARCH&productId=3467999&cm_mmc=SCE_gps-_-gps-_-gps-_-Utilitech%20Utility%20Space%20Heater&CAWELAID=1024107289) for $20 and it went out once. I took it back and exchanged it for a different model and that didn't even last a day. I went back and got another one. It gets pretty hot and has the normal saftey features. I hook mine up to my hydrofarm heating mat and set the temp to 75. Once it drops below, it cuts on. It is really handy, especially overnight when the temps drop. Also, one of the best parts is that it is switchable from 900-1500w, which will help with the electric bill.

But thanks for the Pulpiteer fix, let us know what you decide for heating.

Matt

PIC 1 · Apr 10, 2012

Hey Andy,
That Peach Bhut has mad a nice return. I've grown the "Pineapples" in the past and no matter how close or how strong the light source was they still grew taller than any of the other annuums...Good tasting chili with a bright citrus taste and a quick bite of heat.
Not exactly... "The Little Shop of Horrors"...(org."Nickelson") version............ha
But that's what I'm facing with the lack of additional space, my plants are literally getting under my feet! You sure have a clean floor.....that's a constant battle for me.
My fans blow around the light weight mix and I keep the broom and dust pan nearby.
Nice flower shot, bright white. The Rocoto plant looks great!....some buds should be forming soon.
Good luck, nice update ..........Warmer weather is on the horizon

Greg

Pulpiteer · Apr 11, 2012

Pr0digal_son said:
This is a common theme I am seeing. I have given away 20-30 plants and still not enough space. I am seeing thicker stem up top compared to a thinner stem towards the soil like on your pineapple. I am running strong lights but the canopy is too thick. Next year I will be starting a lot later. I wanted good starts to transplant in the spring. Well I had that almost a month ago. Aye aye aye Keep up the good work.

Yeah, I think I could start later. I also am wondering about doing a grow area in my basement. Not as much heat, but possibly more space. We'll see...
I'm giving away over 70 plants. Here is the cool thing. I've got some folks from the church really interested in growing hot peppers. Three guys are going to split the extras and we're going to hold a pepper draft where they pick their varieties out. I've given them my own detailed description of each species and strain. Two of the guys are starting a garden spot, and the third is expanding. He told me he tore out his clothesline to sacrifice for the pepper garden. I love it. The draft should be fun - they're into it.

MGOLD86 said:
Andy! I woke up this morning and had this whole thing planned out to put on your GLog, like "Holy Week is over, and Christ has risen. Time to get back in the garden!" BUT to my surprise, you did a late night update! Everythinig is looking like it is busting at the seems. I really wanted to pot up some of my guys that are really pushing it, but with planting out in under 2 weeks, I don't think I have enough time to get an established rootball on em. I really think that you are gonna have some massive harvests with those babies goin in the ground. I love that lateral growth on that Rocoto. I have a red cheiro that is only about 2 inches tall, but Yd and is about 3 or 4 inches across. I think it is cool how they spread out a bunch, but sadly, mine doesn't have that crazy hairy leaves (should have planted a few rocotos...). I have probably asked before, but when about are you planting out? I used a small space heater that I picked up at Lowe's (http://www.lowes.com...LAID=1024107289) for $20 and it went out once. I took it back and exchanged it for a different model and that didn't even last a day. I went back and got another one. It gets pretty hot and has the normal saftey features. I hook mine up to my hydrofarm heating mat and set the temp to 75. Once it drops below, it cuts on. It is really handy, especially overnight when the temps drop. Also, one of the best parts is that it is switchable from 900-1500w, which will help with the electric bill. But thanks for the Pulpiteer fix, let us know what you decide for heating. Matt

Thanks Matt! :lol:

Glad I was missed! I'm also glad I could pleasantly surprise you. I'm enjoying the rocotos - the hairy leaves are pretty cool. I can't wait for pods to form. As far as planting out, I think our average last frost date is mid-May. Most people here start veggies right around memorial day. Last year I got mine in by Mid-May. I'll watch the 10 day forecasts and see when it looks safe, but I've still got a month. I tried my space heater and realized that I can't time it like I want to. I'm also considering doing the incandescent light strings I've seen on one of these glogs. That might work...

PIC 1 said:
Hey Andy, That Peach Bhut has mad a nice return. I've grown the "Pineapples" in the past and no matter how close or how strong the light source was they still grew taller than any of the other annuums...Good tasting chili with a bright citrus taste and a quick bite of heat. Not exactly... "The Little Shop of Horrors"...(org."Nickelson") version............ha But that's what I'm facing with the lack of additional space, my plants are literally getting under my feet! You sure have a clean floor.....that's a constant battle for me. My fans blow around the light weight mix and I keep the broom and dust pan nearby. Nice flower shot, bright white. The Rocoto plant looks great!....some buds should be forming soon. Good luck, nice update ..........Warmer weather is on the horizon Greg

Thanks Greg! I'm looking forward to the Pineapples. I really loved the Lemon drop peppers I grew last year and hear these are similar. I want to make a pepper jelly out of them, using pineapple juice instead of vinegar. I'm glad the floor looks clean from the pictures - the magic of berber carpeting

Ok, a few pics

First, a repotted Red Scorpion (Ajijoe) that is nice and happy

Next, my son had an assignment for his homeschool group (he's 5) to demonstrate something, so he taught his class how to plant a pepper seed. We soaked it in chamomile tea overnight and he planted it in class. It's a chocolate cherry sweet pepper and he's thrilled with its progress. In fact, both his seeds sprouted and he refused to let me cull one, so we've got two of these

Finally, my wife and I were in Lansing (about an hour away) at a market and found some orange manzanos! Awesome peppers, and I was surprised by the heat when eating them raw. They have these beautiful black seeds, which were crying out, "plant me, plant me," but I'm so late into planting and totally out of room as I've mentioned repeatedly, that it would be irresponsible for me to plant any...

And if you've read through this far, perhaps you deserve a reward - I've got several of those seeds from the Orange Manzanos. They are from a market, so I'm pretty sure they'll germinate and grow true, but don't know for sure. Anyway, if you would like any seeds I could give away probably 40 - so if there are 4 of you who want 10 seeds each we can just do the SASBE thing. Please respond on this glog so others can see, and then PM me. Also, continental US only, I think. Don't know how the international thing would go...

Thanks!

PaulG · Apr 12, 2012

Great update, Andy! Your plants all look awesome and healthy and big and
green and robust and... Very nice. Hard to pick out one that stands out they
are all so great looking. But the red Rocoto is cool. Sounds like great progress
being made toward plant out - turkey poop. Wow. Yuk. : ) And really cool
you're spreading the gospel of chilie peppers, so to speak. A draft is a great
idea. There has to be a fund raiser there somewhere!

Pulpiteer · Apr 12, 2012

PaulG said:
Great update, Andy! Your plants all look awesome and healthy and big and
green and robust and... Very nice. Hard to pick out one that stands out they
are all so great looking. But the red Rocoto is cool. Sounds like great progress
being made toward plant out - turkey poop. Wow. Yuk. : ) And really cool
you're spreading the gospel of chilie peppers, so to speak. A draft is a great
idea. There has to be a fund raiser there somewhere!

Thanks Paul! They're doing well, although I think one of the changes I'll make next year is to use the fan more to strengthen the stems (as well as having more room for them). The one thing I'd really change about most of them is the thickness of their stems. I've tried to read Alabama Jack's glog as I get time, and the whole AJ's bootcamp thing seems to really work well for him. That turkey poop, even after being composted for 4 months, is amazingly rank. I'm not sure if there will be a fundraiser, but we do have a harvest festival/chili cookoff in the fall and for the hot chili competition we will have raised the bar to another level. Should be awesome. Also, if harvest is as plentiful as it should be, I want to make some connections with the immigrant workers - we've got a lot of them in the area that work on farms. I'd love to be the gringo that has really hot peppers :mouthonfire:

Pulpiteer · Apr 13, 2012

Last night was the first night for the peppers out in our new greenhouse. It's a 7' by 4' (roughly) greenhouse, so it's not huge, but it sure is nice to have. It has allowed me to free up space inside. I have been busy with every spare moment, potting plants up. I have used all of my 6" pots - I think I have 30 or so potted up and out in the greenhouse now. After I got those in pots, I went through and moved a bunch of my second round of plantings from their 2x2 cells into 3x3's. The crowded space really affects some of the plants. If their neighbor gets tall real fast, then the shorter plant suffers quite a bit, missing out on sunlight and barely growing. I am learning and thinking about what to do next year. I just need more space, that's all...

Anyway, here are some greenhouse shots: Oh wait, I should mention, I purchased a little space heater to run and keep the temp up in the 40's at night. Matt linked a nice one, but it was at one of them fancy "Lowes" stores some of you folks in the big city have. I went to the local hardware to get this one. It should do the job, I think.

Here are my helpers

Plants on the left, then on the right

Finally, here are three that I put into 1 gallon nursery containers. They were doing well, nice, solid and green, so I bumped them from their little 3x3 cells into the spacious gallon pots. Hopefully they'll take off in the month before I get them into the ground.

This afternoon, my wife and I ran errands in the town 1/2 an hour west of here. I got to check out a couple of gardening stores. I think I found where the medical marijuana guys in the area go. That's a good news/bad news thing. Good news: lots of awesome ferts, soils, and all that stuff. Bad news: I can't go there too much, I don't have enough money to survive too many trips. Good stuff though, and knowledgeable staff. I bought some Happy Frog potting soil for my continuing potting up, and some Mykos from Xtreme Gardening. I'm waiting until I put the peppers in the ground before breaking out the Mykos, but I'm excited to see how it helps.

All right, have a great weekend, thanks for reading!

PaulG · Apr 14, 2012

Awesome update, Andy! That greenhouse is just the ticket, my friend,
and the little space heater makes it deluxe for sure! I got mine at HD
for 12 bucks several seasons ago - should last you awhile, at least!
Those pepper plants will push the roof right off the frame! I definitely
think the gallon pot-ups were ready. They will rest for awhile growing
roots, but when the roots touch the sides of the pot, watch out!

I know you have a busy weekend coming up doing the Lord's work as
well as your own : ) so enjoy, my friend. BTW are those little helpers for hire?

Pulpiteer · Apr 18, 2012

PaulG said:
Awesome update, Andy! That greenhouse is just the ticket, my friend,
and the little space heater makes it deluxe for sure! I got mine at HD
for 12 bucks several seasons ago - should last you awhile, at least!
Those pepper plants will push the roof right off the frame! I definitely
think the gallon pot-ups were ready. They will rest for awhile growing
roots, but when the roots touch the sides of the pot, watch out!

I know you have a busy weekend coming up doing the Lord's work as
well as your own : ) so enjoy, my friend. BTW are those little helpers for hire?

Thanks Paul! The greenhouse is working out wonderfully, and the space heater is doing just what I need it to. Keeping the temp in the high 40's or low 50's, so it's plenty comfortable in there. After several nights of cold weather, the plants are still doing great, so it's working.

And no they aren't for hire :lol:

I'm enjoying their help too much! In fact, here's a couple more pics with them:

I've spent a ton of time the last few weeks potting up. I have 71 in 6 inch (or approx) or greater pots, 70 of them out in the greenhouse and one inside strengthening up for the trip out. I also spent a ton of time transplanting out of the 2x2 cells into the 3x3 ones, so that I have all of the peppers into a container that is at least 3x3. I've got about a month until plant out (or more) so this is the final stretch to grow before planting out.

Here are my two oldest helping with the transplanting. Also, to save time and I think some money, I'm doing just Happy Frog potting soil for these. I hope that goes well. It's got great stuff in it, but feels a lot heavier. I hope it drains well. Oh, and this is my son prior to the big haircut...

And here he is afterwards, with his two Chocolate cherry sweet peppers. He's excited about them (moreso than smiling for the picture)

Here is my youngest. She really wanted to get in on the action, so here she is with a Aji Pineapple that is super tall (18 inches from the soil, I think). I've been giving it the fan treatment to strengthen its skinny stem.

Next, out to the greenhouse. If you remember the Peach Bhut that was veering on a 90 degree angle. Today I released it from its restraints and it is upright on its own. I hope the jostling around in the greenhouse helps to thicken the stem. We had some strong winds the last few days and it shakes that green house a little - enough to move the plants around some. Maybe it will help. Regardless, this one has made good progress.

This one I am thrilled about. It's that Douglah I photographed before. Here is my son hiding beneath it. It's branched out and has a canopy now. I love how it is turning out. I wanted to show the size, so I had my son there for a reference.

Finally, one last one - he loves the Brain Strain, so here it is:

Alright, that's it for tonight. Thanks for stopping by!

PIC 1 · Apr 18, 2012

Great review Paul,

Your kids will have stories to tell when the get older..........and photos to back em up!

Nice "Douglah".............looks like one of my plants. It's starting to get some inner growth (the plant, that is).............

I dig that greenhouse, it looks pretty large from the interior photo. You can fit alot of plants in there.

I used (and will next year) "Happy Frog"...............it drains well, I just don't pack it or another medium down too tight. That was one of my earlier startup/potup mediums. I mixed it with a few other products. It works fine , and yes it does drain well in large volume... ($$$)..........ha
We must be in the same Zone (5a/b) as my plant-out is a month away.
Everythings looking inspiring on your end, good luck with the transplanting and the GH.

Greg

PaulG · Apr 18, 2012

Great update, Andy - you plants look awesome - now I'm the jealous one.
They really look healthy and BIG! Your helpers are cuter than buttons, dad!
Sorry they are not for hire, I could get a lot done around here with a couple
of little dynamos like that!

Your grow is top notch, my friend; keep it goin' strong!

Hendrix1326 · Apr 19, 2012

Wow, Andy, coming along nicely! Your Douglah is a monsta! I've been experimenting with topping, so my plants haven't gotten quite so tall, but the leaves are right there in size and lushness. That Aji Pineapple is a tower of virtue, too! Looks like the kids love gardening, that's great! I let my son come in to see my peppers everyday. He requests them, and even made up his own baby sign for them and chants "bada-bada", his own word for peppers. It's great to get your children into a spiritual hobby like gardening, great way to connect with the Earth and the Source.

romy6 · Apr 19, 2012

Man that Douglah is huge. Can't wait to see some pods on that joker. Everything looks super healthy.

I really love the garden helpers too.
:dance:

Jamie

Pulpiteer · Apr 20, 2012

PIC 1 said:
Great review Paul,

Your kids will have stories to tell when the get older..........and photos to back em up!

Nice "Douglah".............looks like one of my plants. It's starting to get some inner growth (the plant, that is).............

I dig that greenhouse, it looks pretty large from the interior photo. You can fit alot of plants in there.

I used (and will next year) "Happy Frog"...............it drains well, I just don't pack it or another medium down too tight. That was one of my earlier startup/potup mediums. I mixed it with a few other products. It works fine , and yes it does drain well in large volume... ($$$)..........ha
We must be in the same Zone (5a/b) as my plant-out is a month away.
Everythings looking inspiring on your end, good luck with the transplanting and the GH.

Greg

Thanks Greg! That means a lot - your plants look awesome! The greenhouse is only a 4 by 7 (roughly), but it is holding quiet a few plants. It is working great this year. Also, glad to hear that about Happy Frog soil. It's been several days now since the replant and the plants are doing great, not really any transplant shock at all, so it all seems to be working.

PaulG said:
Great update, Andy - you plants look awesome - now I'm the jealous one.
They really look healthy and BIG! Your helpers are cuter than buttons, dad!
Sorry they are not for hire, I could get a lot done around here with a couple
of little dynamos like that!

Your grow is top notch, my friend; keep it goin' strong!

Thank you Paul - it's been fun to follow your grow as well. And thanks, yeah I think my kids are pretty cute too, but I'm a little biased. It's been fun to expose them to this stuff and they are at an age when they soak things up anyway.

Hendrix1326 said:
Wow, Andy, coming along nicely! Your Douglah is a monsta! I've been experimenting with topping, so my plants haven't gotten quite so tall, but the leaves are right there in size and lushness. That Aji Pineapple is a tower of virtue, too! Looks like the kids love gardening, that's great! I let my son come in to see my peppers everyday. He requests them, and even made up his own baby sign for them and chants "bada-bada", his own word for peppers. It's great to get your children into a spiritual hobby like gardening, great way to connect with the Earth and the Source.

Thanks Karl, yeah the Douglah surprised me. It's one of the first ones I get into a 6 inch pot. One of the lessons I really took from this year thus far is the impact a bigger pot has on the growth of a plant. I know that seems obvious, but seeing the results has really made an impression on me. I love that your son has his own word for peppers - nice. It is such a great hobby to get the kids in on.

romy6 said:
Man that Douglah is huge. Can't wait to see some pods on that joker. Everything looks super healthy.

I really love the garden helpers too.

Jamie

Thanks Jamie! I can't wait to see the pods either. However, I am a little nervous about eating them.