Today I "promoted" my first two seedlings from solo cups to more permanent containers. One was a Czech black whose roots were starting to crowd against the sides of the cup pretty significantly; its siblings aren't far behind and will probably get potted up next weekend. The other is a mystery seed from Peppermania, some sort of _annuum_ that sprouted about ten minutes after I planted it and was literally starting its fifth set of true leaves by the time the rest of the tray was ready for solo cups.
Interestingly, I noticed that I have quite a few seedlings that are bigger than the Czech blacks (mostly Feherozon, a Hungarian paprika type; there may be some cayennes in this condition too) whose roots haven't started to show up against the sides of the cups at all yet. On the other hand, the Uba Tubas are sort of slow-moving seedlings above ground, but their roots are really out there, as if they made a big push to establish a root system before spending the energy on leaves and stems. (I remember my aji amarillos being a bit that way last year too.)
There does seem to be a lot of similarity between varieties, so I don't think this is due to individual differences, I think it's different species and cultivars having different "priorities" in how they develop above ground relative to below ground. As I think about it, maybe it makes sense for a _baccatum_, which tend to be tall plants, to establish a good foundation early on, while a shorter-season variety like the Feherozon might want to rush its leaves out there early to gather as much light as possible. But then what are the Czech blacks up to?
Anyway, I just thought it was interesting.
-NT
Interestingly, I noticed that I have quite a few seedlings that are bigger than the Czech blacks (mostly Feherozon, a Hungarian paprika type; there may be some cayennes in this condition too) whose roots haven't started to show up against the sides of the cups at all yet. On the other hand, the Uba Tubas are sort of slow-moving seedlings above ground, but their roots are really out there, as if they made a big push to establish a root system before spending the energy on leaves and stems. (I remember my aji amarillos being a bit that way last year too.)
There does seem to be a lot of similarity between varieties, so I don't think this is due to individual differences, I think it's different species and cultivars having different "priorities" in how they develop above ground relative to below ground. As I think about it, maybe it makes sense for a _baccatum_, which tend to be tall plants, to establish a good foundation early on, while a shorter-season variety like the Feherozon might want to rush its leaves out there early to gather as much light as possible. But then what are the Czech blacks up to?
Anyway, I just thought it was interesting.
-NT
