Samcanadian's Great White North Glog, 2014

I figured I'd put as much information I can find in this thread, not only to make it easier for others to help me...but to maybe help other growers who are at the noob stage like I'm at.  (Maybe I'll ask some of the dumb questions so they don't have to!)
 
This year I'm growing Serranos, Habaneros and Jalapenos...having started them all indoors under fluorescent lights on February 28th.  Rather than bore everyone with pictures they've seen a million times of the seeding process, I decided to opt against posting them and just instead mention that I got WAY more seeds sprouting than I had allowed for and was dealing with multiple plants in each little Peat Pot we'd planted them in.
 
At about two months we transplanted the sprouts into Red Solo cups, and next year we will likely skip this step and plant them directly in the solo cups to begin with.  It was just too much trouble to split up all the little peat pot sprouts and replant them individually without harming them, and if I could do it again I'd get a seedling tray and transplant into Red Solo cups from there.
 

 
 
Now, it's past last frost for my area (Winnipeg, Canada) so the wife and I were busy in the garden this weekend...planting our crops for the upcoming year and filling pots with potting soil and peppers.  The Wife bought a generic brand of organic potting soil from Costco for $10/85l bag and we figured it was a good price for our area.  We also bought 16 cheap pots from the Dollar Store and figured our first try at this would be in an ultra-cost effective manner...just to see how much it really costs to produce peppers.
 
Here's a few pictures taken on May 25th of my babies!  The temperature is steady around 23-25 during the day for the next week so I can expect them to get some decent growing weather without being too hot.  
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
Here are a few of my concerns with this growing season
 
1. That the pots aren't big enough:  I hadn't really thought about the size of pot necessary and when I saw these at the Dollar Store I assumed they'd be plenty.  Since the varieties I'm growing don't get too much bigger than 24" (Except the Habs which are estimated to get to 30") I didn't think they'd be too bad...but I'm still a little nervous when I see all these suggestions saying 5 gallon pot MINIMUM.  I'll measure one tonight and see how big it is and update this post with accurate dimensions.
 
2. The the season won't be long enough:  I just have this nagging worry that I'll have a bunch of unripe green pods on my plants when the weather starts to turn cold.  While I'm sure I'm worrying for nothing, I'd still really hate for this to happen.
 
3.  I won't know what to do with all these peppers:  Self explanatory!
 
 
 
Anyway, I'm looking forward to keeping this updated with perhaps a once a week update with pictures, etc.  If you've stumbled onto this page, thanks for reading and any advice you have to give!

 

[magicpepper]

it most definitely should, with any luck they might grow a little more, mine shot up 2 inches the next day when it dropped down to 7

 

[Swartmamba]

Another good giant pot is the coloured keg tubs from walmart . Often you can get them for 5 bucks and they are about 18 gallons. Great for your favourite Chinense . Easy to drill many drain holes.

I have a douglah that I sowed on march 11. I transplanted it into one of them and it is now heading on 2 feet tall and wide with branches and nodes everywhere. Pretty crazy for just 3 months

 

[magicpepper]

Another good giant pot is the coloured keg tubs from walmart . Often you can get them for 5 bucks and they are about 18 gallons. Great for your favourite Chinense . Easy to drill many drain holes.

I have a douglah that I sowed on march 11. I transplanted it into one of them and it is now heading on 2 feet tall and wide with branches and nodes everywhere. Pretty crazy for just 3 months

 
not bad at all, but pretty costly if you need 20 or so..
 
3 months? wow what kind of soil are you using? that also helps a lot!  
im sure samcanadian would like to know as well lol

 

[Swartmamba]

i am using a mix i made. 2/3 coco 1/3 perlte. 2 cups of garden tone ( will never order it in again, as the shipping was expensive) 1 cup azomite. I make a compost tea, pretty much instant growth after you get this going. 
 
I fed the seedlings with diluted fish emulsion in the beginning, but switched to seaweed about a month later.
 
After transplanting outdoors I only use the slow release fert in the soil + compost tea. I add a diluted mix of calmag once i see the first pod and continue through out. I have found a diluted mix of calmag every watering to be much more beneficial than a catch up dose when it is too late.

 

[magicpepper]

wow not bad, i hate ordering things because of the shipping cost so i try to avoid it. but pretty good info, how does the calmag compare to just regular fert ( for plant growth and budding). 
 
i was telling samcan what i usually do, which is root booster 5-15-5 one week then miracle grow all purpose 24-8-16 the following week, so far i havent had any issue so far.

 

[Swartmamba]

Calmag gives the smooth leaves and eliminates blossom end rot. I buy it online from good guys gardening in BC. 1 gallon lasts for ever

 

[magicpepper]

ah i see, i use bone meal for that, i mix 2 tablespoons per litre then, after a month or so i start mixing it into the water when i do weekly feeds, forgot to mention that to you samcanadian, by the way how did your plants fair with the cold weather last night?  it dropped to 4 here last night, so far no ill effects yet.

 

[samcanadian]

No, the plants are bushy and have pushed out a ton of new nodes along the bottoms of the stems.  It's almost like they've established their root base and are now deciding to start growing up top.
 
With fertilizers, I'm not even really sure how to apply it.  Like, do you guys mix it in with watering cans while pouring or what?  I mean I'm used to saturating my plants until it starts to escape out the drain holes at the bottom, and I'm never really sure how much fertilizer to use with that amount of water (Considering the fertilizer I have recommends mixing it in with X litres of water, etc)

 

[magicpepper]

No, the plants are bushy and have pushed out a ton of new nodes along the bottoms of the stems.  It's almost like they've established their root base and are now deciding to start growing up top.
 
With fertilizers, I'm not even really sure how to apply it.  Like, do you guys mix it in with watering cans while pouring or what?  I mean I'm used to saturating my plants until it starts to escape out the drain holes at the bottom, and I'm never really sure how much fertilizer to use with that amount of water (Considering the fertilizer I have recommends mixing it in with X litres of water, etc)

 
next time you water your plants, just measure how much you water each one, get a 2 litre jug and start pouring until you are satisfied, if it takes all of the water then its 2 litres if not then measure what is left over, i use a 2 gallon watering can and i water 12 plants with it, then i have to refill and water the remaining 12, i water mine 2 times a day every day, and i only water until the top of the pot has an inch or so of water sitting on top, so what i do is mix the right amount for that 2 gallon watering can then water 12 plants then repeat for the remaining 12.  and so far there has been no ill effects and they are growing pretty good.

 

[Ragnar]

No, the plants are bushy and have pushed out a ton of new nodes along the bottoms of the stems.  It's almost like they've established their root base and are now deciding to start growing up top.
 
With fertilizers, I'm not even really sure how to apply it.  Like, do you guys mix it in with watering cans while pouring or what?  I mean I'm used to saturating my plants until it starts to escape out the drain holes at the bottom, and I'm never really sure how much fertilizer to use with that amount of water (Considering the fertilizer I have recommends mixing it in with X litres of water, etc)

 
I mix a liquid 3-1-2 ratio fert into my water at about 1/8 to 1/4 strength of what the bottle recommends and use it around 2/3 of the time at this point and it's working excellent, however with that being said my soil mix is soil-less so I need the constant nutrition.
 
Personally, I'd start with a low-dose, see how they react, and go from there.

 

[samcanadian]

 
next time you water your plants, just measure how much you water each one, get a 2 litre jug and start pouring until you are satisfied, if it takes all of the water then its 2 litres if not then measure what is left over, i use a 2 gallon watering can and i water 12 plants with it, then i have to refill and water the remaining 12, i water mine 2 times a day every day, and i only water until the top of the pot has an inch or so of water sitting on top, so what i do is mix the right amount for that 2 gallon watering can then water 12 plants then repeat for the remaining 12.  and so far there has been no ill effects and they are growing pretty good.

Holy smokes, on one hand that seems like a lot of watering (Twice a day) but on the other hand if you're only giving them a 16th of a gallon I guess they'd have to be watered a lot.
 
What I do is take the hose and continue to water until water is running out of the drain holes at the bottom...then I consider them "done" or "watered" and move on to the next one.  I'd say I probably put almost a gallon of water into each plant when I do water...but I only water maybe once a week and only when the pots are light to pick up and/or they're maybe starting to wilt a little bit.
 
I'm thinking I might just mix up some fertilizer with a watering can full, give a little shot to each plant...and then water again later if they're starting to get dry.  As long as I get that fertilizer in with them I can probably review how they're handling it and move on from there by upping or lowering the dose.

 

[magicpepper]

Holy smokes, on one hand that seems like a lot of watering (Twice a day) but on the other hand if you're only giving them a 16th of a gallon I guess they'd have to be watered a lot.
 
What I do is take the hose and continue to water until water is running out of the drain holes at the bottom...then I consider them "done" or "watered" and move on to the next one.  I'd say I probably put almost a gallon of water into each plant when I do water...but I only water maybe once a week and only when the pots are light to pick up and/or they're maybe starting to wilt a little bit.
 
I'm thinking I might just mix up some fertilizer with a watering can full, give a little shot to each plant...and then water again later if they're starting to get dry.  As long as I get that fertilizer in with them I can probably review how they're handling it and move on from there by upping or lowering the dose.

 
i havent had any ill effects from it yet, hopping i dont either. but the only time i dont water them is when it rains, plus i use rain water i have saved up to water them, i have 6, 90 gallon water storage containers full of rain water, but everybody waters them differently with multiple effects, personally i dont like to let them get to dry or wilt from lack of water, but also i dont give them to much water either. just enough to keep the soil damp but not so much to create mold or moss, its always on the drier side of damp lol if that makes sense. last year i watered them half as much and a few died, and didnt produce a lot of pods, so i figure ill double what i did last year and see how that goes. but they are also in the sun from the time it rises to the time it sets and in 5 gallon pots so they tend to dry out fast

 

[samcanadian]

 
i havent had any ill effects from it yet, hopping i dont either. but the only time i dont water them is when it rains, plus i use rain water i have saved up to water them, i have 6, 90 gallon water storage containers full of rain water, but everybody waters them differently with multiple effects, personally i dont like to let them get to dry or wilt from lack of water, but also i dont give them to much water either. just enough to keep the soil damp but not so much to create mold or moss, its always on the drier side of damp lol if that makes sense. last year i watered them half as much and a few died, and didnt produce a lot of pods, so i figure ill double what i did last year and see how that goes. but they are also in the sun from the time it rises to the time it sets and in 5 gallon pots so they tend to dry out fast

Hmm, interesting.  My plants don't start getting the sun until about 11 oclock but then they're in full sun right until 6:30 or so.  If I want, I can pull them toward the deck to get sun for just about the whole day, but haven't done that yet...mainly because it takes up too much space.  
 
I will continue with the current trend of watering when the pots get light only (Helps me stay patient, lol) and I'll continue to report on them as they grow.  They're all doing real well right now and the serranos/jalapenos are at about a minimum of a foot high right now.

 

[magicpepper]

nice, over a foot tall, not bad at all. cant wait to see the progress of them, if watering the way you are is working for you then keep on doing it, and as for the nutes you do what you feel is right and see what effects if any it has on them, and adjust accordingly. 

 

[samcanadian]

nice, over a foot tall, not bad at all. cant wait to see the progress of them, if watering the way you are is working for you then keep on doing it, and as for the nutes you do what you feel is right and see what effects if any it has on them, and adjust accordingly. 

I don't know why I feel this way, but if they continue to grow and develop without nutes I feel I will keep doing it without bothering.  Of course I'd like to be proactive and give them every chance to excel/produce fruit...but at the same time there's something nice about staying somewhat hands-off and keeping them as natural as possible.  
I'll post another few pics tonight.

 

[magicpepper]

I don't know why I feel this way, but if they continue to grow and develop without nutes I feel I will keep doing it without bothering.  Of course I'd like to be proactive and give them every chance to excel/produce fruit...but at the same time there's something nice about staying somewhat hands-off and keeping them as natural as possible.  

I'll post another few pics tonight.

 
i agree with you, but as seeing as how the plants are in pots they will eventually use up every last drop of nutes in the soil and then eventually die off if you dont tend to their needs, if they were in the ground you could very well get away with just watering them once a week and nothing else, there should be enough nutes in the ground to last a season and then the following season you would rotate the garden, like putting different plants where the peppers were and move the peppers to a different location in the garden. pot growing is more hands on and more attention, where as ground planting is less work and less hassle IMO

 

[Swartmamba]

You do not want to water your peppers daily. You have to let them wilt between waterings hot peppers hate wet feet. I water mine every 3-5 days and I have harsh winds and warm weather.

You will notice a difference in a week.

Over watering is the number one thing new growers do, that and tend to there plants all the time. I ignore mine for days on end. That's the best thing you can do, let them be

 

[magicpepper]

You do not want to water your peppers daily. You have to let them wilt between waterings hot peppers hate wet feet. I water mine every 3-5 days and I have harsh winds and warm weather.

You will notice a difference in a week.

Over watering is the number one thing new growers do, that and tend to there plants all the time. I ignore mine for days on end. That's the best thing you can do, let them be

 
i keep hearing that, but the soil mine are in drains pretty good, its a mix blend i made from sand, sphagnum peat moss and a little bit of cow manure, i water them in the morning and then again at night, but 12 5 gallon pots, and i use a 2 gallon watering can to water them, and i only fill it once in the am and once in the pm so the 2 gallons get divided between 12 pots

 

[samcanadian]

 
i agree with you, but as seeing as how the plants are in pots they will eventually use up every last drop of nutes in the soil and then eventually die off if you dont tend to their needs, if they were in the ground you could very well get away with just watering them once a week and nothing else, there should be enough nutes in the ground to last a season and then the following season you would rotate the garden, like putting different plants where the peppers were and move the peppers to a different location in the garden. pot growing is more hands on and more attention, where as ground planting is less work and less hassle IMO

The limited amount of nutrition in the pots is the #1 thing I'm worried about.  I know there will come a time when it's necessary for the plants to receive fertilizer...I'm just curious as to when that may be.
 
I'l continue to read and research!  That's half the fun.

 

[magicpepper]

The limited amount of nutrition in the pots is the #1 thing I'm worried about.  I know there will come a time when it's necessary for the plants to receive fertilizer...I'm just curious as to when that may be.
 
I'l continue to read and research!  That's half the fun.

 
yes that is half the fun, but just remember all plants even the same veriety of pepper plants are different in how much nutes they use. the best i can say is just keep an eye on them and if they change colour or stop growing or something else then it might be time to use some nutes.