Sawyer '18 – Back from the Void

Devv · Mar 15, 2018

Good to read the germ rates are doing so well for you. I'll most likely be hitting you up for fresh seeds at the end of your Ghost pepper grow. Oldies are goodies!

AndyW · Mar 15, 2018

New face here, but welcome back!
It seems like you're doing well so far and those ghost germination rates sound promising for you. Good luck with your grow this year.

Sawyer · Mar 16, 2018

Devv said:
Good to read the germ rates are doing so well for you. I'll most likely be hitting you up for fresh seeds at the end of your Ghost pepper grow. Oldies are goodies!

Thanks, Scott. Sure thing on the seeds. I've got a few ideas for isolating plants to avoid cross pollination. Bagging with organza bags hasn't worked too well for me in the past. Seems like the flowers in the bagged part generally abort. I had luck one year slipping half a gelatin capsule over an unopened flower, though the resulting pod was misshapened. But I also want to use pollen from other plants of the same variety. Gotta get those seeds you sent into dirt this weekend. Time's agrowing short.

AndyW said:
New face here, but welcome back!
It seems like you're doing well so far and those ghost germination rates sound promising for you. Good luck with your grow this year.

Thanks, Andy, and welcome. THP is a remarkable resource for all things pepper. Do you have or plan to have a grow log of your own here?

Up to 1124 total sprouted this morning, so I'm increasingly certain the 1440 total sown number is incorrect. The smaller flat is up to 266, or ~63%, and definitely seems to be winding down. I probably won't update these numbers again until I divide them up into larger containers.

AndyW · Mar 16, 2018

Thanks, Andy, and welcome. THP is a remarkable resource for all things pepper. Do you have or plan to have a grow log of your own here?

Thanks, I've learned a lot so far. I'm not sure about a glog this year since everything is pretty hectic, but I plan on one next year for sure.

OCD Chilehead · Mar 16, 2018

Welcome back.

Good luck with your season. Some nice varieties.

Chuck

Sawyer · Mar 18, 2018

AndyW said:
Thanks, I've learned a lot so far. I'm not sure about a glog this year since everything is pretty hectic, but I plan on one next year for sure.

I can certainly relate to that.
"Hectic" has a way of sneaking up on you.

OCD Chilehead said:
Welcome back.
Good luck with your season. Some nice varieties.
Chuck

Thanks, Chuck. Hopefully I can do better than the last couple of years.

So I've been having a mildly interesting experience recently. I often read, surf, tap, whatever, in bed before sleep, as one is wont to do. Two or three weeks ago I started being visited by ladybugs who seemed to take a real shine to my beard. That's better than fleas, I guess, or birds a-nesting, but still a little disconcerting. So I shaved the beard. Had no real plans in growing it in the first place other than to take a break from shaving.

Ladybugs continued to visit, though they now roamed all over. I try to live and let live, considering they are such good critters to have around. In the right place and time. Sitting on my reading glasses frame (reading along with?) is neither the place nor the time.

I eventually realized the visitations were coincidental. The bugs were attracted to the light overhead and dropping down on my head and shoulders as they lost their grip up above.

I have a few OW plants, both peppers and others. I had noticed a few aphids here and there and knew things could get out of hand rapidly. So I had the bright idea to gather up a few of the visitors and relocate them to infested plants.

Now I know it's generally the larva that feed on aphids, but in lean times a meal is a meal. The relocated ladybugs made short work of the aphids in no more than a couple of days.

With no more chow available, they came back to me. Well, okay, back to the light, but the result is the same. I again have ladybugs crawling around on me. In the absence of more aphids, I've started collecting the ladybugs and putting them in a container in the refrigerator. I hope they can hang on until after last frost.

PS - This not a request for anyone to send me aphids

Sawyer · Mar 18, 2018

Huh, so can we no longer edit our posts after some time? I was going to edit the OP and change the title to "Sawyer '18 - Needs more aphid", but the only post of mine that has an edit button is the one right above this one. I might have used a title other than "Back from the Void" if I'd known I'd be stuck with it for the duration.

Devv · Mar 19, 2018

Sawyer said:
Huh, so can we no longer edit our posts after some time? I was going to edit the OP and change the title to "Sawyer '18 - Needs more aphid", but the only post of mine that has an edit button is the one right above this one. I might have used a title other than "Back from the Void" if I'd known I'd be stuck with it for the duration.

One of the software updates killed that, or changed it enough where I need to ask someone

I also noticed that I can't respond to multiple posts like I used to. Could be the same deal, that I've just fallen behind...sigh...

Regarding the Lady Bugs. About 10 years ago I tried to turn an old shed into a meat locker. I insulated it with 6"s of insulation, and failed in my attempt to cheat a window unit AC to cool it down. Being that didn't work, I abandoned it. One day during the winter I opened the door and there had to be 5,000 plus Lady Bugs camped out in there. I'm guessing they were taking cover in there from the elements. I'm sure I couldn't duplicate that if I tried :shh:

Sawyer · Mar 20, 2018

Devv said:
One of the software updates killed that, or changed it enough where I need to ask someone

I also noticed that I can't respond to multiple posts like I used to. Could be the same deal, that I've just fallen behind...sigh...

Regarding the Lady Bugs. About 10 years ago I tried to turn an old shed into a meat locker. I insulated it with 6"s of insulation, and failed in my attempt to cheat a window unit AC to cool it down. Being that didn't work, I abandoned it. One day during the winter I opened the door and there had to be 5,000 plus Lady Bugs camped out in there. I'm guessing they were taking cover in there from the elements. I'm sure I couldn't duplicate that if I tried

Hopefully this is only a temporary glitch and not a policy change. I always found editing the topic title, while keeping the user name and year, to be a convenient way to give people a heads up as to what new content might be found within.

I haven't used the multi-quote feature enough to know if there is a change there on my interface. I was able to use it, though with perhaps a bit more difficulty interspersing my replies.

I am doing all this on a Pixel phone, but with scripts enabled and desktop site requested. Still, I guess that could have something to do with it.

I haven't noticed this in awhile, but there were at least two or three years several years ago when I had Ladybugs OW in corners of my front room. Hundreds, if not thousands, all clustered together in the upper corners of the room. Not sure if they were all one species, nor whether native or introduced. As far as alien Invaders go, I guess we could do worse.

Anyway, I planted more seeds yesterday.
D = Devv/Scott:
Jalapeño-Zapotec
Papa Dreadie (PD)
Big Black Mama (BBM)
Bhut Orange Copenhagen (BOC)
PDN-Bonda white

TW= Trade Winds Fruit:
TAM Jalapeño
Orange Habanero

PL = PepperLover:
Reaper
Moruga Scorpion Red
7 Pod Yellow, original strain
Jolokia Brown
7 Pod Yellow, large
Trinidad Moruga Yellow
7Pod Red, large
Sulu Adana
Tekne Dolmasi

Didn't count seeds, just thick-sowed whatever was in the pack, one pack per 3.5" square pot. (Limited space, etc.)

I know it's late to be starting seeds, but last frost date here is April 16 according to some sources and we do often, in recent times, seem to get one last cold snap after one thinks warmer weather is here for good. Plus lately, it seems the first frost in Fall is coming later, too. I think (hope) I'll be good through early November.

Moreover, I have an 18' x 30' frame (from a Shelter Logic something or other) I plan to set up and enough greenhouse film to cover it a few times over. Together with wood heat, solar panels, and a metric s ton of grow lights I've accumulated, I'm going to try to do some serious OWing next winter... assuming I'm not living in a cave by then. I give it 50-50.

Sawyer · Mar 21, 2018

Planted more today.

Devv:
Gochu
Pumpkin Bubblegum
Scotch Brain
Yellow Brain Strain

AS = American Seeds:
Habanero (orange)

Trade Winds:
Piquillo
Jimmy Nardello
TS Yellow Moruga
Padron
Shishito

PepperLover:
Palmyro
7Pod Red Original Strain
7Pod White
7Pod Yellow Original Strain
Reaper Bhut
Chocolate Bhutlah

Self-saved:
Sulu Adana
Kali Ghost

TrentL · Mar 21, 2018

Are those "ladybugs" brown or red?

I have these guys showing up at my farm; these are actually asian beetles which were imported and intentionally released by some college degree jerk at .Gov who should be drawn and quartered.

They are INFESTING everything in our area now for several years. Millions, *billions* of them flee the fields around here and enter houses every harvest now. I came home from work one day and my tan 2 story home was BROWN with them so thick on the exterior walls you couldn't hardly see the siding!

Sure, they are good at wiping out aphids. But they love lights so much they clog up every outdoor light fixture and pose a fire risk when their desiccated corpses fill up enclosures around bulbs.

They also BITE. Painfully so.

And they have no natural predators here. Nothing will eat them. Not even birds.

I much prefer the red ladybugs but the competition these hardy little imported bastards pose is just too much; I very rarely EVER see a red ladybug anymore.

Sawyer · Mar 21, 2018

TrentL said:
Are those "ladybugs" brown or red?

I have these guys showing up at my farm; these are actually asian beetles which were imported and intentionally released by some college degree jerk at .Gov who should be drawn and quartered.

They are INFESTING everything in our area now for several years. Millions, *billions* of them flee the fields around here and enter houses every harvest now. I came home from work one day and my tan 2 story home was BROWN with them so thick on the exterior walls you couldn't hardly see the siding!

Sure, they are good at wiping out aphids. But they love lights so much they clog up every outdoor light fixture and pose a fire risk when their desiccated corpses fill up enclosures around bulbs.

They also BITE. Painfully so.
And they have no natural predators here. Nothing will eat them. Not even birds.

I much prefer the red ladybugs but the competition these hardy little imported bastards pose is just too much; I very rarely EVER see a red ladybug anymore.

I'd call them more orange than anything, but yeah, I think they are probably the Asian variety. And yes, they bite, though not often. And are attracted to lights. I haven't had a fire result (yet), but I can certainly see how that could happen. I had already used tissue to block the access points in the overhead fluorescent light that led to my post above.

I don't know how one would get rid of them short of a massive pesticide campaign. So I try to take a Serenity Prayer approach.

What raises my ire to the level you have for ladybugs are Asian bush honeysuckle and privet. Talk about displacing native species.

Sawyer · Mar 22, 2018

This is a test to see if I remember how to upload to host, resize, and post images.

It seems that I do. That picture was taken yesterday. I think the plant is a Padron, but won't know for sure until it starts bearing. Note the flower buds. Fingers crossed.

This is an interesting plant. It, and a single cellmate were the sole survivors of a frost last fall that killed everything else in the flat, mostly tomatoes and more peppers. Potted them both up into a small round pot, but it's sibling didn't survive the repotting. This is what it looked like last December.

It's been under nothing but a single 18 W LED bulb, one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Feit-Electric-Dimmable-Weatherproof-Outdoor/dp/B00JIUKAZI#featureBulletsAndDetailBullets_secondary_view_div_1521755293092

I was just trying to keep it alive until warmer weather, but if it wants to make peppers, more power to it.

Peter_L · Mar 23, 2018

Sawyer said:
I'd call them more orange than anything, but yeah, I think they are probably the Asian variety. And yes, they bite, though not often. And are attracted to lights. I haven't had a fire result (yet), but I can certainly see how that could happen. I had already used tissue to block the access points in the overhead fluorescent light that led to my post above.

It's hard to distinguish between most native species and the invasive species. Elytra color isn't particularly useful because there is a wide variety for both native and invasive. The popular red colored/7 black spots is actually an old invasive species from Europe, it's just far less of a modern nuisance.

The head pattern is the easiest way to identify. If it's mostly white, then it's likely an invasive species introduced from Asia. If it's mostly black, it's usually native to North America or Europe. Asian varieties also tend to be slightly larger on average.

No matter the origin, they are definitely welcome to kill all the aphids! Your plants are looking good and that mystery (Padron?) plant is certainly a trooper. I hope it has a chance to give you some nice pods so it can be properly identified.

Sawyer · Mar 23, 2018

Here's a couple of shots of my own SoG (sea of ghosts) from a few days ago:

PS - Those are ginseng plants in the back of the second picture.

nmlarson · Mar 23, 2018

TrentL said:
Are those "ladybugs" brown or red?

I have these guys showing up at my farm; these are actually asian beetles which were imported and intentionally released by some college degree jerk at .Gov who should be drawn and quartered.

They are INFESTING everything in our area now for several years. Millions, *billions* of them flee the fields around here and enter houses every harvest now. I came home from work one day and my tan 2 story home was BROWN with them so thick on the exterior walls you couldn't hardly see the siding!

Sure, they are good at wiping out aphids. But they love lights so much they clog up every outdoor light fixture and pose a fire risk when their desiccated corpses fill up enclosures around bulbs.

They also BITE. Painfully so.
And they have no natural predators here. Nothing will eat them. Not even birds.

I much prefer the red ladybugs but the competition these hardy little imported bastards pose is just too much; I very rarely EVER see a red ladybug anymore.

The gov't DID import them, in Pennsylvania, at least....to eat Gypsy Moth caterpillar larvae, as I recall. A couple of decades back, deciduous forests in Pennsylvania were being decimated by Gypsy Moth caterpillars. You could stand outside and listen to their s*it hitting the ground, there were that many in the trees. You couldn't spend any time outside without a hat. Ewwwww.

I wish they'd find something to take care of the brown marmorated stink bugs. They were probably responsible for more damage to my crops last year than all the other pests combined. Needless to say, this year I've made a big investment in micromesh.

What types of bulbs are you using? Try LED bulbs. It may make a difference. We replaced the incandescent, yellow bug and CFL bulbs in all our outdoor lamps with LED bulbs. No bugs swarming the lights anymore!

Nancy

Sawyer · Mar 23, 2018

Peter_L said:
It's hard to distinguish between most native species and the invasive species. Elytra color isn't particularly useful because there is a wide variety for both native and invasive. The popular red colored/7 black spots is actually an old invasive species from Europe, it's just far less of a modern nuisance.

The head pattern is the easiest way to identify. If it's mostly white, then it's likely an invasive species introduced from Asia. If it's mostly black, it's usually native to North America or Europe. Asian varieties also tend to be slightly larger on average.

No matter the origin, they are definitely welcome to kill all the aphids! Your plants are looking good and that mystery (Padron?) plant is certainly a trooper. I hope it has a chance to give you some nice pods so it can be properly identified.

Thanks for stopping by, Peter, and thanks for the info. That bit about the heads sounds vaguely familiar, but I've forgotten a lot of what I had learned about insects in recent years. I'll take a closer look next time one decides to get up close and personal.

Got my fingers crossed for the maybe-Padron. Regardless of what it turns out to be, I hope its apparent frost tolerance is real and not a function of flat micro-climate.

Gonna start moving out some other OWs today. Pics may follow.

TrentL · Mar 23, 2018

We have another type of pest here, the Japanese beetle, which is a crop eater. Those devoured my garden one year. They were bad enough I decided to never again plant any sort of melon (they ate watermelon plants clear down to the ROOTS), or Okra (wow they have a thing for Okra), and a few others.

And stink bugs started multiplying in the billions as Nestle's rented fields lay dormant. Nestle has a pumpkin pie factory nearby and they rent farm fields to grow pumpkins. But they never get them all harvested. The ones they don't get to, before first frost, just lay in the field to rot, which allows billions of those stink bugs to multiply and then find new homes for the winter. We're constantly finding them here at home. You'll be laying in bed, reading a book, when WHAM some big insect bounces off your head scaring you half to death.

The cats eat them, though, so at least that's a good thing.. if a little stinky at times...

Sawyer · Mar 23, 2018

TrentL said:
We have another type of pest here, the Japanese beetle, which is a crop eater. Those devoured my garden one year. They were bad enough I decided to never again plant any sort of melon (they ate watermelon plants clear down to the ROOTS), or Okra (wow they have a thing for Okra), and a few others.

And stink bugs started multiplying in the billions as Nestle's rented fields lay dormant. Nestle has a pumpkin pie factory nearby and they rent farm fields to grow pumpkins. But they never get them all harvested. The ones they don't get to, before first frost, just lay in the field to rot, which allows billions of those stink bugs to multiply and then find new homes for the winter. We're constantly finding them here at home. You'll be laying in bed, reading a book, when WHAM some big insect bounces off your head scaring you half to death.

The cats eat them, though, so at least that's a good thing.. if a little stinky at times...

Oh, yeah, Japanese beetles were the bane of my existence for awhile. They've ruined many a blackberry crop here. I highly recommend spreading around as much milky spore as you can afford. It took a year or two to take effect, but it pretty much wiped them out on my place. (For a time; it's time now, I think, to re-inoculate.)

I coupled that with pheromone traps (pheremone, eugenol, or some other attractant (s)). And yes, the traps attract beetles from neighboring properties, but the ones that don't get trapped and try to reproduce on my place fall to the milky spore. I just read that a mixture of peppermint and wintergreen oils is an effective repellent. Might try all three approaches next time around.

Stinkbugs nailed my winter squash one year. Best approach I found there, short of Sevin dust and if I have the time, is daily monitoring and smashing the eggs by hand. And as you noted, a good cat helps, too.

TrentL · Mar 24, 2018

I ended up waging chemical warfare on them. Sprinkled the okra leaves with sevin and they all croaked. Did the same with the rose of sharon and my rosebushes. Those things will DESTROY rosebushes in a heartbeat. Although the rose bushes did draw them away from the garden after i planted them the second year ....

I just couldn't believe it when I went out there one day and there were literally tens of thousands of the bastards on my garden. I flipped the hell out dude. It was like a biblical plague had landed on my lawn.

The only thing worse than those japanese beetles is deer. Those furry bastards went down a row of chinense one year and left stumps!