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Sawyer's 2013 Glog - Last Harvest/First Sauce

I haven't done a grow log before, but thought I'd give it a try this year. I'm growing mostly super hots, so I feel like I'm already behind schedule. Anyone know where January went? No pictures yet, I'll add some later when things (hopefully) start popping.

My setup is a basic home-made 2-tier 1" PVC plant stand. Each tier can accommodate 4 standard 1020 nursery flats and has three 2-bulb T-12 4' 40W fluorescent shop lights suspended above. The bulbs are a mix of Daylight, Wide Spectrum, and Power Twist. (I can't give you a K rating on these off the top of my head.) I use heater mats to try to keep the flats in the comfort zone for germination. They are wired to a dimmer switch so I can adjust the current. Even with the dimmer switch, in the past I've had trouble keeping uniform temperature, so this year I've put a layer of aluminum foil on top of the mats to spread out the heat and a layer of kraft paper on top of that. The flats go directly on the kraft paper. If anyone has any tips or tricks for controlling the temperature of heater mats (without purchasing an expensive thermostat), I'd love to hear about it.

I use standard 1020 nursery trays with 1206 (72-cell) inserts. I filled the inserts to planting depth with Sushine Mix #1 and planted anywhere from 2 (new) to 4 (old) seeds per cell. I then topped off the trays with some peat-based germination mix. I intended to use Fafard 3b germination mix, but didn't want to open a new bag for only four flats. I had a small bag of Miracle Grow and one of Ferry Morse left over from days past so I used one of those, I forget which.

The germination stand is in a back room in the warmest part of the house. As plants geminate and become established they'll be moved, either in whole flats, or potted out separately, to a 3-tier, 5 flat/tier stand in front of a bright picture window on the south side of the house. No lights on that yet and may not need them since the window gets direct sun for several hours per day. I'll be starting a lot of other seeds besides hot peppers, so I can't just leave them on the heater mats 'til plant out.

I started four flats today, one whole flat of self-propagated, pure-strain red Bhut Jolokia and up to 12 cells each of the following (note - I prefer the term 7 Pot to 7pod, but am keeping the 7pod nomenclature here out of deference to the vendor):

(First parenthesis is # of plants from first planting on 2/11, second is # plants/# soaked on 3/4)

Red Bhut Jolokia (my own isolated) (75)
Yellow Bhut Jolokia (PL) (0)
Brown Bhut Jolokia (PL) (1)
White Bhut Jolokia (PL) (8), (15/20)
Yellow Fatalii (RFC) (11), (6/10)
Giant White Habanero (RFC) (7)
Trinidad Scorpion Moruga/Moruga Blend (PL) (10), (28/35)
Trinidad Scorpion Moruga/Moruga Blend (RFC) (14)
T. Scorpion Moruga/Moruga Blend Yellow (PL) (6), (19/25)
T. 7pod Congo SR Gigantic (PL) (9), (2/7)
T. 7pod Large Red (PL) (4)
T. 7pod Large Yellow (PL) (1)
T. 7pod Brain Strain (PL) (10), (2/9)
T. 7pod Brain Strain Yellow (PL) (4), (11/12)
T. 7pod Brown (PL) (17)
T. 7pod Burgundy (PL) (8)
T. Douglah (PL) (5), (4/20)
T. Scorpion Butch T. (PL) (7)
T. Scorpion Yellow (PL) (18)
T. Scorpion Original Strain (PL) (1)
T. Seasoning (PL) (4)

New strains/sources started on 3/4:
Red Bhut Jolokia (PL) (45/50)
Scotch Bonnet Brown (PL) (22/34)
'12 7 Pot Yellow (RFC) (0/11)
'12 Bhut Jolokia Chocolate (PL) (0/14)
Datil (PL) (7/22)
Bhut Jolokia Orange (PL) (15/20)
T. Scorpion CARDI (PL) (7/20)
Tobago Treasure (PL) (8/20)

Started on 3/6:
Red Bhut Jolokia (own isolated) (>50)
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion (CPI) (13)
NuMex Pinata (CPI) (40)
White Bullet Hab (PL) (13)

Unrecorded plant date:
Orange Hab (PL) (2)
TS Cardi (PL) (7)
Dorset Naga (PL) (5)

Started on 3/25:
Yellow Bhut Jolokia (PL) - 8/?
Long Choco Habanero (AjiJoe) - 17/42
Pimenta da Neyde (PL) - 14/30
Giant Mexican Rocoto (PL) - 0/40
CAP 1144 (PL) - 0/21
(old) Yellow Habanero (Trade Winds) - 0/24
(old) Jamaican Red Mushroom (RFC) - 0/18
Trinidad Congo Red (PL) - 10/12
Datil (PL) - 9/22 (4 hh)
7 Pot Primo (PL) - 5/18
Early Jalapeno (PL) - 19/36
Cracked Jalapeno (PL) - 33/36
Large Hot Cherry (PL) - 33/36
Surprise Hot Mix (AjiJoe) - 97/144

Edit 4/3: add sources PL=pepperlover, RFC=Refining Fire Chiles, CPI=Chile Pepper Institute
Edit 4/3: (in blue)
Edit 4/29: Edit title (again)
 
Click to expand...
I think I've done something probably nobody's ever done before. I down-potted my Datils. I put them into some empty cells in one of the germination flats. Swapped them out with some larger White BJs. I hope at least two of the seven Datils will survive, but we'll see. Getting them back under lights and on a heat mat should give them their best chance.

I finally have enough room in the germination station to start planting some nons:
2d7fp6w.png

If anyone's interested, the Mrihani Basil has an interesting story. All of the grains and the vetch are winter strains, but my fall/winter efforts fell apart last year. I'll test a few seeds of each this spring to see if any can double as a spring strain. The flax are selected spring/fiber strains. I also have winter/oilseed strains, but they will have to wait for fall.

Also planted some camelina, chrysanthemum, Echinacea angustifolia, hoodia, and sesame.

The owls are serenading outside the window.
 
To know what I'm talking about by down-potting, see posts #194 and #201. Today, it looks like at least three, and maybe four of the seven Datil seedlings are going to recover. I've got a few more just coming up, too, so I'm still in the Datil game.

As I retrieved some Red Bhut seeds from storage two or three weeks ago, I also picked out a few choice chunks of placental material. Today, I toasted it over an open flame (gas cook stove) and pulverized it in a mortar w/ pestle:
ol2m8.jpg

2luthsk.jpg

1e5e2o.jpg

s6nm2b.jpg

8x0lyp.jpg

Sorry some are a bit blurry; I was suffering from respiratory distress by the time I finished. Wish I still had my gas mask. Also, I screwed up the color balance on some of them. The second image is about right for the color of the placenta and the final powder color is somewhere between the fourth and fifth images.

Edit typo.

BTW, while toasting, the powder had wonderful, rich, nutty aroma, which I enjoyed for about a second before lapsing into a coughing, sneezing, snotting fit.
 
Great looking powder! Haha...inside, outside...anywhere, it will getcha! My least favorite part is washing dehydrator trays or anything else used in processing. Once that warm water hits them it is almost like getting pepper sprayed in the face. My powdering/saucing system now is pretty good. I open the windows on the far side of the house and set up an outward facing box fan in the kitchen window on full and don't even need a mask very often.

I have had to pull in some plants, and pot down before. It'll work...
 
Sawyer,
Love the mortar and pestle grinding. My daughter loves help me with a Jamaican jerk recipe for the dutch oven. We use a large mortar for it. I seem to have lost the recipe though.

I hear it quite a bit from my family about fumigating the house. I use my dehydrator outside on my covered front porch and a little Mr. coffee grinder out there as well. Even if I wear a respirator my forehead really starts to burn especially if it's warm outside.

Good luck with those Datil's!

Later Mike
 
Thanks for stopping in, everybody. As I look at that last picture I posted, a thought occurred to me, and I just want to assure everybody that the powder in the plastic vial is exactly the same as the powder in the glass vial. :)

This evening I gave the plastic vial of powder to a quasi-professional BBQer friend of mine. (And I do mean BBQ, not just grilling... there is a difference folks.) He's going to experiment with some concoctions and we'll see what he comes up with.

Absolutely agreed on the seedless thing, Greg. (Well, I think I did spy one seed in there.) Seeds seem a little bitter tasting to me, and I have a better use for them, anyway. Shoot, I think I'd rather scatter them into the road ditches than put them in a powder or sauce. (Of course, I haven't tried to deseed a kg of bird peppers, either. :lol: )

I'm beat. See y'all later.
 
It'll be interesting to see what your bbq buddy comes up with. I hope we get pictures!

I'd prefer to be seedless on my powders, but dang that's a lot of time... well done on your end though. I bet you were in respiratory distress. That brought back memories of grinding up the dehydrated peppers last fall. As Shane mentioned, cleaning the stuff was rough too. And, don't any of you get your hands hammered when you clean? It seems like that capsaicin oil floats to the surface of the dish water and coats the tops of my hands. This then gives me nice chemical burns...
 
Sawyer said:
This evening I gave the plastic vial of powder to a quasi-professional BBQer friend of mine. (And I do mean BBQ, not just grilling... there is a difference folks.) He's going to experiment with some concoctions and we'll see what he comes up with.

Absolutely agreed on the seedless thing, Greg. (Well, I think I did spy one seed in there.) Seeds seem a little bitter tasting to me, and I have a better use for them, anyway. Shoot, I think I'd rather scatter them into the road ditches than put them in a powder or sauce. (Of course, I haven't tried to deseed a kg of bird peppers, either. :lol: )

I'm beat. See y'all later.
Click to expand...

Yep: Q and grill (I need a "not equal to" sign) are not by any means . . . one sister-in-law drives me crazy. "So you're barbequing hamburgers?" I just say, "Yep, grilling hamburgers, y'all come over . . ." :doh: I've resorted to saying "smoking" to make the distinction with her.

AND + 1 on you and Greg. NO SEEDS! :rofl: Dang, I used medical gloves last year, really thick blue . . . actually took them when my father was having an outpatient thing; I knew they were gonna kill on the $ him because he has good insurance, smh. Oh well. A friend asked if she could help me with powders; I said sure, put these on, had to leave for second, half of them she just cut in half, put in dehydrator . . . I dry those seeds for planting or toss 'em. . . can't stand the bitterness of a powder with seeds; can't taste the powder to know what to blend it with! I opened it up, removing seeds like wild woman. But I do fess to using a coffee grinder designated for that purpose. Good job, Arkansawyer! I too would like to know how/what your Q friend does. I hope that Yellow Bouquet keeps growing as I think it would be killer with yellow 7 Pod as powder. Great job, the old fashioned and probably better way!

I read note on that basil. Zanzibar? Cool! . . . please keep posted. I also potted one down this year. If the thing needs more bottom heat and smaller pot, geez. Love the way you're listening to ya plants, sweetie! ;)
 
I use gloves if I'm handling a lot of peppers, double layer nitrile if I've got some serious chopping to do. I haven't noticed a hand burn from cleaning up, but it makes sense. I think I just haven't had that big of an operation before. I'll keep it in mind for this year's anticipated podapalooza.

I thought I hadn't touched any of the material when I made this powder, but when I rubbed my eyes a couple of hours later, I learned otherwise. :fireball:

I hadn't thought of using my coffee grinder. For this small batch the mortar was fine, but for larger quantities, the grinder will be the way to go. With the bonus of nice spicy coffee later on. :mouthonfire:
 
LOL, I did that the other day!
Was messing with Habaneros....no gloves....went to drive and pick the kids up, rubbed my eye, and was blind in one eye for a few minutes....
I had to pull over and wait until I could see again :)
 
The powder looks yummy! I will make a note of the clean up advice when I get to harvest my pods. I have burned my eyes all too many times. Darn contacts!

Michelle
 
Sawyer I went back and read this several times and still cant seem to figure out what you mean by down potting. Please explain.
 
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