Scorched 2015 Grow

jcw10tc · Mar 24, 2015

Scorched said:
So I've been wondering whether to top/prune or not. I did some pruning last year and it did look like I got good results but not 100% positive. It looks like people are split when it comes to doing this. Some swear by it and some swear it only works if you have a short growing season and it hurts yield in the long run. I've read the back and forth here on THP as well as other places and both sides make good arguments. So I've decided that since I've got such a large grow that I will experiment a bit. Some plants I will top, some I will prune, some just pinch new growth, some prune from the fork down and the rest leave to nature. At the end of the grow season I'll see if any one way works better than another or if leaving them alone is the best way.

Last year I topped about 75 of my 100 or so plants most of them about a week after planting out. I noticed a difference. The ones left to grow seemed to put on a smaller set of pods early that were the first to ripen. Once those were mostly picked in late July through mid August many of those plants put on a second much larger set of pods. I had a yellow brain strain that gave me about 40 pods early then about 100+ late in the year. Luckily a later than normal frost allowed all those to ripen. The topped plants produced a more consistent larger initial set and then once all were picked didn't really do anything else, but also was very late in season by then. I am going to try to top a few more early while in side this year if mine get big enough and see how those work.

tsurrie · Mar 25, 2015

looking good, healthy bushy plants. Very nice!

Scorched · Mar 25, 2015

I'm very curious about the topping/pruning issue and if there really is actual science to it or if it's just one of those things that everyone just assumes is actual fact now because "everyone" does it. I admit the ones I topped and pruned last year put on an explosive amount of new growth all along the stem but I'm curious what the long term is between the two. I've read some silly ass arguments on some of the FB groups where people get downright shitty to people who don't agree that topping/pruning works but can't provide any info as to the science behind it. Now if the goal is to have shorter and bushier plants I'm all for that. With some of the summer storms and such I can see wanting more compact plants that won't break in a storm or even under the weight of pods. I just want to know if it increases, decreases or has no effect on overall yield in my growing season.

Random Pics

Armageddon

One has very dark leaves. Not sure if from the lights

Brain Strain Orange

Bhut Jolokia x Jalapeno

Peach Bhut SS

TS Butch T x Douglah F5 (Mike Hess)

3.24.15 Peppers and Joyners, Hellfire Products 006.JPG

Pruned (Looks so sad)

3.24.15 Peppers and Joyners, Hellfire Products 008.JPG

Kraken

3.24.15 Peppers and Joyners, Hellfire Products 022.JPG

Topped/Pruned

3.24.15 Peppers and Joyners, Hellfire Products 024.JPG

So damn hard to take scissors to healthy green plants

Ozzy2001 · Mar 25, 2015

Wow big list. I like all the experimenting.

Alynne · Mar 25, 2015

Love fatali! Never heard of white ones. Any pics?

socalgardengal · Mar 25, 2015

Those look great! Nice list of seeds you started...Good Luck

Scorched · Mar 26, 2015

Alynne said:
Love fatali! Never heard of white ones. Any pics?

First year growing them so no pics. Judy from Pepperlover.com sells them.

Runescape · Mar 26, 2015

Alynne said:
Love fatali! Never heard of white ones. Any pics?

Nigel did a review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEh1FLZh2Fk

Alynne · Mar 27, 2015

Runescape said:
Nigel did a review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEh1FLZh2Fk

Thanks for that. Wish I has seen when I was planning. Looks wonderful! Am trying my first white this year from CNN. white habanero.

Plantguy76 · Mar 27, 2015

Your plants look great hope you have an awesome year
I normally don't top/prune but did prune some on a going on its third year holy Moley
One year when I had a hanbanero plant that I got form the local store my cat topped it.
I put it in a big pot to my moms rejections and reasoned that it was harden off form being outside before put it on the deck it was still early in the year and the plant was small.
That habanero ended up growing into a huge plant and produced lots of pods
I should of kept it but I let it die a lot of factors could of went into that pepper plant getting big and shrub like genetics & stress I am thinking .

Scorched · Apr 18, 2015

Haven't posted in a while but really not much to see. I did get a new digital camera to replace the crappy pics I've been taking with my Ipod Touch. Just a Canon Coolpix S3700 point and shoot. Nothing special but pics should be much better. Plants are looking good and getting big. I hope to take some pics tomorrow and get them posted.

Ordered a bare root plug special from Jim Duffy of Refining Fire Chiles that he was having on FB a few days ago. The damn post office took an extra two days so they look a bit rough. Hopefully they'll perk up now that I've got them in solo cups.

From left to right: 2 BMM (Big Mustard Mama), 2 7 Pod Wes, 2 Brown Bhutlah SLP, 2 Sunrise Scorpion, and 2 Gatherer's Gold (these were freebies and no idea what they are. Marked as annuum)

Not sure if anyone knows who Ron Crum is but he makes infused oils and powders. He's got a chile group on FB that I'm in. He also has a few pods he's been working on for a few years. Many people on FB rave about his RRC-420 Moruga strain. Apparently he's been interbreeding this moruga scorpion strain for a number of years for extreme heat and flavor. Anyway he just made a batch of seeds available for sale. 64 packs available and he won't be selling them again. Figured what the hell, why not? Seeds were $45 with shipping...................but.................the pack has over 400 seeds lol. Not sure what I'll ever do with that many but I've got em. I wasn't planning on trying to grow them until next year since plant out is in about a month but Ron was telling me that they grow fast. So I figured I'll start some seeds and worst case I'll just overwinter and have a jump start on it next year best case it does grow fast and I'll have a bunch of pods.

A pic with a sample of powder made from the RRC-420 Moruga Scorpion. Gotta admit it's pretty damn tasty and pretty freaking hot!

Hopefully will have some plant pics tomorrow

Runescape · Apr 19, 2015

Scorched said:
the pack has over 400 seeds lol.

Lol thats pretty awesome...Do you have any pics of the pepper? Google cant seem to locate any...

Scorched · Apr 19, 2015

This is all I have right now.

From what I understand it's a moruga scorpion that he has kept the seeds of the best (heat, shape, taste) pods each year and grows them. Basically selective growing. People that have tried it say it's hotter and has a better taste than the standard moruga scorpion. I did taste the powder sample he sent with the seeds and it is pretty damn good and pretty damn hot.

Now I have no idea if all this is true or not. I have heard many good things about this guy and his products. I've heard great things about the pod that a few select people were allowed to grow before he decided to sell seeds. The only reason I bought them was because I'd heard great things and was pretty sure this guy was legit. Now I wake up today to find people on FB claiming that Ron is full of shit and trying to scam people because he claims he's been growing and selecting this pepper for 15 years. He says that he got his first seeds from a roadie. People are claiming bullshit because the moruga scorpion supposedly hasn't been in the US for 15 years. I know that Chris Phillips got them in 2007 and began to spread them in the chile community. Is it possible Ron got some seeds before this? I don't see why not but again I don't know. He says that he's still in contact with the roadie that he got the seeds from and that he will back the story. Anyway I'm going to grow it out and see for myself if there is a difference. I paid $45 for a pack of over 400 seeds ($5 shipping). Pretty cheap even if they turn out to be a regular moruga scorpion. It's a helluva better deal than the fake Chocolate Bhutlah seeds I bought before I knew better. So anyway I just wanted to put this little blurb in here just in case anyone saw the little FB pissing contest about these seeds. The guy seems to have a good name so I don't know why he would risk his business by scamming people. I would also think a scam would be more along the lines of $20 for 10 seeds or some shit like that. But I don't know this person personally so I can't say for sure things are legit. The guy calling bullshit is a pretty good dude as well which makes this even more confusing. I love the chile community but man sometimes this my pepper is hotter than your pepper, my dick is bigger than your dick bullshit gets tiring.

Scorched · Apr 20, 2015

Finally got around to taking some random pics so I'll post some. Everything has been going good. I can't seem to stop starting seeds even though plant out is less than a month away. Started some Reapers from Puckerbutt a few weeks ago. I have a bunch of Reapers already planted that I bought from Judy and my ow Reapers from CCN but I wanted to see if there was any difference. Also started some Chris Phillips C7 seeds I bought from Puckerbutt as well. I have no idea what this thing is since there's no description on the website.

I don't know if anyone else has had this problem but all the seeds I've gotten from Puckerbutt have taken forever to germinate. I got some of Chris Phillips Douglah Chocolate x TS Butch T seeds from them a few months ago and those seeds plus the Reaper and C7 took longer than any other seeds I've started. They do eventually germ just very slowly.

Ok enough talk

Lemon Drop

Thai Yellow

Thai Yellow

Fish (this one has been topped and is now putting out variegated leaves. It wasn't before)

Fish (this one has no variegated leaves. Same seed pack. Might try topping to see if it works like it did with the other)

Fish (side by side)

UFO Purple

The Goats (Bahamian)

Bhut Jolokia x Jalapeno (left was topped and pruned right was left alone)

I found this at the back of the bottom shelf lol (Jimmy Nardello). Almost as big as the plant

Armageddon

Naga Viper

Cappuccino Naga

Thanks for looking

Ozzy2001 · Apr 20, 2015

Damn they all look great. All of my fish peoper leaves had variated by the time they were that big. Not to say that some don't.

D3monic · Apr 20, 2015

Plants are looking great, especially the thai. I might hit you up for some those bhut x peno seeds come fall if I remember. Sounds like a interesting cross.

jcw10tc · Apr 20, 2015

Scorched said:
Finally got around to taking some random pics so I'll post some. Everything has been going good. I can't seem to stop starting seeds even though plant out is less than a month away. Started some Reapers from Puckerbutt a few weeks ago. I have a bunch of Reapers already planted that I bought from Judy and my ow Reapers from CCN but I wanted to see if there was any difference. Also started some Chris Phillips C7 seeds I bought from Puckerbutt as well. I have no idea what this thing is since there's no description on the website.

I don't know if anyone else has had this problem but all the seeds I've gotten from Puckerbutt have taken forever to germinate. I got some of Chris Phillips Douglah Chocolate x TS Butch T seeds from them a few months ago and those seeds plus the Reaper and C7 took longer than any other seeds I've started. They do eventually germ just very slowly.

Ok enough talk

You obviously have the same condition I have, only worse. To keep adding at this point is just plain silly. Having said that, I just started 4 more varieities about 2 weeks back also. Wonder what your plan is to actually try all these. I figure I am going to have to freeze a bunch, I had trouble sampling my 65ish varieties last year let alone the 125 or so new ones I have going this year. I also had a specifi vendor this year that was extremely slow germinating. I quit on several after about 3 weeks and started over. Had +50% failures or I just didn't give enough time and the ones that did start probably averaged 2 weeks + where most of mine were in the 5 - 10 day range.

Scorched · Apr 20, 2015

D3monic said:
Plants are looking great, especially the thai. I might hit you up for some those bhut x peno seeds come fall if I remember. Sounds like a interesting cross.

Bought em from Buckeye. I'll have plenty to share. I try to isolate one of each variety to keep seeds pure so they'll grow true

jointeffort · Apr 21, 2015

Holy crap! That's an amazing quantity and variety!

Sarg3 · Apr 23, 2015

Watch out for those Buckeye Butchlah's. They're hot.