Scuba_Steve's First Year Glog

Scuba_Steve · Mar 5, 2015

Hybrid Mode 01 said:
Your plants look really good so far, as does that soil. I bet those raised beds are going to be fun this season. I'm really happy with the ones I put in a few years ago.

Are those amounts ^ what you added to the whole batch? That seems kind of light, imo. I think I added closer to a cup each of bone meal and Tomato-Tone per ft3 to my mix last year, for example.

Thank you very much!

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I added that to every gallon of soil. So about 0.625c per ft3 of lime and fert, and 0.313c of bone meal. Not as high as you used, but was running out of $$ and used what I had.

Hybrid Mode 01 · Mar 5, 2015

Scuba_Steve said:
Thank you very much!

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I added that to every gallon of soil. So about 0.625c per ft3 of lime and fert, and 0.313c of bone meal. Not as high as you used, but was running out of $$ and used what I had.

Whew! That sounds better. You may have to fertilize them a bit later in the season (I had to as well), but that soil sounds like a great start.

Scuba_Steve · Mar 5, 2015

As a preventive measure I will be adding various insects to the garden. I got my first shipment in today.

Best way to start is with the big guns! They are in the cups to protect them from birds before they hatch. There are holes in the bottom to allow them to escape. These will be placed all around the yard, and one kept refrigerated until later in the season.

Mantis Eggs

Mentioning predators, I added this next to my seedlings about a week ago. My fungus gnat population is near extinct now.

Drosera Capensis 'Alba'

Plantguy76 · Mar 5, 2015

Everything is looking good hope you have a great season!

Jamison · Mar 5, 2015

Looking good man! All that work pays off in the end for sure. Good luck this season!!! :cheers:

Scuba_Steve · Mar 5, 2015

Scuba_Steve said:
Is it just me, or does anyone else have a cable box that looks like this?

Well I got tired of waiting, and my seeds in peat pellets seemed to be sprouting quicker anyways. Everything has now been planted in pellets. Also the plants in the trays are my first round that were not ready IMO to be potted up to solos yet.

So now I am updating my original post with the following on my grow list.

Sprouted:
Thai Ornamental
Large Orange Thai

Unsprouted:
Cherry Bomb
Purple Jalapeno
7 Pot Madballz
7 Pot Burgandy
7 Pot Bubblegum
7 Pot Brainstrain Red
Bhut Jolokia Chocolate
Bhut Jolokia Peach
Yellow Fatalii
Red Jamaican Mushroom
Cumari Do Para
CGN 21500
Aji Pineapple
Aji Limon
Zimbabue Bird
Bahamian Goat

Scuba_Steve · Mar 9, 2015

I've been working on irrigation today. Temps are starting to rise, and planting time may be within the next week or so! I need to hurry up and get ready!

I ran a bunch of solid drip irrigation tubing and punched holes with a push pin. Its hard to see the water flow in the picture, but if I turn it up all the way each hole will shoot water clear across the bed. I dial it in to ensure they are only hitting the middle of each row.

I have irrigation setup on my bags too. They are on a different channel so I can adjust their needs separately.

Also I setup a 30g tree pot for my growdown competition Large Orange Thai plant. You can see the flow much better here. Also I am attempting to put out my first seedling in this pot. I have to find a way to get ahead of the competition after all!

These are all turned on to do a test run. My actual watering times are at 4am.

standbyandfire · Mar 9, 2015

Plants looking good

Scuba_Steve · Mar 13, 2015

I just updated my initial post.

I also added these to all my beds!

Red Wigglers

Scuba_Steve · Mar 23, 2015

Over the weekend I managed to get a bunch planted outside. Some may not have been 100% ready size wise. They were growing in Jiffy pellets though with multiple seeds per pellet, and I wanted to get them separated without damaging roots too much though. I figured I might as well go straight into ground rather than moving to solos first.

7,8,9
4,5,6
1,2,3

3. Aji Pineapple
4. Jamaican Mushroom Red
5. Hab Red Savina
6. Aji Limon
7. Devil's Tongue
8. Naga Morich
9. Jalapeno Purple

16,17,18
13,14,15
10,11,12

12. 7 Pot Bubblegum
13. Bhut Jolokia Red
14. 7 Pot Madballz
15. 7 Pot Red
16. Carolina Reaper
17. Moruga Scorpion
18. Trinidad Scorpion Chocolate

Here are my solos

I added a second Large Orange Thai to the 30g pot. I will cull the weaker plant in a few weeks.

I cheated and bought a big Cherry Bomb plant. I wanted to grow one anyways, and it sure beats growing out my tiny seedling. There are 3 plants here, they obviously need to be transplanted.

I also started some of my small varieties to grow in the front of the house. They are planted in 3g Root Pouches.

Cumari Do Para

Zimbabwe Bird

Scuba_Steve · Mar 27, 2015

I just adopted some new kids to join the family!

Thanks Juanitos!

They are looking a little banged up and droopy from shipment, but I am sure they will turn around quickly. They have already improved quite a bit just from a watering a few hours ago.

White Bhut/Yaki Brown

Bahamian Goat/SB7J

Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion/White Naga

White Fantasy

socalgardengal · Mar 27, 2015

Looking great Steve! Nice job on the drip set up. Good Luck

Scuba_Steve · Apr 15, 2015

I haven't done an update in a while. Unfortunately I have been neglecting my plants this last week because I have been very sick, and I've been told to I stay in bed and stop moving around the house contaminating things. I managed to get outside today to check on my plants and fertilize them. This is only their second dose of ferts. I am using 2 tbsp of fish emulsion and 1 tbsp of epsom salt per gallon of water.

First we will start with the beds. I added 2 plants about 2 weeks ago that I got from Juanitos. A Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion and a Bahamian Goat.

Front bed

7,8,9
4,5,6
1,2,3

1. Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion
2. Bahamian Goat
3. Aji Pineapple
4. Jamaican Mushroom Red
5. Hab Red Savina
6. Aji Limon
7. Devil's Tongue
8. Naga Morich
9. Jalapeno Purple

Back Bed

16,17,18
13,14,15
10,11,12

12. 7 Pot Bubblegum
13. Bhut Jolokia Red
14. 7 Pot Madballz
15. 7 Pot Red
16. Carolina Reaper
17. Moruga Scorpion
18. Trinidad Scorpion Chocolate

I repotted the soil from my Home Depot bags into Wally bags. The Home Depot bags had serious drainage issues. They were infested with fungus gnats, so I treated all my soil with mosquito dunks crushed into water.

These are from Juanitos as well. The are in order:
White Naga, Yaki Brown, White Fantasy, White Bhut, SBJ7

And here are my two plants I have potted in front of my house.

Cumari Do Para

Zimbabwe Bird

My Large Orange Thai really doesn't seem to be growing at all. I may swap it out for a healthier version I have in a solo cup.

Lastly here are my Cherry Bombs

Some of my plants have been showing some issues. I have another thread about this:
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/54120-most-of-my-plants-look-great-some-have-issues/

Scuba_Steve · Apr 16, 2015

Spent some more time out in the garden today. I transplanted my recent order I got in from CCN.

Filled the 2 remaining spots in the raised beds. These are in the 10 and 11 positions in the above posts pictures.

Fatalii, Scotch Bonnet

I added 4 more bags to the line.

Trinidad Scorpion, Bishop's Crpwn, Bhut Jolokia Chocolate, Brazilian Starfish

Also I have some good news and bad news on my largest plant, the Moruga Scorpion.

The bad news is, it is not a Moruga Scorpion! Funny thing is all the seeds I had were from CCN at the time it was planted, and I had no Annuums. Yet it has turned out to be an Annuum!

The good news is I have my first flowers!

AJ Drew · Apr 16, 2015

Things have gotten better for you since you first posted this, but want to share the two things I now do which have sped up germination for me tons.

1. Seeds 3 days in the fridge. Read that it should be the freezer, but kind of afraid to go that cold.
2. Seeds germinate in incubator at about 95 deg. F.

The under the tray mats might help, but at 95 deg. F I have had ghost pepper seeds germinate in three days. Not many mind you, but a couple. Without it, ghost peppers are forever to germinate for me.

You can buy full size incubators used for about $300.00 on craigs list. You dont need the egg turners so if you see ones with the turners for a grand, ignore it and just keep looking. You can also buy the new plastic ones, much smaller, for maybe 40 or 50 at your local feed store.

Scuba_Steve · Apr 16, 2015

I can see how going from cold to 95 degrees would be a sign that winter is over, it is time to germinate now! So it makes sense. I would be afraid to freeze too. I assume a seed has at least some water in the cells of the embryo that freezing would expand. I plan on using a cheap plastic incubator next year. Cheap but good reviews of course. That or I may pick up an aerogarden one day to germinate in.

Scorched · Apr 19, 2015

Plants are looking good. Love the Wally bags. I use those for 98% of my container plants. I have about 60 of em waiting for plant out. Shame they only last one season before they fall apart but at only 50 cents each they're hard to beat.

Islander · Apr 20, 2015

Looks like your off to a good start! Everything looks great! Im assuming you are/were into reef keeping? Based on the led lights and arduino....

I checked out your site.... Those (Untouchables) are pretty sick btw! I shut my system down about 1.5 years ago starting to get the fever again! Its one of those addictions thats hard to explain to a non reefer... Lol. I was mostly in SPS (Acros,Montis) , a few LPS(Chalices) and a few Rics/Yummas

Are you on R2R or RC?

Scuba_Steve · Apr 20, 2015

Thank you very much! Scuba_Steve on RC.

AJ Drew · Apr 21, 2015

Steve, in some of your photos I see string. Is that to measure and mark spots / keep rows straight? Or are you using it for a little support?