sinensis grow log 2019 (with tomato grafting!)

hey all, giving this whole gardening thing another shot.
this is year number 2 for me, and i've got big plans, but we'll see how it goes, lol
 
i hope everyone has a great season!!!!
 
Overwinters:
 
my basic findings for overwintering is that zero light doesn't work well.
they need light! but only a little is fine. leaving them by a window seems more than sufficient to keep them alive.
just trim off most of their branches (maybe down to 1 foot or so) and bring them inside if they aren't full of pests.
 
Carolina Reaper
 
this was outdoors in a 15gal root pouch / smart pot (breathable fabric):
it was my biggest pepper plant. a branch broke off while i was carrying it inside, but it's doing just fine.
 

 

 
here's another reaper, but this one's always been an indoor plant:
 

 
 
Bhut Jolokia (red)
 

 
 
 
Aji Lemon Drop
Scotch Brains
Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion
 

 
these were super neglected small plants that i started last summer but never made it outside. they spent some time in darkness also.
i just recently transplanted them in these 5gal SIP buckets.
before transplanting, i cleaned out the buckets and modified them to use a fabric wick instead of a dirt-packed netpot.
i think this is a superior system because the dirt is always gonna erode out of your net pot wick eventually and then won't wick as well.
a fabric wick also won't foul up your reservoir.
to do this, i duct taped the net pot hole and then slid the fabric wick through the edge:
 

 
the wick is a 4x16" strip of cut from a 16x16" microfiber cloth from costco (packs are sold for car washing).
 
 
Yaki Blue Fawn
 

 
this one spent some extended time in low light. look at that crazy etiolation
idk what to do about it. suggestions?
 

 
it's got a fruit on it
 
 
 
 
From Seed:
 
i ordered some 0.5 fl oz condiment cups with lids from amazon. seems like the perfect size to start seeds with the paper towel method.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017SITR8W/
 

 

 
 
i did a 24 hour soak this year. i think it's a good strategy to speed things up and possibly combat mold by removing residual 'food' (pepper juice/debris). basically serves as a final seed rinse.
the individual condiment cups make it easy.
 
 

 
my germination chamber is a styrofoam cooler with a small light bulb wired to a variac (a dimmer switch would also work).
a gallon of water pre-warmed to 85°F was placed in there to act as a thermal reservoir to buffer outside temp changes.
without the water, the temp swings by 5°F or more throughout a 24hr cycle. with the water, it swings only 1-3°F.
i know this because i have a thermometer in there that logs high/low and can be reset.
every couple days, i look at it and slightly tweak the variac knob if needed to keep it close to 85°F.
 
 
now for the grow list!!
 

this year, i want to give myself more variety. not just superhots. i want some good milds and mediums too!
 

started 2/6:
NuMex 6-4
NuMex Big Jim
7 Pot Primo Red
Galapagos Isabella Habanero
Bahamian Goat
Papa Dreadie Scotch Bonnet
Chocolate Scotch Bonnet
Peach Gum v3
Aji Fantasy Yellow
Bishop's Crown
Sugar Rush Peach
 
tomatoes started 2/6:
Green Zebra
Brandywine Black
Dr. Wyches Yellow
Arkansas Traveler
University of Florida Klee Lab: Garden Gem
University of Florida Klee Lab: Garden Treasure (brandywine)
University of Florida Klee Lab: "W" Hybrid
 
started 2/9:
Aleppo / Halaby
Pimiento Cristal
 
started 2/10:
Turkish Cayenne
 
started 2/11:
Sri Lanka Kandy Chili Red (growdown throwdown pepper)
 
i also said what the hell and ordered some seedlings from juanitos peppers:
Aji Lemon Drop
Biquinho (Baccatum, almost heatless, sweet juicy drop)
Brazilian Starfish
Habanada (heatless hab, snacking pepper)
Habanero Paper Lantern
Pasilla
Fish
West Indes Red
Scotch Bonnet MoA
Fatalii
Jays Peach Ghost Scorpion
Scotch Brain
 
they'll arrive hopefully after the last frost here.
 
2/11 progress report on tomatoes:
 

 
there we go!!
 
also, i want to experiment with tomato grafting this year.
the idea is that you can get crazy vigorous plants, disease-resistant roots, and possibly double the tomato yield.
here's an intro you can read if you're curious:
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-JSSSharedLibrary/default/dw881cb492/assets/information/tomatoes-side-grafting-advantages-materials-technique.pdf
 
i ordered 100 each of estamino and maxifort seeds from paramount:
https://paramountseeds.com/product/tomato-rootstock-estamino/
https://paramountseeds.com/product/tomato-rootstock-maxifort-raw/
 
anyone ever try grafting peppers onto something like maxifort? i wonder if it's worthwhile.

 

[PaulG]

Awesome find on the lights, my friend.  They should
work great. If you don't like the 4100 bulbs, you can
swap them out little by little.

 

[sinensis]

transfered sprouted pepper seeds from my germination chamber to the cell tray with potting mix
 
also started 3 each of maxifort and estamino
 

 
aji fantasy (top right cell) is ahead of the pack. thanks, bhuter!

 

[Walchit]

Bhuter is still M.I.A isn't he? Lights look good! I have 3 - 4100k bulbs and a 6700k bulb that was 20 bucks at the pet store(buyers remorse)

They seem to work fine. Are you running all six bulbs? I know someone here takes out the 2 center bulbs on their 6 bulber and say they get good results. Maybe you could grab a couple 6500k bulbs for each light, and run 2-4100 and 2-6500k?
T5 bulbs aren't cheap though.

 

[sinensis]

i haven't chatted with him since last year, idk what he's up to. hope all is well =\
 
right now i'm actually only running two adjacent bulbs at one edge of the fixture (bulbs 1 & 2).
 

 
i haven't finished experimenting with it, but it seems that for my fixtures:

• there are 6 bulbs
• the bulbs will only fire in pairs
• there are 3 pairs, and they consist of adjacent bulbs [1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6]

i.e. there are 6 bulbs, and bulb 1 will only fire if bulbs 1 and 2 are present. likewise, bulb 4 will only fire if bulbs 3 and 4 are present.
i'm unfamiliar with fluorescent ballasts, have you seen this kind of setup?
 
if that is indeed how mine work, i might end up rewiring the sockets so the pairs are: [3 & 4 (center bulbs), 2 & 5, 1 & 6 (outer bulbs)]
it might be more useful to me that way, but idk yet. that way, i could configure them like you suggest and take out bulbs at the edges or at the center.
 
i could add different bulbs to the mix, but i was hoping to be a cheapskate and keep using my free 4100K bulbs. i didn't even put in the fresh ones that they gave me, i'm still on the used ones that came pre-installed haha
 
if i do add different bulbs, i wonder how worthwhile ones marketed specifically as grow bulbs are?
say, these cheap ones on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-6500K-Fluorescent-Tubes-White/dp/B01731MM90
reading the reviews, it seems like they work ok but maybe don't last very long. idk
 
i've been running the light continuously (24hr). partially out of laziness, partially because i'm under the impression that tomatoes and peppers can respond well to that (faster growth), and partially because i'm relying on the light to keep the temp in the ~80°F range so the sprouted pepper seeds in there finish hooking faster.
 
i moved that poor yaki blue fawn (aka Ole Pencildick) away from the window and under the light today. seems to be the perfect height to sit just below the bulbs, lol. no clue if it can get burnt from the huge jump in light, so i'll probably put it back by the window after a few hours. don't want to shock the poor thing.
 
it's a beauty though, look at that purple fruit:
 

 
maybe the foliage will eventually get purple again in response to more intense light.
 
after that pepper's ripe, i'm thinking of pinching the remaining flower buds, cutting the stem a few inches below the foliage, dipping in rooting hormone gel, and then trying to root it like a clone. maybe in a rapid rooter plug just like in the pic below? i loved the cotton hill shin amputation idea, but i'm thinking this may have a greater chance of success? especially since i'm new to grafting. what do you think?
 

 
some more action on the peppers. i know it's only been one day, but i'm pretty jazzed about it haha
 

 
 
 
and the tomatoes are about to get true leaves.
 
do they look leggy to you? or is it too early to tell? idk how they're supposed to look.
 

 

[alkhall]

Sweet deal on the highbays!
 
I use Spectralux 6500K lamps (best price I have found here) for seedlings, also been trying out the Eye Hortilux FS+UV, which are expensive lamps.

 

[CaneDog]

Hey sinensis.  The color on that pod is intense!  My Yaki indoors this winter wanted to get too big for my setup so I topped it fairly low.  I tried throwing the top in just plain water to root and when nothing happened after a while I just tossed it - I did absolutely nothing to give it a better chance of rooting though, just threw it in water as an aftertought. The topped plant though grew vigorously and has great color. Really looking forward to getting pods from it after seeing yours.
 
The Cotton Hill thing was more of a joke than anything, but the more I think about it I might try it in the future if I find myself in the right circumstances.
 
To me they look like they could be starting to get leggy.  Not there yet, but I'd probably increase their lighting.
 
Looking good!

 

[sinensis]

the pod looked ripe (deep purple), so i plucked it and took a bite.
 
unripe pod!
either color alone isn't a good ripeness indicator for yaki blue, or a lot of the new color development was due to sun scald from being close to the lights.
 
the seeds inside were still green, and i couldn't get a feel for its flavor. almost 0 heat too. i hope my rooting experiment works so i can eventually taste it.
 
the leaves are also becoming purple again
 

 
snip snip:
 

 
applied some rooting hormone goop:
 

 
stuck it in a rooter plug:
 

 
gallon size ziplock bag humidity tent:
 

 
fingers crossed

 

[karoo]

Great stuff .
I like those big ziplock bags for germinating.

 

[CaneDog]

Bummer about the pod, it looked sharp. Hopefully the top takes off for round II !

 

[PaulG]

 
gallon size ziplock bag humidity tent:
 

 
fingers crossed

Great work, can't wait to see how the gel and rapid rooters work for this.

 

[CaneDog]

I'm very interested to see how this goes as well.  I've been thinking about grabbing some of the RR's to experiment with for longer germination and cuttings.

 

[sinensis]

clone update
 
the cutting looks pissed. i wonder if it will survive.
 
yesterday (the day after cutting), i saw that it was really wilting.
i looked up reasons for wilting when cloning, and possibilities include too much light, too much heat, not enough humidity.
 
i got rid of the ziplock humidity tent and transferred it to a domed tray just so that it could be moved around and inspected or whatever without being disturbed as much.
pretty tough to get the ziplock off of it without knocking it around some.
 

 
it had been at 83°F.
now that it's in the dome and further down away from the lights, it's at 74°F, which seems like a good temp from what i've read. i also put a ziplock bag over the dome to give it just a little extra shade:
 

 
i also put its base under the light. maybe new life will spring forth from the nodes.
 
yesterday:
 

 
today:
 

 
grow, buddy, grow!
 
 
 
tomatoes:
 

 
peppers:
 

 
also, turns out i lost some pepper seedlings. some of the sprouted seeds i transferred to the tray didn't make it. they just rotted away.
maybe from the transfer shock, maybe from too damp mix. from now on, if i do the paper towel method (as i have been doing), i'm going to wait until they hook to transfer them. they seem more robust at that stage. all of the ones that had already hooked survived.
 
there was actually only one cultivar that i lost everything on: sugar rush peach.
so i started 2 more seeds of it today. and also started another numex 6-4 for the heck of it because only one survived and i want a backup seedling. got a good feeling about that numex.
 
edit: started soaking a numex sandia seed for the heck of it

 

[CaneDog]

That Yaki base is going to get it done for you sinensis, I'm sure of it!  The top has an awful lot of leaf though for no roots. Too bad about losing some of the seedlings, but lots of good looking ones still around.  I plan to plant some 6-4's myself, this weekend, and probably a couple other hatch's as well. Fun time of year with all the new plants getting going.

 

[sinensis]

 I plan to plant some 6-4's myself, this weekend, and probably a couple other hatch's as well. Fun time of year with all the new plants getting going.

 
which ones are you thinking? have you tried any of the NuMex offerings? this is my first time trying them.
i have 6-4 and big jim going.
 
i also have NuMex Sandia seeds too but haven't used them. maybe i should try a couple. why not

 

[CaneDog]

I'm planning to plant Numex Heritage 6-4, Numex Joe E. Parker, Numex Big Jim, and Big Jim Lumbre.  I've heard good things about the "Heritage" Big Jim and was planning on ordering them, but a generous THP'r send me these so I never had to put in a Sandia order this year.  I've grown Numex varieties before, but not these specific ones.

 

[sinensis]

cutting looks about the same or a little worse:
 

 
the new growth on the stem is looking good though. i know i'll get a yaki blue out of this one way or the other 
 

 

 
 
 
 
the tomatoes are monsters growing super fast. next year, i'll probably start them later than peppers. didn't realize they grow so much faster:
 

 
 
here's the peppers:
 

 
 
 
check out this primo. it's a tricotyledonous mutant:
 

 
btw, i probably wouldn't be able to do macro shots like that (shitty as they are) without open camera.
if you're on android and looking for a free, open source camera app that lets you do manual everything (focus with a slider, exposure, etc), check it out.

 

[PaulG]

I would cut off the big leaves from the clone.
There are not enough roots to support that
kind of foliage. Just leave some smaller leaves
to carry on some photosynthesis to help fuel
root growth.

Seedlings look great.

 

[sinensis]

I would cut off the big leaves from the clone.
There are not enough roots to support that
kind of foliage. Just leave some smaller leaves
to carry on some photosynthesis to help fuel
root growth.

Seedlings look great.

 
better?
 

 

[CaneDog]

My Yaki is a beast and is coming back hard after getting very rudely topped.  Yours looks like it has that same vigor.  I have no doubts about that base getting busy.  I always start my tomatoes later like you say for just that reason.
 
Always digging what you have going on sinensis!

 

[sinensis]

thanks, CaneDog.
 
whoops, i just realized you told me the same thing about trimming foliage from the cutting a few days ago. didn't mean to ignore your advice.