I have several new pepper plants this year, bought as live plants like the last few years. It was a somewhat rough start with the potting soil since I decided to wing it and try to make my own (to avoid high prices of the pre-mixed stuff), but it seems that the vast majority of the plants are going good and are about as big and strong as the potted ones at this time last year that were in Miracle-Grow Moisture Control Potting Mix. In general, I have about the same ratio of slow-growing/stunted plants vs. growing like crazy plants that I did the last year or two.
On the stunted ones... two of them (Safi and Devil's Tongue) were relatively small and had slightly yellow leaves, and they appear to be stunted but they're still growing... slowly. But a third plant, the Naga Morich, was one of the plants (the other being Jalapeno M) which was actually flowering when I got it (Jalapeno M actually had a pepper on it, and it looks like someone else pinched a little pepper off of it previously), and I pinched the flower off the Naga Morich to redirect its energy. This Naga is the one I'm curious about, due to its new growth. My Fatalii this year is also quite small compared to the rest, but so far it seems to be growing at least and free of yellowing, so I don't get into that... I just hope after getting zero peppers off my Fatalii plant last year (great growing plant, some f***er snapped the main stem as dozens of buds were forming...), that I at least get a few off of the one this year...
Anyway, this Naga plant quickly started to put out a whole bunch of other buds, all of which I removed until maybe 10 days or so ago (maybe more) as it became apparent that this thing just wasn't focused on growing bigger and stronger. It became apparent that this plant's existing leaves were not growing any bigger like most of the others, it was budding up/trying to flower like crazy at a small size, and it appears that all of the new leaves are small as well--smaller than those that were already on it in that tiny pot the plants come in. I even gave all of the plants--including this one, of course--some high-nitrogen fertilizer and some Epsom salt soon after potting up to cause them to grow bigger and stronger. It seems like a losing battle for this one, though.
The leaves look healthy, no major distortion or insect bites... the lower leaves might just barely be yellowish, but you have to look relatively closely to notice; they're still mostly green, though not as dark as most of the other plants. Still, I've seen many plants with much yellower leaves make a hell of a comeback. As for the new growth... all new leaves have no yellow tinge whatsoever. They're a nice dark green, just... ridiculously small.
Anyone know what might be up with this plant? My guess is that something sent it way over to reproduction mode and made it one horny Naga... environmental conditions or pot size or something? And maybe this specific plant just doesn't like its new soil mix? Or, this plant is just a dud--plain and simple? Or a mix of two or more of the above, or something else...? So what do you think... any ideas?
It kind of sucks that this plant does not seem to want to focus on growing larger after all this time of pinching buds, but I had the Naga Morich last year so if I don't get much off of this plant I'll get over it. Admittedly, I liked the Bhut better anyway due to its larger size--for flavor and heat (when cooked into foods) they both seemed about the same to me. Come to think of it, I recall the Naga Morich also being a relatively small plant last year, but I didn't pinch off many flowers then that I recall.
On the stunted ones... two of them (Safi and Devil's Tongue) were relatively small and had slightly yellow leaves, and they appear to be stunted but they're still growing... slowly. But a third plant, the Naga Morich, was one of the plants (the other being Jalapeno M) which was actually flowering when I got it (Jalapeno M actually had a pepper on it, and it looks like someone else pinched a little pepper off of it previously), and I pinched the flower off the Naga Morich to redirect its energy. This Naga is the one I'm curious about, due to its new growth. My Fatalii this year is also quite small compared to the rest, but so far it seems to be growing at least and free of yellowing, so I don't get into that... I just hope after getting zero peppers off my Fatalii plant last year (great growing plant, some f***er snapped the main stem as dozens of buds were forming...), that I at least get a few off of the one this year...
Anyway, this Naga plant quickly started to put out a whole bunch of other buds, all of which I removed until maybe 10 days or so ago (maybe more) as it became apparent that this thing just wasn't focused on growing bigger and stronger. It became apparent that this plant's existing leaves were not growing any bigger like most of the others, it was budding up/trying to flower like crazy at a small size, and it appears that all of the new leaves are small as well--smaller than those that were already on it in that tiny pot the plants come in. I even gave all of the plants--including this one, of course--some high-nitrogen fertilizer and some Epsom salt soon after potting up to cause them to grow bigger and stronger. It seems like a losing battle for this one, though.
The leaves look healthy, no major distortion or insect bites... the lower leaves might just barely be yellowish, but you have to look relatively closely to notice; they're still mostly green, though not as dark as most of the other plants. Still, I've seen many plants with much yellower leaves make a hell of a comeback. As for the new growth... all new leaves have no yellow tinge whatsoever. They're a nice dark green, just... ridiculously small.
Anyone know what might be up with this plant? My guess is that something sent it way over to reproduction mode and made it one horny Naga... environmental conditions or pot size or something? And maybe this specific plant just doesn't like its new soil mix? Or, this plant is just a dud--plain and simple? Or a mix of two or more of the above, or something else...? So what do you think... any ideas?
It kind of sucks that this plant does not seem to want to focus on growing larger after all this time of pinching buds, but I had the Naga Morich last year so if I don't get much off of this plant I'll get over it. Admittedly, I liked the Bhut better anyway due to its larger size--for flavor and heat (when cooked into foods) they both seemed about the same to me. Come to think of it, I recall the Naga Morich also being a relatively small plant last year, but I didn't pinch off many flowers then that I recall.
