Spork's 2013 Glog - Indoor Superhots

Hello Everyone,
This is my first post here, first Glog, and first attempt at growing peppers indoors.
 
Start Date: Saturday 11/02/13
 
I currently have:
7x Ghost Pepper
4x Scorpion
3x Reaper
4x Some sort of thai ornamental
9x Habanero (Red and Golden varieties)
 
11/02/13:
Soak seeds in dilute H2O2 mixture with added KNO3. (approx 1 tbsp H2O2 and 1/4 tbsp KNO3 per cup of water)
Expand coir overnight with boiling water in a bucket.

 
11/03/13:
Prepare 'starter mix':
   Remove coco coir from water and squeeze out excess (one handful at a time).
   Add fine vermiculite in approx 6:1 ratio by volume and mix.
   Add a bit of water back in if necessary. I use a 'squeeze test', if you can squeeze out 5-6 drops with moderate force, you have enough water.
   No other ingredients were added to soil.
Note: Don't go squeezing all of that vermiculite, you will compress it and it will be less useful.
The result is a very loose medium with a sandy texture that will hold moisture for several days in a mini-greenhouse. Great for starting seeds.

 
Pot seeds in mini-greenhouse with bottom heat.

 
 
11/04/13:
Found soil temp at 90*F, a bit warm. Adjust bottom heat to shut off every 4 hours 45 minutes for a 30 minute cool-down.
 
11/05/13:
Check soil temp 24 hours after adjustment, soil stable at 84*F.
Note: 3 Ghost peppers are hooking.
 
11/06/13:
The ghost of pepper past gave me 5 hooks this morning. These things are great!
Also have 3 Thai, 2 habanero and 2 scorpions showing now.
 
 
 
 
Future:
Lighting setup will consist of 4 ballasts with two 24W T5 bulbs each. These bulbs are only 2 feet in length for a smaller footprint in my apartment. All bulbs are at 3000k for vegetation, will swap for 6500k for fruiting to experiment.
 
 
Will add pictures when I get a chance, nothing too interesting so far anyhow.

 

[PepperDaddler]

   

 

[Spork]

Thanks PepperDaddler, I almost feel like I am among friends here after reading so many of the glogs and throwdowns. Some amazing stuff going on here and I hope to contribute at least a little bit to that.

 

[Teurf]

Thanks PepperDaddler, I almost feel like I am among friends here after reading so many of the glogs and throwdowns. Some amazing stuff going on here and I hope to contribute at least a little bit to that.

 
Hi Spork, I will be looking closely to your grow log as it seems like we have a setup pretty much alike. I'm set up with a T5 4X24W 2 feet tubes, 6500K.
I already have carribean red hab and thai chili started on August 1st. They have trouble adjusting to the dryness of my apartment as I started heating for Montreal's winter
Might be a bit of overwatering and trouble with fertilizing.
 
Nice choice of peppers! Will start superhot soon enough.
 
Keep us updated and post pics of your setup so we can share good practices
 
Teurf

 

[Spork]

 
Hi Spork, I will be looking closely to your grow log as it seems like we have a setup pretty much alike.
 
Teurf

 
Sounds good Teurf, this is all experimental for me, as I've never grown indoors. So far my seedlings are doing better than they ever have outdoors.
 
 
Today 11/7/2013:
   First time watering, misted with filtered tap water that had been left out overnight (to dechlorinate)
   Gave them some natural light today, about 2 feet from a window with vertical blinds partway opened. Don't want to toast them in direct sunlight.
   The two Habaneros popped and are standing about 1.5" tall overnight.
 
 
And as usual, to keep you interested, here are some photos:
 

 

[Spork]

11/10/2013:
Mediocre news.
Found out my temps had gotten quite high. Probably sat around 96 *F for 2-3 days.
Adjusted heater times to be on for 2 hours off for 1 hour.
 
 
11/11/2013:
After the adjustment, seedlings are looking better. They are actually looking a bit leggy, which I read could be caused by the warm temps. I've got plenty of light ~8,800 lumens at this point, going to double to 17,600 lumens after they throw off some true leaves.
 
Edit to add photos:
 
 
This is what it looks like before I take photos normally:

 
And here are my seedlings:

 

[Spork]

11/13/2013:
Today I am happy because my first reaper popped through and it looks like the 2nd is not far behind. I was afraid I was going to lose them.
 
I am also a bit concerned for the little guy pictured below, I think this is from over watering, but it really could be anything at this point. Any ideas?
 

 

[Spork]

11/14/2013:
I know I mentioned overwatering, but I think I was wrong.
I took the dome off, and gave them some fresh air, then added 2 more banks of lights to get to the full 17,000 lumens (only seeing about 8,800 currently for lack of reflectors)
Two seedlings died. Completely dried up while I was away at work. (18 hours)
I filled each cup cell with water when I got back to rejuvenate the rest of the bunch, knowing full well that this could drown them.
 
 
11/15/2013:
They seem to be doing better today, the one pictured above is still pretty damaged looking, but isn't getting worse and I've got a couple growing their first set of real leaves. I have a liquid fertilizer on order that I plan to dilute to 50% strength and start out with, but I also have Jobes on hand if I need to fertilize sooner.
 
That's all for this update.

 

[Spork]

Here it is, the long awaited and much anticipated Thanksgiving Day update!
 
Alright, I exaggerated a bit, but I've been really busy and this is the first time I've had a chance to post. I promise it will be a good one, well at the very least better than my last.
 
11/25/2013:
Fertilized for the first time. Used 1tbsp Texas Tomato Food in 25oz of water. This is a pretty weak concentration, about 1/3 of normal. I didn't want to shock or burn my seedlings.
 
Today - U.S. Thanksgiving Day - 11/28/2013 (25 days in dirt):
Plants are looking good, got a few starting their second set of leaves. Even the one that was leggy and 'burnt' looking has grown some real leaves and looks healthy. It did lose that yellow leaf though.

 

 
 
Now I have decided, mostly because Teurf asked, to show my setup.
First, it was made to be inexpensive and functional, not pretty, so I don't expect any compliments on that.
The main structure is made of 1.5" PVC and stands 5' tall and about 4' wide by 3' deep. The lights hang on a thin (92lb rated) steel chain. The four light fixtures each have two 2' T5 bulbs rated at 24W and supposedly output 2200 lumens which I still need to build reflectors for. I plan to enclose two sides of this with mylar to help reflect light. Lastly, I want to set a fan up on one side, right now I'm just hoping the AC fan moves enough air to keep them strong.

 
 
When they finish growing the second set of true leaves and I think they're ready for it, I will be moving them to fabric pots.  I have never used, tried, or even seen a fabric pot in person, but this is my attempt at some 4" pots:

 
"Why?", you ask, would I make fabric pots without ever having used them?
Well, after some amount of research it looks like a much nicer root structure is formed when using fabric pots. Being new to indoor (potted) gardening, I am also afraid of my plants becoming root bound. This seems to solve that problem as well.
 
 
Happy Thanksgiving
-Spork

 

[Sarge]

Looking good mate. As for that seedling with a brown leaf it might not matter but alot of people would cull the weaker looking plants and opt to grow the stronger ones.

Also in re to the fabric pots. What material is that and how do you stitch them. I can just imagine them blowing out. Also wouldn't you have to trim the roots as they came throufh the pot?

 

[Spork]

Looking good mate. As for that seedling with a brown leaf it might not matter but alot of people would cull the weaker looking plants and opt to grow the stronger ones.

Also in re to the fabric pots. What material is that and how do you stitch them. I can just imagine them blowing out. Also wouldn't you have to trim the roots as they came throufh the pot?

 
Thanks, I will only keep the stronger plants, but I plan to wait until they're much larger than this to make that call. (Basically when I start to run out of room)
 
For the pots, I'm using "Eco-Felt" it's basically felt made from recycled plastic (won't rot/get soggy/etc). For the 4-inch pots, I am not worried about them blowing out, as the thread and fabric in this stitch pattern can probably hold 30-40lbs single-stitched. When I go to larger sized pots, I will most likely opt for double-stitched and double-layered fabric to keep things together.
 
As far as roots are concerned, that is supposed to be the greatest advantage of fabric pots, once the roots penetrate, the air will prune them straight away and keep them contained in side the pot. This is what leads to a very fine root structure like the last photo on this pagehttp://www.smartpots.com/smart-pot-air-prunes)

 

[Teurf]

Great Stuff Spork!
 
I have somewhat of a similar setup as you. I built a "reflector" with cardboard covered with foil. It helps with the heat loss near the window. I'll try to find some Mylar to upgrade it.
 
Nice looking fabric pots! I will soon need to put my Super in cups/pots, might give a shot at Fabrics, they look great.
 
Also, I can't get my pubescens to germinate. God damn Rocotos. Did you have good germination rates with the KNO3 and H202?
I had the seeds in paper towel method for 2-3 weeks, I guess I'll retry with your technique and into the soil.
 
Thanks for the update!
Teurf

 

[Spork]

Hi Teurf,
 
My germination rates hit 100%. 25 out of 27 after ~12 days in the dirt with two that lagged behind at ~17 days. So yes, I would say that my method worked fairly well.
 
My reflector is required to be very small due to the size of the lights. I purchased some round galvanized ducting in the right length and 4x the desired width, so I can cut it into 4 parts with roughly 90* bends in each, which should reflect the light downward. I have also purchased mylar to coat it for increased reflection. Additionally, I have designed some reflectors that will connect to the upper and lower halves of my 'box' and reflect inward (they are to be made of fabric + mylar). This will retain heat if the fan is off, but mostly is just made to improve light efficiency which is becoming desperately necessary.
 
I feel that the fabric pots will do me well, though they may be worth the $4-5 each online for the amount of work it takes to make them. They drain water like crazy, which is nice since I have a pretty water retentive soil.
 
Here is a photo of a ghost pepper from 11/30/2013:

Also in re to the fabric pots. What material is that and how do you stitch them. I can just imagine them blowing out. 

 
Hi Sarge,
I tested a set of stitches with this fabric, about 4" across through one layer can hold over 100lbs. In my testing, it did not tear, break, or pop stitches.
 
The soil in a 4" x 4" pot like these only weighs about 1.5-2lbs.
 
~Spork

 

[Spork]

12/8/2013 (Day 35 in dirt)
Saddest of days:
 
I crushed a few of my seedlings today with the lighting fixture while setting up for a photo shoot. Lost interest in the shoot afterwards, so you only get two photos.
Undamaged plants that I previously repotted:

 
 
Damaged plants, looking healthy as can be (minus the crushing):

 
 
 
The little runt in the bottom middle of the picture is not getting repotted... it's time is up and the others will have to bounce back from the crushing before I can repot them. 

 

[Pinoy83]

looking good and standing tall...nice one for your DIY fabric pots

 

[JayT]

Plants look good and healthy!  Good job so far.

 

[Spork]

looking good and standing tall...nice one for your DIY fabric pots

 
 

Plants look good and healthy!  Good job so far.

 
Thank you both, it has been an adventure so far! Lets see how long I can keep these babies alive.

 

[Spork]

12/09/2013-12/10/2013:
Had some minor nutrient imbalances-
Leaves going yellow, suspected to be nitrogen. I dosed plants with some KNO3 (1teaspoon/gallon concentration).
The leaves were also pointing straight upward, which after much searching seems to coincide with low magnesium or low magnesium uptake, so I also  watered with some homemade "calmag" type mixture that I was planning to feed them anyway (1tsp/gal epsom salts + 1/2tsp/gal calcium citrate). The citrate has an added benefit of lowering the pH a bit as well, which should help increase uptake.
 
12/11/2013 Small update:
Plants are all green and happy. Even the runt is showing new growth, albeit with crumpled looking leaves. He'll live until the repotting happens, then I'll run out of room for him.
Repotted two of my Reapers - they look like they were grown in a hydroponics setup they're so short with wide leaves. They look like they are loving life and had about an inch of roots come out the bottom of their starter cups after a good watering. I knew it was time.
Repotted one of the Scorpions - Like the Reapers, it had roots coming out the bottom, the plant itself looks very healthy, but it's not as pretty as the reaper, in fact it's a bit leggy.
 
 
Plans for 12/12/2013:
My new camera is supposed to arrive, so I will have to test it out and post some pictures.
I have a dozen or more pots to sew and plants to repot, all of my former seedlings are true plants now, some growing as many as 10 true leaves with new growth just starting to appear at the nodes as well.
 
 
Cheers,
~Spork

 

[PaulG]

Hey, Spork, your seedlings look very good!  It's hard to get the light / temp
setup just right sometimes, but looks like you're making good progress!  
One thing.  As I understand it, the colder 6500K lights are for veg growth,
and a warmer, say 3-5K light for encouraging flowering.  Maybe you have
run across something different?

 

[Spork]

Hi PaulG,
I probably just got them swapped. I've heard plenty of times that peppers are not photosensitive so it may be a moot point, but I think my 2014 grow log will start with 6500K instead of the 3000K and we can compare progress. That's why I'm keeping a glog in the first place!
 
They're looking like real plants instead of seedlings now. I'll show you:
One of my Ghost's [12/12/2013] - 12 days after repot:
 

 
And a Reaper [12/12/2013] - One day after repot: