health Starting outdoors

[Kooky]

Almost none have germinated, have since given up and inspected a few. Some remain intact, some seem to have rotted. Perhaps these were planted too deep, but I did not do anything noticeably different than any other seeds. Again, identical condition to a 95%+ germination rate from Strictly Medicinal. I have resown what little I had left very close to the surface, I will bottom water once a day a remove the bottom tray each time so the cells are never sitting in water, even during germination. This way the sun can dry the surface out briefly before receiving water again the next morning, and inspiring the roots to move downward. I figure if I can start a landrace from even one plant of each variety it'd be worth the effort of not having to restart and reorder.

As I said, basically every heirloom New Mexican variety is from Sandia.

- Guajillo
- Pasilla
- Poblano
- Hatch Red Hot
- Chimayo
- Habanero
- Cascabella
- Chiles de Arbol
- Pequin
- Scotch Bonnet
- Jalapeño M
- Serrano Tampiqueño
- Trinidad Scorpion

Legitimatley, not one of these sprouted. Well, a single one did, very weakly, then quickly withered. Don't even remember which it was because I plucked it.

With that said my SM transplants are extremely happy.

 

[HellfireFarm]

Does this mean that every day I have to eat a moist cupcake to check the moisture in my soil? Is it ok if I use chocolate?

You MUST use chocolate for the proper comparison. Vanilla is for if you're growing in that rock wool stuff.

 

[CaneDog]

Man, that's awful, @Kooky. I sure hope the new ones do better for you. Could you consider sowing directly into your 3" pots? They would retain moisture better, because you could water each independent of the needs of other plants and the depth of soil means water vapor will be rising through the medium even as the top level dries. Sometimes I rubber band plastic wrap over the tops to retain the rising moisture even better.

All my Sandia orders have germinated without anything odd enough to catch my attention, but my last order from them might have been a season or two back. I have a package of Sandia's pasilla bahia negro in my mailbox right now, which I'll likely start tonight. I sure hope we both have good luck!

 

[Dougthehead]

Thanks for the comments….

When do you think? I have small 3 inch pots and half gallon right now, trying to find a cheap-ish source of nicer 1 gallon pots.

This is my first time growing in direct sunlight in these trays as I said. I’m not sure when I will transplant. Must be best when the root ball is well formed? For now it’s still a bit small and scraggly.

I could always test a plant variety in succession and see how a single variety responds to transplanting at different stages.

For 1 gallon pots I would try asking around at local nurseries to see if they have any plastic ones for sale. 9 times out of 10 they will have a bunch and will just give them to you for free, or almost free. I always check local nurseries for 1020 trays (10" wide x 20" long) before I buy them. Just an idea.

 

[Kooky]

For 1 gallon pots I would try asking around at local nurseries to see if they have any plastic ones for sale. 9 times out of 10 they will have a bunch and will just give them to you for free, or almost free. I always check local nurseries for 1020 trays (10" wide x 20" long) before I buy them. Just an idea.

Thanks, I'll check soon... I have a large pile of random sized pots from nurseries but they're from purchases. There's something about the uniformity I prefer. When push comes to shove, for this amount, I'd rather have free.

 

[Kooky]

Hello my friends. My peppers have been steadily growing in FL. It has been quite hot until just yesterday where the temperatures dipped into the 50s, hopefully one last time.

I have been battling some white flies, however there is a more urgent matter I need to fix, which is minor leaf deformation. Any idea what causes this? I brush my peppers with my hands twice a day or so to disturb bugs. They seem to be growing deformed, rather than deforming after they grow. Is it time for some kelp foliar?

 

[skullbiker]

Hello my friends. My peppers have been steadily growing in FL. It has been quite hot until just yesterday where the temperatures dipped into the 50s, hopefully one last time.

I have been battling some white flies, however there is a more urgent matter I need to fix, which is minor leaf deformation. Any idea what causes this? I brush my peppers with my hands twice a day or so to disturb bugs. They seem to be growing deformed, rather than deforming after they grow. Is it time for some kelp foliar?

Well, since I am also from Florida I will tell you about your deformed leaves.
I would almost bet you have mites of some kind(there are many here). Check the bottom side of leaves with 60+ power magnifier or scope, they are tiny but they will kill your plants.
Good luck.

 

[Kooky]

Great... I've patiently waited. Some of the newer leaves look a little better, but it's still an issue. I've been applying castile soap every other day, and neem oil once a week, alongside a once a week foliar spray of kelp.

Is there anything else I can do or am I screwed? It was all going so well.

 

[Kooky]

Hello my friends... My peppers are a'growing. Organically, it is not without hitch, a few worms here and there.

The experiment proves that as previously mentioned by @CaneDog , the peppers greatly appreciate the space no matter how young they are. The peppers in the 3 inch pots are microscopic compared to the 1/2 gallon pots. I was convinced that getting a nice rootball in the 3 inch pots would help, but apparently not. They just want the space as soon as possible.

I am picking up some new pots soon... Also, I think in the current 1/2 gallon pots, I need to supplement it with play sand. Too much water retention now that it's raining a bit again in Florida after a drought.

The soil both retains too much water and compacts a bit too easily. I squished every single pot recently and added a small layer of sand on top of what was already there. It has lightly rained and they appreciated whatever minerals were in the drops.

I ordered an entire new batch of Sandia seeds and I have had a much more successful germination rate with slightly drier soil. Hopefully what is shown below will double if not triple in quantity within a few weeks.

 

[CaneDog]

Wow! They look awesome!