stc3248, 2013 Grow log, Season's Greetings and Season's End

Well here we go again! Those that saw my grow last year know that I was plagued by virus issues and many other problems, but I was still able to pull off the most amazing grow of my life. By season's end every plant was infected. Some keeled over, but others just kept right on trucking. I learned a ton, and hope to use it to pull off a season without that virus making a repeat appearance. It will be tough. I had huge numbers of pods, and many hit the ground and rotted, so there are sure to be some infected volunteers that show up. My grow this year will be MUCH smaller and focused on the varieties I liked best along with a couple new ones I really wanna try out.


First a couple of my money shots from last year...

I plan to use a similar grow setup to start with...here are a couple pics of how it looked...

My setup evolved as the season began. I started with a single t8 shoplight...the two shoplights and ended up with a single row of CFL's down the center hooked into a 4' power strip the the two shoplights angled in from the sides. The light from the sides really seemed to promote growth at the lower nodes...so for this year...

I bought some more CFL's Mix of 100w and 75w equivalents. The 100w eq were around $10 for 4 at HD and the 75w were $3 for 6 at COSTCO!!! Also bought some splitters for the sockets and here's what the power strip looks like now...

This thing feels like its giving you a sunburn from 6' away...I alternated 100/75 on each side all the way down...Instead of the mylar I am going with foil sided foam sheathing...

My "plan" with this stuff is to make the Shelf unit more of a grow tent type setup. Hoping I can use the lights and a small space heater to maintain a constant temp in the mid 80s. I am also going to "try" to use magnetic tape to attach this stuff so access will be easy. We shall see. May get too warm...but easy enough to vent if need be. I am going to try to keep them indoors much longer this year. I put them out to early last year, and some of the late starts that stayed inside until the night time temps were higher passed many of my early starts that were already in the ground.

My final dilemma is the wife says 20 plants...and I have all these awesome seeds! So I am going to see if the wife's # is sort of like the over the counter dosage...the full prescription strength is double, so I am aiming for 40. I will start almost twice that # though so if you're near SD be watching this glog around plant out, I will be getting rid of some plants...

Well here is the list for now...If something you sent didn't make it I still have them, and will get to them some day. Momma is already pissed!

Wilds
Tepin 15 (seed train 2012)
Pequin Chiapas (Griff87)
Bird Aji (Seed Train 2012)
Cumari (Romy6)
PI 438638 (Romy6)

Annuum
Jamaican Hot Yellow (My Seed)
Goat's Weed (My seed)
Explosive Ember (My seed)
Tri-color Variagata (Seed Train 2012)
Numex Centennial (the next seed train)

Pubescens
Ultra Pube PI 585266 (SocalChilehead)
Manzano (farmer's market)

Baccatum
Yellow Aji from Peru (Paul G)

Chinense
Giant Twisted Chocolate Hab (CMPMAN 1974 Via Pr0digal_son)
St Marteen Marigot Mkt Yellow Scotch Bonnet (Pic1)
Jamaica Scotch Bonnet (Pic1)
Belize City Scotch Bonnet (Pic1)
Fatalii (Pulpiteer)

The Supers
Yellow Billy Boy Douglah (SilverSurfer via Coheed via Romy6)
Yellow Cardi Scorpion (Romy6)
Yellow 7 Pot Brain Strain (Unknown Source probably the next seed train???)
Yellow 7 Pot (Pr0digal_son)
7 Pot Brain Strain (Romy6 Had some from Jamie and got some more from PaulG)
7 Pot Congo SR (CMPMAN 1974 via Pr0digal_son)
7 Pot White (SocalChilehead)
7 Pot Monster Infinity (gnslngr)
7 Pot Primo (MGold via PaulG)
Douglah (Pr0digal_son)
Trinidad Scorpion Moruga (Bakers Peppers)
Bhut Jolokia Indian Carbon (Pr0digal_son)

7 Pot Barrackpore (soon to arrive from DocNrock )
HP22B aka Carolina Reaper (soon to arrive from DocNrock )

Ummm...I count 32ish varieties. May scrub a couple off, but may not!!! Thinking I can get by with the Ornamentals and Wilds as long as I keep them small and Bonchi them to look perdy for Momma???

I think I will skip most all of the grocery store available varieties this year so I can grow more of the good stuff...That's if for now everybody! Hope you all have a great season!!!

Shane

 

[Sanarda]

Yup +1 on the great update. I cracked up @ Porter giving you the "Stank-eye" ahhahahahahaha You are hilarious

 

[stickman]

Nice update Chief! You're poised on the edge for sure... once past the tipping point you'll be filling that chest freezer most "muy pronto!"

 

[PIC 1]

Awesome as usual dude !
You're way ahead of last years "Pest-ation Traffic Jam", ...lots of inner growth on this years plants.

The colorful pots add design to your yard and the drip irrigation puts your grow a step ahead of most home growers.

An occasional 4 petal clover...flower is not all that uncommon, until you try to find one...

Glog-on !

 

[WalkGood]

Tremendous update Mon! I hate dem mites, as Steve said he still gets them and so do I
I just have too big a yard with too much going on with high trees that I have no doubt they occasionally paratroop down when any spray has worn off. Strangely enough they didn’t bother my peppers last year or the year before but this year’s a different story. I’m now spaying once a week (2 to 3 ounces of mineral oil based product per gallon of water). Depending on how many I have to fight is the ratio I’ll use but I’ve not resorted to much cutting back lately, only on the first war, hehe.

Great photos, loving all the pod action and plus dem soon come pods from the beautiful flowers … keep up dat war and you will win \o/

As always thanks for sharing & have a great week Mon ^_^

 

[Devv]

Plants look great! Bugz, I guess we all have to deal with 'em. But why do they love the pepper plants so much?

Love the flowers and podage. Ole Porter be givin' you the stank eye cuz he's jealous of your "pepper time"

 

[Pulpiteer]

This is the Fatalii from seed Andy sent. I topped this one last weekend and it is already starting to thank me for it!

Nice!

 

[DesertChris]

Wow, your plants are monsters already!!

 

[Dshlogg]

That Fatalii looks like a bowl of fresh salad greens ready to be tossed.

 

[koskorgul]

Got some catching up to do on your glog. Been MIA the past few days with a chest/sinus infection.

 

[stc3248]

Looking beautiful Shane. I really love your garden setup. It's a pepper haven. Damn.....your Brigit's is starting to take off ey....lol. I'm putting mine out in the sun tomorrow...the race is on.

Yeah...I don't think those Birgits will be denied no matter what you do...my inground and large container may have passed the two "replacements" this week...too early to tell. Good luck with yours brother!

Great update Shane! Lovin the Goat's Weed hoola girls! Somethin about the Hp22b that gets me hyped up! wannaa see dem pods! Oh no, broad mites! tell Porter to get the big guns! Post surgery pics lookin proper! I still get a few mites on my leaves from time to time. Gotta nip em in the butt! Get em early and prune them invaders as they come. Man, you got flowers and pods galore! Puppies holdin down the fort. Phenomenal grow brother!

I am super hyped about looking at it side by side with their Primo cousins...gonna be some wicked looking pods for sure. The Lady bugs are starting to make a nice dent in the pest population out there. I think the worst is behind me. This week was a really good one, I just came home to new flowers and pods on almost everything!

Yup +1 on the great update. I cracked up @ Porter giving you the "Stank-eye" ahhahahahahaha You are hilarious

Gotta keep my eye on that dog!!! He's always watching me too. Thanks lady, hope this last cool spell leaves you with some real deal spring weather!!!

Nice update Chief! You're poised on the edge for sure... once past the tipping point you'll be filling that chest freezer most "muy pronto!"

Yeah...think I'm on the down hill Rick! They're starting to pick up some steam!

Awesome as usual dude !
You're way ahead of last years "Pest-ation Traffic Jam", ...lots of inner growth on this years plants.

The colorful pots add design to your yard and the drip irrigation puts your grow a step ahead of most home growers.

An occasional 4 petal clover...flower is not all that uncommon, until you try to find one...

Glog-on !

Some of the lessons learned last year are priceless...still find myself relearning some stuff, but all in all I got a really good hole shot on my season. That drip system is a must, temps hit almost 100 here the past couple days and I am not home to water. Santa Anna 35mph sustained with gusts over 65 had my spoon mater laying on its side when I got here, and some of the plants a little thirsty on their 3 day water schedule. All alive though...and without an auto drip they'd have been dead. Wonky pods/flowers are the norm these days, but I think now that ma-nature is taking the weather training wheels off things will start to put out normal looking stuff.

Tremendous update Mon! I hate dem mites, as Steve said he still gets them and so do I
I just have too big a yard with too much going on with high trees that I have no doubt they occasionally paratroop down when any spray has worn off. Strangely enough they didn’t bother my peppers last year or the year before but this year’s a different story. I’m now spaying once a week (2 to 3 ounces of mineral oil based product per gallon of water). Depending on how many I have to fight is the ratio I’ll use but I’ve not resorted to much cutting back lately, only on the first war, hehe.

Great photos, loving all the pod action and plus dem soon come pods from the beautiful flowers … keep up dat war and you will win \o/

As always thanks for sharing & have a great week Mon ^_^

Eff dem darn mites!!! My ladybug army is taking it to them little nasties! Each plant has 4 or 5 resident ladybugs now acting as guardians. I still find an occasional aphid, but I have to search for them. At one point every time I gently shook a plant hundreds would fall off...now nothing!!! Pods are filling in now...I still have a couple plants being picky about setting, but it won't be long with weather like we've been having.

Plants look great! Bugz, I guess we all have to deal with 'em. But why do they love the pepper plants so much?

Love the flowers and podage. Ole Porter be givin' you the stank eye cuz he's jealous of your "pepper time"

Thanks Scott! Porter actually likes my pepper time...gives him the chance to drop the ball at my feet a few times.

Nice!

This plant is going nuts! I need to do a 1 week update on it...really took off this week. Thanks for the pods/seeds!

Wow, your plants are monsters already!!

They're getting pretty big!!! Thanks! I am hoping they get MUCH bigger with the larger shoes I bought this season...bigger shoes$$$=more soil$$$=Bigger Plants =Bigger Harvests

That Fatalii looks like a bowl of fresh salad greens ready to be tossed.

It is a helmet head for sure now...Nice and lush! Great genetics from Andy!


koskorgul
Got some catching up to do on your glog. Been MIA the past few days with a chest/sinus infection.

I have some catching up to do on here...and I am running this thing I'll understand if you don't get to it all!

OK folks as mentioned above crazy weather all over the country and no exception here. We got fires not too far from here, and the heat and WIND is NUTS! Mid to upper 90s with the wind on top of that was a tall order for the green kids out there, but they passed with flying colors...no real issues other than a few thirsty ones. I didn't make it home at all this week, so the system took good care of them, and I came home to pods on several new varieties and some COLOR!!!

Tiny Yellow Cardi Scorpion (Romy6) deciding to ripen early!

not PI438638 ripening its first wave...odd plant. Many are ripening/drying on the plant. Gonna be a powder factory. Should meld well with the Goat's Weed or maybe the Romy Mysteries...speaking of...

Romy Mystery Pheno 1 has upright pods with long slender stems and wider shoulders on the pod than the Goat's Weed father...no sign of the Goat's Weed signature suntan yet...sure hope they do that! Jamie...does the original mama plant have upright pods or pendant???

Here's Pheno 2...much less fuzz on this plant and the pods appear so far to be slightly narrower than the other plant. Certain they are two phenos of the same cross (Romy MysteryXGoat's Weed) This one is bushier not quite as tall, but still a giant compared to other plants started at the same time...and also has upright pods.

Didn't think I was anywhere close to this plant podding up...until I started looking closely and found about a half dozen this size hiding under the canopy. Yellow 7 Pot (Pr0digal_Son)

Here was another awesome surprise!!! I didn't think I had any pods yet on the Jamaican Scotch Bonnet (Pic1) until I once again started digging and found over a dozen of these dudes hiding under there!!! Think these will be more Bonnet shaped than the Belize City Bonnets...gonna be really cool to have the two side by side!!!

I was so proud to have a couple flowers on this guy open up last weekend...Now look at him!!! HP22B Carolina Reaper(DocNRock) is about to load up! See those spider webs Pia???

Speaking of about to load up....Ummm, got milk??? Milky White 7 Pots (SocalChilehead) that is!!! Every node is a confused, mangled, beautifully awesome overload of opening flowers. HUNDREDS OF THEM!!!

Oh oh oh oh....lookie lookie!!! Its the 7 Pot RENNIE (Armac via KingDenniz) getting in the game!!!

Whatup?!?!?!?! 3 little Explosive Embers and a some PI438638s...I sampled one of the PI's they're a little tough, and you can see how some were starting to raisin up on the plant. Nice heat about Cayenne level with a very sweet fruity flavor with the signature annuum overtones. Going to make some perfect hot salts, flakes or powder that anyone should be able to use without getting burnt too bad. Big plus they're so thin skinned and are almost drying themselves. Should easily be dried and ready to grind overnight even at low temps!

Thanks for checking in folks!!! Anyone reading this RocketMan is up to something, you should message him for info!!!

Here's to a BA weekend Y'all!
Shane

 

[DesertChris]

Yep, Rocketman's "project" is super awesome!
I second that motion

 

[Jamison]

Overload of flowers on the White 7 Shane! Awesome photos, and congrats on the first harvest! Already made a donation to "The Cause"! Awesome thing he's got going!

 

[stc3248]

Few "bonus" pics!

Goat's Weed...

Red Zebra Tomatoes

Manzano...

Another Soldier!

Met up with Denniz to hand off one of my extra Yellow Brain Strains, and he surprised me with this guy. Indigo Rose Tomato

and here's the Nasturtium last week...need to take another pic its going nuts! Cool plant.

Thanks again folks, and send ole' RocketMan that IM to find out what he's up to!

Yep, Rocketman's "project" is super awesome!
I second that motion

Yup!

Overload of flowers on the White 7 Shane! Awesome photos, and congrats on the first harvest! Already made a donation to "The Cause"! Awesome thing he's got going!

Yeah...if half of them set, I should be out of freezer space again by mid June!!!

 

[DesertChris]

Nasturtiums are cool! And the flowers are great in salads

 

[StupidJerk]

That goats weed is incredible. I wish I had put mine in the ground instead of on the balcony. Next year.

When did you plant the nasties? Ours have been very slow to grow so far. Direct sowed outside a month or two ago and they have maybe 6 leaves.

Everything looks awesome.

 

[Spicegeist]

Goat's Weed! This looks great!

 

[stc3248]

Nasturtiums are cool! And the flowers are great in salads

I know...I've eaten them, but not tried them in a salad yet. Gotta cut some weight so I may be having more salads soon...

That goats weed is incredible. I wish I had put mine in the ground instead of on the balcony. Next year.

When did you plant the nasties? Ours have been very slow to grow so far. Direct sowed outside a month or two ago and they have maybe 6 leaves.

Everything looks awesome.

It'll be a great balcony plant! One of the many great things about them is they have a pretty small root system for a plant that gets fairly large and puts out tons of pods. So it'll do well in a smallish pot. Mine is in a 5# and will stay in there for the season.

I think I started the Nasturtiums in February in my grow room. I sowed them in the hanging basket they're in now. I had trouble with the ones I direct sowed last year. I followed the directions I could find online about not putting them in very fertile soil and they struggled for a couple months then just died off. This year I planted them in MG and figured they'd grow like crazy and not flower for a bit until they depleted the nutes...wrong. The longest vine is nearly 8' long and I am weaving it through the wire fence I use as a dog deterrent around the garden that it sits above. I am thinking I may even start to give it a light feeding every now and then to see how big I can get it.

Goat's Weed! This looks great!

Thanks, they're my favorite....teacher's pets! I dunno though, those Romy MysteryXGoat's Weeds might give them a run for the head of the class!

 

[megamoo]

Plants are looking good

That Goatsweed is nice. I can see that bushing out and getting bigger in the future!

I have a bunch of them growing and I haven't really thought about it before now but my pods are green until they turn red. All the plants are in full sun but they never turn black, they also hang pendant and not upright. I guess this means I have a NOT. I have about five plants and all are the same so I guess the packet of seed must have been misnamed.

 

[stickman]

I figured things would be kicking in for you with the warmer weather Shane, so I'm not surprised now. Crazy flowering and a few ripe pods is very cool! It gets windy here in spring, but since it doesn't get as hot just yet, it's not as much as your Santa Ana winds. If you're close to the ocean it's probably an onshore wind. Hopefully the fires aren't west of you.

 

[Dshlogg]

Nice little harvest. You'll be up to your elbows in pods soon! At first glimpse I thought that manzano flower was a pod. I'm like, what! A wrinkled purple pube with a split tail? Where the hell did that come from? Then I zoomed in. Doh!