STC3248, Just Another Grow Log! Holiday Harvest!

griff87 · Feb 22, 2012

Looking good Shane! I wish mine looked like that. It would be nice if I could bring mine outside like you but I obviously can't since even with a bit of a warm spell we've only got to the mid 40's. I'm also glad you had great germ rates with those seeds. I'm 3/3 on the cobras, 2/3 on both purple and whites bhuts.

stc3248 · Feb 22, 2012

gnslngr said:
yeah-thats spooky. Too many roots too close together keeps the amount of surface area exposed to soil very low.....the upside of a young plant getting root bound is that the plant generally has to be fairly healthy, and growing conditions good, for it to produce all those roots.What is the growing medium in that pot?

That is Kellog Patio plus soil....got some great ingredients, the plants really like it for a while, and then the soil starts to sift down through all the wood chips and gets soggy on the bottom. I then tried some of their "premium" mix which is a great soil...but drainage is TOO good. The water runs right through and It is dry within a day. Of the cheap soils these performed best and the premium would be a great soil with some moisture control added...the patio plus really needs to be run through a screen to get rid of the large wood chunks then perlite added to make it a good option.

Like I said been shifting over as I pot up, or transplant. These plants were doing very well in that soil so I hadn't messed with them...until now that is!

griff87 said:
Looking good Shane! I wish mine looked like that. It would be nice if I could bring mine outside like you but I obviously can't since even with a bit of a warm spell we've only got to the mid 40's. I'm also glad you had great germ rates with those seeds. I'm 3/3 on the cobras, 2/3 on both purple and whites bhuts.

Thanks David! A large part of what's going on out there is due to your kindness brother! That fatalii I just posted was one of yours! Glad to hear you got things popping for you...how long have you had them on the germ station? My white and purple all popped within a week...

Thanks for the confidence boosters guys!
Shane

griff87 · Feb 23, 2012

I put them in late late january. The cobras came up in a little over a week. The bhuts came up at different rates. The purple at 2 and 3 weeks, the white at 2 and 4 weeks approx. It maybe just due to how I germinate. I don't soak my seeds first like you do and also use the seed cubes. I'm not to worried though as I will at least have some to try them. I'm doing that this year with a lot of the varieties to see which ones I like the best and then narrow it down for following seasons. That is until I have a place with more grow space!

stc3248 · Feb 23, 2012

Yeah...that's my plan too. I can already tell that next year will be another crazy plant out too though. So many cool varieties in my fridge that I didn't get to plant this year, and so many more out there! Hopefully I'll have a greenhouse next year and will be able to really go crazy! I'll just need about 100 more 5 gallon containers. LOL

Siliman · Feb 23, 2012

stc3248 said:
...My wife wont buy off on the cool stuff yet, I actually had to sneak off to buy the second group of CFL's today. Only got away with it by "needing parts" to fix her faucet in the kitchen...Back to HD baby!!!

Catching up on a buncha GLOGs today, and that is the best 'gardening' tip yet!

Enjoying your photos and grow show, but you and PaulG seem to be enjoying the slug baiting a bit too much. LOL. Later in the year, I'll show you some killer action--the wife taking on squash bugs...yecch...... :cool:

stc3248 · Feb 23, 2012

Well, I've been neglecting photos of the plants still inside. Half are new start, and the other half are the soil experiment plants that I am trying to get to pull out of their funk. Some are making steady progress...others not so much.

Can you guess which of these is a 3 week old Chinense and which one is a 2 month old Annuum? Yup! The one on the left is a 2 month old bell pepper that I started in the worst of the soils I tried. It is just now starting to put out some new growth. Not sure it's worth saving at this point.

Here are the remaining plants that were started in terrible soil. Their progress is a little better than that poor bell pepper but still pretty slow.

You can see how the new growth is looking much better...just wish they'd hurry up!

...and for the upside. My newest starts are loving the new CFL's! They are really exploding, think I'm finally figuring this indoor stuff out!

Hope those photos help some of you decide what direction to take with the soil you choose! I was shocked at how terrible some of these plants did in some of the soils I tried!

Luckily I have more than too many plants and each of the sick ones has a big brother or two out in the greenhouse! Slug update...what slugs? The bait is really kickin' their a$$es! Bwahahahahaha

Once again thanks for looking!

Shane

Siliman said:
Catching up on a buncha GLOGs today, and that is the best 'gardening' tip yet!

Enjoying your photos and grow show, but you and PaulG seem to be enjoying the slug baiting a bit too much. LOL. Later in the year, I'll show you some killer action--the wife taking on squash bugs...yecch......

Thanks man!!! Yeah, I actually think slugs look kinda cool...in someone else's garden!

DonLava · Feb 24, 2012

Lookin good, like the tunnel you made, I would do the same if I dont have 2 huge bay windows

gnslngr · Feb 24, 2012

Just a word of caution as to wood chips in soil- they will deplete the N2 in your soils until they break down. I learned that the hard way, picking up "free mulch"(oak / cedar chips) from the park service a few years back. My 91 yr old WWII Pacific War Vet(RIP) neighbor was watchin me constantly testing the soil and cursing the "yellows" when he "let me in on a little secret" after telling me a story about Tarawa and not being allowed to shoot 2 Japanese soldiers he captured that left San Franscisco to fight for Japan from the US(they still had some US ID documents on em)- heard it a thousand times, but each time I would patiently listen as if it was the first time...anyway "them fresh wood chips are suckin the green life right outta them beasts your always messin with" was his comment....hmmm. So I started what I thought was as a big project then(haha 12 Orange hab,4 cayennes and some tomatoes) and dug up the plants after cutting them back, changed out ALL the wood chip containing soil...and he was right, after a brief recovery period, I came home to deep green very happy plants!You're doin a helluva job with your brood already, so feel free to ignore this by the way!

stc3248 · Feb 24, 2012

Yeah...tried that soil because it had all the recommended goodies in it...worm castings, kelp, bat quanno etc. It really came out like gang busters, but fizzled later. I think the main cause was them being water logged down low. Once I started using a moisture meter and paying close attention to the weight of the pots they started to perk up. The worst soil didn't have any woodchips at all hardly. The main problem with this stuff is the wood chips act kind of like a filter and the soil slowly works its way down through it until the surface is all chips and the bottom is compacted mud. I'm sure there is some N2 robbing going on as well, but I think there was still plenty left. I may try to recycle this stuff after running it though a screen to get the big stuff out then adding some perlite.

Shane

http://www.klickitatcounty.org/solidwaste/ContentROne.asp?fCategoryIdSelected=965105457&fContentIdSelected=178631264

Here you go! Validating the old mans point...Thanks for the info.

DonLava said:
Lookin good, like the tunnel you made, I would do the same if I dont have 2 huge bay windows

The entire south side of my house is glass with shelves at the perfect height all the way across...but momma and the cat refuse to let me use them. I had my ornamentals in those windows for a while, but the cat destroyed them. I'm going to move them back in soon just to make room for the "real" peppers in the ghetto greenhouse.

Thanks for looking brother! I enjoyed your vid yesterday!

Shane

stc3248 · Feb 25, 2012

Well...I was planning on rolling the dice on a few more plants and starting a little more of my plant out this weekend. TWC had lows around 50 and highs in the 70's for the the next two weeks and warming even more after that. Well, I double checked it this morning and now there are 4 days in a row with lows in the 30's Tuesday being the coldest night with a low of 35. I am usually a few degrees colder than the forcast, so there goes my early plant out! Instead I will just be repotting about 40 plants today.

I finally hit puberty this morning! After almost 42 years I have my first pube sprouting! :rofl:

Those grocery store manzanos are VIABLE! Hopefully they do ok with our summer heat. I hear they are a bit picky so any tips are welcome.

They pods on my Goat's Weed, Jalapeno and Cayenne are really taking off. I was a bit surprised by how big they were, especially the Cayenne! Photos to follow this afternoon.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Shane

stc3248 · Feb 25, 2012

So, since I have seen a huge improvement since I repotted my sick ones into the MG Moisture Control I decided to go for broke. I don't know how many total I repotted, but it was a bunch. The only ones I left alone were the biggest plants that look really healthy. I may do them tomorrow, but I figured that they could wait till plant out since they are nice and healthy and pushing out pods left and right. I have been pinching a ton of blooms on the weekends, but can no longer keep up. So, they are just gonna do what they do I guess! I have over a dozen Cayenne pods, many of which I had no idea about 'till I started pulling them out of the greenhouse today. :party:

Here are a few pics...the camera battery was low and it was having a hard time focusing with the puppies running around behind the plants.

Here they are in their new soil...

Here was my star Fatalii a few days ago when it cooked a little in the Greenhouse. Needed watering +110 degree GH temp, was a bad day BUT....

Here it is today...in its new pot and new soil...amazing what a difference a few days makes!

Top view, same plant. I love this little guy!

Purple bhuts haven't been getting as much sun since I've been working. Growth is still very fast, but the deep purple leaves have given way to mostly green.
Hope they purple up again when plant out comes...still beautiful.

Goat's Week pod...repotted this one today and was very disappointed in the root system. You can see a few yellow spots on the leaves...which is what prompted putting it in some new soil. Was planning on going ahead and potting up to a 5 gal, but after looking at the roots I decided to pot down from the 2 gallon it was in to a 1 gallon...Wish I had taken a picture, but that little Fatalii had a bigger root system than this one and this one is almost 2 ft tall! Hopefully the smaller pot and new soil will stimulate some more root growth. I may also go ahead and pull the little pod and some leaves to promote growth...funny thing is, this plant has been pushing out new growth all over??? Anyone with some goat's weed experience is welcome to chime in any time...

Jalapeno Pod...

Cayenne...putting out all kinds of pods. As well as the other Cayenne in the background.

Took this one because it looks like my pup is staring into a giant pepper plant...

The ones inside under the lights are looking much better (which is what prompted the mass soil change) I am beginning to think these plants are going to make it! There have been more downs than ups for these little guys, but in spite of my best efforts to kill them off, they keep pulling through! Some are actually doing really well! Having a ton of fun with them, and can't wait for my first harvest. Won't be long!

Tomorrow I hope to get a little more work done with the soaker hoses and sprinkler system...and maybe a couple pics of the indoor plants. As soon as my little manzano pube throws out its cotys I'll post some pics of it as well!!!

Thanks for looking everyone!
Comments are always welcome!

Shane

TheAmatureGreenThumb · Feb 25, 2012

Finally some more pics... lol I just noticed my Jalapeno finally has some pods too. Yours is about twice the size tho.

And Following...

gnslngr · Feb 25, 2012

yeah, poochy has that "hmm, I need to pee on it" thoughts running through that doggy head! The Purples will remain more green, I have a thread on here
that I believe shows some grown versions(I'm a bit of a puter tard, or you'd get a link!).The stems and veins will stay purple though and the peppers will be very purple until they start to ripen.Enjoy your "commuteless" weekend-and keep the log coming....these things help keep from constantly worrying about mine when I'm gone- hahaha!

stc3248 · Feb 25, 2012

TheAmatureGreenThumb said:
Finally some more pics... lol I just noticed my Jalapeno finally has some pods too. Yours is about twice the size tho.

And Following...

Thanks for the follow! I've been pinching most of the blooms. This was the first one to set of the season...had to let it grow! They really grow quick...I found a ton I didn't even know I had today! Nice surprise.

gnslngr said:
yeah, poochy has that "hmm, I need to pee on it" thoughts running through that doggy head! The Purples will remain more green, I have a thread on here
that I believe shows some grown versions(I'm a bit of a puter tard, or you'd get a link!).The stems and veins will stay purple though and the peppers will be very purple until they start to ripen.Enjoy your "commuteless" weekend-and keep the log coming....these things help keep from constantly worrying about mine when I'm gone- hahaha!

That pup is 12...he knows better. As far as the purples, I have seen different variations on the leaves from different folks, was hoping they would stay a little more purple. They still look really cool though. I have seen some purple bhut pod pics...very nice.

How was the flavor? Good? I know they're not real hot...compared to other bhuts at least, Just wondering about taste?

Be safe out there!

Shane

I

gnslngr · Feb 25, 2012

The flavor, once nice and Corvette/ Whore Red is pretty good, little bit sweet,with an almost annum/baccatum taste with just slight chinense flavor.
Hell, I 've been puttin off running the stairs for about 2 hours now playin around on here...time to go get some before mid rats-later
man,have a good Sunday-
Dave

PaulG · Feb 26, 2012

I knew that little Fatali would come roaring back :dance:

!
Are you going to post some kind of summary chart
or something about the soils you used and their results?
Interesting about the wood chips - same effect as grass
clippings - makes sense, breaking down cellulose takes
lots of nitrogen, I guess.

Hats off to you for undertaking such a large repotting project,
Shane! That's true dedication to pepperdom

Love following
your grow story...

BTW, Siliman, it's not that I actually ENJOOOOOOOOY slug death.
Well, yes it is. There is so much for them to eat in my garden without
picking on the plants I love!

SocalChilehead · Feb 26, 2012

The fatalii looks great now. Is the new soil straight moisture control or a combination of other things. What type of cayenne is that growing in the picture. Your plants continue to look awesome man great job on everything especially on the slug eradication. Look forward to seeing your next update

stc3248 · Feb 26, 2012

PaulG said:
I knew that little Fatali would come roaring back !
Are you going to post some kind of summary chart
or something about the soils you used and their results?

Yeah...that plant is tough! Its been through hell, yet is one of my best looking plants.

I did a photo comparison a few pages pack and I will bring that one back up and add the 2 soils that weren't included (Kellogg Premium and now MG Moisture Control) and give my opinions on them. I still think both Kellogg soils have potential, and the plants thrive in it short term but eventually begin to suffer when it settles. I think if the large woody pieces were screened out and you added some perlite/vermiculite and a little peat it still might be worth while. I just screened all the leftover Kellogg from yesterdays repot with some of my own compost at about a 2 to 1 and will try to amend it with some pearlite and peat moss and try it out with some of my extra annuums to see how they perform compared to the others. If I get a successful recipe figured out I will post it. I only had 1/2 inch screen so I will have to rescreen it with 1/4 inch when I add the amendments. Really not sure all of this is worth the effort, but I'll try it anyway. If I really wanted to build my own soil...I would have just purchased all the ingredients in the first place.

I did plan on trying my own soil mix this season at some point but didn't want a potting soil as the base.

SocalChilehead said:
The fatalii looks great now. Is the new soil straight moisture control or a combination of other things. What type of cayenne is that growing in the picture. Your plants continue to look awesome man great job on everything especially on the slug eradication. Look forward to seeing your next update

Yup, straight MG MC. The cayenne is from seeds purchased at HD Stover Cayenne Long Thin

http://www.homedepot...catalogId=10053

Couple bucks for a couple grams (100+) seeds (psst...ummmm I have extras, just sayin" :shh:

). They are impressive so far. They look to be solid producers, very fast growing and early. Formed pods from seed at the same time as my overwinters. The pods are growing very quick and there are tons of pods and blooms on the plants already. I was plucking some blooms to start with on them, but I just couldn't keep up! I really love my pepper flakes and home made sauces...so these along with my goat's weed pods should be just the ticket! A few tepins or pequines thrown in...mmmmmmm I really can't wait! The supers are going to be fun for some OMG that is really effing hot sauces and flakes...along with the Habs and Fatalii's. I really love me some annuum flavor though!

Thanks for the support fellas! I am having a ton o' fun around here...Just wish I could convince the rest of the family that "family time" could be enjoyed in the garden doing something I love and they hate instead of sitting in the living room doing something they love and I hate. I know, not going to happen!

Shane

PaulG · Feb 26, 2012

"If I really wanted to build my own soil...I would have just purchased all the ingredients in the first place."

:rofl:

stc3248 · Feb 26, 2012

Here was my original post and opinions on the soils:

Here is my example...3 of the 4 soils are represented here. All very cheap varieties with cost for a less than $5 for a 1.5 cu ft bag...
Yellow represents the worst performing and somewhat toxic soil (Supersoil)...
Red the intermediate soil that performed ok but not great (Earthgro)...
And light blue is the best performing (Kellogg)...
The other soil I used was Miracle grow and although they are not represented in this photo those plants were on par with the red circles intermediate performer.
The best performing by far was the Kellogg potting mix I used (light blue) All these plants were started on the same day then repotted on the same day. One of theKellogg plants not represented in this photo is the cayenne pictured in my update which is now already potted up again and producing buds. Since this photo they've all been placed in Kellogg soil and I will post an after pic of the slow recovery later as well.

My opinions have obviously changed since then. The performance of the Kellogg degraded over the last month, although some plants were still doing very well in it. Many were not. Most of the "soil" sifted down through the wood chips and settled in the bottom. Making the soil very dry on top, but a soggy mess down low. During the repot I also noticed that there were several with large areas that were bone dry. It appeared as though the water ran around these areas through the mix. The soil also completely lost its ability to wick water up from the bottom.

All of the plants in my "seedling infirmary" are regaining their color and putting out new growth since repotting them into MG moisture plus last weekend. I am also hoping that the MC will be a little insurance policy when I am working during the week...More to follow .

Shane