Stetto-grow 2018: Takin' another run at it.

It's going to be a sweeter, milder year for me this time around. I've got myself Rocoto happy, and thanks to my new friends enablers here at THP I have a plethora (you go El Guapo!!) there will be no shortage. I plan a repeat of some winners from last year, if you recognize your penmanship/packaging style, well, you just pat yourselves on the back.
 
My seed-to-medium day will be on or about this Thursday, March one, 6 weeks early for zone 3 but 3 months later than the Aji Amarillo and a few other choice seeds I planted last year.
 

 
This is the bulk of the peppers, but not likely all. I overwintered a couple of PaulG's Aji Amarillos and a nummy Aji Mango from Geonerd, and they're already living la vita loco in a south facing window. I plan a backup seedling to both of those. 
 
Thanks to the damned Moruga Welder there's a lot of pepper stuffing in my future, and a special thanks to the Greenchilimonster for all these wonderful black seeds! We may have the Darlin' Bride weaned off those nasty bell peppers yet!

 

[stettoman]

 
Those look tasty!  What are they like?

 
I really don't know yet, Greg. I got about a dozen nice ripe ones and immediately froze them for a future consideration without taking a bite. We got a hard freeze long before normal and I lost a lot of potential bounty. Right now I'm in the processing process of tomatoes and chokecherries, the latter getting various Rocoto infusions.
 
...I do know that the black nitrile gloves I wore to deseed with did nothing to block capsaicin from my skin. Fingers feel like they were dipped in battery acid.   

 

[Devv]

 
Thanks Scott, she's sure a purty one. Only 55,000 miles on 'er, should last me the rest of my life....
 

 
 
The aphid infestation looks to have been a short lived one, and isolated to 3 plants I kept in a south facing sill in the pantry. I bit the bullet and tried this stuff I found at Lowes. It smells like a volatile pesticide, but everything I read up on convinced me that it would do no harm. One application on Oct. 12 and there's been no activity anywhere, though I maintain vigilance.
 

 
.02% pyrethrins, .2% piperonyl butoxide. I assume the smell was added to give fools like me the impression that it was working (which, so far, it has)....
 
The rest of my overwinters are clear. Yes, knocking on wood over here.

 
Nice looking ride!
 
I'm still driving my 2004 Chevy, hoping it lasts another 10 years Then there's that other one for sunny days only....h'aint been many of those since August......

 

 

[stettoman]

It's never really over, is it....
 
So I now have a total of 11 overwintering Rocotos, joining my overwinter Aji Amarillo and Aji Mango, and my new addition, a Large Orange Thai that I rescued from the 8ith acre at the 11th hour.
 
That Thai got cropped after a decent harvest to a group of stubs. It took up so much space that I couldn't help myself. It's coming back nicely and should be it's monster self again by next April...
 

 
With all that said, I've decided to complicate my life attempting to clone the crap out of my Turbo Pube. I haven't gone whole hog yet, just two cuttings as an experiment for now to see if they'll take. So far they've kept leaves, but no roots yet. The cuttings have been at it for well over a week. I put one longer cutting in water with rooting hormone, the other, smaller one is in a Root Riot plug in a shot glass. The long bamboo shoot looking cutting was a blank stick with a couple dry nodes on it that I took from the afore mentioned Orange Thai. That one, though it isn't showing any roots yet either, is surprising me with vigorous growth. Sorry for the mushy shot.
 

 
 
Now, only months after the last kidlet has moved out and on, I find myself complicating my life with more dependents....
 
 

 

[Devv]

Just wait for all the G-Kids!
 
When my 2 kids come over it's a house of 12 now! Talk about a buffet!

 

[PaulG]

Hey, Eric, any roots yet?  I would expect it will take awhile,
several weeks or more, maybe if my experience with cuttings
is any indicator. Be patient, they will eventually root!

 

[stettoman]

Hey, Eric, any roots yet?  I would expect it will take awhile,
several weeks or more, maybe if my experience with cuttings
is any indicator. Be patient, they will eventually root!

 
No roots yet Paul, but there is no sign of wither either. I'm going to agree, these may take longer than a week or two, but I do believe they'll eventually root.
 
Our humidity is less and less as it gets colder here, I'm giving these cuttings a full eye dropper of water every day or so.
 
If this works I'm going to try it with a bay laurel as well. I'm told they're tough.
 
 
 

 

[nmlarson]

 
No roots yet Paul, but there is no sign of wither either. I'm going to agree, these may take longer than a week or two, but I do believe they'll eventually root.
 
Our humidity is less and less as it gets colder here, I'm giving these cuttings a full eye dropper of water every day or so.
 
If this works I'm going to try it with a bay laurel as well. I'm told they're tough.
 
 
 

 
Any sign of roots yet?  Just wondering.....
 
On another note, we recently had some repairs to some hardscaping and additions to the landscape in our front yard.  The landscaper recommended "Milorganite" as an excellent slow release fertilizer, in addition to being a pretty good deer deterrent, saying they use it in their nursery and, in addition to a feeding station just outside the nursery, is enough to keep the deer from destroying their inventory.  He left me a big bag of the stuff, along with 30 small cotton bags filled with it to hang and place in the new plantings.
 
Since it's from your general neck of the woods, I was wondering if you'd heard of it and/or used it in your garden as fertilizer or deer repellent.

 

[stettoman]

 
Any sign of roots yet?  Just wondering.....
 
On another note, we recently had some repairs to some hardscaping and additions to the landscape in our front yard.  The landscaper recommended "Milorganite" as an excellent slow release fertilizer, in addition to being a pretty good deer deterrent, saying they use it in their nursery and, in addition to a feeding station just outside the nursery, is enough to keep the deer from destroying their inventory.  He left me a big bag of the stuff, along with 30 small cotton bags filled with it to hang and place in the new plantings.
 
Since it's from your general neck of the woods, I was wondering if you'd heard of it and/or used it in your garden as fertilizer or deer repellent.

No and no. I did have a damping off incident with one cutting, but otherwise nothing has changed, no growth, no wilt, and no rooting. I read that this can go on for months.

Milorganite, never heard of it, but will now seek it out, thanks!