Stickman's 2013 Glog - Time To Pull The Plug on 2013

I'm pulling things together to get ready for my next growing season. I bought NuMex variety seeds from Sandia Seed company in New Mexico, Hot Paper Lantern Habaneros and Antohi Romanians from Johnny's Select Seeds in Maine and Korean varieties from Evergreen Seeds in California. Due to the unbelievable generosity of a number of THP members I've also gotten seeds to a wide variety of chiles from around the world. Special thanks to BootsieB, stc3248, romy6, PaulG, SoCalChilehead, joynershotpeppers, highalt, cmpman1974, smokemaster, mygrassisblue, Mister No, chewi, KingDenniz, orrozconleche and most recently and spectacularly, Habanerohead with a great selection of superhots and peppers from Hungary!

There are eleven varieties of Hungarian peppers in here, mostly the early, thick-fleshed, sweet ones that range from white through yellow to purple and red.., plus Aji Lemon Drop, BJ Indian Carbon, Naga Morich, Bishop's Crown and TS CARDI Yellow! Now I just have to go through my seed bank and match the space available to what I want to grow. Thanks Balázs!

 

[stc3248]

Nice Rick! You are gonna have a banner year with all those going! One thing I always do with the extra sprouts is loosen the soil a bit with my special planting tool (bamboo kebab skewer) and pull them like weeds. replant them into another cup/pot then gift them away...or keep 'em if mama softens up. If space was a real problem I suppose I would mow them down too...but such a shame.

 

[DocNrock]

Looking great!

 

[romy6]

Dang Rick your germination rates are up there with Paul G money. And Doc hooked you up with a lifetime supply of heat. Good on him. Time to get with the folks at your local community garden and reserve a spot

And now your telling me spinach is not good for you. Where were you when my mon wouldn't let me leave the table till it was all done

 

[PeriPeri]

Looking awesome Stickman! Nice going... keep them pics coming!

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

You need to play them the red solo cup song to get a better germ rate lol. I have such a hard time planting extra and then picking which one of my babies gets to live and which ones die....I always end up trying to save them all.

Nice getting plants up. You will be solid green in no time.

 

[stickman]

Nice Rick! You are gonna have a banner year with all those going! One thing I always do with the extra sprouts is loosen the soil a bit with my special planting tool (bamboo kebab skewer) and pull them like weeds. replant them into another cup/pot then gift them away...or keep 'em if mama softens up. If space was a real problem I suppose I would mow them down too...but such a shame.

Hi Shane
Thanks for the kind words... I hear ya about re-potting the extras, but my space really is limited, and I'm not sure any of the neighbors would want something so hot. I'll ask around before doing anything irrevocable. My Mom wants any extra Kapija peppers because they're so sweet, but I don't want to inflict any of the superhots on her unless in dire need...

Dang Rick your germination rates are up there with Paul G money. And Doc hooked you up with a lifetime supply of heat. Good on him. Time to get with the folks at your local community garden and reserve a spot

And now your telling me spinach is not good for you. Where were you when my mon wouldn't let me leave the table till it was all done

Thanks Jamie
I actually found out about the Spinach when attending a work-related in-service about Osteo-porosis. I must be strange, because I liked spinach as a kid... it sure beat the out of eating the Milkweed greens, Dandelion greens and Cowslips my Mom tried to slip in! In her defense, she ate a lot of it as a kid during the war years...

Looking great!

Looking awesome Stickman! Nice going... keep them pics coming!

Thanks guys!

You need to play them the red solo cup song to get a better germ rate lol. I have such a hard time planting extra and then picking which one of my babies gets to live and which ones die....I always end up trying to save them all.

Nice getting plants up. You will be solid green in no time.

Thanks Bodeen, this'll be my first time growing in Solo cups so I'll probably learn a lot.

I've noticed a few Fungus Gnats skittering around on top of the Solo cups that made their way across from my wife's potted plants. I don't want those little bastiges laying their eggs in there, so I decided to do a pre-emptive strike and picked up a shaker of Mosquito Bits to sprinkle on top. The active ingredient is spores of a soil-dwelling bacterium called Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis. It works on the digestive systems of Mosquito and other Gnat larvae to stop them eating in a few hours and kill them in a few days. It's nice to find a natural and non-toxic way of dealing with them that is very specific and won't set off my wife's chemical sensitivities and cause an asthma flare... http://www.ext.colos...sect/05556.html

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

Good going on those buggers. I think that is what happened to my OW plants. House plants that were outside brought in the aphids cause my garden plants never had them. Just hope I didn't cause a problem for this years young plants.

I had black stuff on my peat pots I potted up to last season, so the red solo cups might be the better ticket.

 

[Stefan_W]

I've never heard of the mosquito bits product before, be sure to keep us posted as to how well it works. At the moment I have some little critters that I think are fruit flies buzzing around, and I am looking for a way to get rid of them.

 

[stickman]

Put a little fruit juice or cider vinegar in a saucer on a windowsill next to your plants. If it doesn't attract any of the fuzzy little bastiges, but you see them skittering across the surface of your growing medium... it's probably Fungus Gnats.

 

[Stefan_W]

There aren't many of them, but they are not central to the plants which is why I figure they are fruit flies. I'll give that trick a try and see if it lures any of them in.

 

[stickman]

There aren't many of them, but they are not central to the plants which is why I figure they are fruit flies. I'll give that trick a try and see if it lures any of them in.

Actually, I saw something in a paper from UC Davis that you can check for the presence of Fungus Gnat larvae by burying a 1 inch cube of raw potato 3 eighths of an inch down in the surface of the soil where you suspect they are. Pick up and look at the bottom of the cube and the soil immediately beneath it about once or twice a week. The larva in the pot will migrate through the soil to feed on the raw potato. Count the numbers of larvae found when you check under the potato cube to see if the numbers are going up or down after applying Bti... http://www.ipm.ucdav...TES/pn7448.html

 

[PeriPeri]

Man Stickman, you're a wealth of knowledge! You should hear the trick about cutworm... so simple, yet so effective!

 

[stickman]

Man Stickman, you're a wealth of knowledge! You should hear the trick about cutworm... so simple, yet so effective!

Thanks for the kind words Lourens, but I heard of it first from Highalt last spring. It's a great garden tip though, and well worth spreading around.

The latest on the germination stakes...

Yellow 7............................ 1/5
Douglah............................ 4/5
Hot Paper Lantern ........... 1/5
Jamaican Hot Chocolate... 1/5
Maya Red Habanero......... 2/5
Aji Omnicolor..................... 3/10
Aji Criolla Sella.................. 1/5
Kurtovska Kapija............... 7/15
Manzano Amarillo...............0/5

I'm pretty happy with this ratio, though obviously I'd like to have at least one Manzano. I'll keep trying though, eventually one has to pop. I'll keep a few of the Kurtovska Kapija and give the rest to my Mom.

It's sunny, windy and cold here in a reprise from the week around Christmas... Right now it's 16 degrees (-9 C) with wind chill down to 3 degrees (-19 C)... No long walks outside for the next week it looks like.

 

[Trippa]

Nice germ rates Rick!! Nice work!!

 

[GA Growhead]

Looking good Rick !

 

[georgej]

Looking good!
I'm praying I have half as much luck..

My soil temp is about 31 c right now. Worried my soil dried out a little too much over night. Covered my solos better this afternoon, gave a light spray on top and bottom watered. Soil is feeling better to the touch now. Damp not wet.

 

[stickman]

Looking good!
I'm praying I have half as much luck..

My soil temp is about 31 c right now. Worried my soil dried out a little too much over night. Covered my solos better this afternoon, gave a light spray on top and bottom watered. Soil is feeling better to the touch now. Damp not wet.

Hi George, welcome to the zoo!
It looks like you've got things covered. 31 C is a little high, but not out of the ballpark... you'll just have to check the watering a little more often is all. 28-29 C is ideal. Good luck with your season!

 

[georgej]

It's too low at night with just the heat mat, so the light is on too. Difficult balance!

I'm keeping a close eye on it!
Gonna check the watering again in the morning, should be fine for now. Put cling film on the tops individually now. Hoping that helps.

Cheers. Good luck to you too!

 

[stickman]

Put my last 7 Manzano seeds in to soak this morning. I'll put them in soil tomorrow morning and set them onto the smaller heat mat to see if I can get any of them to pop. If that doesn't work, I'll try some Red Rocoto seeds I have. Last resort is a call to Cross-Country Nurseries...

 

[Sanarda]

This cold snap is highly irritating. Its only going to get to like 25 F tomorrow