Stickman's 2017 Minimalist Glog

stettoman · Mar 16, 2017

stickman said:
OK, fair enough... take what you need and leave the rest.

And I take much, trust me. You guys are so info rich and experience driven it would be insane not to obsess over all your posts and glogs. This is my first year of trying new ways, so the input is invaluable.

Guys like you and Paul and Scott and solid7 and *really?* Greg and Chuck and Ben and Juanito--and--and--yeah, well, you guys likely kept me from killing my earlier plantings.

I'm the guy who religiously started his plants--ALL of his plants-- on the same day six weeks before dirt day every year, spent the last two of those weeks hardening, then into the 8th acre they go. After reading a lot of posts here at THP I realize how lucky I've been up to now. I appreciate it.

BTW, those "Kurts" came up 100%.

Devv · Mar 16, 2017

stickman said:
I've seen the wrapping material you mention maybe once. It's easier to find at the Hydroponic shops, but if you really want cheap... potato chip bags turned inside-out are mostly aluminized mylar, and free if you know where to look.

The first-round seedlings have gotten big enough that I clipped the Chinense varieties to force axillary growth (branching). I left the Aji Oro alone since its leaf canopy is open enough to let in the light needed to grow out new branches.

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It's everywhere here. But you can find Biochar locally; I have to make it. Cooking as I typo

I like to potato chip bag idea' never thought of that.

Do you always force the side growth? I guess it's a good way to get more mileage in you climate?

stickman · Mar 16, 2017

stettoman said:
Those "Kurts" came up 100%.

Cool, you're on your way with them then. Just be warned that they're long-season... around 120 days between bloom and ripe pods. They're big and meaty, and very sweet if vine-ripened, but you won't see ripe pods much before September. You can use them when unripe just like green Bell peppers. Ripe pods are best roasted and peeled... either with a bit of olive oil and salt or made into Ajvar. http://thehotpepper.com/topic/36298-ajvar/?hl=ajvar

Devv said:
It's everywhere here. But you can find Biochar locally; I have to make it. Cooking as I typo I like to potato chip bag idea' never thought of that.

Do you always force the side growth? I guess it's a good way to get more mileage in you climate?

I had really good results using an 80/20 mix of compost to biochar last season. I grew Lacinato Kale shoulder high, and it was so hardy we picked the last of it for our Christmas dinner. I'm hoping for great things using it with the chiles this season. :party:

This is the first time I've tried to force the axillary growth on purpose, but Spicy Chicken had such good results with the same methods, I decided to try them too. I figure if he could do as well up in Minnesota or Wisconsin, I probably could also. I'll only be trying it with my first-round seedlings... the second and third rounds won't have time to get big enough.

Blister · Mar 17, 2017

stickman said:
One of the things I love about the Airpots is that it's almost impossible to overwater... just give them all they'll hold and let the excess drain out. You might have to water a bit more often and you end up with the thickest root ball with no circling.

Any issue with bugs? The one thing that always annoyed me with the standard plastic pots was that the large black ants would always borrow into my plants through the drain holes and try to make a home. Have you noticed this?

Neil

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

stickman · Mar 17, 2017

Blister said:
Any issue with bugs? The one thing that always annoyed me with the standard plastic pots was that the large black ants would always borrow into my plants through the drain holes and try to make a home. Have you noticed this?

Neil

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

No, I haven't Neil... What's your soil like? Do you have a lot of clay? I'm wondering if the Ants like it in the pots because it's such easy digging. We have really sandy soil here and it's mostly open... not many trees about except ornamentals and screens grown for windbreaks or for privacy, so really easy digging and not much to eat for Carpenter Ants, which are the only large black Ants I know about in our area. What we seem to have mostly are the really small cinnamon-colored ants that like grease more than sugar.

Datil · Mar 17, 2017

Less chit-chat and more pics Rick!
Just kidding

this thread is full of nice info, i scroll back and forth old posts and always notice something underlooked and useful

Have a nice weekend my friend

Fab

stickman · Mar 17, 2017

Datil said:
Less chit-chat and more pics Rick!
Just kidding this thread is full of nice info, i scroll back and forth old posts and always notice something underlooked and useful

Have a nice weekend my friend

Fab

How can I refuse you Fabrizio?

It's the usual mixed bag here, but more good than bad I think.

The C. Galapagoense seedlings were both helmet-heads and I had to do surgery to try to extract the cotys. The older one didn't make it for sure, and I had hopes of the other one. Still don't want to let go of it but it doesn't look good.

Some closeups of the plants I clipped a couple of days ago...

Randy's Cross

Piment Cabri already has side branches an inch long

Giant Yellow CARDI Scorpion

Aji Oro is managing the side branching all on its own without clipping. Pubes are so slow-growing in my prior experience I didn't want to risk it.

Second and third round seedlings are all down stairs in the grow box now.

and so are the Ailsa Craig Onions.

TGIF all and have a great weekend!

Blister · Mar 17, 2017

stickman said:
No, I haven't Neil... What's your soil like? Do you have a lot of clay? I'm wondering if the Ants like it in the pots because it's such easy digging. We have really sandy soil here and it's mostly open... not many trees about except ornamentals and screens grown for windbreaks or for privacy, so really easy digging and not much to eat for Carpenter Ants, which are the only large black Ants I know about in our area. What we seem to have mostly are the really small cinnamon-colored ants that like grease more than sugar.

Yea they're the large carpenter ants that come out searching for a new home early in the season. I'm guessing that they find the coco a great, easy digging medium to build a home in. It's kind of annoying to come out and see a pile of coco next to the drain hole because one burrowed it's way in. I haven't had as much of a problem since I switched to the fabric pots though.

On the plus side, the black ant is an easy fly to tie and works great for trout when all those buggers are out.

I may also try topping a few of my plants this year like you did. I haven't done it before, but figured that I might as well see how it works. Did you top it at the fork?

Neil

moruga welder · Mar 17, 2017

all is looking great Rick ! Heres to a great summer ! :cheers:

stickman · Mar 18, 2017

Blister said:
Yea they're the large carpenter ants that come out searching for a new home early in the season. I'm guessing that they find the coco a great, easy digging medium to build a home in. It's kind of annoying to come out and see a pile of coco next to the drain hole because one burrowed it's way in. I haven't had as much of a problem since I switched to the fabric pots though.

On the plus side, the black ant is an easy fly to tie and works great for trout when all those buggers are out.

I may also try topping a few of my plants this year like you did. I haven't done it before, but figured that I might as well see how it works. Did you top it at the fork?

Neil

+1 on the Ant fly patterns! When the fish are on them here, they won't hit anything else unless it's much larger... Grasshopper patterns or streamers. My philosophy is " When in doubt... Throw groceries at 'em."

I followed Spicy Chicken's method for clipping... Let 'em grow out seven or eight nodes and clip all the leaves except the bottom pair, and clip the primary node as well.

stickman · Mar 18, 2017

moruga welder said:
all is looking great Rick ! Heres to a great summer !

Cheers Frank! And the same back atcha!

stickman · Mar 19, 2017

Hi all, hope you're having a relaxing Sunday morning.

Unfortunately the C. Galapagoense didn't survive surgery. I think it was inside the seed coat too long before I freed it, and after I got it out into the light the cotys dried up.
The final list of chiles looks like this...

MoA Scotch Bonnet.........................2 plants
P. Dreadie Select Scotch Bonnet.... 2 plants
Forbing Naga................................. 2 plants
Scotch Brain................................... 1 plant
Alphanerdz-strain Douglah..............1 plant
Randy's Douglah.............................1 plant
King Naga........................................1 plant
Piment Cabri................................... 1 plant
Randy's Bhut-Scorpion Cross......... 1 plant
Giant Yellow CARDI Scorpion.......... 1 plant

I got all my Tomato seeds sowed yesterday and the Mini Eggplant seeds are hooking up in the Aerogarden. Roll on spring... :pray:

tctenten · Mar 19, 2017

I have that same white mulch on my beds too. It is supposed to warm up a bit here this week. Hopefully that will be the end of it!!

stickman · Mar 19, 2017

tctenten said:
I have that same white mulch on my beds too. It is supposed to warm up a bit here this week. Hopefully that will be the end of it!!

Heh...white mulch... I like that.

As for the rest... From your mouth to God's ear, eh?

stettoman · Mar 19, 2017

50s today in zone 3 (I was informed not long ago that the demarcation between zone 3b and 4a has been moved from 50 miles south of me to 25 miles north. Now I'm getting spammed by fruit tree nurseries!!), and I believe I'm the owner of the last berm of white mulch in this part of the state. Those nor'easters, man, really hold up your anticipation for spring, eh?

Don't worry though, my neck of the woods is known for super nice weather for the last two weeks of March, then we get 36 inches of snow through April.....

stickman · Mar 19, 2017

stettoman said:
50s today in zone 3 (I was informed not long ago that the demarcation between zone 3b and 4a has been moved from 50 miles south of me to 25 miles north. Now I'm getting spammed by fruit tree nurseries!!), and I believe I'm the owner of the last berm of white mulch in this part of the state. Those nor'easters, man, really hold up your anticipation for spring, eh?

Don't worry though, my neck of the woods is known for super nice weather for the last two weeks of March, then we get 36 inches of snow through April.....

We don't usually get them this late in the season Eric, but the New England weather is and ever shall be unpredictable... If we have an article of faith here, that's it.

Just gotta hope for the best and drive on.

Winters in Minnesota may be long, but your soil is worth it, isn't it? Looking northwest of Minneapolis I see it's glacial moraine soils, so sandy, ya?

stettoman · Mar 19, 2017

stickman said:
We don't usually get them this late in the season Eric, but the New England weather is and ever shall be unpredictable... If we have an article of faith here, that's it. Just gotta hope for the best and drive on.

Winters in Minnesota may be long, but your soil is worth it, isn't it? Looking northwest of Minneapolis I see it's glacial moraine soils, so sandy, ya?

Yeah it is Rick, sandy with great drainage, exactly what my dad has on his propity 25 miles or so southeast of us. We are physically in what's called the Lake Agassiz Basin, which goes roughly 45 miles outside and along the Red River of the North. The soil literally a half mile to our east is what you describe, but we are in a HIGH nutrient silt lakebed that drained about 10,000 years ago. You could plant golf balls in this stuff and clubs would come up. But there's very little drainage. When it's wet you'll lose a shoe in it, when it's dry it is concrete.

It's funny you bring this up, I was just going out to collect a jar of the 8th acre for testing. I'm planning to till in an aerator this spring, I need loam and this ain't it.

MikeUSMC · Mar 19, 2017

stettoman said:
You could plant golf balls in this stuff and clubs would come up

stettoman · Mar 19, 2017

Here it is, Rick. Looks can be deceiving, trust me, you don't want to try to walk across this stuff after a quarter inch of rainfall. To add to this, +/- 15 inches beneath this is a layer of solid clay, may as well be caliche. Corn grows great in it, as do squash and some others, EVERYTHING will start to grow in it, but if the soil isn't cultivated regularly and if it rains too often (like last year), tubers especially suffer, but root systems just can't breath....

The phone cam lightened it up quite a bit, this shit is JET black...

stickman · Mar 19, 2017

stettoman said:
Yeah it is Rick, sandy with great drainage, exactly what my dad has on his propity 25 miles or so southeast of us. We are physically in what's called the Lake Agassiz Basin, which goes roughly 45 miles outside and along the Red River of the North. The soil literally a half mile to our east is what you describe, but we are in a HIGH nutrient silt lakebed that drained about 10,000 years ago. You could plant golf balls in this stuff and clubs would come up. But there's very little drainage. When it's wet you'll lose a shoe in it, when it's dry it is concrete.

It's funny you bring this up, I was just going out to collect a jar of the 8th acre for testing. I'm planning to till in an aerator this spring, I need loam and this ain't it.

stettoman said:
Here it is, Rick. Looks can be deceiving, trust me, you don't want to try to walk across this stuff after a quarter inch of rainfall. To add to this, +/- 15 inches beneath this is a layer of solid clay, may as well be caliche. Corn grows great in it, as do squash and some others, EVERYTHING will start to grow in it, but if the soil isn't cultivated regularly and if it rains too often (like last year), tubers especially suffer, but root systems just can't breath....

The phone cam lightened it up quite a bit, this shit is JET black...

Ah... so sandy clay with a lot of organics in it, and hardpan underneath. Sounds like the fields that have enough slope to drain well would do the best there. Have you thought of using raised beds? It's kind of a steep startup cost, but would pay dividends in productivity later on. I come at the problem from the other end... this area was once a glacial lake, but the glacial till that washed into it was mostly coarse sand from acidic rocks like Granite, Schist and Gneiss. Leaching is a real problem and humus breaks down really quickly.