Strange(?) behaviour of transplants

C

CJay

Hey guys.
 
bit of backstory... I have a bunch of chili pepper plants that i wintered from last year, however wintering didn't work. I cut them back to stalks and reduced root ball and threw them in a dim basement. They grew like crazy and even started flowering - one went to almost 3 feet tall in a small container (the Habanero...) so I gave up and let em grow lol.
 
fast forward to 2 weeks ago when the plants were put in the ground in the garden. they all looked a bit sickly and started to drop a few leaves and one completely altogether. They have all, however, started growing new leaves in small clusters and I have put it down to them not having grown most of their current hardware in the harsh heat they get outside. Temps are around 35C plus and 20-25 at night and they get incredibly intense sunlight from about 7am through to 7pm-ish. High humidity and it isn't uncommon for them to droop just a wee bit towards mid afternoon but always recover a couple of hours later.
 
They are planted in an area with some new seedlings of various varieties (reaper, habanero, Caribbean habanero, apache, thai) which are all doing really well. There don't seem to be any pest issues or soil issues and the one habanero plant (I nicknamed Dracula after the basement fiasco) is already producing fruit like crazy.
 
I've linked to a gallery of the reapers in question as they are the ones I'm worried about. Is this behaviour normal or is there something I can do to give em a leg up?
 
https://imgur.com/a/8g2wGxN
 
did you harden off the seedlings? It sounds like you just shocked them from going from a dimly lit area to bright full sun with no adaptation.
 
I'm surprised they grew so much and flowered in a dim indoor setting. 
 
Your assumption is right. They were not hardened off. That's a gradual process, and it's not just temps but every element of outdoor weather they need to acclimate towards.
 
**Edit: The plants in the photos look alright. What's your fert schedule look like for them, and what are you using?
 
Yep, they need gradual re-introduction back into the outdoors.
 
Shade those bad boys for a quicker turnaround, or wait for them to recover under full stress.  Either way, they'll come around.
 
i let all of the plants including the new seedlings sit on the deck in partial sun for a week or so but the weather wasn't quite as hot...I also babied them by bringing them in at night though so it sounds like that's it. Thanks for the input guys! I think I'm just gonna let them sit tight and tough it out.
 
at the moment i haven't really set up a fertilizing schedule. I added some of my tomato fertilizer just yesterday to give em a hand but it's a generic miracle grow tomato one. Any suggestions on what I might use? I've only planted and reaped the benefits over the last 2 years as the soil in this area was super rich in nutrients and I go over it with a rototiller and add a few bags of compost before planting. You should see the shear number of Hab's that I got last year. Had to freeze so many bags lol :S
 
CJay said:
 I think I'm just gonna let them sit tight and tough it out.
Click to expand...
 
There have been a few times I felt I was premature when planting starts from indoors/shaded nursery into my raised beds, and I found it quite effective to simply place an upside down pot/bucket over the plant. This allowed me to control how much sunshine hits the plant in the day, assuming I was diligent about removing/putting it on. Essentially, I could gradually harden off the plant despite them being placed in their 'final home'. It's not ideal, but it's a method to consider in situations like yours..
 


CJay said:
Any suggestions on what I might use?
Click to expand...
 
In the past i've used a combo of generic ferts and castings from my red wiggler bins. 
 
I'm sold on the idea of using something like what you'd find with the Dyno Pro line. A one stop solution, for the most part. This way you won't need to think about sourcing another product for trace minerals and calcium and such. I'm currently using Dyno Pro Foliage and castings from my Red Wigglers.
 
You should start a bin for compost worms! Doesn't have to be Red Wigglers, but 'compost worms' is what you'll want. Give some of your kitchen scraps, coffee grinds, newspaper, and cardboard to your worms. You'll still have plenty to feed your compost pile. They reproduce quickly, and you'll be able to throw cups of the worms in your beds if you want to. There are plenty of free designs online/Youtube for easy separation of castings as well; of which, one can make a tea to use during the grow season.
 

CJay said:
You should see the shear number of Hab's that I got last year. Had to freeze so many bags lol :S
 
Click to expand...
 
Last grow my Hot Paper Lantern plant drove home the point that early producing and high yielding plants are a thing of beauty. So this year I am growing a bunch that I hope fit the bill. Many are habs. 
 
Spicy Mushroom said:
In the past i've used a combo of generic ferts and castings from my red wiggler bins. 
 
I'm sold on the idea of using something like what you'd find with the Dyno Pro line. A one stop solution, for the most part. This way you won't need to think about sourcing another product for trace minerals and calcium and such. I'm currently using Dyno Pro Foliage and castings from my Red Wigglers.
Click to expand...
 
I second both of these points.  Although, I also absolutely love a combo of organic dry ferts, and fish juice.
 
The Dyna Gro Foliage Pro is a great fertilizer, that works all season.  And my favorite - honestly, if I recommend this any more, I'm going to need to be put on commission - is CNS17 Grow.  These 2 fertilizers are, in my opinion, basically equal products.  They work in every planting media.
 
I like the CNS17 also because its gentle and cheap...BUT if you look at amounts used the Dyna-Gro uses much less per gallon. ATM i mix 2tbs of Alaska and 2tbs of CNS17 for 5gals of water. That is just slightly less that recommended.
 
CNS17 Grow 1 tbs per gallon and cost me around $12/qt locally
Dyna Gro 1 tsp per gallon and cost me around $22/qt locally
Alaska fish 1-2 tbs per gallon and cost under $10/qt or gallons for about $20.
50lb bag of alfafa meal is under $25 and its a excellent dry organic fertilizer.
 
Take your pic, they are all pretty affordable but i am starting to lean towards getting the Dyna Gro next time. About twice the price as CNS17 but you use 1/3 as much.
 
ShowMeDaSauce said:
I like the CNS17 also because its gentle and cheap...BUT if you look at amounts used the Dyna-Gro uses much less per gallon. ATM i mix 2tbs of Alaska and 2tbs of CNS17 for 5gals of water. That is just slightly less that recommended.
 
CNS17 Grow 1 tbs per gallon and cost me around $12/qt locally
Dyna Gro 1 tsp per gallon and cost me around $22/qt locally
 
 
Take your pic, they are all pretty affordable but i am starting to lean towards getting the Dyna Gro next time. About twice the price as CNS17 but you use 1/3 as much.
Click to expand...
 
Amazon is your friend.  I have bought 4 packs of 1 gallon jugs of CNS17 for under $80, shipped.  You have to watch it often, but it's well worth it.
 
I, also, like the DynaGro, but I feel that the CNS17 is the (slightly) superior product.  Biggest reason being that it stays in suspension (in storage) for much longer than the Dyna Gro.  Several members here have reported that Dyna Gro calcified in the bottom of the jug.  And, of course, your calcium doesn't do much good down there.
 
Locally CNS17 is about $28gal or around $60 for 2.5gal. I tend to buy with cash when dealing with hydro nutrients. Ive already got neighbors asking questions about 20-30 plants in pots all over the place. :D Not that i have anything to hide but i would rather keep a lower profile and avoid a undeserved visit from "the man".
 
ShowMeDaSauce said:
Locally CNS17 is about $28gal or around $60 for 2.5gal. I tend to buy with cash when dealing with hydro nutrients. Ive already got neighbors asking questions about 20-30 plants in pots all over the place. :D Not that i have anything to hide but i would rather keep a lower profile and avoid a undeserved visit from "the man".
Click to expand...
 
At least you don't sound paranoid...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top