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synclinorium's Grow Log 2011

Otherwise known as my first attempt at growing hot peppers; probably a good reason to keep track of my plants' progress. My list isn't quite as hot as the others I see on here, but I'm still at the point where most of the hotter chinense varieties are beyond my appreciation. Hopefully this season will begin to change that.

I didn't properly research before buying my seeds/plants, so forgive my naivety with some of my supplier choices; I don't exactly have high expectations when it comes to most of these plants being true to type. Seeds were started intermittently between the first week of February and the second week of March (save the giant Datil plants seen in the photo below, those just recently arrived).

Current list:

Aji Cristal (Reimer seeds)
Aji Amarillo (Hirt's Gardens)
Cayenne (Hirt's Gardens)
Tabasco (Reimer seeds)
Unknown Thai variety (Livingston seeds, if I recall)
Rocoto (Reimer seeds)
Datil (from ebay)
White Lightning Habanero (Hirt's Gardens)

Soon to be arriving from Local Harvest growers:

Fatalii
Aji Limon
Bulgarian Carrot
Jalapeno

Here's my current setup. I've been using the LEDs for tomatoes, but it seems to be working fairly well for the peppers too.

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Because I'm crazy and I've got the bug, I started a few wild varieties from capsicumseeds.eu that will become an overwintering project, given how little of the growing season is left. After 4 days in my housemate's bottom-heated reptile tank, the c. cardenasii and c. baccatum "mini mini" have poked their heads up. The tank doesn't really have a temperature control on it, but it seems to keep it at a consistent 85-90 degrees.

Still waiting on the c. rhomboideum, c. praetermissum, and c. lanceolatum.
 
Looking at my plants today, I noticed something odd. My Rocoto plants are full of ants. There aren't any aphids on them; they're just hanging out inside the flowers. I wonder if there's something about the flower's nectar that is especially attractive to them, or something... none of the other plants have ants on them.
 
I'm going to be cautiously optimistic and say my Rocoto has set its first pod. Whether it will abort it in this 100+ degree heat remains to be seen:
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First of many Datil pods:
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Aji Crystals still seem more interested in growing than setting pods at this point, but they're making a respectable showing:
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My Aji Amarillos are ridiculous. The rate of pod set on these things is absurd:
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I also noticed something odd about my White Habs. One has small, almost berry-like pods:
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The other has larger elongate and blocky pods:
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synclinorium said:
I also noticed something odd about my White Habs. One has small, almost berry-like pods:
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The other has larger elongate and blocky pods:
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The one with the small berry like pods is the better one. These cross so easily with other plants, that after a few years of growing from pod seed, a grower will get these longer pointed white bullets. My original stock produced the real white bullets and this year I am growing a mother that puts out the pointed/elongated pods. They will both taste the same but the real deal are the smaller ones. :cool:
 
Pepper-Guru said:
The one with the small berry like pods is the better one. These cross so easily with other plants, that after a few years of growing from pod seed, a grower will get these longer pointed white bullets. My original stock produced the real white bullets and this year I am growing a mother that puts out the pointed/elongated pods. They will both taste the same but the real deal are the smaller ones. :cool:
Click to expand...

Funny thing is I think they were marketed as "White Lightning" Habaneros. Silly Hirt's. Most of my plants from them have been showing minor discrepancies... don't think I'll be buying from them again.
 
Yep. One thing to note in regards to strain stability is simple unadulterated uniformity within pod shape and plant structure. Basically you can tell a GOOD STRONG STABLE pepper strain, by how similar all pods on the plant are. If you get a seed from someone and grow it out and all the pods grown from the plant show differences then you know the genetics aren't the best they can be.
 
Oh, I forgot about my other Rocotos... I think the ground here is very high in nitrogen, which may be contributing to the fact that I haven't seen any signs of flowers on these. Still, judging by the size difference compared to my potted peppers, I think I'll be putting more in the ground next year (note the volunteer tomato in the foreground)...

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synclinorium said:
Oh, I forgot about my other Rocotos... I think the ground here is very high in nitrogen, which may be contributing to the fact that I haven't seen any signs of flowers on these. Still, judging by the size difference compared to my potted peppers, I think I'll be putting more in the ground next year (note the volunteer tomato in the foreground)...

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Looks real healthy! Very beautiful. A little insect had a little lunch but it doesn't seem to hurt the plants feelings at all :)
 
Rocotos grow big.
Mine are more wide than tall.

Yours look healthy so its just a matter of time before they start to bud.

Bleash
 
Pepper-Guru said:
Looks real healthy! Very beautiful. A little insect had a little lunch but it doesn't seem to hurt the plants feelings at all :)
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That would be flea beetles earlier in the season, but lately it has been tomato hornworms. I think I got them all, but I keep finding more eggs popping up on the undersides of the leaves...

Bleash said:
Rocotos grow big.
Mine are more wide than tall.

Yours look healthy so its just a matter of time before they start to bud.

Bleash
Click to expand...

Seems that way with most of them, with the extreme example being one of the plants that grows outward at practically 90 degree angles when it branches. One of the other plants is definitely more upright though:

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Rocotos have definitely started setting pods. There's about 5 or 6 growing on one of the plants right now.
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My Aji Limon is kind of puny compared to the rest of my plants... but it still has a respectable showing.
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Chiltepin with a couple pods:
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Curious to see how hot these Thai peppers are. I lost the seed packet I started them from, they grow upright and don't seem to get much bigger than 3 inches, and there's a *lot* of them.
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try to give a shot of fertilizer to the shade growing pubes
even though you claim there may be high nitro where they are. :crazy:

mine seem to react to fertilizer with a flower and pod session :woohoo:

the potted ones look groovy, it seems with mine that once the
new pods swell and start to get noticeably larger they stay on it seems
it is the first few days after their petals fall that they may yellow and then drop off
but if you see them getting bigger they (most)often go all the way! :dance: :dance: :dance:
 
synclinorium said:
Rocotos have definitely started setting pods. There's about 5 or 6 growing on one of the plants right now.


My Aji Limon is kind of puny compared to the rest of my plants... but it still has a respectable showing.

Chiltepin with a couple pods:


Curious to see how hot these Thai peppers are. I lost the seed packet I started them from, they grow upright and don't seem to get much bigger than 3 inches, and there's a *lot* of them.
Click to expand...

Nice work those Rocotos look awesome the Limon is very respectable

Well done

:cheers:
 
Yeah, I should stop calling it Aji Limon. That's what it was labeled as, but it's most likely a Limon (you'd think we could come up with less ambiguous names). Flowers and growth habit are definitely chinense.
 
millworkman said:
So jealous that you have some Pubes producing. They look great.
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We'll see if it stays that way. The temps have been relatively cool here recently, but they'll be popping back up into the high 90s again soon enough. The Rocotos have been the only ones having trouble setting fruit after I moved them all underneath the tree in the backyard.
 
Harvest a couple handfuls of Jalapenos. I have no immediate plans for them, but the plants have been a bit sluggish and there are way too many pods on the plants compared to their current size, so I figured this might help speed them along.

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On the topic of questionable plant/seed dealers, I've been reassessing my 2011 plants and trying to figure out which are true to type.

Fatalii just started setting fruit, so it's probably too early to tell. I think it was an ebay purchase...
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I'm very skeptical about the Aji Amarillos. They came from Hirt's, and while they are definitely baccatums, they're nothing at all like the descriptions I've seen, namely, green ripening to deep orange. These start off yellow-green (more on the yellow side of green) and seem to be turning bright yellow as 2-3 inch fruits. I'll leave them on the vine to see if they ever turn orange, but I'm doubtful...
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The only one I've been pleasantly surprised by so far is the Datils. Again from an ebay seller (brutus611), but at first glance these at least appear to be true. The plants are about two feet tall at this point and covered in small pods:
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Granted, I don't know how to tell if they're true Datils or Super Datils, so, that's still a possibility.
 
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