TBG's First Chilli Blitz! (2017-18)

ThatBlondGuy101 · Aug 1, 2017

Finally! Another Update!

The seedlings are really coming along now:

The Bhut is currently the fastest, and most developed:

Some are getting quite some roots, and will soon get some bigger shoes!

Funnily enough, the Bhut isn't the one with the most roots; the Purple Viper is!

The Aji Amarillo also is getting quite the root system, easily viewable thanks to the clear cup:

Soon I'll put the clear cup in an opaque cup, so that the roots aren't constantly exposed to light.

Here's a pic of the top half of the Amarillos, and the Ebony Fire:

All those pics are from today.

The Ebony Fire is reeeaalllyy slow growing, it is growing, there is a few more leaves slowly appearing, but I think that rocks grow faster! Don't mind much though, as it is mainly an experimental plant.

And meanwhile on the seed front, its been crazy!

At the moment, I have in the incubator:
- Aji painapple
- Trinidad perfume
- 7 Pot Burgundy X CGN 21500
- P.Dreadie Bonnet
- El Scorponero
- Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
- Red 7 Pot Jonah
- Trinidad Scorpion CARDI

And I am waiting for hooks from the following:
- Cayenne X Bhut
- El Scorponero
- 7 Pot Burgundy X CGN 21500
- P.Dreadie Bonnet
- Trinidad Perfume
- Aji Painapple
- Aji Jobito X BBG7 Choc

Aaaand, I've had germs from two Aji Painapples, and expecting germs from Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and Scotch Brain in the next day or so.

And I think that's everything up to date! With the exception of the Habanero Mix, I've now sown all my Chinense's, so its time to start on the other species! :woohoo:

And only 30 days of Winter to go, or 52 if you go off the equinox...

But the weather here has been very very strange of late. Normally, our winter's are quite cold and miserable, last year there wasn't more than three days without rain from June to October! We don't get heaps of snow here, but there's usually at least one good dumping, usually in July, but we haven't had anything yet! The past two weeks have actually been warm, October type weather, so I'm not sure if winter has ended (it was fairly normal in June) or has just gone completely insane. Time will tell, but here's to hoping for an early spring! The sooner the frosts start, the sooner I can get plants outside, and the the ground!

Due to the decent weather, I've spent a few days the last few weeks reclaiming a corner of the yard that will be well suited to housing my plants come spring.
Here's some pictures, first up, my work so far:

I say "reclaiming" because that fence, the taller one (not the cream one) was completely over run with blackberry bushes, its full height, length, and at least a meter out from it was a thorny hell. I really should've done before and after pics, but too late now! Here's what I've cleared so far:

The whole area has a little fence around it, and is roughly 6.5m x 2.5m, or 22x8 ft for you Americans

Forgive me if my conversions aren't right!
So yeah, it should be good, once I get some good stuff into the soil, lots of compost and soil mix should do the trick! I'll also be able to put up a shade cloth if I so desire, so the plants should be pretty safe from any scorchers come Summer!

I think that planning ahead and being prepared for most circumstances should hopefully help me accomplish this grow, the earlyish star seems to have been a good idea, as I now have plenty of time for mistakes, if I need to start again from scratch.

Oh yeah, and I've already started looking at next seasons grow :rofl:

I know that I haven't even officially got a grow this season (yet) but hey, what harm can it do? I've sworn to myself that I won't go over my 40 variety limit this season, the thought of having to cull all those plants steers me well clear of any temptations, but I do have some varieties lined up for future use.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by, also thanks for all the comments so far, keep 'em coming! It does me good to know that people are reading and taking notice, so thank yee all kindly!

Until next time, TBG. :party:

EDIT: grrrrrrrrrrrr, having trouble with the new photo uploading stuff. Will fix pics soon. For now, use your imagination!

ThatBlondGuy101 · Aug 6, 2017

Well, my edit time expired before I could fix the pics, so here's a repost, with fixed pics.
Enjoy!

ThatBlondGuy101 said:
Finally! Another Update!

The seedlings are really coming along now:

The Bhut is currently the fastest, and most developed:

(it's #5 in the middle)

Some are getting quite some roots, and will soon get some bigger shoes!

Funnily enough, the Bhut isn't the one with the most roots; the Purple Viper is!

The Aji Amarillo also is getting quite the root system, easily viewable thanks to the clear cup:

Soon I'll put the clear cup in an opaque cup, so that the roots aren't constantly exposed to light.

Here's a pic of the top half of the Amarillos, and the Ebony Fire:

All those pics are from ~~today~~. (Day of original post)

The Ebony Fire is reeeaalllyy slow growing, it is growing, there is a few more leaves slowly appearing, but I think that rocks grow faster! Don't mind much though, as it is mainly an experimental plant.

And meanwhile on the seed front, its been crazy!

At the moment, I have in the incubator:
- Aji painapple
- Trinidad perfume
- 7 Pot Burgundy X CGN 21500
- P.Dreadie Bonnet
- El Scorponero
- Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
- Red 7 Pot Jonah
- Trinidad Scorpion CARDI

And I am waiting for hooks from the following:
- Cayenne X Bhut
- El Scorponero
- 7 Pot Burgundy X CGN 21500
- P.Dreadie Bonnet
- Trinidad Perfume
- Aji Painapple
- Aji Jobito X BBG7 Choc

Aaaand, I've had germs from two Aji Painapples, and expecting germs from Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and Scotch Brain in the next day or so.

And I think that's everything up to date! With the exception of the Habanero Mix, I've now sown all my Chinense's, so its time to start on the other species!

And only 30 days of Winter to go, or 52 if you go off the equinox...

But the weather here has been very very strange of late. Normally, our winter's are quite cold and miserable, last year there wasn't more than three days without rain from June to October! We don't get heaps of snow here, but there's usually at least one good dumping, usually in July, but we haven't had anything yet! The past two weeks have actually been warm, October type weather, so I'm not sure if winter has ended (it was fairly normal in June) or has just gone completely insane. Time will tell, but here's to hoping for an early spring! The sooner the frosts start, the sooner I can get plants outside, and the the ground!

Due to the decent weather, I've spent a few days the last few weeks reclaiming a corner of the yard that will be well suited to housing my plants come spring.
Here's some pictures, first up, my work so far:

I say "reclaiming" because that fence, the taller one (not the cream one) was completely over run with blackberry bushes, its full height, length, and at least a meter out from it was a thorny hell. I really should've done before and after pics, but too late now! Here's what I've cleared so far:

The whole area has a little fence around it, and is roughly 6.5m x 2.5m, or 22x8 ft for you Americans Forgive me if my conversions aren't right!
So yeah, it should be good, once I get some good stuff into the soil, lots of compost and soil mix should do the trick! I'll also be able to put up a shade cloth if I so desire, so the plants should be pretty safe from any scorchers come Summer!

I think that planning ahead and being prepared for most circumstances should hopefully help me accomplish this grow, the earlyish star seems to have been a good idea, as I now have plenty of time for mistakes, if I need to start again from scratch.

Oh yeah, and I've already started looking at next seasons grow
I know that I haven't even officially got a grow this season (yet) but hey, what harm can it do? I've sworn to myself that I won't go over my 40 variety limit this season, the thought of having to cull all those plants steers me well clear of any temptations, but I do have some varieties lined up for future use.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by, also thanks for all the comments so far, keep 'em coming! It does me good to know that people are reading and taking notice, so thank yee all kindly!

Until next time, TBG.

EDIT: grrrrrrrrrrrr, having trouble with the new photo uploading stuff. Will fix pics soon. For now, use your imagination!

And there ya go!

I've got some stuff to update, but that'll have to wait for now...

Nothing wrong with suspense!

All The Best, and a great weekend to all!

ThatBlondGuy101 · Aug 6, 2017

Okay, so I couldn't handle the suspense myself lol :rofl:

First up, the garden. T'was overcast the day I took those other photos, so here's some from sunny today!

Since last time, I've also managed to de-grass the fence, it used to be like a hedge!

And to top it off, a glance at what's left

But enough of outside, what's been happening in the growbox????

I've reshuffled it a bit, to allow extra room. Here's the Jiffy tray:

And here's the *newly* transplanted seedlings!

Transplanted so far:
2x Red Bhut Jolokia
2x Purple Naga Viper
1x Carolina Reaper
1x Bahamian Goat
1x MoA Scotch Bonnet

The last two are the mixed up, neither of them be the purple one. Speaking of which, is looking really cool!

The leaves of all of them are kinda yellowish, but seem to be going green, so I don't think its much of a problem.
Can be seen here on this Bhut; its still in the lead!

But I've had quite a heck of a few germinations;
- Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
- Scotch Bonnet
- Cayenne X Bhut x2
- El Scorponero x2
- Aji Painapple
- Aji Jobito X BBG7 Choc
- 7 Pot Burgundy X CGN 21500 x3

I've also sown:
- Orange Wild Brazil
- Mystery Variety
- Tabasco
- Prik Kee Nu Suan

And am waiting on hooks/germs on a bunch of stuff!

Everything's really coming along well, and I'm super stoked with how its all working out! So far, 87% of everything I've sown has germinated, so :woohoo:

So far, average germination time is 15 days, which isn't too shabby! The only things that I've sown that haven't germinated (yet) are:
- Red 7 Pot Jonah
- Mystery
- Tabasco
- Prik Kee Nu Suan

The last 3 have only been in for a week or less, so not too concerned about them.

That's all for now, cya later!

KAOS · Aug 7, 2017

I like the patch TBG. Lots of hard work done so far. Only real area I have is 6m x 0.6m along the wall.

Seedlings are looking strong also. Just hope timing is good that you don't loose any before you can move them out.

Keep the updates coming.

PS - Like the Amarillo teaser with the roots. Keep the suspense on.

karoo · Aug 7, 2017

Yes , nothing like a dedicated pepper patch !
Way to go!

PaulG · Aug 7, 2017

Great start, TBG! Lots of nice seedlings to pamper...

What are you growing your plants in? You mentioned yellowing leaves.
If you are in peat pellets or some seedling mix with no nutes in it, you
will need to fertilize your seedlings. I usually start when they are setting
their second set of true leaves, and then start weak - say 1/4 strength for
a few waterings, and slowly work up to 3/4 to full strength when they get large.

ThatBlondGuy101 · Aug 7, 2017

KAOS said:
I like the patch TBG. Lots of hard work done so far. Only real area I have is 6m x 0.6m along the wall.

Seedlings are looking strong also. Just hope timing is good that you don't loose any before you can move them out.

Keep the updates coming.

PS - Like the Amarillo teaser with the roots. Keep the suspense on.

karoo said:
Yes , nothing like a dedicated pepper patch !
Way to go!

Thanks guys. I am quite keen for the patch!

PaulG said:
Great start, TBG! Lots of nice seedlings to pamper...

What are you growing your plants in? You mentioned yellowing leaves.
If you are in peat pellets or some seedling mix with no nutes in it, you
will need to fertilize your seedlings. I usually start when they are setting
their second set of true leaves, and then start weak - say 1/4 strength for
a few waterings, and slowly work up to 3/4 to full strength when they get large.

Thanks for the advice!
The leaves aren't yellowing as such, they are just being born (for want of a better term) yellow, but all seem to be going green after a few days, which is good. I have some ferts on hand should I need them. But I was wondering about what strength I should use, so thankyou very much for that tidbit!

Not much major progress, just business as usual, will put up some more pics soonish!

All The Best!

OCD Chilehead · Aug 7, 2017

Looking good TBG.

Looks like some good soil.

Good luck!

ThatBlondGuy101 · Aug 8, 2017

OCD Chilehead said:
Looking good TBG.

Looks like some good soil.

Good luck!

Cheers!
That's roughy 2:1 premium potting mix : seed raising mix, I've found that it works well for seedlings of other veggies, and it seems to be doing well for the chillies. It keeps the soul damp but not wet, which is just what I want!

ThatBlondGuy101 · Aug 14, 2017

Been very busy this week. Update within next few days. Stay tuned...

ThatBlondGuy101 · Aug 16, 2017

Well, here's a bit of a photo dump!
Some of the plants in solo cups are looking better than others, here's some shots:

Red Bhut

Purple Goat/Bonnet

Purple Naga Viper

The Viper has the biggest leaves, but both of them are taking longer to green out than the others, so I gave them a feed of 1/4 strength fish emulsion. Funnily enough, they've got the biggest leaves.
The White Fataliis have a bit of leaf curling going on, and don't look 100%. So I fed then when I transplanted them, here's a look:

I fed the Vipers and Fataliis only a couple of days before these pictures, so there hasn't been much of a chance for too much improvement. Hopefully it comes in good time!

The Amarillos are growing differently to everything else, so I think that their window-sill start affected them. Fed them as well, so hopefully they pull through fine. They haven't grown much at all above ground, but their roots have been growing and growing.
For some reason I can't find a picture, so you'll have to wait for that one sorry!

Somehow I keep finding more room in the grow box, maybe its like Mary Poppins' handbag?

All the Jiffy seedlings are rolling along, and growing in number! I've pretty much got a small army!

And, possibly to your horror, a package arrived in the mail from THP member Walchit.

T'was a trade that I did with him, and he added more than double what I'd ordered! So a HUGE thank you to Walchit!!!! #PPATB
Don't worry, I'm not planning on sowing any this season, unless I have a few varieties fail completely, which doesn't look likely at this stage.

Since the last update, I've sown:
- Devil's Prick
- Goat's Weed
- Peter Pepper Yellow
- Malih-Helow
- Mystery Variety
- Habanero Mix
- Albanian Red Hot
- Jalapeno
- Aji Lemon

And I've had so many germination that I've lost track of what's happened since last time, and I don't want to post a loooong list of absolutely every germination (not yet anyway)

And that's all up to date! They're forecasting an early spring, so hopefully they're right! I don't think that growth will crowd the box before then, but floor space will be lacking. I've also organised a few folks interested in adopting my excess plants, so I won't be culling more than necessary (hopefully)

Thanks for stopping by, and hopefully my updates won't be so bulky and spread out in the future.

All The Best, TBG.

KAOS · Aug 16, 2017

All seems to be going along nicely TBG.

I really like the look of that goat (no Kiwi jokes please - that's an Aussie thing). Any reason it's not in soil yet?

Also I find it very suspicious that the one photo of the Amarillos has just disappeared. :snooty:

Walchit · Aug 17, 2017

I got my package yesterday too! How did the seeds in the envelopes look? They seemed dry when I put them in the envelopes but I was worried I didn't leave them in the open air long enough, hoped that the envelopes would pull any excess moisture while they were sealed in the mailer. The end of your envelope had split open, about a 2 inch long split, but it seems everything was still in there. Thanks again!

ThatBlondGuy101 · Aug 17, 2017

KAOS said:
All seems to be going along nicely TBG.

I really like the look of that goat (no Kiwi jokes please - that's an Aussie thing). Any reason it's not in soil yet?

Also I find it very suspicious that the one photo of the Amarillos has just disappeared.

haha. The goat is in soil now, its in the foreground of the box pic. And you can see the Amarillos in there too, so you can see their condition. Keeping it all out of my hat here...

Walchit said:
I got my package yesterday too! How did the seeds in the envelopes look? They seemed dry when I put them in the envelopes but I was worried I didn't leave them in the open air long enough, hoped that the envelopes would pull any excess moisture while they were sealed in the mailer. The end of your envelope had split open, about a 2 inch long split, but it seems everything was still in there. Thanks again!

Hey, yeah, they seem great, I've opened up the envelopes to let some air circulation in, and will probably keep them like that for a week or so to be safe.
Glad to hear that mine arrived safely, despite the rip. I'm glad that I chose to seal the bubblewrap inside! I think I sent a contents list, so if there is anything missing, I'll send it on over! Thanks for stopping by!

ThatBlondGuy101 · Aug 22, 2017

Here's a photo dump. Copied the links in one go, so not sure which is which. Here they are:

The Purple Gobbet is looking very nice. The Amarillos and Fatallis are looking up, which I'm really happy about. I've also had a few more germs, still going steady on that front, and I've only got two more varieties to sow! :woohoo:

You may remember that I had bishops hat on my grow list, I've exchanged that for Rocoto Aji Largo, as my list was looking a bit too light on the Pubescens. But yeah, all is rolling along really well, and I'm happy with everything. I'll be getting my hands in a small walk in greenhouse next week, so when the temps in there begin to stabilise I'll move the plants in there as need be, before they find their final homes when the weather is favourable. Spring, here we come!

Thanks for stopping by!

KAOS · Aug 22, 2017

The family is progressing nicely TBG and plants look healthy.

Out of interest have you got any fans running in the hatchery ?

Also are the two bottom left the amarillos and where's number 3?

ThatBlondGuy101 · Aug 23, 2017

KAOS said:
The family is progressing nicely TBG and plants look healthy.

Out of interest have you got any fans running in the hatchery ?

Also are the two bottom left the amarillos and where's number 3?

Cheers!
Nope, no fans, I was thinking about getting some, but i haven't experienced any problems as yet, and seeing as they are only going to be in there for a few more weeks, I don't think it would be worthwhile to get one now.

Yes, the bottom two are the Amarillos, coming along very slowly. However, they seem to have picked up a bit after their first feed, so I'll keep up feeding them and the others regularly from here on in. I culled the third Amarillo back towards the start of the grow.

Since my last post, I've sown the Red/Green Bell and Corno Di Toro Rosso, concluding the sowing portion of my grow (hopefully)
I've also had some Germinations from the Habaneros, and others that I can't remember right now.
The weather this week has been so bloody good, I felt like I could've planted out the plants, and plant some bananas and pineapples! LOL But then this morning was a frost, reminding me that Winter isn't finished with me yet.... Hopefully it doesn't last too much longer

ThatBlondGuy101 · Aug 26, 2017

Okay, time for some pictures, and a progress report!
The grow box is getting more crowded by the day, somehow I keep finding more room! Originally, it was looking to hold 14 solo cups and a tray of 24 Jiffy pellets..... Right now there are 21 Solo Cups, and 48 Jiffy pellets, with room left over! II'm going to have to start calling it the carpet bag... LOL

All the solo plants are coming along at different rates, and all of them are looking pretty good.

The White Fatalli has me a bit puzzled. Its acting great, and has over taken all the other plants progess-wise, but doesn't look as good as it is acting:

I've started fortnightly feeding the solo plants with 1/4 strength Fish emulsion, and it seems to be dong some good stuff. The Amarillos are starting to perk up, I'm sure that they'll pull through just fine.

All the Jiffy plants are growing quite fast, and multiplying at an alarming rate. XD

I'm quite glad I started early, if I started now I'd still have seedling in Jiffy's in November, and would be trying to get fruit in April, which wouldn't be likely around here...

At this rate, I'm guessing I'll start harvesting around Christmas, and then through to March. Apparently the baccatums and Pubescens do alright in this climate, so I'm expecting to have them produce until April. But thats a long time away for now... I need to get them into the ground first!

I'm only waiting for germinations from 7 more varieties, so not long until I'm finish with the incubator!
The Red 7 Pot Jonah has been giving a bit of trouble, I've sown two rounds of it and had no roots at all yet. I've got a couple more seeds left, so I'll sow them in the coming weeks, otherwise I'll sow something else in its place... Bleeding Borg Perhaps? It would be nice to try to get the bleed into some crosses, I would've definitely grown it if I'd gotten my hands on some seeds before I started. But hey, time will tell...

Thats about everything for now, thanks for dropping in!

Oh yeah, when I've finished with my germinations, I'm planning on doing a giveaway, I've got about 100 varieties sitting around, and I'd like to give back to the community, so stay tuned!

Until next time, TBG

stickman · Aug 27, 2017

All looking good so far Blondie! You've grasped the principle on feeding... keep it mild at first to avoid burning the roots. The leaf curling is probably due to cool growing conditions. Mine do the same in my unheated cellar grow box. Once things warm up they should straighten up. You might also want to ease off on starting new plants unless you have another lighted place to put your seedlings... After they pass their third node they'll start to grow much more quickly. A fan in the grow box blowing intermittently will help reduce fungal issues and strengthen the stems on the seedlings. Good luck with your grow season! I'll be following.

ThatBlondGuy101 · Sep 5, 2017

stickman said:
All looking good so far Blondie! You've grasped the principle on feeding... keep it mild at first to avoid burning the roots. The leaf curling is probably due to cool growing conditions. Mine do the same in my unheated cellar grow box. Once things warm up they should straighten up. You might also want to ease off on starting new plants unless you have another lighted place to put your seedlings... After they pass their third node they'll start to grow much more quickly. A fan in the grow box blowing intermittently will help reduce fungal issues and strengthen the stems on the seedlings. Good luck with your grow season! I'll be following.

Cheers!

I've been a bit slack on updates lately, there's been a heap going on.
I've been taking pictures, but haven't had a hands to upload them, hopefully will get them up in the next few days.
Since last time, it's been business as usual, although things are starting to slow down, thankfully. I got my hands on a worm farm and a greenhouse, which I'm pretty excited about. When the temps in there start to level out at something that won't kill the plants, I'll start toughening them up in there.
None of the plants are looking worse than before, each day they look better. Also have noticed that they're starting to put out some lateral growth, especially the Komodo Dragon.
Pics to come!