Ok I have taken a long time to get back to growing after a few life upheavals over the past 6 months ,which have culminated in an overseas relocation, change of job and massive change in climate and garden scope.
So I am back to my country of birth and where my roots still grow strongly in the land of the long white cloud... New Zealand.
Everything about it has been positive and I hope my garden adventures can be equally so.
The sad part was I had to give up a good portion of my seed collection which numbered about 150-170 unique types and had to restock once I arrived back here.
So I now only have 78 unique varieties and I have lost one or 2 of my prized varieties... One of which was a big blocky pod which ripened like a toucans beak colour wise and was insanely hot and gnarly blistered in appearance (like this)
... And the other the Pimenta De Neyde.
However I still have a good selection all things considered and look forward to growing out some old favourites and new varieties alike.
I am very excited about being in a climate which lends itself more towards C.Pubescens varietals and as such have added multiple types to this season's grow list.
So I have Chamomile tea soaked (for damping off protection and seed case softening) and planted 2 rounds of seeds in the past week in my DIY propagation chamber (which was put together from a combination of others ideas to suit my situation).
The propagation chamber consists of an variable thermostat aquarium heater set at 30 degrees C in 20 or so litres of water inside a 50 litre plastic container with lid. In the water I have placed about 20 ceramic tiles, 10 either side of the aquarium heater to act as an additional heat sink to hold the temperature steady during the cold nights (as it is midwinter here right now and frosts are a common occurrence).
I then floated a smaller plastic container on the water which holds approximately 50 Jiffy pellets. The temperature at the surface of the water(bottom of the jiffy container) holds at approximately 29C and the surface of the wet jiffy pellets holds at approximately 26C which I think will be perfect.
The first round of seeds was put into the Jiffy pellets on the 27th of July after a 24hr chamomile tea soak.
1st Round Chinense varieties: Source in brackets
Cili Goronong (Trippa) *Popped 3rd/8
7pot/pod Yellow (Pepperlover)* popped 8th/8
7 pot bubblegum (Pepperlover)* popped 6th/8
7 pot brainstrain Yellow (Pepperlover)
Jays peach ghost scorpion f4 (Wildfire chillies)* popped 8th/8
Chocolate Habenero (Trippa)* popped 18th/8
TSMB (Trippa)
Brown Moruga (pepperlover)
Chocolate Trinidad Scorpion (gnslngr)* popped 3rd/8
7 pod White (pepperlover)* popped 3rd/8
White fatalii (pepperlover)* popped 3rd/8
Star of Turkey (pepperlover)* popped 1st/8
Bhut jolokia "Assam Raja JR strain chocolate" (Junglerain)
Peach bhut jolokia (pepperlover)* popped 10th/8
Bhut jolokia "Assam" (Trippa)
Scotch Bonnet TFM (PaulG)* popped 8th/8
Chocolate Scotch bonnet (GAgrowhead via Paul G)*Popped 4th/8
Scotch Bonnet "MOA" (pepperlover)* popped 10th/8
Tobago scotch bonnet red (pepperlover)* popped 13th/8
Bahamian goat pepper (Trippa pure isolated seed)* popped 7th/8
7pot Primo (pepperlover)* popped 3rd/8
JA hab (Walkgood via kingdenniz)
C. Pubescens 1st Round varieties:
Cabe Gendot (Junglerain)
Ecuadorian sweet (pepperlover) popped 5th/8
Costa Rican Red (Pepperlover)* popped 2nd/8
Aji Oro (Pepperlover)
Red Rocoto 'Peruvian Market' (PaulG)* popped 7th/8
The Second round of seeds were soaked for 24hrs in chamomile tea and planted into jiffy pellets on the 29th of July.
(All of them were Chinense varieties)
2nd round:
Naga Morich (Trippa)
Douglah "Alphanerdz"(Trippa)* popped 7th/8
Bih Jolokia (pepperlover)* popped 6th/8
Chocolate bhut jolokia (Trippa)* popped 6th/8
Bhut jolokia "Indian Carbon" (pepperlover)* popped 7th/8
Bhut jolokia Orange (Pepperlover)* popped
Yellow 7pot/pod (Trippa)
Carolina reaper HP22b (PeriPeri)
Primo x Yellow Bhut Jolokia f2 (junglerain)
Trippas Mystery Cross F3 (PaulG)*Popped 4th/8
Primo x Yellow bhut jolokia f3 (Trippa)* popped 6th/8
Fatalii (pepperlover)* popped 9th/8
Nebru (THSC)* popped 9th/8
?? Mixed pack (Junglerain)
?? Mixed superhots (Junglerain)
There will be a further few Chinense varieties and C. pubescens put down and also a full couple of rounds of C. Annuum and C. Baccatum at a later date.
As of this morning the 2nd of August I had 3 hooks.... 1 Costa Rican Red and 2 star of Turkey hooks which were poking through yesterday. Not a bad start considering I am not even a week in since planting yet.
My new place of residence is full of potential with some potential just needing a bit of TLC and DIY to get it back to top billing.
I have a large permanent glass house with power (built by my late Grandfather for his orchid business and general horticultural passion and talent) right at the back door step (it's roof needs replacing but other then that and some tidying it's looking ok).
I have started building a couple of good sized raised beds for additional space and have some good access to plenty of sheep manure.
Edit: updated with hook Dates
So I am back to my country of birth and where my roots still grow strongly in the land of the long white cloud... New Zealand.
Everything about it has been positive and I hope my garden adventures can be equally so.
The sad part was I had to give up a good portion of my seed collection which numbered about 150-170 unique types and had to restock once I arrived back here.
So I now only have 78 unique varieties and I have lost one or 2 of my prized varieties... One of which was a big blocky pod which ripened like a toucans beak colour wise and was insanely hot and gnarly blistered in appearance (like this)
However I still have a good selection all things considered and look forward to growing out some old favourites and new varieties alike.
I am very excited about being in a climate which lends itself more towards C.Pubescens varietals and as such have added multiple types to this season's grow list.
So I have Chamomile tea soaked (for damping off protection and seed case softening) and planted 2 rounds of seeds in the past week in my DIY propagation chamber (which was put together from a combination of others ideas to suit my situation).
The propagation chamber consists of an variable thermostat aquarium heater set at 30 degrees C in 20 or so litres of water inside a 50 litre plastic container with lid. In the water I have placed about 20 ceramic tiles, 10 either side of the aquarium heater to act as an additional heat sink to hold the temperature steady during the cold nights (as it is midwinter here right now and frosts are a common occurrence).
I then floated a smaller plastic container on the water which holds approximately 50 Jiffy pellets. The temperature at the surface of the water(bottom of the jiffy container) holds at approximately 29C and the surface of the wet jiffy pellets holds at approximately 26C which I think will be perfect.
The first round of seeds was put into the Jiffy pellets on the 27th of July after a 24hr chamomile tea soak.
1st Round Chinense varieties: Source in brackets
Cili Goronong (Trippa) *Popped 3rd/8
7pot/pod Yellow (Pepperlover)* popped 8th/8
7 pot bubblegum (Pepperlover)* popped 6th/8
7 pot brainstrain Yellow (Pepperlover)
Jays peach ghost scorpion f4 (Wildfire chillies)* popped 8th/8
Chocolate Habenero (Trippa)* popped 18th/8
TSMB (Trippa)
Brown Moruga (pepperlover)
Chocolate Trinidad Scorpion (gnslngr)* popped 3rd/8
7 pod White (pepperlover)* popped 3rd/8
White fatalii (pepperlover)* popped 3rd/8
Star of Turkey (pepperlover)* popped 1st/8
Bhut jolokia "Assam Raja JR strain chocolate" (Junglerain)
Peach bhut jolokia (pepperlover)* popped 10th/8
Bhut jolokia "Assam" (Trippa)
Scotch Bonnet TFM (PaulG)* popped 8th/8
Chocolate Scotch bonnet (GAgrowhead via Paul G)*Popped 4th/8
Scotch Bonnet "MOA" (pepperlover)* popped 10th/8
Tobago scotch bonnet red (pepperlover)* popped 13th/8
Bahamian goat pepper (Trippa pure isolated seed)* popped 7th/8
7pot Primo (pepperlover)* popped 3rd/8
JA hab (Walkgood via kingdenniz)
C. Pubescens 1st Round varieties:
Cabe Gendot (Junglerain)
Ecuadorian sweet (pepperlover) popped 5th/8
Costa Rican Red (Pepperlover)* popped 2nd/8
Aji Oro (Pepperlover)
Red Rocoto 'Peruvian Market' (PaulG)* popped 7th/8
The Second round of seeds were soaked for 24hrs in chamomile tea and planted into jiffy pellets on the 29th of July.
(All of them were Chinense varieties)
2nd round:
Naga Morich (Trippa)
Douglah "Alphanerdz"(Trippa)* popped 7th/8
Bih Jolokia (pepperlover)* popped 6th/8
Chocolate bhut jolokia (Trippa)* popped 6th/8
Bhut jolokia "Indian Carbon" (pepperlover)* popped 7th/8
Bhut jolokia Orange (Pepperlover)* popped
Yellow 7pot/pod (Trippa)
Carolina reaper HP22b (PeriPeri)
Primo x Yellow Bhut Jolokia f2 (junglerain)
Trippas Mystery Cross F3 (PaulG)*Popped 4th/8
Primo x Yellow bhut jolokia f3 (Trippa)* popped 6th/8
Fatalii (pepperlover)* popped 9th/8
Nebru (THSC)* popped 9th/8
?? Mixed pack (Junglerain)
?? Mixed superhots (Junglerain)
There will be a further few Chinense varieties and C. pubescens put down and also a full couple of rounds of C. Annuum and C. Baccatum at a later date.
As of this morning the 2nd of August I had 3 hooks.... 1 Costa Rican Red and 2 star of Turkey hooks which were poking through yesterday. Not a bad start considering I am not even a week in since planting yet.
My new place of residence is full of potential with some potential just needing a bit of TLC and DIY to get it back to top billing.
I have a large permanent glass house with power (built by my late Grandfather for his orchid business and general horticultural passion and talent) right at the back door step (it's roof needs replacing but other then that and some tidying it's looking ok).
I have started building a couple of good sized raised beds for additional space and have some good access to plenty of sheep manure.
Edit: updated with hook Dates
Good luck with your Kiwi grow this season. I'll be following along. Cheers!
... back to the land of Kiwi's, Hangi's, and the Haka.