The Trinidad Scorpion Experiment

flyingappleseedco

flyingappleseedco

Banned
This is to lay to rest some suspicions about peat inhibiting the germination of rare peppers due to acidity. This is well known among growers but I'd like to demonstrate the difference first hand.
The Experiment:

4 Trinidad Scorpion pepper seeds. This is as daring as it gets…
1 pot Premium Peat Soil (on the left)
1 pot has organic clay mix- (on the right)
Plastic pots were used to prevent peat contamination.
the question is who's going to (A) Germinate better & (B) Grow better?
These trin scorps are the one of the "MOST" difficult peppers to germinate and grow! Total pain in the ass factor of 10/10. So the set up has to be damn good to work at all-

At first is seems obvious that the organic stuff will win but wait physical tests are usually one sided against inferior peat- they use the cheap crap. BUT high grade peat soils have superb growth capacity and also has a very long sparkling success record. In short these are some of the best pepper soils money can buy- not even the straight Hawaiian stuff can compare- these are both cheater soils! One is an organic blend of Alaskan clay and parrot clay gathered from San quintin mexico. The other is a premium peat recommended by pot enthusiasts that is spiked with a growth hormone. So you are looking at 2 very fine blends! Overall a good match! Let the battle begin! :D
 
haha- the potheads disappoint me! Even with a cocktail of hormones it looks like the clay has came up with both trin scoprs- that's %100 at this point by week 5 I expect total failure of the peat and the clay to steady off into one final large trin scorp -but lets see---
 
Cool experiment, but personally I've never had germination problems with T. scorpions. I find the problem with straight peat is not only the acidity but also the moisture holding capacity. For me it tends to be too wet or too dry in which case it gets crusty and needs a real good soaking leading to too wet again:(
 
I find it interesting that none of the "organic soil" pictures match. One has a lot more soil, another doesn't have the same pattern / amount of sticks and such, your results are very suspect. Trinidad scorpion has always been an easy grower for me, with pretty close to 100% germination, and that was without a heat mat. Your sample size is way to small to be conclusive one way or the other.
 
I'd also like to here more about this peat soil with growth hormones. It doesn't look like straight peat to me, more like promix or other mixes which are ajusted for pH and moisture control
 
Excellent eye Matt. Yeah whats up with that Flyingapple? The one pot clearly has a ton more soil in it in the last picture???
 
I've never had any germination problems with peat based potting mixes, or with plain peat for that matter. The only problem I've had with plain peat is that after the seed germinates it won't grow because of the acidic PH of the peat. Mixes like ProMix, Farfard, JiffyMix, Jiffy Peat Pellets, etc., are all PH balanced and make great starting/growing mediums.


Actually, testing peat/clay soils just for germination is rather meaningless anyway since seeds can be germinated in a wet paper towel.


Alan
 
Actually I don't believe peat pellets or peat pots are pH balanced and from what I've heard the pellets have a pH of about 5.3 which is quite acidic
 
No expert on peat but I have started all of my seeds in peat pellets this year, so far 4 trays of 72 are up and growing including trinidiad scorpions from several sources. The first tray of plants are in process of being potted up, 4 trays still germinating, lots of green showing already so they are about to be moved to the lights. I take the mesh off the pellets when I pot up, just in case they interfere with roots. i know a lot of people don't like peat pellets but I'm old and decrepit lol so it's an easy way to start my seeds. I have never had any problem with the pellets.
 
I forgot to mention that I started the first T. Scorpions on 1/29/10 and they were up by 2/5/10....that's not too bad at all. I had no heat mat under them either.
 
I gave some Bhut Jolokia seeds to one of the local nurseries and he planted them in sand, kept it moist and under a small dome and they sprouted in 2 weeks inside the greenhouse. Once they sprouted he moved them to Ferti-Loam Ultimate Potting Mix and they are doing great. I have switched all my plants over to Ferti-Loam Ultimate Potting Mix as well, I like that it has minimal garbage in it like Miracle Grow and it has a decent amount of Perilite in it as well.
 
oh I forgot to mention that- As the plants grow I fill the pot with a little more of the same mix. It's needed to keep them healthy. > I also do weekly cleanings so thing soil is being moved around.
Small yes but if you'd be kind enough to "read" you'd see this is only a tac demonstration of a known point- far from suspect it has already been well proven.

it might be so- the mix is for sale at the local potmart here in CA- so the exact mix of the peat is a bit of a mystery to me.

As I said I fill the pots with the same mix as needed to promote further growth. non germinated seeds don't need more soil- and the peat has already failed part A and B. so it matters not.

true its all about luck or dealing with lacking batches..
 
That pot went from 1/2 full to almost completely full. It still hasn't produced its first true set of leaves. For you to have added that much soil to it they would have been super leggy, but then your second seedling wouldn't have popped up because it was planted to deep. Sure you could have scooped them out and then added more soil, but who does that as you risk damaging the seedling or stunting its growth. I'm just saying this seems more like a hoax to me seeing as your timeline was posted all in the same day, there is inconsistencies in the pictures, and most people don't have the problems you are experiencing with sprouting in the other medium. That's all, I could be wrong, and if I am I'll apologize now, but that is what I think.
 
IGrow potting mix. Oakland CA. I do know it had abscisic and salicylic acid thus why I bought it as well as a rooter--- I think Indole 3 butyric acid -that tends to be a standard in all weed mixes -its cheap its crude but affective and you have to be retarded to use it on food producers. TOXIC! good deal- haha Since I don't intend to eat nor sell these moc plants it's safe - and due to the area being a large ranch there is no water table to pollute.
 
Matt You might just be "Sarah Palin" retarded do you know that??? Why would I hoax a preliminary demonstration? It's not even the experimental phase yet- this is going to carry over into the longevity aspect with about 40 more seeds in a larger grow chamber when the time comes- this is just a testing phase to better understand the material needs and overall concept before committing $200 in additional resources -shop lights, seeds, soils, 80 cell planters, etc. What would I have to gain by fixing the results before I even begin? And the seedlings pop up just fine given you not disturb the layer they are on by "carefully" removing the soil as one solid tablet -doable by a careful hand. that and cleaning takes place every week if the plants needs more of the same mix they get it. It's simple to understand but remember this is only week 3 of 10. Also Trinidad scorps are hard or normal but rarely easy- it depends on climate and local pest- fungi soil indoor vs outdoor.... just a lot- bear that in mind before calling a hoax will you?
 
OK Gentlemen....lets be civil.....
 
flyingappleseedco said:
Matt You might just be "Sarah Palin" retarded do you know that???
Click to expand...

Completely uncalled for buddy. Matt's asking some legit questions, as there do seem to be some inconsistencies in your photos and descriptions.
 
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