Time to Turn it all Around ... It begins in Earnest... Trials and Tribulations of Trippa's Season 20

Well the least said about the 2013-2014 season from my point of view the better.  Broad Mites took a heavy toll and things just never got a start or a roll on .... I was at fault in some part by trying to grow too many plants in too small pots (a lesson I was yet to heed after 2-3 seasons), I tried to cheap on amendments just using a commercial potting mix ... never again ... and I didn't love them enough ... (I don't think I ever do although my wife disagrees ) 
 
I had some great varieties started but most I never got a single pod from, due to being in a constant flux of recovery and attack from Broad mites ... I will be holding onto a select few plants and putting them on my other balcony where I had success transplanting some other plants midway through last season ... less direct light and more weather and terracotta pots and a slightly different soil mix all added up to some semblance of harvest and my best ever harvest from my Pimenta De Neyde (confirming my thoughts that it (my particular plant) does not like the heat and full sun I had been affording it in the past 2 seasons.
 
However my main balcony will be wiped clean from this season (including being cleaned down to get rid of the pain in the ass mites and aphids) all pots removed and existing trays cleaned with bleach in the bathroom.
 
No more plastic pots will be used ... I have already purchased 10 x 10 gallon (37.85 litre) Fabric pots (got them for less then I could make them in the end) brand new with handles for shifting a little if needed although sounds like back trouble if I do it too much
This will give the root zones an additional 27.85 litres of space compared with last season and keep the roots cooler and give the benefit of air pruning ... an all round win!!
 
I will also be using a 25% Mushroom Compost, 25% Perlite, 25% Coir, and 15% Organic Potting mix and 5-7% Sheep Manure/Worm Castings/Rock Dust/ and the remainder a mulch yet to be determined (possibly pine bark or hardwood chips) ... But please post comments on what you think might be a good soil mix if you see some glaring omissions from my recipe.
 
I will also be companion planting with a couple of basil plants per plant along with a petunia or geranium added to the mix to hopefully boost some beneficial's in the garden and give the chillis some respite from the pest hordes.
 
 
I already have some plants started/stunted from late last season that I have been trying to hold off from going out to get infested before I can get rid of the mites and also have a bunch of varieties that I have in the heated propagator germinating at the moment (have been down 8 days and have 2 varieties hooked , Chocolate Habanero and Yellow Bhut x Primo f3 (seeds saved from my sole pod last season from Jungle Rains Yellow Bhut x Primo f2 seed)
 
I will disclose a full list of 10 plants I will be growing in the fabric pots (seriously no more) and the few that will go to the other balcony either because I need them for seed saving or because they are plants I would like to grow again but don't want to commit to starting again.
 
I also have a bunch of seeds started with the view to gifting them to a couple of people.
 
I am looking forward to the steep challenge this season ... I just want some kick ass plants and pods ... I can't promise that but I will try ... 

Just read over my 2013-2014 glog and the first few pages started much the same as this one ... grandiose Ideas ... new starts... changes ... blah blah blah ... talk is cheap it would seem ... but the difference is this season I already have part of the set up purchased and a disaster behind me to spur me to change everything .... haha ... check out post #370 on last seasons glog ... this year is the year ... 

 

[Trippa]

Two other things for mites, foliar application of seaweed extract to help the plants immune system. And if you can find some pyrethrum, I believe a mix of .05% is all that's needed.
 
Kills the crap out of them and is organic.

Cheers Devv! Yeah they get biweekly foliar applications of seaweed currently so that part is covered. I have some pyrethrin which I use as needed. However it tends to knock the plants about a little I find so I usually only use it on older plants. I have not positively identified mites yet and the leaves look very malformed and slightly different to what my normal damage looks like ... so I have not ruled out nute-pH related issues either because the 3 plants effected are not together and one of the others that was effected has come right since I flushed with plain water ? I just don't want to let the little bastards gain a foothold.

 
Definitely an un-like there buddy.   +1 on Scott's comments... nuke the $#*@ outta them bastiges!

Cheers Rick ... as you can see above maybe I am jumping the gun but I have a sneaking suspicion the little creatures are back.
I hope beyond hope it is pH/nute related because of my new self made soil mix being all up the pole. I was meant to pH test it before doing anything ... however time constraints made me slack ... kicking myself now but I will move forward!

 

[John1234]

Hehe, we put the damage down to pH/nutrient cycling in a new organic mix as well, until it became patently obvious it was BM/cyclamen. I've got some cucumeris shipping out today, cheaper than swirskii and apparently do the job a bit faster. They do not seem as destructive as previously thought... only reared their heads and knocked out a plant when I root/shoot pruned a few plants a week ago.
 
Salicylic acid will help remove the toxins from the plant, either sourced from aloe vera or aspirin. Most guidelines for aspirin are 300mg uncoated per gallon with a wetting agent, I think a half dose would be as effective. The toxins BM inject can stay around long after the infestation and slow plant growth.
 
Got any pics? Eeeese good to add to the collection

 

[PaulG]

Grrrrrrr    mites.  I hope you are right about the pH/nute issues.  
I'd hate to see mites back after all your efforts.
 
The Mystery Cross is finishing off nicely; F1 and F2 will ripen up all of their pods,
and the yellow F2 caught up with the red F1 in production:

 
The Bird's Eye HTM has been cranking out the pods.  I will grow it again next year; a nice looking plant, to boot.

 

[stickman]

Hehe, we put the damage down to pH/nutrient cycling in a new organic mix as well, until it became patently obvious it was BM/cyclamen. I've got some cucumeris shipping out today, cheaper than swirskii and apparently do the job a bit faster. They do not seem as destructive as previously thought... only reared their heads and knocked out a plant when I root/shoot pruned a few plants a week ago.
 
Salicylic acid will help remove the toxins from the plant, either sourced from aloe vera or aspirin. Most guidelines for aspirin are 300mg uncoated per gallon with a wetting agent, I think a half dose would be as effective. The toxins BM inject can stay around long after the infestation and slow plant growth.
 
Got any pics? Eeeese good to add to the collection

 
Great tip Mike! Broad Mites aren't a problem here, but good to know what to do about the toxins they induce into their host plants.  Cheers!

 

[PaulG]

Just a teeny follow-up on your Mystery Crosse, Tristen.
 
You can see a slight difference in growth habit between the two, and there is definite purpling on the F2 leaves.  It was more pronounced in the summer, and I think if the plants had been in more sun they would have been more purple.  They were very dark green with purple highlights.
 

 

 

 
As far as I know no one has tried to guess what the two parents were.

 

[Trippa]

Hehe, we put the damage down to pH/nutrient cycling in a new organic mix as well, until it became patently obvious it was BM/cyclamen. I've got some cucumeris shipping out today, cheaper than swirskii and apparently do the job a bit faster. They do not seem as destructive as previously thought... only reared their heads and knocked out a plant when I root/shoot pruned a few plants a week ago.
 
Salicylic acid will help remove the toxins from the plant, either sourced from aloe vera or aspirin. Most guidelines for aspirin are 300mg uncoated per gallon with a wetting agent, I think a half dose would be as effective. The toxins BM inject can stay around long after the infestation and slow plant growth.
 
Got any pics? Eeeese good to add to the collection

Well the good news is after a couple of flushings/waterings and 3 applications of seaweed extract/Epsom salts I am fairly certain it was indeed a pH / nutrient issue . 2 of the plants have bounced right back and all new growth is completely normal and one is trying hard to do the same but had the most severe effects. I had mutations in the leaves across all three plants which were identical (2 leaves fused mid way making double pointed almost heart shaped) and leaves making complete conical shapes like a flower on a Lily. I am leaning towards a severe calcium lockout ... Strangely only effected 4 plants ... One came right straight away as it had only just started to twist about on one leaf.
The soil mix may have been a little hot in patches? Not sure

 

[Devv]

Glad to read you have it sorted out!

 

[Trippa]

 
Great tip Mike! Broad Mites aren't a problem here, but good to know what to do about the toxins they induce into their host plants.  Cheers!

Yeah great info

Just a teeny follow-up on your Mystery Crosse, Tristen.
 
You can see a slight difference in growth habit between the two, and there is definite purpling on the F2 leaves.  It was more pronounced in the summer, and I think if the plants had been in more sun they would have been more purple.  They were very dark green with purple highlights.
 

 

 

 
As far as I know no one has tried to guess what the two parents were.

Thanks for the follow up Paul !! Yeah they certainly seemed to produce nicely for you(down to superior gardening practices more then anything )
Stoked to see those great birdseye HTM genetics produced for you as well ... They are hot little suckers to boot

Glad to read you have it sorted out!

Cheers Devv !! I haven't been on here much lately so haven't been keeping up with anyone much... How's the reconditioning of the soil going ?
All my plant babies have been shipped to my mates house for the next few weeks while I am overseas . I hope they are ok... But of a strange feeling especially as the first lot had just started to really fill their boots and take off.
I had just potted up the second lot so I am running about 2 months behind on them but seeing as I won't get any production before Feb because of the heat I am not to concerned. My own fault as I didn't por them up soon enough at all this year so they take some time to get into growth mode.
But I had 3 peach bhut seedlings show up in the last week at I would guess about 6 weeks since planting ...

30-35 plants into 10 don't go ... Tough choices when I get back.

I have given my mate strict instructions to only water with unchlorinated water and not to often and not splash the leaves ... He was a bit freaked because he knows how precious they are to me


I should also say another reason I tthought the mutant plants came about may have been excess salt from the coconut coir bricks I used ... So for my second lot of soil I soaked the coir for 2-3 weeks and then rinsed it 3 times ... Squeezed it out and rinsed it again ..before adding it again ... Will see if it makes any difference

 

[PaulG]

Glad to hear things are on even keel, again, Tristen!
 
Smooth sailing ahead, matey!

 

[Trippa]

Glad to hear things are on even keel, again, Tristen!
 
Smooth sailing ahead, matey!

I just hope my first mate doesn't hook into the grog while on watch .
Cheers Paul ... Will report back with some photos of the chilli babies once I get back from Europe

 

[PaulG]

Hope your trip is productive, Tristen.  Be safe!

 

[Devv]

Cheers Devv !! I haven't been on here much lately so haven't been keeping up with anyone much... How's the reconditioning of the soil going ?
All my plant babies have been shipped to my mates house for the next few weeks while I am overseas . I hope they are ok... But of a strange feeling especially as the first lot had just started to really fill their boots and take off.
I had just potted up the second lot so I am running about 2 months behind on them but seeing as I won't get any production before Feb because of the heat I am not to concerned. My own fault as I didn't por them up soon enough at all this year so they take some time to get

 
Hi Tristen,
 
The second stage of the cover crop (rye) is just starting to come up. I'm not very pleased with the Crimson clover, slow growing to say the least. I guess I'll look at something else for next season. The soil should be great next year. I did till the middle section before planting the rye this weekend, just to many weeds, and I don't want them to go to seed. I set the tiller at the lowest depth and after 6 weeks since adding all the materials, they were just broken down and gone. And that's a good sign! My wife and daughter kindly weeded the main section for me while I tilled

 

[Trippa]

Geez it's Been a while .. unfortunately I have neglected my plants and the forum lately ... A 3 week holiday to Europe and associated planning and unpacking and music festival season has put me all out of whack ... Plants look terrible in need of new digs ... Will get on to that asap ... I need them to be able to survive 12 days of midsummer heat in Jan while I am away again ... Some photos once I have progress I promise ...

 

[stickman]

Hi Trippa! Glad to hear you got your pH/nute issues straightened around and I'm looking forward to seeing pics. Great tip on washing out the coir growing medium... If I ever use the stuff in future, I'll check for efflorescence and rinse it out before adding it to any potted plants.
 
If you're away for long periods in the summer, maybe it's time to look into a low pressure drip irrigation setup on a hose timer... I've been running one for the last couple of seasons and it makes a huge difference.

 

[PaulG]

Hey Tristen.  When I talked to the grow shop attendant a while back about
using cocoa coir, he said it was absolutely necessary to rinse the salt out of it,
especially if you are using the bricks.  The processed, mixed stuff is generally safe.
 
Hope that those rinsed coir plants take off for ya!  Welcome home!

 

[Devv]

Sounds like you had a nice holiday!
 
Glad your plants hung in there while you traveled, one just has to get away!

 

[gasificada]

I should also say another reason I tthought the mutant plants came about may have been excess salt from the coconut coir bricks I used ... So for my second lot of soil I soaked the coir for 2-3 weeks and then rinsed it 3 times ... Squeezed it out and rinsed it again ..before adding it again ... Will see if it makes any difference

 
Bro! What coco are you using? Not the Brunnings (or similar) shite?? Do yourself and your plants a favour, ditch the brick, head out to Ormeau and get some REAL coco....
 
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CANNA-COCO-50-LITRES-BAG-RHP-CERTIFIED-CALMAG-BUFFERED-PLUS-TRICHODERMA-HOLLAND-/111414141032
 
$25 clams for 50L (what old mate charges in-store too), you seriously can't go wrong! The difference in quality compared to the cheap brick stuff will blow you away. It's ready to go straight outta the bag too, so no stuffing around expanding it and washing it and all that, and used as a potting mix base/improver/whatever, the stuff is out of this world. Heck, I would even pay the $50+ or whatever it usually goes for if I had to. It's that good.
 
How you been anyway, man?? Stop being a bum and deliver those shots! (Yeah, like I, of all people, can talk! hahaha )

 

[Trippa]

Well my wife just took away the last weekend before Christmas I had spare to do anything ... So now I am booked solid on all my days off up until Christmas to do anything with my plants ... Not that Santa has left me any spare cash this year ... Inconsiderate prick

Hi Trippa! Glad to hear you got your pH/nute issues straightened around and I'm looking forward to seeing pics. Great tip on washing out the coir growing medium... If I ever use the stuff in future, I'll check for efflorescence and rinse it out before adding it to any potted plants.
 
If you're away for long periods in the summer, maybe it's time to look into a low pressure drip irrigation setup on a hose timer... I've been running one for the last couple of seasons and it makes a huge difference.

Cheers Rick!

The plants are still slow due to being rootbound in small pots and unfortunately ultimately comes down to me having no time recently. The problems with the plants are definitely pH related ... Calcium lockout is a prime suspect. It's only effected some chinense plants but they look mutated like I have never seen a plant. I will be looking at Gas's recommendations seriously before I pot up ...
In saying that they have (with plain water flushing) bounced back but are still suffering from the initial setbacks

Hey Tristen.  When I talked to the grow shop attendant a while back about
using cocoa coir, he said it was absolutely necessary to rinse the salt out of it,
especially if you are using the bricks.  The processed, mixed stuff is generally safe.
 
Hope that those rinsed coir plants take off for ya!  Welcome home!

Cheers Paul ... And thank you. Yeah I thought I rinsed them pretty well the first time but it just shows that I think it is worth spending the extra coin on pre-buffered expanded coir to be safe ... It's all a learning I guess ... Last two years seem to have been that and only that sadly

Sounds like you had a nice holiday!
 
Glad your plants hung in there while you traveled, one just has to get away!

Cheers Devv!! Yeah was a great holiday ... Made me unsettled though ... Have itchy travel fingers now yeah plants were fine ... Have progressed less since I returned .. go figure

 
Bro! What coco are you using? Not the Brunnings (or similar) shite?? Do yourself and your plants a favour, ditch the brick, head out to Ormeau and get some REAL coco....
 
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CANNA-COCO-50-LITRES-BAG-RHP-CERTIFIED-CALMAG-BUFFERED-PLUS-TRICHODERMA-HOLLAND-/111414141032
 
$25 clams for 50L (what old mate charges in-store too), you seriously can't go wrong! The difference in quality compared to the cheap brick stuff will blow you away. It's ready to go straight outta the bag too, so no stuffing around expanding it and washing it and all that, and used as a potting mix base/improver/whatever, the stuff is out of this world. Heck, I would even pay the $50+ or whatever it usually goes for if I had to. It's that good.
 
How you been anyway, man?? Stop being a bum and deliver those shots! (Yeah, like I, of all people, can talk! hahaha )

I hear you gas! Yeah that is now in my Christmas wishlist for sure ... Much easier like you said ... Especially for me expanding and rinsing it in the bath in a bucket

I am all good bro ... Just fighting along wanting to make my plants produce something... So far it's a losing battle
By the way Paul ... Thank you for the amazing gift of Christmas cheer in the mail ... Will sort out my food for quite some time. You sir are a star!

 

[PaulG]

The pleasure is all mine, Tristen  
 
Thanks for the great seeds that led to those powders  

 

[Trippa]

The pleasure is all mine, Tristen  
 
Thanks for the great seeds that led to those powders  

Keep some space in your germination area free Paul ...