Tony's grow log 09/10

Well we will start at the start this year.

I have built a grow box and i cant wait to use it. Im going to get some seed trays tomorrow and will have seeds in by tomorrow night.

I ran the box with lights and fan and got 29 deg air temp in the center of the enclosure.

here is the box closed up

Now as you can see in the above pic...... the room is well lit. As you can see from the exposure of the pic below.... its bright in there. It mad my garage look dark.

the lights in the roof

And the fan thats pointing at an angle across the enclosure. Its perfect actually. It spreads air evenly but doesnt make a line of wind that i was worried it might. It just moves the air evenly around and will work a treat.

Will take pics tomorrow with the seed trays in place.

cheers

 

[AlabamaJack]

looking great Tony...

You probably know what I am going to say already but I am going to say it for the benefit of others that read this thread...I highly recommend staggering your seed planting...plant chinense first then annuums a month later...

do you have anywhere you can put the seedlings after they get about 2-3 inches tall?...I plant in January and the plants don't get moved outside until the end of March/first of April...

if you have the space and time, I would recommend something like this...I use this area to put the seedlings in after their first transplant...(click on pic for larger view)

 

[SeeYouJimmy]

I'm looking forward to seeing next year's grow log Tony, you had some nice looking plants going in your last one. The proof is in the pudding.

 

[tony05]

Hi AJ.

Mate its been the hottest winter on record ........ ever........ here and temps are around the mid 20's already. Its gunna be a hot summer! We usually use 2.5 tones of fire wood in a winter but only used about 1.8 this year.

The plants are in the box only for germination. They will be in there for a few weeks then dumped out in the real world.

The plants i over wintered had lost their leaves but still had ripe chillis on the branches. We have about 8 months of good weather here.


Now............. I had a good day today. I got a few of my overwintered plants re potted and a heap of seeds in the box.

Its late and im stuffed so pics tomorrow.

SYJ......... I plan to have a lot more nice plants this year too

cheers

 

[AlabamaJack]

good deal Tony...grow some monsters this year that produce tons...

 

[tony05]

OK...... first up is a little crappy looking plant thats only just alive i found in the corner of my pool yard. Its my fatali smackdown plant. I cant believe its alive. I havnt looked at it let alone watered it.

Now for my over winteres plants. The 7 Pot i got from Trinnihottie

and the Devil Tongue on the left.... Bhut Jalokia on the right.

The leaves have all come off, they are root bound to hell and back, but alive and well.

 

[tony05]

I cut the plants back fairly harshly leaving a few buds on each branch to re shoot. I treat them like rose bushes..... not that i have roses but when i did they always went better when cut back with a heavy hand. I removed any smaller weaker branched al together as i only want shoots from strong, older branches.

I then removed the mass of root bound poting mix, and most of the roots as well. I basicly has a 25 liter root ball. They got there roots soaked in some water while i played with soil in the pots to keep them moist and healthy.

I used a top notch soil mix from a local garden center. I was paying $20 a bag for good potting mix and got a box trailer load of this for $60. I mixed in some peat moss, fire ash, blood and bone and water retainers like i did last year and in they went. I think they will be very very happy in there. I still need to mulch the tops for moisture retention and cooler roots as its gunna be a hot dry summer here.

Now the grow box. I got my seeds in last night and have a pack on its way with a few vaieties of thai chillis and some others.

each tray has 8 seeds of each variety. I will keep the strongest of the bunch and there will be plenty of giveaways

THe list:

Douglah
Choc Hab F1 from Scolville
Cappy's 7 Pot
Hot Cherrys from Trinni Hottie
Trinidad Scorpions from Trinnie Hottie
Faria from Scolville
White Habs
Bhi Jalokia
Rocotto (yellow)
Hot Lemon
Fatali from HSC
Netmex Big Jims
A X Polinated strain of Jals and Thai heart shapped chillis

Tomatoes:

Ox Hearts
Yellow Subarine
Toms YEllow Wonder
Roma
Purple Cherokee

Ooooooo im excited.

The box is keeping them at around 30 deg. I have had to lower them down and open the doors a bit to let some heat out. It was getting up around 40 in there.

cheers

 

[Nova]

Hey Tony looking at the way you "manicured" your plants for overwintering has got me worried. Not about your plants, about mine because if thats how your supposed to chop em back i am pretty sure i stuffed it up with my Dorset! Oh well it's throwing new shoots so it might work..

 

[tony05]

Why mate..... how did you cut yours back?

I dont know if i do it right...... its just worked for me in the past with a massive plant resulting.

Im guessing you were a tad harsher

 

[moyboy]

I saw his plants today and his aren't that bad......pretty harsh but not that bad!!!

 

[tony05]

Well the glad warp is off

10 of the 20 tomatoe seeds are either up or hoops on their way out.

And............ i have one chilli hoop.

The winner is.................




The Chocolate Hab F1 from Scolvile.

I keep doing dances and chanting over the Dougelah seeds....... They must sprout......... THEY MUST!


Edit: pics later.

 

[tony05]

Checked this morning

13 tomatoes with one that had the seed stuck on the leaves...... it didnt survive surgery.

And i also have another 2 chillis up..... a Hot Lemon and a Faria (tobago scotch Bonnet) from Scolvile.

Very happy with the Faria.

cheers

 

[moyboy]

That's so exciting.....I'll have to come over and have a look.

Did you get the horse poop I left at your front door yesterday arvo????

 

[tony05]

yep thats me when i go check the seed trays Only a few pounds lighter

Yes thatks for the bags. I got home and the Kids came running out going........ Dad Dad...... there are bags at the door and there full of POOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[moyboy]

yep thats me when i go check the seed trays Only a few pounds lighter

Yes thatks for the bags. I got home and the Kids came running out going........ Dad Dad...... there are bags at the door and there full of POOOOOOOOOOOO

I think they are a bit fresh so you might need to get it out of the bags to dry out for a week or so.....I haven't opened my bags to see. It just felt that way when holding the bags.

 

[tony05]

Here are the tomatoe plants i put in. Most have shot. I lost one to stuck sead head surgery.

one seed tray....... its mainly loaded with super hots. I have 2 Farai's, one chocolate hab F1 and one of the Hot Cherrys i got from Trinihottie a year or 2 ago has sprouted as well.

And the other tray has one hot lemon poking its head out.

cheers

 

[Noshownate]

does soaking the roots in water clean them and prepare them for growing. i have never done this process yet but will be soon trying to learn as much as i can. looks real good going to be doing the mulch too as well.

 

[Noshownate]

only bags of poo i evr got where on fire

 

[AlabamaJack]

Tony...is there a reason for overwintering plants will all the limbs and pods left on them?...reason I ask is that I have only overwintered one plant and that was an Orange Hab (last years big producer)...I cut it back at the first of winter and put it inside my grow box...I suppose I actually grew it thru winter instead of the "normal" overwinter process...

I don't have enough room for the plants I want to keep for next year if I don't cut back and was wondering if I cut them back, trim the roots and transplant them to smaller containers (maybe 1 gallon) do you think this would work as opposed to waiting until spring to cut back?

 

[moyboy]

I would think it should be ok AJ.....As we know, the plant basically goes dormant over winter and won't die as long as it gets basic water and doesn't suffer to many sub zero temps.

The reason Tony and I don't trim back our plants over winter is due to the fact that we still get limited ripe pods off the plants for most of winter, as it never really gets cold enough to really hurt the plant.

The one negative about trimming at the beginning of winter and putting in a smaller pots will be, the plant will be more vulnerable to the colder weather outside. You may need to shelter the plants a bit more as the roots will need to stay warm. Having a large established root base helps the plant handle the harsher winter months. My plants stay outside all winter and survive really well. I only had one plant die and that was due to lack of water.

Just my 20 cents worth....

 

[tony05]

Hi AJ.

My reasons for cutting back in early spring is mainly laziness .

I have a 7 Pot that i cut back at the end of autumn and its got some good groath happening. Its still root bound and will probably get ditched but its going great guns.

Im only really taking a guess at whats best. 6 and one half dozen of the other to me.

They will grow and produce far more fruit than i can handle so im happy.

cheers