Trent's 2014 Grow Log - COLD COLD COLD

TrentL · Jul 23, 2014

Decided tonight that I hate life. Had a rough day today, started drinking at 3:30 when I got off work.

20 minutes ago I decided to get those peppers out that Devv sent me, for round 2 with the Salsa. (Picked some donor material up on a beer run)

Used two of the big red bastards that were unlabeled in his SFRB.

It was about here that I realized "boy I sure do hate Texas right now"

DAMN those were hot.

That was a full face burn - all parts of the mouth involved - throat burn - belly burn after a half a bowl of that. Which was about 1 pepper worth of material (since I used two of them).

Those are VICIOUS bastards. Completely unforgiving. Once you eat them there is no "undo button".

And my boy drank all the milk. I sent him on a milk run. (I'm too far gone on Black Crown to drive at this point lol)

The nice thing is the burn subsides after about 10 minutes and everything just kind of tingles for a while. Not as much staying power on those than some I've eaten (thankfully! I'm still not "up to form" on tolerance this summer lol)

HillBilly Jeff · Jul 23, 2014

I've patched them up with pipe tape before and that held really well for the plant. Kept it on through the entire growing season. Had a storm split apart the top of an arborvitae and I didn't want to top it, so duct tape to the rescue and its been several years and still growing strong.

Good luck with your repair and I hope it holds.

TrentL · Jul 23, 2014

Thanks Jeff! I'm hoping it does. Despite all the plants I have in the dirt and in pots, I've only got that one Butch T growing this year. Losing half (or more) of it would suck!!!

Mouth still burning from those peppers Devv sent. Mine are still a week or three away from ripening... that SFRB he sent was a godsend to get my tolerance built up a little.

Also; the first thing I looked for was pipe dope (tape), but couldn't find any in the garage. So subbed in the piece of plastic baggie and tied it on tight.

TrentL · Jul 25, 2014

Just an update (in case I go digging for "what happened after X last year", next year)

Butch T repair is holding perfectly.

Getting signs of nitrogen deficiency in a lot of plants, hit them once with fertilizer, no change after 6 days.. hit them again last night. The ones nearest the cucumber plants are worst affected. Even though they're 4' away I think the cucumber roots have encroached on them and are stealing nitrogen. (Cucumber plants got HUUUUGE this year).

Staked up a bunch of pepper plants that started leaning a little. Figured a stitch in time saves a busted frigging stalk later.

Two loaded cayenne plants fell over and started intermingling with the beans. Picked up an infection off of the beans, too. Don't know if it's fungus or bacteria but it hit > 50% of the leaves on them with bad spots. Pruned the hell out of them last night after staking them back up. Confirms that whatever was growing in the beans is contagious by contact, AND also affects peppers.

Going to rip the bean rows out this weekend after a final harvest, so whatever is growing under that canopy can air out and die, and not spread.

Peppers have formed a canopy now so any infection they get will spread like wildfire across the entire garden. Have to watch it closely.

end of update....

TrentL · Jul 27, 2014

Damnit. Storm blew over the pot with that big Bhut overwinter.

Looks like the roots were damaged when it fell, stalk is intact, but it's loose below the soil line and it's wilting bad now.

randyp · Jul 27, 2014

Damn Trent,you have had some crappy luck this year.With all the things you have had to do,you will be a go too guy when we all have situations come up.Hang in there.By the way that salsa looked hot as hell.

TrentL · Jul 27, 2014

It looks like it's doing better this morning. I staked it yesterday about 4 PM, after finding it severely wilted. Perked up again overnight. Of course.. if it's as hot again today as it was yesterday, it won't look this way for long...

Some color showing up finally!

This yellow bhut overwinter is NOT producing yellow pods this year. Which is odd. Because last year they were bright yellow....

Moruga scorpion overwinter getting color now. (These are FRIGGING HOT.)

The Naga Morich overwinter is getting some color too.

Some of the new plants are getting color as well.

7-pot original (seeds from Judy)

Giant orange habanero (plant from jcw10tc)

Bhut Jolokia (seeds from Judy) - these are WAY more bumpy than other Bhut's I've grown.

Monster Naga (seeds from Judy)

Unfortunately it has blossom end rot... grr.

So does my Chili De Abrol

What's the cure for blossom end rot?

Was it calcium or magnesium or... ???

randyp said:
Damn Trent,you have had some crappy luck this year.With all the things you have had to do,you will be a go too guy when we all have situations come up.Hang in there.By the way that salsa looked hot as hell.

Yeah a whole new problem cropped up today as pods start to ripen. Blossom end rot.

That salsa was damn near inedible. I made it through half. Severe butt-burn the next morning, and gas pains for two days after...

Didn't go back for seconds. Was too much. Still in the fridge, need to clean it out...

dlsolo · Jul 27, 2014

I think calcium is you're cure.

randyp · Jul 27, 2014

Like you I am getting a pod here and there turning.I found a couple pods that had dropped with little holes in them and the seeds looked black.Could not find a bug in them.I will watch these 2 plants to make sure it dont become a bigger problem.I think that Monster Naga is trying to save you from intense pain.

TrentL · Jul 27, 2014

dlsolo said:
I think calcium is you're cure.

Thanks dlsolo. I'm hoping it's not something else (besides nutes), but it may be. The monster naga that got the rot was in a pot, with fresh potting soil that has slow release fertilizer. The chili de abrol was in the dirt grow. Could be another symptom of the various types of fungus/bacteria I'm dealing with out there. (Although, neither of those plants show ANY signs of fungus, bacteria, or viral infection; and one is an annuum, one a chinense)

I can't see both the potted plants and the dirt grow suffering from the same malady, but .. you never know.

I've seen BER in past grows but only on the earliest pods. Hopefully this is the same and that'll be that.

Won't hurt to give it a shot, anyway.

I may need to stake the damn pots, themselves, down. This was another one I found knocked over this morning. 40+ mph winds in the storm yesterday evening

Bhut overwinter getting some color on.

Butch T repair holding

My gardening buddy.

All of the rain is making my Early Jalapenos grow frigging enormous.

Random mold growing. Bad year for lots of organic nasties to take hold...

THE SWEET CAYENNE *DO* CHANGE COLOR!!!!!!!

(I've been waiting.. and waiting.. and waiting... plants fell over.. staked them, waiting... bacterial infection hit bad.. pruned them... waiting.. waiting.. NOW there's color.)

These are all about a foot long, BTW:

Caught this pic as I was headed indoors. Wife's 'butterfly bush'

randyp said:
Like you I am getting a pod here and there turning.I found a couple pods that had dropped with little holes in them and the seeds looked black.Could not find a bug in them.I will watch these 2 plants to make sure it dont become a bigger problem.I think that Monster Naga is trying to save you from intense pain.

Corn borers, or something similar. I've been pulling some green pods off that have holes in them, and a half ripe naga morich that'd been bored in to as well.

Another thing to watch for in our area - if you find a BRANCH that suddenly wilts for no good reason, cut that sucker off and cut it open, look for the green worm burrowing up through the branch. If you catch them before they get to the main stalk you can save the plant....

http://plantdiagnostics.umd.edu/level3.cfm?causeID=427

TrentL · Jul 27, 2014

I'm discarding the "blossom end rot" as a possible diagnosis. It's happening on dirt AND potting soil plants, and it's not hitting the ends; it's forming along the pod walls.

This looks like a closer culprit, especially considering the variety of fungal issues I've seen in our (extremely) wet weather: Anthracnose Fruit Rot (Ripe Fruit Rot)

I had the same issue last year, especially on cayenne; but also had internal fungus on fresh-picked pods mid and late season (bhut jolokia, 7-pots, and jalapenos, all appeared normal on the outside but had fungus inside when I cut them open).

randyp said:
Like you I am getting a pod here and there turning.I found a couple pods that had dropped with little holes in them and the seeds looked black.Could not find a bug in them.I will watch these 2 plants to make sure it dont become a bigger problem.I think that Monster Naga is trying to save you from intense pain.

Randy;

Corn borer damage. (Could have also been tomato worm, etc)

Whenever I find this crap I check the stalks of that plant to make sure none are "hollow feeling".

Took this on the way back in. Wife's butterfly bush is doing it's job. Somehow I missed adding this pic earlier because I typed the same damn thing above, but there's no pic.

TrentL · Jul 27, 2014

SONOFABITCH.

Damn wind kicked up again. I thought putting that on a flat hard surface would keep it from tipping over... nooooooo.

Took a beating this time for sure, broke a branch off that had > 20 pods on it...

So Doctor Trent to the rescue again.

Secure the branch with a couple loops;

Get a strip of donor plastic from a grocery bag and wrap it a couple times (Menards bag, this time):

Finish the cast:

Next problem....

that image I posted earlier of the holes that I suspected was from a corn borer... CONFIRMED

I found another 10 pods today on that same plant that were eaten. Noticed the holes kept getting BIGGER ... nothing in the pods at all when I broke them open except for a couple of opportunistic spiders making homes in the empty hulls. Seeds were black and withered.

I looked ALL OVER the plant, didn't find anything.

Figure whatever it was .. Must be nocturnal... and living in the soil during the day...
So I got an idea.

Flood the pot.

Sure as hell pretty soon this big ugly sonofabitch floats to the surface and starts squirming around.

I plucked him out, tossed him on the ground, got a good pic.

Ugly sonofabitch went under my foot, and I got a satisfactory "POP" as he exploded.

He took out a total of 12 pods on that one plant before I caught him.

randyp · Jul 27, 2014

Trent last year I grew in containers and once they got tall even with water they could tip.I took bricks(don't have to be cinder block) and put around the base of the pots.

TrentL · Jul 27, 2014

As a temporary solution I packed the pots close together for today. Wind is kicking ass and taking names out there.

I'll spread them back out some tomorrow. Have limited choices on where I can put them and keep enough sun on them, and all of those choices are in the lawn. So I need to move the pots occasionally to mow under / around them.

With 30x 5 gal cloth pots, and 17 big plastic pots, that's already a chore. Don't have enough bricks to circle all of them.

I was thinking tent pegs and rope, and anchoring 5 or so plants with each "set."
Would still be quick(ish) to pull up to mow, and wouldn't break my back in the process.

gnslngr · Jul 27, 2014

That big yellow Hab, back aways....that a "Big Sun"?

As to the work angle and those pods........for about 10 minutes , the word suck probably didn't cross your mind....well, except in visions of MILK!

That pooch is quite a beautiful sight , I downsized from Akitas and a Neo.Mastiff... to a Jack Russell named Uno. We joke her indian name is "Ten Dogs"(When she's pointed her ire at something its more like 20 sometimes...) she will charge an oncoming train if I'd let her , but at 21# in soaking wet harness, easy enough to hold back.. With your dog , looks like you'd go along for the ride in that case!

As to those very worms.....killed several so far.

Have a good one-
DJ

dlsolo · Jul 27, 2014

I withdraw my previous conclusion. Well, if it was blossom rot, calcium is the appropriate fix.

Have you seen these from garden pot supports? http://www.amleo.com/better-bilt-top-hat-plant-container-stabilizer/p/VP-3PS/

Not sure if I would buy one, but it's gotta be pretty easy to build a few.

TrentL · Jul 27, 2014

Tried one of these on for size tonight.

I knew NOTHING about Mako Akokasrade when I started growing them. Later found out "They're from Ghana", and "They're supposed to be pretty hot."

It's the innocuous little yellow thing above the Jalapenos. (Which are getting pretty good sized this year!!!)

I cut it open and the familiar aroma of Ultrahots filled the room. Very fruity, very trinidad scorpion--ish

Upon taking my first bite....

I realized the seeds are harder than granite as I almost broke a tooth on the damn thing chewing it.

BRUTAL hot.

I went back and knocked the seeds out of the second one (they came out with the placenta as one piece).

Tossed the second in my mouth... hmm. Just kind of a Habanero level heat.

Put the placenta and seeds on my tongue for about 30 seconds and nibbled on it, trying to avoid breaking a tooth on the seeds.

WHOA.

My saliva gave me gut burn. These buggers are flipping HOT. Easily up there with a Bhut Jolokia or Trinidad (but only a non-hybrid variety; nowhere near a butch T or Naga Viper level of heat). Did not fade very fast either - took about 10 minutes to finally settle down to a strong Jalapeno level heat. I'd put it right at a Bhut. But a totally different texture and taste. Unique, can't really describe it, other than to say "it doesn't taste like any pepper I've eaten before."

REALLY nice flavor (once I could taste anything again), but left a bitter aftertaste that's lingering about 20 minutes afterwards. Remniscent of an espresso bitterness.

gnslngr said:
That big yellow Hab, back aways....that a "Big Sun"?

As to the work angle and those pods........for about 10 minutes , the word suck probably didn't cross your mind....well, except in visions of MILK!

That pooch is quite a beautiful sight , I downsized from Akitas and a Neo.Mastiff... to a Jack Russell named Uno. We joke her indian name is "Ten Dogs"(When she's pointed her ire at something its more like 20 sometimes...) she will charge an oncoming train if I'd let her , but at 21# in soaking wet harness, easy enough to hold back.. With your dog , looks like you'd go along for the ride in that case!

As to those very worms.....killed several so far.

Have a good one-
DJ

The big yellow hab was from seeds I bought that were marketed as a "Golden Habanero" by Pepper Joe in 2013. I had mixed results with that seed order; a lot of my trinidads, 7-pots, and habaneros I got from there didn't run true. This year I bought all my seeds from Judy and everything is growing true so far.

I overwintered one of the Golden Habs that I potted last year, it's a pretty robust plant. (17 of 25 different overwinters survived)

It's producing real good this year but the plant has some sort of bacterial infection that's fully systemic; pruning doesn't help. It's isolated from the garden right now; won't be overwintering it again. But I'll probably harvest some seeds and grow in pots next year (not dirt, just in case the seeds are harboring the infection it's got).

Marley, the pooch, just attacked the neighbors car outside as it was driving down the road.

Well, I say "attacked" ... but he ran it down and when they stopped.. he started humping it.

....
...

Might owe them some money since he scratched the paint....

...

Need to find a wolfhound bitch.

Keep an eye on your plants if you have worms that look like that one. They *will* get in to the stalks and kill plants. If you see a branch suddenly wilt, but there's no signs of a break, squeeze the stem. If it mushes, squeeze down until it firms up again, and CUT it off. Then split it and find the worm burrowing through... if it gets to the main stem, that plant is TOAST.

Those corn borers are evil bastards. Have no mercy on them.

dlsolo said:
I withdraw my previous conclusion. Well, if it was blossom rot, calcium is the appropriate fix.

Have you seen these from garden pot supports? http://www.amleo.com/better-bilt-top-hat-plant-container-stabilizer/p/VP-3PS/

Not sure if I would buy one, but it's gotta be pretty easy to build a few.

Well on the dirt plants I'm not totally ruling out blossom end rot... but none of my tomatoes right next to that row have got it (they're usually my early warning indicators).

I did fight it last year a little, early on, but I fought fungus that started INSIDE the pods, much, much worse. I think that fungus is back again.

Which means that fungus is living in my damn soil, or (more likely) in the woods around here and the spores are blowing in. Not a whole hell of a lot I can do about it.

Living in the woods, I've learned to accept my fair share of big spiders, annoying wildlife (racoons, possums, coyote, moles), cool wildlife (snakes, fox), tasty wildlife (deer, turkey)... and random odd fungus.

Like the dog penis fungus that started "popping up" in my mulch this year....

Spicegeist · Jul 27, 2014

Lot's of action going on here. Really weird about your yellow bhut putting out red pods this year?

TrentL · Jul 28, 2014

Spicegeist said:
Lot's of action going on here. Really weird about your yellow bhut putting out red pods this year?

Well, to be honest it doesn't surprise me. It's got to be an unstable hybrid (got seeds from pepperjoe winter 2012)

Last year the plants (had five or six of them) kicked out mixed pods. (Refer to baggie labeled "yellow ghost")

Apparently this year the overwinter I kept alive, is kicking out red only.

HillBilly Jeff · Jul 28, 2014

Dog penis fungus.....I actually laughed on that one!!! Never seen it before.