Trent's 2014 Grow Log - COLD COLD COLD

Figure I'll keep track 2014 on here. At least then all my data will be in one place instead of scattered around on slips of paper.
 
First; PSA.
 
I'll *never* use the Jiffy starting pods / soil again.
 
I lost 95% of the plants in these two trays:
 

 
The roots wouldn't form. They couldn't get any nutrients out of the soil, whatsoever, and tried to suck what they could from the layers of paper. 
 
Burpee trays with compressed peat were planted 3 weeks later and within 3 weeks were quadruple in size.
 
Finished transplanting all sprouts on Saturday (4-5-2014).
 

 

 
I might lose a couple transplants but here's the current count (all in 3" paper cups)
 
7 pod Barrackpore - qty 6
7 pod Brain Strain, Yellow - qty 5 
7 pod Brain Strain, Red - qty 11
7 pod Chaguanas - qty 7
7-pod Jonah - qty 4
7-pod Long - qty 11
7-pod Original Red - qty 7
7-pod Primo - Qty 3
 
Bhut Jolokia (brown) - Qty 2
Bhut Jolokia (indian carbon) - qty 6
Bhut Jolokia (red) - qty 9
Bhut Jolokia (yellow) - qty 7
Bhut Jolokia (white) - qty 6
 
Brown Moruga - qty 6
 
Carolina reaper - qty 23
 
Cayenne (Sweet) - qty 3
Cayenne (large) - qty 6
Chili de Abrol - qty 10
 
True Cumari - qty 1
 
Datil - qty 3
 
Dedo De Moca - qty 3
 
Dorset Naga - qty 3
 
Fatali, Yellow - qty 4
 
Giant mexican Rocoto - qty 4
 
Goats weed - qty 3
 
Habanero (big sun) - qty 8
Habanero (chocolate) - all died / no sprouts
Habanero (orange) - qty 4
 
Jalapeno (black) - qty 8 
Jalapeno (early) - qty 14
Jalapeno (giant) - qty 15
 
Mako Akokosrade - qty 3
 
Naga Morich (orig) - qty 6
Naga Morich (monster naga) - qty 3
Naga morich (bombay morich) - qty 6
 
Pimenta de Neyde - qty 3
 
Tobago (seasoning) - all died
 
Tobago Scotch Bonnet (red) - qty 3
Tobago Scotch Bonnet (yellow) - qty 5
 
Trinidad Scorpion (butch T) - qty 8
Trinidad Scorpion (Cardi) - qty 4
Trinidad scorpion (douglah) - qty 3
Trinidad scorpion Moruga - qty 7
Trinidad scorpion (orig) - qty 3
Trinidad scorpion (PI 281317) - qty 3
Trinidad Scorpion (smooth) - qty 1
Trinidad Scorpion (yellow) - qty 4
 
PI 281429 - qty 1
 
surviving overwinters in large pots:
 
7-Pod (orig) - qty 1
Bhut Jolokia (red) - qty 2
Bhut Jolokia (giant) - qty 1
Yellow Bhut jolokia - qty 2
Carolina Reaper - qty 4
Cayenne - qty 1
habanero (golden) - qty 3
habanero (tazmanian) - qty 3
Naga morich - qty 1
naga Viper - qty 2
Trinidad Scorpion - qty 1
Butch-T Trinidad - qty 2
Trinidad scorpion moruga - qty 3
Yatsufusa - qty 1
Scotch Bonnet (red) - qty 1 (sole 2012 survivor)
 
Total 3" pot transplants: 264
Total overwinters surviving: 28
 
 

 

[sicman]

 
There's a story behind that. I went fishing one day, got drunk, and bought a camper.
 
Wife was not entirely happy with me that day.
 
(We haven't used it yet.... because... I don't have a vehicle strong enough to tow it...)
 
Maybe this year I'll get a 3/4 ton. But it'll probably just sit there another year until I can ante up for a decent truck.

enough said
thats my kind of story. everything looks great.

 

[Devv]

+1 on 141!
 
My "sand" is like a rock unless I hit it with some water. If I want to make a post hole I chip away enough to let some water sit, then once I get going and keep it wet it's easy going. You mentioned stress from work, years ago when I let the job bother me; we had a nice rain and I would shovel dirt into a wheelbarrow for 3 hours every day and longer on weekends to adjust the grades here for drainage. Literally wore out a shovel, but it was good therapy. I've since bought a tractor with a bucket
 
I have a Troybilt tiller, my second. The first I bought in 1987 and used until 2 years ago; the Briggs engine was worn out, despite regular oil changes (go figure). I gave it to my son who replaced the engine and it's still going. The new one has a 6hp Honda engine, it should last a lot longer than a cheap Briggs. If I'm still a tilling at 75, and it's still running, I'll be a happy camper. That's my plan

 

[TrentL]

Beans are in. My chives are in the way... but they're 3 years old and not moving anywhere.
 

 

 
Soooooo much more to go. My back aches just looking at that. Tilled up quite a bit of sod this time around, lots of raking left to do...
 

 
The stakes / white rope thing is to keep the goofy-ass wolfhound out of the spots with plants. His ginormous paws and barge-rope thick tail have been responsible for many plant casualties the last two years....
Damn glad I got stuff in the ground today... tomorrow's forecast sucks. Thunderstorms tonight... and tomorrow. I'm just hoping I dug those trenches deep enough. 
 
Tonight:A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. East wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
 
Tomorrow: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Breezy, with a southeast wind 18 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
 
I tend to do goofy things in the early storms each year. Like stand out in the garden in a lightning storm with a 5' long metal shovel frantically digging drainage ditches.
 
Or holding funny goofy umbrellas.
 

 
 
Today's goofy dog picture;
 

 
My kid's warped sense of humor.
 

 
How we get down with peppers at my house.
 

 
What happens when I drink Saki and try on my daughter's pink shirt.
 

 

[TrentL]

OK SERIOUSLY WHO THE HELL ORDERED *6* DAYS OF RAIN??????
 
I need a load of lumber... got an Ark to build....

 

[TrentL]

Patience pays off. I let the plants dry to wilting, re-watered last night, and this morning the yellowing is gone.
 

 
Need to spread them out more.
 

 
Tomatoes growing strong..
 

 
This 7-pot is getting enormous leaves.
 

 
This tobago scotch yellow was .. well, yellow last week. Now it's a deep green. TOO green.
 

 
True Cumari being de-pested.
 

 
Black Jalapeno showing so much upper node growth, the leaves don't have room to come in properly.
 

 
Giant mexican rocoto... still not used to seeing "hairy" plants.
 

 
7-pot chaguanas. Also tons of upper node growth, not enough room for the leaves.
 

 
Triple-forked cayenne plant budding up. Pick them off.. grows more.
 

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Nice healthy looking plants. Have been picking as well.

 

[cypresshill1973]

You may have seen him appear on an episode of Pawn Stars?? 
 
If it was not you, was someone my like. Yesterday I saw it on History Channel

 

[TrentL]

Finished a couple of AR builds yesterday when it was raining.
 

 

[Jeff H]

Nice ARs. I'm just sitting here at the office thinking about starting a Rem 700 build for an intro into F-class. From the research I have done so far, my Whiteoak service rifle will be cheap by comparison.

AR builds are fun though. I've assembles a couple of lowers, but I've always ended up buying complete uppers.

 

[TrentL]

The killer on f-class is the damn optics. My nightforce scope set me back quite a lot.
 

 

 
Savage 110 in 300wm w/ Choate stock, Krieger barrel, custom trigger, sinclair bipod, Nightforce scope.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Love the glog Trent. Firearms are a little terrifying for me but the peppers balance it out. I'm city folk and such.

Your techniques look very solid. Glad you got some beneficials helping you out with the aphids. You got some very interesting varieties going and it looks like the makings of some very tasty powders and sauces.

Whenabouts are you looking to plant out? Also what is your favorite super form years past?

 

[Jeff H]

I'm well aware of the price of Nightforce optics. Don't think I will go there with this build though. Our range only goes out to 600 yards, and since I want to do this in 308, it is kind of marginal at 1000 anyway. I hope I can find decent glass for 1K or so.
 
Savage 110 you say? Might be a more economical action than the Rem 700. I'm not seeing any for less than $500 or so for just the action.

 

[TrentL]

Love the glog Trent. Firearms are a little terrifying for me but the peppers balance it out. I'm city folk and such.

Your techniques look very solid. Glad you got some beneficials helping you out with the aphids. You got some very interesting varieties going and it looks like the makings of some very tasty powders and sauces.

Whenabouts are you looking to plant out? Also what is your favorite super form years past?

 
Why are firearms terrifying? Just another tool, no different than a shovel.
 
Managing ladybug populations indoors is somewhat of a chaotic, messy artform. I've got enough of them to stick around and control the aphid population, but it took a few tries before I finally figured out how to do it properly. I don't know where about 1,000 or so of them went this last time. Half expecting a swarm of ladybugs in my house at some point.
 
I've been planting out non-peppers for a couple of weeks. But the peppers will be going in the ground May23-25. It can't get here fast enough, either. Out of room in the grow room and over the next 3 weeks or so some of these plants are going to be enormous.
 
Tomatoes are next to go outside; putting them out this weekend, probably.
 
 

I'm well aware of the price of Nightforce optics. Don't think I will go there with this build though. Our range only goes out to 600 yards, and since I want to do this in 308, it is kind of marginal at 1000 anyway. I hope I can find decent glass for 1K or so.
 
Savage 110 you say? Might be a more economical action than the Rem 700. I'm not seeing any for less than $500 or so for just the action.

 
You can stay supersonic in 308 out to 1K with 175gr projectiles. It is still not easy, wind is a major factor since the velocity is fairly low by the time they get to 1K. But that's true at any distance, really, 308 is at a disadvantage against the various 6.5's and magnum length actions. Savage builds are a little cheaper to start with, but the Remington 700's have WAY more options for aftermarket parts/stocks/etc. 

 

[Devv]

Plants are looking stellar Trent!
 
And so are the weapons. That Savage is a real beauty!

 

[TrentL]

It's frigging wet outside. Wondering if my beans will actually sprout this year or just mold in the ground. Did this crap last year too after I planted them; 8 days of rain and almost all of the seeds got moldy in the ground.
 
Taught a concealed carry course tonight, watered plants... not much new news. The plants are all dark green and loving life. Guess they recovered from the over-fertilizing incident handily, they're growing fast!
 
Only problem was with the two trays of marigolds. They appear to be DYING in my grow room. Foilage all shriveled up. I forgot to water them one night and it apparently killed them. Whatever they were doing at the nursery ... I just don't have "the touch" to continue properly. All flowered and doing great when I bought them....
 
Oh well. I can always plant those from seed. Was just hoping to get a head start; never bought marigolds before, always dropped seeds in the dirt and let nature take over.  Not exactly sure how to take care of them indoors.

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

I'm cold and dry here hoping for some moisture to get the seeds I planted up.  Good luck on your weather.

 

[TrentL]

We've got more wet than my yard knows what to do with.
 
I put out some Ageratum (annual flowers) for my girls between work and karate tonight.
 
"Real men..." wait. Let me rephrase that and start over...
 
Real fathers plant flowers for their daughters when they get home from work, no matter how tired and stressed out they are... even if it's raining outside.. ugh.
 
No man card points lost planting a bunch of decorative flowers, in my eyes.
 
(Having daughters is a convenient excuse to do something I'd do anyway, though)

Oh, I dug up some of the garlic cloves I planted a few weeks ago. They should have popped by now.
 
All rotted.
 
Onions came up about 95% though, so all is not lost.
 
I'll try the garlic again, still time, sort of. It's better if you plant the garlic cloves in the fall. Get a heck of a cluster growing the next year, which you can split. One clove then becomes a 6 foot stretch of row the next spring..
 
Live and learn.

 

[TrentL]

About to go plant some marigolds and then work on the old 73 mustang.
 
Got my wife a present for our 11th anniversary. 
 
It's the "Steel" anniversary.
 

 

 

 
She's happy.

 

[Devv]

Now that's cool!
 
I bought the wife a LCR, walked her all through the gun show, It was the only one she liked, she shot it 8 times and was done

 

[Jeff H]

Nice purse Trent. I'd get something like that for my wife but she will have none of it. Best I can do is a bottle of mace, but she won't practice with it. If she actually needs it some day, she'll probably spray herself. <sigh>
 

Now that's cool!
 
I bought the wife a LCR, walked her all through the gun show, It was the only one she liked, she shot it 8 times and was done

 
That would be my story, IF I could actually get her to accept owning one. I managed to get her to the range once in 17 years. After a few shots, she was done. 9mm too powerful, 223 too loud, 38spl in a GP100 just fine, but the gun was too heavy.
 
An LCR in 22LR might be the way to go.
 
 
 
 
On the topic from the other forum, that is pretty cool about the IL carry law. At least you can drive through without having to disarm. Now Ohio needs to work with Georgia for the same rights.
 
I was very happy for you guys when it finally passed. You waited long enough.