Trent's 2014 Grow Log - COLD COLD COLD

TrentL · Aug 11, 2014

randyp said:
Trent things look great,wow.Are you going to pull every day or every other day.?

Oh probably just once a week on the weekends. I'd run myself ragged trying to pull every day or every other day. It took the better part of two hours to go around to all the potted plants and two rows of annuums yesterday. It'll take even longer once the dirt plants really start changing color.

I left a lot of "almost ripe" pods on the plant; I won't pull early except by accident. It doesn't seem to bother them at all, sitting on the plant another week.

PIC 1 said:
Nice grow you have there in Illini...........colorful harvests!
That 2-4-D damage is a pain..........I'm sure you're seeing some funky mis-shaped pods after the effect. It might be a nice experiment to save seeds from an early distorted pod....plant a seed or two next yr....(you do have the space)...and see if the pod grows true or has distorted genetics............surprising results may happen.

With time being a premium, I'll end up having to buy seed over again. No biggie, isolation is hard work when you have a densely packed garden... and seeds aren't THAT expensive.

jcw10tc said:
Hey, let me know how the Cappuchino Hab is, I don't think I am going to get any. Mine was in the north end of my plot and something was wrong with the soil up there or something. I did notice early in the year very wet, so maybe root rot or something, but about 6 - 8 plants up that end had severe curled leaves, and seemed stunted. Removed the plastic mulch way back in June and someone amazingly the plants are actually looking somewhat ok now and have grown fairly tall but just now setting some flowers, might get some late, but might not. Will try again with that one next year for sure, have some seeds left. The giant orange hab I have looks just the same. Not sure if it is supposed to look like that, kinda not your typical hab shape. Picked first one this weekend. Really wierd plant for me too. Most of mine are huge this year, many approaching 4ft tall, but that little guy is like 1 foot tall and bout 3 foot across but probably has about 5 pounds of pods on it. Hope its good to make some smoked habaero dust with. My chocolate habs, my favorite pepper before this year and the main reason I got back into starting from seed also isn't going to give me any chocolate habs. Going to get peppers but not sure what, have some huge scropion tails on some and they are pretty nasty looking. Going to be a superhot most likely and not a habanero. Good luck with your grow, I am worried. Already getting behind processing them, have drying running in the garage now with 4 trays loaded. This morning after all this rain looked around and have probably thousands of pods on. Did you get mustard hab from me, I hope that one is true, I have some pods on that plant seem like the size of a tennis ball, probalby smaller but biggest hab pods I have ever seen.

I have one or two of yours (not sure which ones) which are not producing, I'll need to check the tags and see. Same thing, small, stunted, curled leaves. These were in potting soil in well drained cloth pots with full sunlight (12+hr a day) so I'd assume a genetic issue, if it's the same strain as yours. No biggie, some of the others are loading up.

My dirt crop is a couple weeks behind the potted crop. This is due to me topping the dirt crop and letting the potted crop grow free and natural.

The dirt crop will end up with 5x+ the pods though. They forked like mad once they were topped. I've been having to stake them as they have got too top heavy.

Next time I'm out taking pics I'll do a "habanero report", I've been neglecting to take any pics of the dirt crop for awhile now (difficult as they are so entertwined)

Jeff H · Aug 11, 2014

Harvest pics look great Trent. Keep it up.

Remember your tomatoes that rotted in the stem? I had a Zucchini do that too. Don't know what caused it but I saw the wilted leaves and went to investigate and the whole plant had fallen over and the stem was rotten just like your toms. Pulled it and threw it away. Whatever the cause, I don't want it spreading.

TrentL · Aug 11, 2014

Yeah I had half of mine die from it this year all in one corner of the garden.

I'm almost suspecting that it was the damn dogs pissing over there that caused it. I ran out of rational explanations since it didn't match the fungus or bacterial patterns in the books.

HillBilly Jeff · Aug 12, 2014

Looking forward to the hab report

Devv · Aug 12, 2014

Very impressive poddage going on there Trent!

And it's just starting

Sorry about the crop dusters, perhaps the next time they fly you can turn on the sprinklers, if you're home that is...

Jeff H · Aug 12, 2014

Devv said:
Sorry about the crop dusters, perhaps the next time they fly you can turn on the sprinklers, if you're home that is...

I was thinking about this the other day when I saw one of those crop dusters flying around.

Don't they mostly spray for weeds in the spring and early summer? When the pepper plants are most vulnerable. What about installing low row covers over your most valuable plants during the times they are likely to spray? Wouldn't cost much and will help heat up the ground in the spring to boot.

TrentL · Aug 13, 2014

So Jr. had one of his friends over tonight. they were getting ready to leave.

Jr.: "Ooh dad, william likes hot peppers."

Me: "oooooh reeealy? Follow me."

we go outside and I say "So how hot of peppers do you like, William?"

"Oh as hot as you got."

Soooo... we went straight over to the carolina reaper plant and I picked off a couple of gnarly red pods.....I ate one, he ate one...

"That's not so bad."

"It builds a little with time."

"Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. That's hot. Oh God."

{SONOFABITCH THOSE ARE HOT. But being Dad, I have to retain my composure.}

"God ain't gonna help you right now son, but I have some milk inside that might take the edge off."

A half gallon of milk later he was still looking a bit green around the gills. Sent him home (my son driving) with a couple plastic bags in case he puked..

kgetpeppers · Aug 14, 2014

Hahahahahah great story trent. Its Amazing what people consider hot when you are a Chile head. Im imagining my Hispanic friend when we both ate a small moruga. He was like wtf is this. He had a huge rush of endorphins though

TrentL · Aug 14, 2014

Any time a group of high school boys gets together the chest thumping and peer pressure makes it real easy.

Last year my son and 3 of his friends all took a quarter of a Moruga Scorpion, and similar effect, except that time the 4 of them drank an ENTIRE gallon of milk in under five minutes.

I *almost* got them again a couple weeks ago (sans milk, we were out), but one of them had the foresight to check the fridge first and notice we were out.

I think my three high schoolers are planning a group shindig here this weekend, gonna be plenty of potential candidates for pepper taste testing.

randyp · Aug 15, 2014

That's funny as hell Trent.You took the poor guy over to the reapers.I have yet to find friends or family that can live up to their toughness against the pods.

Devv · Aug 15, 2014

I call them "fresh meat"

Our custodial crew is mainly from Mexican origin. I placed a mixed bag of Jal's all the way up to supers on the table, and got to hear some good stories. One that ate a JA Hab straight up (whole pepper), and got all red faced. I asked her how the peppers were? Her reply was "you eat those?" I said "well heck yeah, that's why I grow them!" She seemed surprised being I'm a "white boy" (er, old man LOL) I got some compliments on the flavors from those who knew how to respect the supers and use them properly.

TrentL · Aug 16, 2014

Well I'm going to try to do a throwdown tonight, my oldest boy has friends coming over again. I'm going the second harvest today, will post up some more pics this afternoon.

randyp · Aug 16, 2014

TrentL said:
Well I'm going to try to do a throwdown tonight, my oldest boy has friends coming over again. I'm going the second harvest today, will post up some more pics this afternoon.

They might be afraid to come see your boy when you put the hurt on them.

TrentL · Aug 16, 2014

Well I've been putting off using my new digital PH meter and having another go-around with 'hot sauce' ... it's a damn good thing I have "taste test dummies" coming over.

TrentL · Aug 16, 2014

Harvest #2 in the books. It's JUST starting to get steam - I actually harvested 3 whole superhot pods off the dirt crop today. (And holy shit are those plants loaded .... and massive. Some are nearly 6' tall now)

First two chinense pods from the dirt crop:

Those are MONSTERS. The dirt crop is going to produce some enormous frigging pods.

Finally having some good luck with Cayenne this year! The hot wet weather is doing them good. Not nearly as many pods lost to rot as last year.

Why we overwinter. Carolina reaper 2014 2nd potted plant pick:

Vs. the first ripe pod from the 2014 plants

2nd pick from the Bhut Jolokia overwinter; this will top off a 1 gallon freezer bag from that one plant, in one week's time:

The "Not 7-pot barrackpore" pile is growing. I have *one* of them that just isn't growing the same pods as the rest..... they look like red brain strains.

Massive size difference on "dirt vs. potted" plants. This is a pimento de neyde, left is potted, right is dirt...

Also seeing different *shaped* pods on dirt vs. potted. Left is from dirt plant, right is from potted plant:

Massive size difference on these 7-pots chauguanas as well. Left potted, right dirt. (The scary thing is that dirt plant has over 150 pods hanging off it right now... at least half of which are that size...)

Need a bump!

(Also if you want free small flat rate boxes of fresh pods PM me your address; in 2 weeks I'll be sending out a bunch!)

Devv · Aug 16, 2014

Yeah, dirt rules in my book.

looks like you're in poddage mode there!

Great pics Trent!

TrentL · Aug 16, 2014

Oh it's sure as heck starting Devv.

Thanks for the bump!

So the random volunteer pepper by my front steps; appears to be a Japanese Yatsufusa. It's an annuum, growing upright pods, and the F2 fork has big clusters of flowers....

(If it's crossed, which it MIGHT be, that could get interesting)

Random mutant Habanero pod ...I've never seen anything quite like this one come off a pepper plant before.

(It's the only pod that looks like that, on that plant.. something went haywire in the DNA...)

"State of the Garden"

(Those 5" green potted spare plants will PROBABLY become my overwinters)

Pick #2, closeup #1

#2

#3

(more for documentation purposes than anything.. hope the labels are legible on the original pics)

GROW FASTER DAMN YOU

And the obligatory hippy photo:

Don't need more bumps that's all for today, but PM me your address if you want a free small flat rate box of assorted peppers to show up in the mail...

East Texas Heat · Aug 16, 2014

Looking fantastic sir, quite a haul you got there!

Devv · Aug 16, 2014

Looking good Trent!

I wish I had that head of hair!

LOL

TrentL · Aug 16, 2014

Ok my previous report on "Not Butch-T's" (overwinter) being "not hot" was a mistake.

I noticed while picking them today that while the pods started out this year being bhut shaped, the newest ones on the plant have, in fact, formed the Trinidad classic tail...

Anyway my mouth is burning from the taste test re-deux.... Severely.

Also of note; the "Not 7-pot barrackpore" are EVIL BASTARDS FROM HELL. Holy SHIT they are hot.

Those *have* to be 7-pod brain strains, that I goofed on the label, or Judy may have got a seed mixup, or they are mutants. Either way, my god. The 7-pot barrackpores are hot. But those "Not 7-pot barrackpore" that have the brain strain look about them, good god. 5 minutes in, the heat was STILL burning. That was absolutely, frigging, relentless.

This is also decidedly NOT an orange Habanero.

All of the other orange habanero plants are growing true to form, but this one is a cross, or mutant.