Greetings to all. Like many before me, I've been a lurker for some time now and have finally reached that inevitable moment when I realized that a more experienced opinion is almost always better than a blind guess.
Some background:
This is my first attempt at growing any type of vegetable. I have a few years experience with growing carnivorous sundews (drosera). I concluded that, because sundews are such a pain to properly maintain, hot peppers would be a piece of cake
... yeah, I stand humbled.
Growing conditions and environment details:
I got off to a late start at the beginning of May. I purchased seed for habanero and serrano peppers from a local nursery that I trust for materials for my sundews. Planted 8 of each using small 1.0-1.25 inch containers and a sterile peat, perlite and vermiculite mix that the nursery sales in bulk and my father uses successfully for a variety of vegatables. I used a 400w metal halide bulk rated at 65K (same as I use for the sundews). At that time, I knew next to nothing about germination durations. Of the 16, and after about 20 days, I had three serrano's that had sprouted and were looking pretty good. Knowing that I would ideally be needing to transplant outside very soon, I decided to give up on the habanero seeds and went back to the nursery and bought 6 x 5.5" seedlings. That is about the time I decided to hit google and find a hot pepper forum, found this great place and got the itch to try some exotics for my own amusement. Purchased 2 Bhut's, 2 7 Pot Jonah's and 2 Trinidad Scorpion Butch T's from http://myorganicseeds.auctivacommerce.com - no idea if this a reputable source or not. The exotics have been in the ground for a little more than 3 weeks. The habanero's and serrano's are at about a month and a half. The exotics are planted two (same variety) to a pot. The pots are each 15 gallons. The dirt is approx 4" below the lip of each container (wind protection was the thought at the time). I water moderately every other day. The soil is just moist enough that it will loosely stick to my index finger when I do a moisture check at about 3.5" depth. They receive a weekly soak (base of plant, not leaves) of a mix of Liquid Karma and Pro Gro Pure Blend. I'm using Bonide Garden Dust as a fungacide (probably applied it twice in 25 or so days).
My issues:
First, I can't say that they have not grown at all, but they certainly aren't growing as fast as my father's or uncle's that were planted at about the same time. I think I overwatered at first because I definitely had some yellow leaves. The Bhut's and 7 Pot's have a dark green appearance and look generally healthy. My Butch T's are not looking so hot. I'm looking for any specific advice about the Butch T's, or any general opinions that come to mind regarding any of the plants. Pictures included below.
1st pic - my Habanero's in an Earth Box. One looks larger than the others because I had to replant them deeper due to some high winds.
2nd pic - 7 Pot Jonah. They look ok, just small. I'm concerned I'm not giving them what the need to grow taller.
3rd pic - Bhut's. Again, these look ok to me, but they too are small.
4th pic - Butch T's. They, frankly, look like hell. Some of the leaves are very yellow. Some are fairly green, but look like burnt paper on the edges. Some have chunks missing. There are also leaves that have random brown spots. They are similar in size to the Bhut's and 7 Pot's. I hate to give up on them, but I am out of ideas as to what the problem(s) could be.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
Some background:
This is my first attempt at growing any type of vegetable. I have a few years experience with growing carnivorous sundews (drosera). I concluded that, because sundews are such a pain to properly maintain, hot peppers would be a piece of cake
... yeah, I stand humbled.Growing conditions and environment details:
I got off to a late start at the beginning of May. I purchased seed for habanero and serrano peppers from a local nursery that I trust for materials for my sundews. Planted 8 of each using small 1.0-1.25 inch containers and a sterile peat, perlite and vermiculite mix that the nursery sales in bulk and my father uses successfully for a variety of vegatables. I used a 400w metal halide bulk rated at 65K (same as I use for the sundews). At that time, I knew next to nothing about germination durations. Of the 16, and after about 20 days, I had three serrano's that had sprouted and were looking pretty good. Knowing that I would ideally be needing to transplant outside very soon, I decided to give up on the habanero seeds and went back to the nursery and bought 6 x 5.5" seedlings. That is about the time I decided to hit google and find a hot pepper forum, found this great place and got the itch to try some exotics for my own amusement. Purchased 2 Bhut's, 2 7 Pot Jonah's and 2 Trinidad Scorpion Butch T's from http://myorganicseeds.auctivacommerce.com - no idea if this a reputable source or not. The exotics have been in the ground for a little more than 3 weeks. The habanero's and serrano's are at about a month and a half. The exotics are planted two (same variety) to a pot. The pots are each 15 gallons. The dirt is approx 4" below the lip of each container (wind protection was the thought at the time). I water moderately every other day. The soil is just moist enough that it will loosely stick to my index finger when I do a moisture check at about 3.5" depth. They receive a weekly soak (base of plant, not leaves) of a mix of Liquid Karma and Pro Gro Pure Blend. I'm using Bonide Garden Dust as a fungacide (probably applied it twice in 25 or so days).
My issues:
First, I can't say that they have not grown at all, but they certainly aren't growing as fast as my father's or uncle's that were planted at about the same time. I think I overwatered at first because I definitely had some yellow leaves. The Bhut's and 7 Pot's have a dark green appearance and look generally healthy. My Butch T's are not looking so hot. I'm looking for any specific advice about the Butch T's, or any general opinions that come to mind regarding any of the plants. Pictures included below.
1st pic - my Habanero's in an Earth Box. One looks larger than the others because I had to replant them deeper due to some high winds.
2nd pic - 7 Pot Jonah. They look ok, just small. I'm concerned I'm not giving them what the need to grow taller.
3rd pic - Bhut's. Again, these look ok to me, but they too are small.
4th pic - Butch T's. They, frankly, look like hell. Some of the leaves are very yellow. Some are fairly green, but look like burnt paper on the edges. Some have chunks missing. There are also leaves that have random brown spots. They are similar in size to the Bhut's and 7 Pot's. I hate to give up on them, but I am out of ideas as to what the problem(s) could be.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
to THP from Pennsylvania. 
GOLD!
