UK guy, confused but need help.

C

ChilliNewb

Hi all, will be growing my own peppers next year from seed, I have lots of information + conflicting information, I am writing down a list/guide on wordpad for me to follow and want to know if it sounds OK.
 
I will eventually put them in my mini-greenhouse, do I need certain lights for propogation to help them sprout and then different lights once it's popped? 
 
This is what I have in my wordpad for now so any advice will be appreciated.
 
Germinate in Vitopod 1 Heated Single Layer Unit (26c) with Fleximix Root Riot Organic Starter Cubes with VitaLink Plant Start until two sets of true leaves.
Then into bigger pot with BioBizz All-Mix Soil with light and heat (grow tent?)
At least 25 litre pot with BioBizz All-Mix Soil with ECOTHRIVE CHARGE
Water once a week depending on sun or whether they are wilted/starting to.
Chilli Focus as desribed on bottle.
 
Oh and my grow list so far.
 

2017 Grow List
 
MoA Bonnet Yellow
7 Pot Apocalypse
Chocolate Brainstrain
Aji Dulce
OrangeGum TigerMAMP
Borg 9 and Borg9 Chocolate.
 
Looks good so far, seems like you're doing a lot of research :)
I'd suggest you don't worry too much about how things will go, and just learn on the go, that's how I think most people here got good at growing plants!
Best of luck for you! Grow list looks good as well :D (maybe add a couple of c. pubescens and c. baccatum for some variety, but that's entirely up to you :) )
Remember you can always post and ask questions here if you think things are going bad, lots of people here love to help out!
 
mpicante said:
Seems like you have good info and nice list.So next season will be here before we know it.Remember to just keep it as simple as possible.
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Agreed wholeheartedly. Simplicity is often key in gardening! And it looks like you're on the right track with that :)
 
ChilliNewb said:
 
I will eventually put them in my mini-greenhouse, do I need certain lights for propogation to help them sprout and then different lights once it's popped? 
 
Click to expand...
No need for lights when sprouting just warmth. I don't have the experience to comment about the rest, but good luck.
 
Germinate in Vitopod 1 Heated Single Layer Unit (26c) with Fleximix Root Riot Organic Starter Cubes with VitaLink Plant Start until two sets of true leaves.
if you have a heated germination unit, it helps to be 100% sure you know what temperature it is in there, I wouldn't vary much from 30º.  Not all heating equipment has a thermostat and you can simply be steaming your plants.  Heat is more important before they hook than light.  Two sets of true leaves is a good guideline, could probably push it to 4-5 if you needed to.
Then into bigger pot with BioBizz All-Mix Soil with light and heat (grow tent?)
If you're not going to be doing a lot of indoor growing, simple bulbs should work fine for seedlings but can make for leggy plants.  Grow tents are super nice but can be an investment.  I got a really nice 3X3X6ft one for about 120 bucks on amazon.  Lights for full time indoor growing can be complicated, there is a lot of info on those in the grow tech forum.  I'm a user of t5HO bulbs and they work great for my needs.  High output florescent produces almost the right amount of heat and the bulb replacement is considerably lower cost than other bulb types.
At least 25 litre pot with BioBizz All-Mix Soil with ECOTHRIVE CHARGE
at this point I'm just assuming that BioBizz is a brand like Fox Farm would be here?  25 liters should be fine.  Hell, go bigger ;).  You may find it useful to step up your pot sizes every few weeks, from a pint size one to a 3 liter then to the 25
Water once a week depending on sun or whether they are wilted/starting to.
starting from seeds you will find that you will need to check on them twice a day sometimes if you're having any humidity loss.  once a week isn't a good guideline imo.  Try just watching them and don't water them if they aren't wilted.  They aren't going to want to be swampy but you can't let them dry out.  This is one of the major challenges of growing peppers, they're not as forgiving to start from seeds as tomatoes.  As seedlings and adult plants people tend to overwater them and overfertilize them.  Experiment with feeling the weight of the cups when they're watered and when they're dry and you'll get used to knowing when to water them.
Chilli Focus as desribed on bottle.
I've never used it but I wouldn't give any new plants ferts until they have a few sets of true leaves, even then it should be diluted to maybe a quarter or half.
 
Also, 7 Pot Apocalypse?  always something new coming out
 
I add "Rootgrow" to my soil when the seedlings are big enough to be potted up. Works well for me.
 
It seems expensive, but even at half the dose it seems to help with my plants last season.
 
http://www.rootgrow.co.uk/
 
Should be able to get it from the garden centres - that's where I got mine.
 
Helvete said:
 
Germinate in Vitopod 1 Heated Single Layer Unit (26c) with Fleximix Root Riot Organic Starter Cubes with VitaLink Plant Start until two sets of true leaves.
if you have a heated germination unit, it helps to be 100% sure you know what temperature it is in there, I wouldn't vary much from 30º.  Not all heating equipment has a thermostat and you can simply be steaming your plants.  Heat is more important before they hook than light.  Two sets of true leaves is a good guideline, could probably push it to 4-5 if you needed to.
Then into bigger pot with BioBizz All-Mix Soil with light and heat (grow tent?)
If you're not going to be doing a lot of indoor growing, simple bulbs should work fine for seedlings but can make for leggy plants.  Grow tents are super nice but can be an investment.  I got a really nice 3X3X6ft one for about 120 bucks on amazon.  Lights for full time indoor growing can be complicated, there is a lot of info on those in the grow tech forum.  I'm a user of t5HO bulbs and they work great for my needs.  High output florescent produces almost the right amount of heat and the bulb replacement is considerably lower cost than other bulb types.
At least 25 litre pot with BioBizz All-Mix Soil with ECOTHRIVE CHARGE
at this point I'm just assuming that BioBizz is a brand like Fox Farm would be here?  25 liters should be fine.  Hell, go bigger ;).  You may find it useful to step up your pot sizes every few weeks, from a pint size one to a 3 liter then to the 25
Water once a week depending on sun or whether they are wilted/starting to.
starting from seeds you will find that you will need to check on them twice a day sometimes if you're having any humidity loss.  once a week isn't a good guideline imo.  Try just watching them and don't water them if they aren't wilted.  They aren't going to want to be swampy but you can't let them dry out.  This is one of the major challenges of growing peppers, they're not as forgiving to start from seeds as tomatoes.  As seedlings and adult plants people tend to overwater them and overfertilize them.  Experiment with feeling the weight of the cups when they're watered and when they're dry and you'll get used to knowing when to water them.
Chilli Focus as desribed on bottle.
I've never used it but I wouldn't give any new plants ferts until they have a few sets of true leaves, even then it should be diluted to maybe a quarter or half.
 
Also, 7 Pot Apocalypse?  always something new coming out
 
Click to expand...
 
Hey thanks for the reply, most the info is when I have adult plants, the watering once a week and Chilli Focus, BioBizz is a soil I have seen with good reviews, I will buy a heated propogator and then sort some lights out, then near summer they will go out in the mini-greenhouse into bigger pots, also if you're interested in the 7 Pot Apocalypse, it's here http://chilipepperseeds.tictail.com/product/apocalypse-7-pot-10-seeds
 
Just a bit of feedback on your growing equipment:
 
Germinate in Vitopod 1 Heated Single Layer Unit (26c) - Great bit of kit but slightly on the pricey side. Any thermostatically controlled propagator will do the job just fine unless you fancy starting hundreds of seeds or cuttings. Bare in mind the Vitapod is huge. Top UK brands include Garland and Stewart
 
Root Riot Starter Cubes - You cannot beat these little beauties. Keep an eye on them drying out though.
 
VitaLink Plant Start - You can actually use any plant feed designed for your growing medium (soil, coco or pebble) but just really low strength i.e 1/2 or 1/4 of the recommended dosage. 
 
Then into bigger pot with BioBizz All-Mix Soil  - I would recommend you look into mediums available on the UK hydroponics market for the finest quality medium. All-Mix is a great soil however you will get slower plant growth and less yield in soil than you would in coco. I'd recommend Canna's "canna coco pro plus+" don't get me wrong it's around £12 - £18 per 50 litres but it is great stuff and I have personally grown in it for the last few years.
 
light and heat (grow tent?) - Sadly being in the UK we do not have the greatest weather for chillies. With some plants taking as long as 120 days to mature we just don't have enough time to grow and flower them naturally. You will need to start thinking about planting your seeds as early as December in a heated environment until they can be placed outside (usually may time). A grow tent and light is highly recommended for this early time in your plant's life. If you just plan to grow, "veg" your plants indoors then the best light for you would be a small CFL light. They range from 125 - 300w.
 
At least 25 litre pot with BioBizz All-Mix Soil with ECOTHRIVE CHARGE - Gradually work your way up to larger pots. Transplant your root riot cube into a 9cm or 1 litre pot and allow a little bit of time for your plant to grow a bit larger in this pot before potting onto a larger pot. I wouldn't recommend larger than a 10 litre pot because it will take ages for your plant to begin to flower. Any mycorrhizal products such as Charge are great when potting up. Just sprinkle a little around the hole you have created in the larger pot.
 
Water once a week depending on sun or whether they are wilted/starting to. - I really would ignore this advice. Your plant may drink faster or slower than others so go on that particular plant's needs. A good way to test it is when you first water your plant in its new pot size, lift the pot and get a general feel for the weight. You will be able to tell when you need to water again when the pot gets a lot lighter. This isn't so practical on larger plants so try and get an idea of how wet the medium is by checking an inch or so below the surface with your finger. If it is still damp, leave it longer. 
 
Chilli Focus as desribed on bottle - Have used this before also. You will notice you seem to use a hell of a lot. It recommends 10ml per litre during flowering. 
 
Good Luck!
 
Toca66 said:
 
You will need to start thinking about planting your seeds as early as December in a heated environment until they can be placed outside (usually may time). A grow tent and light is highly recommended for this early time in your plant's life. If you just plan to grow, "veg" your plants indoors then the best light for you would be a small CFL light. They range from 125 - 300w.
 
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Yup, pretty much second that.
 
I did that the year before for last year's plants: started them in the airing cupboard with the help of a desk lamp with a 30w CFL bulb. Got many seedlings going and let Natural Selection pick out the more weather resistant plants. In the end I had about 12 in mostly 4-inch and 5-inch pots. Certainly a higher wattage would have taken the plants much further along. The higher powered light(s) is naturally a greater fire risk... wasn't something I was prepared to dice with, and certainly my airing cupboard trick will probably not be repeated.
 
ColdSmoke said:
 
I would like to recommend using a mycorrhizal inoculant when trasplanting. I've used this for three years with great success. http://smile.amazon.com/Xtreme-Gardening-Mykos-Mycorrhizal-Inoculant/dp/B014QB8JUG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1459286713&sr=8-3&keywords=mykos
 
 
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I second the mycos treatment, the fungi do wonders for plants, especially in organic soil.  It's possible the BioBizz or whatever it is already has mycos but ideally adding more won't hurt anything
 
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