Wolf's Second Year-Adventures in Better Recordkeeping.

Last year didn't go so well. Major problems getting started, lots of plant die-off out of what I sprouted, and poor performance of my plants contributed to a lack of recordkeeping and thus poor results in the mutation plots. However, I did get enough of a crop to keep seeds from most everything, and I have better plans for this year. But it all hinges on getting seeds to sprout, and keeping good records.
 
It's almost time to start sprouting seeds, but this year I'll be using the Jiffy peat pellets as I was given a LOT (1500+) of them for free. I also have the trays and the like to use with them so convenience wins out. I am tired of dealing with big hot bulky lights so my cousin and I built some LED grow lamps from surplus LED modules bolted to big hunks of heatsink extrusion I got at the local scrap yard. We'll see how they go. I see a lot of folks using pre-mixed or mixing their own seed mix, and I did that last year, but I didn't see any better results, so if anyone has any details or tricks for using the Jiffy pellets, I'm all ears.
 
This year I'll be sprouting:
 
Black Pearl
Yellow Cayenne
Trinidad Scorpion
Yellow Datil
Mutant "Incredible Hulk" brown bell
Fish Varigated
 
Hopefully I can get the first crop to come in fairly quickly, and mutation/crossbreeding seed can be sprouted and I can start the grow out this year. I have two rooms where it would be trivial to keep three or four plants alive over the winter, but I don't know if things will get that far this year or not.
 
I'm also starting some tomato seeds, san marzano and mortgage lifter varieties. Seeing as the local university's agriculture farm is my back yard, I'm going to also ask them if they would like to participate in the mutation studies this year.
 
 

 

[internationalfish]

Looking great! This is only the first time I've grown fish peppers, and only one of mine survived, but the variegation didn't show up until it was a bit older. It doesn't have a whole lot, but it's enough to be noticeable and pretty cool. Think mine's about a foot tall; you can see it a bit in this picture.
 
If that naga's stem was so flimsy, perhaps your plants could use a little more airflow? Mine get maybe a little more than they need, but so far I've ended up with consistently sturdy stalks pretty early on.

 

[WolframMalukker]

My parent fish was very widely varigated, from the beginning, but I also picked it out that way. Not all of them were so widely striped.
 
After being crossed with another variety, I guess I shouldn't be surprised if it doesn't show the same level of coloration.

 

[WolframMalukker]

Here's an update-some of them are potted up in discarded Bonnie cups-I find they're just the right size for my indoor growing.
 

 
A closer shot of the hybrid fish, up at the top, then two surviving Nagas, then four Datils at the bottom of the frame.
 

 
The black-foliaged plant has gone green, but still has a very dark purple stem. It's 2nd row from the top, on the left side in the above photo. Right next to the one that got too close to the light-so they all came outside.
 
The Fish are 10" tall, the nagas 5", and the Datils have slowed up, only about 4.5" to the top now. None of them have forked, but the fish and the Yellow cayennes (they're only in that big wide shot) have side shoots 6" tall or so.

 

[WolframMalukker]

Things are going OK for now-the heat is on, at 90F all day long. Have to water the potted plants daily, but the ones out in the field are fine without extra irrigation.
 
The hybrids are blooming, but this single phenotype that started with black leaves has gone mostly green, some black patches on the plant. It appears (appears!) to have flipped the white varigation to black/purple varigation...which is pretty cool. More confirmation of this is that the fruits are coming up in both green and black, AND striped!
 

 
Blooms are purple and white:
 

 
A green pepper pod:
 

 
A solid-black pepper, under some leaves to the left, and a black-and-green striped, center-frame:
 

 
Should be pretty cool!