Pepper seedlings - do they need heat ?

[LhornR]

Had a few high 80's days and this week night temps are back in the 30's with frost warning last night. SMH

My peppers are safe though....I couldnt bear to trash some of the extra's I had so I kept adding on to the final herd.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I've yet to find a good home for six plants. Everything I've planted in the ground is doing well and I won't need them.

 

[LhornR]

I like to keep some backup plants at least until I see the transplant and move to outside has been successful...then the rest will have to go.

Do you top your peppers to get them to branch out or do you just let them grow?

 

[Smokin Okie]

I just let them grow. But I'm new to peppers.

Some people top their tomato plants, but I don't do that either. Just let em grow.

 

[LhornR]

I just let them grow. But I'm new to peppers.

Some people top their tomato plants, but I don't do that either. Just let em grow.

Yeah there's arguments for both ways. Unlike peppers though...tomatoes come in two different types...determinate and indeterminate. Just comes down to whether you wan a vine type or bush.

 

[Smokin Okie]

My plants have been in the ground a week, if I lose any from here on out I'll just go the garden center and buy a plant to two.

I've found homes for everything but two habanero plants. Those may be hard to find takers.

 

[LhornR]

Smokin Okie ...hows the pepper business going? Mine have been outside for a couple weeks now but the weather is still having a fit. 95F in the day...dropping into low 40's at night...and we've had NO rain so we're in a drought. Grass is brown already and summer just started. Got two empty rain barrels and the only thing we do have is constant wind with gusts up to 30-40mph.

The cold nights has my peps trying to flower like crazy so I have to keep popping them off until they grow bigger. But they are still doing OK for now.

One thing about the growlights and being inside too long...they was starting to get rootbound.

This was 3 days ago...they have gained a couple inches since. The two on the left are ones I bought from a local nursery..Trident Poblano's. The ones in front are some of the Mulato's that I neglected for awhile but then decided to plant them anyway....

 

[Smokin Okie]

Damn, that weather sounds ridiculous. Those are large temp swings. And I would say that plant is rootbound.

We're having perfect tomato weather. Highs in the mid 80's and lows in the 60's. My plants are setting fruit like crazy.

And it won't quit raining. We were above our average in May and June is starting off the same way. And we nearly set a record for fewest tornadoes in May. We only had 10.

I've got a couple of jalapeno plants setting fruit, but my bells and habanero have not even bloomed yet.

My garden has changed a little since early April . Cucumbers are coming on strong, finally.

 

[LhornR]

Smokin Okie ...ONLY 10 tornadoes...be like paradise for you guys then right

Dayum thats a garden ya got there for sure. Keep at it.

I guess I cant complain about the wind anymore...lol.

 

[Smokin Okie]

You're getting 95* temps in the day ? We've not had a day over 90 yet.

We were looking good this time last year and then we got July weather in June and blossom drop just killed the tomato harvest. My worst year ever. So I got my fingers crossed.

I wanna know what you're gonna do with all those peppers ? I'm growing habanero for the first time and I've no idea how to use them, other than making a hot sauce. Which then presents a problem of how to use the hot sauce. Jalapenos I can use. Same with bells and bananas.

I've also got some dill growing between pepper plants. First time I've grown dill and the plants are getting larger than I expected. And growing faster than I expected.

But I'm hoping for a big tomato harvest. So we can make a lot of salsa and BLT's.

 

[LhornR]

Smokin Okie ..yeah mid 90's a couple weeks before...this week has cooled down though. Dropping to 44F tonight and we are currently getting smoked out from the wildfires.

Thats what happened to my peppers all last year...flowers would bloom but then drop off. I hope it doesnt repeat this year. You can add the peps to your salsa...I dunno...I dont grow anything hot. Mine are mostly midway between bell pepper and jalapenos on the heat scale. Oh man I love fresh dill when I cook fish. I'll put so much on its hard to find the fish. I tried to grow some cumin this year but two weeks now and nothing has sprouted. Might just be that they wont grow from store bought seeds for cooking.

Well...the poblano and anaheim peps I use for chili. I make 5-6 gallons every couple months and use 7-8 lbs of peps each time. That 8lbs is after they are roasted, skinned, deseeded and cut up.

The paprika and some of the others will mainly be smoked and powdered for smoked paprika. A lot of that goes into chili as well. Then I have the Italian, Mulato and Spanish peppers just to eat whenever and will get roasted and frozen or I might get a dehydrator or vac sealer.

Like I said this is still testing mode since last years failed. And I want to be sure I have enough in the freezer this year. I used my last pound of peppers from last year a couple weeks ago and it killed me to have to go to the store and buy another $40 of peppers for the batch of chili.

The process...

 

[Smokin Okie]

If this keeps up, this could be my best tomato year ever. My wife will be giving them away to everybody she knows.

 

[LhornR]

Smokin Okie ...good to see you're having luck with the weather. Went down to 41F here last night and calling for a toasty 48F tonight. Our average for this time of the year is 59F. Next week its supposed to warm up though...well see. Of course it called for rain again today and again nothing happened.

Poor peps think its time to start fruiting. I missed a couple flowers on my Boldog Paprika plants so now I have little peps started. I'll let it go to see what happens on this one plant.

 

[KBFlyer]

Ghost peppers are doing pretty good. Not sure if I want to transfer them into the garden or just leave them in the pots.

 

[LhornR]

KBFlyer ...nice little devils you got going there. I'm a lightweight and cant take that kinda heat. Gotta be below a jalapeno.

 

[jcam222]

I didn’t get my peppers in the beds and container until 5/31. They are still small and growing slowly. Hoping they are developing a hell of a root system as they sure aren’t growing upwards yet lol. I’m fertilizing with Fox’s products.

 

[dr k]

Ghost peppers are doing pretty good. Not sure if I want to transfer them into the garden or just leave them in the pots.

View attachment 667455

View attachment 667456

My bhut jolokia ghost peppers were long and green before turning orange red etc. These look small red round marbles. I must be missing something or can't see even with the pic enlarged.

 

[LhornR]

I didn’t get my peppers in the beds and container until 5/31. They are still small and growing slowly. Hoping they are developing a hell of a root system as they sure aren’t growing upwards yet lol. I’m fertilizing with Fox’s products.

Yep thats what they will do after transplanting...plant says ok lets spread my roots first. If you want some massive root structure try using Mykos..stuff is amazing. Just be careful as it will rootbound a plant quick in small pots. Happened to me...

That and Andersons Humic DG will grow a very sturdy plant...and the better the roots the better it can feed the fruits.

 

[jcam222]

Yep thats what they will do after transplanting...plant says ok lets spread my roots first. If you want some massive root structure try using Mykos..stuff is amazing. Just be careful as it will rootbound a plant quick in small pots. Happened to me...
View attachment 667493

That and Andersons Humic DG will grow a very sturdy plant...and the better the roots the better it can feed the fruits.

I am actually using a soil that had that in it.

 

[Fueling Around]

I avoid any rooting supplement in potted unless a week before planting in the garden. That severe root bound means you should have up potted a couple weeks earlier.
I use Radiate and it doesn't take much