What are my peppers lacking? [Archive]

urbanfarmer

01-29-2013, 01:27 PM

I see possible signs of at least 5 deficiencies, but the main one causing the crinkled leaf and the abnormal leaf growth is likely calcium. For these "hybrid" species it requires A LOT MORE than lesser species, and by lesser I obviously mean less manly like that weak Jalapeno. I eat Jalapenos for breakfast! Wait, I really do... Anyway... Dissolve some crushed eggshells in vinegar and keep adding eggshells until they don't disappear anymore (this will get the pH to about 8, which is fine). Check my guide on the magazine page for info and video. Or just buy that stuff they sell for tomatoes for blossom end rot (it's liquid calcium usually). I always throw some Epsom salt in too. If you're in a pinch, you can just add a little Epsom salt and you will see some immediate improvement. The damaged leaves will remain damaged, but the new foliage will grow properly.

P.S. Immediate in plant years means a few days to see it turn around...

Basil1

01-29-2013, 01:57 PM

Here are a couple of pics of my girly peppers. I don't see anything wrong with them but hey, I might be wrong on what they are, that's why we ask you. :) Also question about bringing ph up too quick and it's adverse affects on tropical fish and no, I don't know what the exact reading is at the moment, bad me. Did see some pepper articles but must have missed the video, obviously not my day. Anyway, thanks for answers.

http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=4672&stc=1http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=4673&stc=1

urbanfarmer

01-29-2013, 03:05 PM

The top one looks like it may be more of a banana pepper, but the bottom picture looks like it might turn into those long red cayenne peppers. Fruit deformity could present due to deficiency, but maybe not. I don't think it's Jalapeno though. I am so jealous; I wish I had some peppers on the vine. I planted out my peppers late this season...

Basil1

01-29-2013, 03:27 PM

Both of those pics are of different peppers on the same plant. I know I didn't plant any banana peppers, don't have the seeds. Do on the other hand have cayenne. Guess I should not have lost track of what was what while sick.

urbanfarmer

01-29-2013, 03:52 PM

Yea, I figured that, but it looks different. Maybe a trick of the light? The top one has no clear tip and shows signs of lobing on the fruit, which is not present in any cayenne strain I've grown. Bananas and cayennes have similar leaves too, but yea, it's definitely a cayenne then. Very cool, these are really great to have around!

Basil1

01-29-2013, 04:01 PM

Very cool, thanks. The lighting is different due to the amount of leaves over the peppers. Going to try the epsom salt and see what happens. Can't wait til the ghost peppers start blooming and to see if the eggplant bears fruit.

rfeiller

01-29-2013, 06:12 PM

you are lacking more then just calcium and magnesium. somewhere in the these archives is the name of a product available from hydroponics suppliers that provides the lacking or low nutrients or you can get one step closer to what you need with the addition of composting earthworms such as E. hortensis (euro nightcrawlers), P. excavatus (malaysian blues), or E. fetida (red wigglers).
i prefer adding azomite or aggie lime over egg shells. but watching the egg shells dissolve in cider vinegar is fun.

i initially had to manually pollinate the Bhut Jolokias it is not hot enough in San Jose, CA to really have them do well outside of the green house. in fact just lost the last three plants in the aquaponics system to a freeze. unlike some other chiles i found they like their feet wet.

urbanfarmer

01-30-2013, 03:18 AM

rfeiller, I fear you are right buddy!

The only reason I suggested adding just those calcium and magnesium first is that it will increase the plants uptake of OTHER nutrients as well (hopefully). The new growth should give a good indication thereafter to see if we need to do more. I'm a "more is less" kinda farmer! :-)

Interesting, all (maybe a few exceptions, none come to mind) plants that people have trouble with regarding "wet feet" is just an issue with oxygen reaching the plant roots. Most short lived vegetable crops species are not particularly well suited for drought conditions; so, they do love water. Of course, some plants have a lot of trouble if they start lacking nutrients and are less than healthy. They are constantly battling bacteria, pests, and fungal diseases to name a few. The only reason I say all this is because I have literally grown dozens and dozens of strains in AP and soil and the AP peppers always explode in growth compared to the soil based peppers (I say this to avoid a scientific ramble as to why plant roots are not in the least bit "bothered" by "wet feet").

Around here the peppers get visited by many pollinators. 90% (pulled it out my ass statistic) of the time that I put a new plant out with flowers on it, I will see this very specific wasp show up out of nowhere and start hitting the flowers hard. Maybe we're lucky around here with that! :-) However, have you thought about stingless bees or even black soldier flies? Flies are almost as good at pollinating as bees! :-)

Compost and worms are a great way to go. Actually, I came on here to suggest Azomite (As I was thinking about Ca deficiency regarding one of my plants and realized I was going to use some I have and I neglected to mention it here). This is a brand name, you can find just about any rock dust that contains calcium. Ag lime is very cheap as well, but not cheaper than leftover eggshells! :lol:

Here are some calcium options: http://nrcca.cals.cornell.edu/nutrient/CA4/CA0429.php

I am considering getting another 50 lbs bag of Sul Po Mag for this next season. It has a lot of potassium, but it often contains Calcium as well depending who you get it from (found it for less than $1 a pound, not sure if this is a good price). There are SO many options!

Post pics of the new growth for us if you get a chance Basil! :mrgreen:

Basil1

01-30-2013, 06:40 AM

First, thanks for the info. Just want to make sure you guys also realize how these are setup. The plants are in plastic coffee containers filled with eco-balls set into a plastic tub in an aquarium of large tropical fish with a 130 watt CFL above it. This is in the house so free roaming, flying, ranging insects not an option. With that in mind, putting worms into the containers would do what? Are all the products you mentioned totally fish safe? Would hate to lose my two foot eel just to get better pepper growth.

urbanfarmer

01-30-2013, 09:30 AM

The worms would just break down organic matter. This often releases vital nutrients for the plant that would otherwise remain locked up. You can definitely put them in there, but it sounds like the fish solids don't really make their way into there if I'm understanding you correctly. I would just get a little calcium in there when you can, but magnesium will make it start showing improvement. The plants can use some Mg in place of Ca; so, this will offset the deficiency immediately as well.

Basil1

01-30-2013, 09:35 AM

No, the solids don't really make it in there at all unless they have broken down somewhat, get kicked up and go through the holes on the bin and cans so I don't think they would have much to eat. I do have a bin of wigglers to eat scraps and as an occasional fish treat, so in a way they do get in there. Did add a pinch of epsom salt to each container and will see how it goes.

rfeiller

01-30-2013, 01:46 PM

right didn't understand your setup :oops:
worms do many different things to the organics/microbes they ingest since you have composting worms Basil1 you probably are aware of at least some of what they do. with the fear of being banned from this site; i believe they provide more to the ponics systems then the fish do, but not a whole lot of people are into using earthworms for their meat source and this is what aquaponics is about a total efficient compact self contained system. if composting worms can be incorporated i believe it broadens the selection of quality food crops that can be produced. however, even without the worms with an addition of at least CA and Mg you will note a much better growing environment for your plants either ornamental or food.
I use to use epsom salts to bring tropical fish out of shock and crushed coral or oyster shells have been incorporated in both freshwater and saltwater systems for 30yrs that i know of for wet dry systems if nothing else then to provide CA for the microbes
Don't know what kind of eel you have tire track or fire eel?

Rich

Basil1

01-30-2013, 02:07 PM

Fire eel, had him since he was about 4 inches. Free swims when hungry, comes up to be hand fed.

urbanfarmer

01-30-2013, 02:13 PM

@Basil1
Have you ever though about raising eels as food? I have no idea how hard it is to raise or breed them, but the price for these things are insane. It would be worth looking into if you're interested!

@Rich
LOL who would dare ban you? Well, maybe that JCO guy... he's been pretty ban happy these days :lol: :lol: kidding

Well, now I am very interested. Do you mean that the worms can be eaten? Hm, I think you've confused the term "ban" with the phrase "throw up on my computer monitor". Don't worry, happens to me all the time. But seriously, eating the worms? Taste would be my primary concern since proper cooking would make it safe to eat. My other concern would be bioaccumulation of toxins, but this would most likely not be an issue in semi-closed AP systems. I wonder if there are any long term studies on long term human consumption of worms? I would imagine with all the trouble it would take to prepare such a lackluster meal, it would be easier to feed 'em to the fish and eat the fish (cause ya know, it would taste like fish and not worms).

Okay, don't keep me in suspense anymore. Spill the worms Rich!

Basil1

01-30-2013, 03:46 PM

I was hoping he meant as a meat source for the fish.

urbanfarmer

01-30-2013, 04:06 PM

Oh dear, I may have misunderstood. Is there an easy way to harvest the worms? I like BSF because they crawl into a container for you to collect. Worms, however, do not share this fatal convenience.

rfeiller

01-30-2013, 04:19 PM

when i first started working with composting worms in 1975, at that time, earthworms were being ground up and eaten in this country as a hamburger substitute. and yes the work goes on. this planet cannot support the amount of livestock needed to feed the uncontrolled population. a lot of work is also being done with insects, such as locust and numerous other species. for the amount of land it takes to raise one steer enough vegies can be raised to feed 400 people. national geographic reported a few years back it takes 1875 gal of water to produce one pound of steak. things have to change and change quickly.

by the way a major cosmetic manufacturer for years included earthworms in their facial creme. :D

rfeiller

01-30-2013, 04:24 PM

yes UF there are numerous worm harvesting pieces of equipment out there. the earth worm by the way is a lot cleaner then your tilapia. they have the ability to destroy even many types of pathogens check it out.
hell no, i won't eat any of those things i am a vegen. :)

urbanfarmer

01-30-2013, 04:44 PM

There is a lot of truth to what you say. I always cringe at those statistics, though, because they're not comparing apples to apples (the land in question is typically not prime farmland and is being compared to prime farmland). A pound of steak takes 10-20 pounds of feed to raise. There are better ways to make use of that 20 pounds of feed.

If a plant in my garden grows too big too fast it reaches a point where it starts to die back some until it shrinks to a more appropriate size. I imagine that if we indeed reach the Earth's carrying capacity, something similar would occur. I am, however, confident this will not happen in my lifetime nor my children's. And, by then we should be populating the stars. If feeding all of our people is still a challenge at that point, we deserve to rejoin the rest of the stardust adrift this universe. We are all stardust after all. :mrgreen:

rfeiller

01-30-2013, 05:27 PM

the very purpose for aquaponics, vermiponics, bio or veggiponics is for that very reason; to conserve resources and produce food.
numerous countries have already turned to alternative sources, the USA may well be the last in line to adapt; it certainly is in the world being "green".

back to your eel; most folks do not realize that fish do have a fair level of intelligence and can be conditioned or trained to do a lot of different tricks, work mazes, etc. The T. Mozambique is one of the smartest, behavior studies were performed at a university here in CA in the late 60"s for a graduate students doctorate. i was fortunate enough to get one of the pairs from the study in 1970. They did drive me nuts trying to ring bells for food or attention. :)

davidstcldfl

01-31-2013, 01:51 PM

Basil, you might consider using maxicrop. It's fish safe. You could call it a shotgun approach, at adding nutes. It has quite a few. I posted what's in it, just the other day, in some one else's post..
minerals (http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/showthread.php?1644-minerals)

UF, If your looking for some...I bought azomite, up your way, for less then a dollar a pound..
http://www.greencropnutrition.com/contact.html

I've watched a few videos about Joel Salatin. He has a good way to raise cattle (and the other things he raises) where he keeps his cattle somewhat crowded in his pasture, but he moves them often.

This does a few things, the cattle eat even the less desirable plants, keeping the pasture a lot cleaner. Since he moves them so often, they don't over graze, giving the land a chance to 'do it's thing'. He's just grass feeding, there is no extra grain and cost of,to account for.

Here's a link to one of the videos, if anyone cares to check it out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrxmgR-v ... jiUxOJZ0Ee (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrxmgR-vYms&list=PLmwY2K-O1lmVe3ZPq1j3WwjjiUxOJZ0Ee)

urbanfarmer

01-31-2013, 02:31 PM

Thanks buddy!

The maxicorp barely has calcium and no magnesium it looks like. The #1 nutrient Basil1 needs is definitely calcium because the fruits wont even be able to mature.

Basil1

01-31-2013, 03:07 PM

So you still think the eggshell mixture is the best way to go? Added a pinch of Epsom salt to each plant, was not sure how much to use so went sparingly.

urbanfarmer

01-31-2013, 03:25 PM

How many gallons are in your system?

The magnesium is good because it will help with the calcium deficiency. Adding some calcium is definitely needed at some point; so, I would add some!

Basil1

02-01-2013, 06:21 AM

It's a 120 gallon tank.

Basil1

02-01-2013, 08:49 AM

[attachment=0:2nlvwdkx]20130201_103615.jpg[/attachment:2nlvwdkx]
The eggplant seems to be in a happy place at the moment. I also noticed that I have a small aphid infestation. A few must have come in when I transferred one of the peppers from outside. Been mainly dealing with them by hand to keep the numbers low. Thinking maybe I can sneak a ladybug or two in and not get caught.

rfeiller

02-01-2013, 08:55 AM

basil don't you have coral in St. Petersburg? Many years ago when i was a kid living in Sarasota it was everywhere, i would personally incorporate it into the growbed. actually i bought ground up corral when i originally had set up my system and put some in every container to get rid of my end rot problem in squash and tomatoes, it worked great.
since i have so many worm bins now the aggi lime works better.
the joy with lady bugs is they will migrate back to where they came from so if you release several hundred you may have a couple left around your plant.

Basil1

02-01-2013, 09:04 AM

I can get ground coral no problem, my issue with that and the salts is too rapid of a water chemistry swing so I am cautious about too much at once. Since this is in the house, not sure releasing a couple hundred would be a great idea, but the animals would go nuts.

rfeiller

02-01-2013, 09:22 AM

even for different treatments i would add as much as a cup of rock salt to 10gals water however i understand some softskinned aquatic animals can not tolerate high levels of sodium, that would have to be metered and you would have to research out the tolerable levels of sodium your eel can take.
also remember that an aquaponics system is not the equivalent of water changes to maintain the health of the animals.

Rich

Basil1

02-01-2013, 09:40 AM

No worries there, been doing that part for quite a while so still doing water changes in conjunction with the AP. Not sure on exact amount that's ok for the eel or how much is necessary for the plants. Still trying to find info. Usually hit up my favorite fish forum for fish questions but they seem to have a dim view on the benefits of epsom salts, last guy who mentioned it got so ridiculed he quit I think, but never got a straight answer. They do have knowledgable people, but not all and a lot of restrictions on topics that are allowable.

Basil1

02-01-2013, 09:48 AM

Seems they can take salt at a level of at least 1 teaspoon every 5 gallons or so. Guess that pinch I put in each container won't hurt, probably isn't helping the plants a lot though.

rfeiller

02-01-2013, 10:56 AM

Basil1 back in the dark ages of the '60s when i had several shipments of wild south american tropical fish trans shipped through Miami to southern CA, if it hadn't been for epsom salts and copper sulphate i would have lost a lot of discus. i won't even participate in the new discus forums because of the tons of incorrect information put out by "done nothing" members that heard or read something somewhere. i along with a few others was breeding discus when "it wasn't possible".

Basil1

02-01-2013, 11:32 AM

I know what you mean on the lack of knowledge. Discus are something I never had much luck with but then again I really don't care too much for the newer strains. I actually liked the wild colorations the best but I seem to be in a minority.

rfeiller

02-01-2013, 11:47 AM

I had a wild caught true royal blue for over eight years. Although i developed some commercial strains of discus i always preferred the wild discus symphysodon aquifasciata or symphysodon discus heckel

Basil1

02-01-2013, 12:06 PM

I think sometimes we go too far in making changes just for the sake of change, but that's just me. look at the popularity of all the hybrid cichlids.

Anyways, back to the subject at hand. Added some more epsom salts and will get out later today or tomorrow for some crushed coral. Was wondering about the calcium grit they have for birds as well. Will have to see if it has other additives.

Basil1

02-01-2013, 12:10 PM

This is the easiest brand of grit to find around here.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2753601 (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753601)

Basil1

02-01-2013, 12:21 PM

Not a chemist, didn't even stay at a Holiday Inn, but a quick perusal of the ingredients msds sheets gives one pause. Couple of items on there that show harmful side effects is ingested and one that had no other purpose except as coloring and to cause possible harmful side effects if swallowed. Maybe the amounts would not be enough to cause harm, still looking for info.

Basil1

02-04-2013, 07:52 AM

I'm sure it's a complete coincidence that two days after adding Epsom salts and egg shell the blooms on the eggplant have started falling off. Not seeing any changes yet in the peppers, maybe I'm just impatient.

urbanfarmer

02-04-2013, 08:19 AM

Eggplants have dioecious flowers; so, the male flowers fall off when they are "done" doing their thing. Most of the cucurbits I have grown put out male flowers first in their life cycle, well before the female flowers show. The female flowers have a little "baby" fruit visible. Which ones fell off? :-)

urbanfarmer

02-04-2013, 08:22 AM

This is the easiest brand of grit to find around here.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2753601 (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753601)
Crushed eggshells make great grit!

Basil1

02-04-2013, 08:58 AM

urbanfarmer

02-04-2013, 10:05 AM

davidstcldfl

02-04-2013, 10:09 AM

It's not a cucurbits at all. It's in the same family as tomatoes.
Off topic....odd fact...I read at Tomatoville, that some folks use the base of eggplants to graft on tomatoes.... :?

urbanfarmer

02-04-2013, 10:26 AM

It's for disease resistance, better nutrient uptake, drought tolerance, etc. :-)

Basil1

02-04-2013, 10:37 AM

Oh, I stand corrected. I've grown it once many many years ago, you see. It's not a cucurbits at all. It's in the same family as tomatoes. Anyway, if it fell off at the base and not just the petals (with a tiny fruit growing), then it definitely is a sign of stress from something (unless it really didn't get fertilized, which I doubt).

They broke off at the stems, not just the petals. It's possible they just haven't fertilized properly. One of the other peppers is blooming like crazy but so far not been able to coax any peppers out of it.

Basil1

02-04-2013, 10:38 AM

It's not a cucurbits at all. It's in the same family as tomatoes.
Off topic....odd fact...I read at Tomatoville, that some folks use the base of eggplants to graft on tomatoes.... :?

Learned something new, makes it a good day already. :)

rfeiller

02-04-2013, 02:15 PM

Just for the heck of it try pollinating them. Out here the cool nights affect both the tomatoes and peppers but i don't know if that is a factor there.

Basil1

02-04-2013, 02:23 PM

Been trying, they either end up drying out or breaking off.

Basil1

02-08-2013, 12:34 PM

[attachment=0:2rhlgpzq]20130208_142022.jpg[/attachment:2rhlgpzq]

Basil1

02-09-2013, 12:03 PM

So the possibilities for the above pepper are; jalapeno, habanero, datil, ghost and bell as these are the seeds I have. Bell,habanero and ghost are easily eliminated. Forgot, have cayenne too. First rule, label.

rfeiller

02-09-2013, 12:35 PM

habernaro and ghost it isn't it looks just like a mature jalopeno usually eaten green

Basil1

02-09-2013, 01:19 PM

habernaro and ghost it isn't it looks just like a mature jalopeno usually eaten green
UF thought cayenne.

urbanfarmer

02-09-2013, 03:01 PM

If that's 6 inches long, it's a cayenne. If that's 2 inches, that's a Jalapeno. It's almost too fat near the top in proportion to the length to be a cayenne, but it could be a trick of the light in the picture. I have seen plenty of weird shaped pepper fruits. Also, it could have hybridized. There's just no telling. If you eat it raw and it's too hot it's probably a cayenne. If you can eat the whole thing without being bothered it's a Jalapeno! :mrgreen: :lol:

rfeiller

02-09-2013, 05:39 PM

the new jalapeno pepper cultivers we have out here produce 3-4"+ fruit

Basil1

02-12-2013, 12:51 PM

They are about in the 3-4 inch range.

Ok, so I added some Epsom salts and eggshells. The plants seem to be doing worse. The plant that is producing stopped. The peppers still on it have stopped growing and the few new leaves on it are stunted and pale. It also looks like it's starting to wilt. Trying to get rid of some aphids onn them by hand so as not to dump anything into the tank but not very successfully so may have to start over. Maybe getting enough energy up to get it going bigger outside might be the way to go also, we shall see.

Basil1

02-18-2013, 05:20 PM

So looks like all guesses were off. The peppers have no heat what so ever so jalapeno and cayenne are off the table. Only thing left I have are Marconi peppers. At least they taste good.

rfeiller

02-18-2013, 06:00 PM

basil1 there are new jalapeno peppers that have flavor but no heat, unfortunately when i go to the grocery store to pick up jalapenos they could either be as mild as bells or so hot i can't hardly eat them. they were developed at NMSU (New Mexico State University) in Las Cruces where they have huge green houses dedicated to just peppers.

I purchased seeds from them of over 30 varieties from no heat jalapenos to Bhut Jolokias. so i guess you will never know for sure. also remember the amount of water given to peppers varies the heat; so peppers grown in my aquaponics systems here in San Jose, CA are much milder then those grown in the ground at my home in Deming, New Mexico desert country. the largest producer of NM green chiles varies the heat according to the market he will sell them to with the quantity of irrigation. they are graded medium, hot, x-hot and xx-hot on the cardboard crates they are shipped in.

Basil1

02-18-2013, 07:41 PM

I did not know that. I know the jalapenos the seeds came from were hot, does that make any difference?

rfeiller

02-18-2013, 09:41 PM

not necessarily depends on if the parents where homozygous or heterozygous for the Scoville units of heat. my experience is chiles in an aquaponics or vermiponics system are not as hot as those grown with just enough water to keep them healthy. i don't know about other farmers.

Basil1

02-19-2013, 07:24 AM

Interesting. I asked because habaneros I grew last year aquaponically were just as hot as the originals. Hope something hot grows.

FloridaChris

03-29-2013, 04:30 PM

Have some pepper problems. From what I read in this thread, it is a calcium deficiency and was going to places crushed leftover Easter eggs above the gravel.

Cal. Wonder Orange Bell Pepper plant
http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad223/Chris7687/image_zps153c00d3.jpg

http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad223/Chris7687/image_zpsa98b5399.jpg

http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad223/Chris7687/image_zps23cd3a83.jpg

Banana pepper plant
http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad223/Chris7687/image_zps73ee8dfd.jpg

keith_r

03-29-2013, 09:07 PM

i'd bury the shells under the gravel a couple inches

FloridaChris

03-30-2013, 12:04 PM

Do I need to do anything to the egg shells (i.e soaking them in anything) or just throw them under the gravel and around the roots?

davidstcldfl

03-30-2013, 03:12 PM

Do I need to do anything to the egg shells (i.e soaking them in anything) or just throw them under the gravel and around the roots?
Check out page 'one' of this thread. Look for urbanfarmer's post on ...Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:27 pm... ;)

FloridaChris

03-30-2013, 10:25 PM

Dave,
That was my game plane. Just wanted to ask and make sure that was still valid info. I added some maxi crop today just to be safe? Water is still brownish.

davidstcldfl

03-31-2013, 05:11 AM

Chris, I've never tried UF's trick with the vinerger. Sounds like it should work.

I like to spray my plants. It seems like, I can get a little more mileage out of my maxi crop.
I like to mix a little molasses and maxi crop together, then spray the leaves.

Here's the breakdown of molasses...
Brer Rabbit Blackstrap Molasses
Nutritional Information and Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: 1Tbsp. (21g). Servings per Container: About 24. Amount Per Serving: Calories - 60;
Percentage Daily Values; Fat - 0g, 0%; Sodium - 65mg. 3%; Potassium - 800 mg. 23%; Total Carbohydrates - 13g, 4%; Sugars - 12g, Protein - 1g, Calcium - 2%; Iron 10%; Magnesium 15%; Not a significant source of calories from fat, sat. fat, cholesterol, fiber, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C

The above info, came from a great article on molasses...
http://buymarijuanaseeds.com/community/ ... ess.95401/ (http://buymarijuanaseeds.com/community/threads/molasses-is-sweet-organic-goodness.95401/)
It's a long article....lots of good info, well worth reading... ;)

FloridaChris

03-31-2013, 01:04 PM

That is a long ass article!! I skimmed it, but will definitely read it all one night this week. Ill pick up some backstrap molasses this week at publix. Do you do this as an every day maintenance on plants or only when they're starting to show malnourishment?

Nice reference website.

davidstcldfl

03-31-2013, 04:45 PM

Do you do this as an every day maintenance on plants or only when they're starting to show malnourishment?
I try to spray a few times a week. Whenever I get a chance or 'remember'... :roll:

Nice reference website.
If I did what those guys are doing, I'd never 'remember' to spray... 8-) ... :lol:
They are pretty serious about their plants. Seems like they have some great info. I also have a great pdf about bat guanos, I saved from their site.

Basil1

04-11-2013, 08:26 AM

I ended up taking the eggplant and the bell pepper and putting them outside in the pond setup as neither would set fruit inside, guess maybe need to work on the pollinating skills. The bell already has at least a dozen peppers on it about an inch or so big. The eggplant puts out dozens of flowers but nothing sets and now is going downhill. Have added eggshell and epsom salts to no avail, just not destined to have eggplant. The ghost pepper is still inside and flowering like crazy but no peppers. How much distance is needed between species to help prevent cross pollination?

FloridaChris

04-11-2013, 12:29 PM

What type of eggplant Basil? I just bought 4 eggplant seedlings wiht hopes of growing some this summer. My bell pepper is growing very slowly and my jalapeno is just sitting there, the same size the day I got it... Not sure what to do. Trying to get ahold of Dave to see how much of the mixture he mixes together. My banana pepper plant is goin nuts! It has about 7-8 flowers on it right now that look like theyre all forming into peppers. I think the banana pepper is doing so good because it isn't in direct sunlight all day. It is shaded for most of the day by the largeish (for a seedling) tomato plant on it's east side and then trees in the neighbors yard provide afternoon shade.

Basil1

04-11-2013, 12:41 PM

Black beauty. Blooms like crazy but nothing from it.

FloridaChris

04-12-2013, 05:09 AM

Hmmm. I'm trying to grow Lady Finger eggplants. I'll let you know how they're doing in a few weeks. Hope your grow turns around. I'm right across the Bay from ya, so we should be able to trouble shoot effectively for our growing climates. You F&D or CF in your GB'S?

jackalope

04-12-2013, 07:18 AM

The above info, came from a great article on molasses...
http://buymarijuanaseeds.com/community/ ... ess.95401/ (http://buymarijuanaseeds.com/community/threads/molasses-is-sweet-organic-goodness.95401/)
It's a long article....lots of good info, well worth reading... ;)
That took up 13 pages on my Libre Office Writer - I'll read it offline :lol: :lol: Good article, from what I've read so far .... Molasses is much cheaper than all those additives, and can be organic as well :!:

Basil1

04-12-2013, 08:18 AM

Basil1

04-16-2013, 12:53 PM

So the bell pepper started producing, have at least a dozen bells growing. Now something is eating holes in them. Just can't win.

jackalope

04-16-2013, 02:56 PM

So the bell pepper started producing, have at least a dozen bells growing. Now something is eating holes in them. Just can't win. Spray them with a little bit of soapy water, that's what my wife used to keep them off our veggies ;) I think she uses Castille soap (available at many grocers and health-food stores) :mrgreen:

Basil1

04-16-2013, 07:03 PM

It's a rat.

FloridaChris

04-17-2013, 06:29 AM

Damn, it's a never ending battle huh?!? Is soap safe for both the plants and us? I just ask, because I am trying to steer clear of any chemicals I do not need. I have heard this gardening tip from others, but they also load their plants up with MiracleGrow and pesticides like its a going out of style. Could you use like a garlic spray?

I have a feeling I will be facing the same problem. I was cleaning out my gutters, for setting up my rain barrels, and a HUGE rat came running out at me after disturbing his leaf bed in my gutter! Almost drove me off the roof! I also have 2 families of squirrels living in the oaks on my property.

keith_r

04-17-2013, 06:36 AM

you really really don't want any soap to get into your ft water...
i've tried the garlic/hot pepper spray... not much help for aphids... once i started using beneficial insects/nematodes things improved dramatically, until my system was basically ignored for 6 months (only doing top-ups and feeding the fish)....

FloridaChris

04-17-2013, 07:55 AM

keith - I might be getting some lady bugs soon, as I think I have a leaf cutter bug (is that right?). I have been finding tons of leaves, cut right at the base of the plant, all over my GB's. I have searched under all the leaves, but haven't found anything.

As for rodents, is there a special spray? Does garlic/hot pepper work on them?

Basil1

04-17-2013, 08:34 AM

Planning on picking up some ladybugs at the Green Thumb festival if not before. The pepper spray did nothing for me for aphids either and dealing with ants as well. May have to design a wire cover for the pepper to keep it away. Or a pellet gun with night vision goggles.

FloridaChris

04-17-2013, 08:48 AM

Basil1

04-17-2013, 11:05 AM

I think the pellet gun will be the best and fun approach! Thanks for mentioning the Green Thumb festival, maybe I can convince the girlfriend to come with me. Right now she is mad I spend more time with my plants and fish than her :-P

My wife and I went last year and had some fun. This weekend is Alchemy Fest, a natural arts and crafts type show with entertainment and hopefully Pinellas Gardening Collective doing a seed swap.

keith_r

04-17-2013, 11:54 AM

ladybugs rule..
if you buy some,, don't release immediately, place them in the fridge.. in the early evening water your plants (i use ft water in a watering can), and just at dark release some of your ladybugs.. they'll be thirsty at first and more likely to stick around for longer..
you can store the rest of the ladybugs in the fridge and release more every couple weeks until they're all free

Basil1

04-17-2013, 12:00 PM

Thanks Keith

FloridaChris

04-25-2013, 07:55 AM

Hey guys, my banana pepper and bell pepper plants are looking a little roughed up. They have been dropping leaves and peppers from the plants. The are dropping them right from the base of the plant. I thought for a while a bug was eating the branches and making this happen, but it after looknig under all the leaves I found nothing and it hasn't been happening to any other of my plants.

A few of the flowers are also starting to look a little rotten. Check out the picture below, the flower is in the middle of the photo and has a leaf as a backdrop. Sorry, couldnt get the camera phone focused.

http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad223/Chris7687/image_zps1ed01594.jpg (http://s938.photobucket.com/user/Chris7687/media/image_zps1ed01594.jpg.html)

Anyone have any recommendations? I believe I have Septoria on my tomato plants. Can this affect peppers too?