By gisette
Potted pepper
Submitted on Sat, 2008/10/25 - 11:21pm
Last updated on Sun, 2008/11/02 - 8:00pm
Posted in
At about 3.5 weeks, I salvaged a single yellow mini bell seedling from the Aerogarden and put it in a pot to grow. I would have preferred an extra red pepper plant, but couldn't extract those spares without killing roots.
The pot is a Walmart self-watering plant spa. I used Miracle Grow potting mix (what I had), and put a little pile of bloom food in the corner for it to partake of when and if it wanted. And put it outside in the summer sun.
Age 3.5 weeks: Here's the baby in its new pot:
And the Pro100 plants at the same time. The yellow pepper is in the middle.
(I won't post any more pictures of the Pro100 plants on this page.)
Age 4.5 weeks:
Age 5.5 weeks:
The plant to the right is an eggplant (Eggplant Twinkle, Park Seed) in a twin pot. I started the bigger eggplant seedling two weeks later than the peppers, in Park Starts (the smaller was a week later still). The idea here was to explore varieties I could grow in an Aerogarden, but I do love growing lettuce, so it's hard to wait for the longer-to-harvest stuff... But - August was way too late to grow these outdoors to harvest size.
Age 6.5 weeks: we have buds! The soil's rather sodden, and bugs have been at them, but basically a happy pepper plant.
Age 7.5 weeks: stuck indoors mostly now, where it can't get enough light. I've read peppers drop all blossoms below 60 degrees, and by this point, 60's are afternoon highs, some days. This is a west-facing slider door. Pretty cold in deep winter, too, because that bit of floor hangs out above another deck - no heat underneath. But it's not below 60 degrees right there in autumn.
I've never pruned this plant. No need, and from what I've read, not much point in pruning a pepper unless it has space constraints.
Age 8.5 weeks: on a rare visit outdoors. The little eggplant is still hanging out with it. I left the eggplant living outdoors longer than the pepper, as it had no buds to drop. Notice pepper now flowering.
Age 9.5 weeks: moved indoors nearly full time now, rarely stays above 60 long in the afternoon. Using reflective blanket to try to capture more light from the western window-door. It may have set fruit by this point, hard to tell. After the blossoms fall off, you can see a little bump of baby pepper, but then often the flower stalk falls off anyway. So can't tell that it really took until the bump keeps growing.
And his little eggplant friend moved indoors, too. Alas, it had powdery mildew on its leaves - one of the reasons he stayed outside. Fortunately Peat turned me on to using a dilute hydrogen peroxide misting on its leaves, which seems to be controlling the powdery mildew.
10.5 weeks. Can barely see in this picture, but already a few peppers took.
And his little eggplant friend, mostly cured of powdery mildew:
11.5 weeks: Three peppers set! Not four... And it seems to be slowing down. I gave up on the eggplant. It developed an aphid infestation, and even though I doused it with detergent solution to kill aphids, I didn't really want to bring it back inside.
(2 votes)
Sun, 2008/11/09 - 1:46pm
#2
12.5 weeks: Still only 3 fruit set, and the plant had pretty much stopped flowering. But tried adding a little of the weak seedling nutrient solution, and it responded favorably. So added some more of the full-strength pepper nutrient solution (made for the Deluxe) and it responded even more. So, lots more flowers now, perhaps it will set some more fruit.
This plant was an out-take from the Aerogarden plant I killed this week for non-performance (0 fruit set). So, I'll probably get some yellow pepper seeds... May never plant again, though, given their paltry performance. But they might do better outside in a little pot.
Fri, 2008/11/14 - 6:41pm
#3
~13 weeks: Hey. My "yellow" peppers are turning black. 
This is not an expected color transformation on the way from green to yellow...
I thought it might be blossom end rot again from over-fertilization (I lost a lot of tomatoes that way over the summer 
), and talked it over with Peat and Bruce in a digression over on BB's Grow Cabinet. It could be that I overfertilized it...
But! Before doing anything rash, there's something I've been meaning to try - eat one. In all this time, I haven't picked any of the peppers. And I wasn't entirely convinced it was the dreaded BER. So, I have more than one pepper to ripen on each of three plants - decided today was the day. 
Unsurprisingly, the eldest pepper (mini red stuffing, still green) tasted best - it was sweetest. It was also completely full of fluid - no idea why. The mini red bell was wet inside, but not as wet. The "yellow" (blackened) pepper had much thinner walls, and was absolutely dry inside. The blackened part looked like perfectly good pepper flesh, no sunken lesion aspect to it. And, it was slightly hot tasting, bit of a bite to it.
So... I think my "mini yellow stuffing pepper" is simply ripening. And was accidentally cross-bred with something else. 
So I guess I'll let the rest ripen and see what happens...
I don't think it needs any more fertilizer, certainly. But that soil is so soggy, I won't flush it out at this point. The pepper plant looks fairly happy. It was getting too cold by my sliding glass door, so now it's living next to the Deluxe, getting spillover light where it can stay above 65 degrees at night. I think I'll just see what happens for a while.
Fri, 2008/11/14 - 8:43pm
#4
Thought I'd check out one of my chiles for comparison. This one isn't 1/4 size yet. It's damp inside as would be expected but not wet, and boy is it warm! About jalapeno strength but most of the heat is in the seeds and pulp. Wonder if those seeds are ripe enough to sprout? Hmm...
Fri, 2008/11/14 - 10:00pm
#5
Wow, that plant looks like a pepper bouquet, it's so full of peppers! 
I'm pretty sure those seeds aren't ripe enough to sprout! Interesting that your very-undersize pepper was about the same wetness as my least-ripe mini bell - thanks!
Did you enjoy eating it this size? Lot less wait. 
I think mine'll taste a lot better ripe...
Fri, 2008/11/14 - 11:45pm
#6
You saying one of your peppers was almost full of water piqued my curiosity, I've never eaten any kind of pepper full of liquid and wouldn't want to. Could that be a sign of overwatering or are baby bells just naturally that way? Don't think so since they're dry inside when ripe, more so than the chiles. The idea of having crossbred seed sounds a little farfetched, especially since you got them from a seed company.
You have some of the strangest problems while I sit here dumber than dirt and can hardly do wrong. Probably beginner's luck but I'm not complaining a bit. I plan to leave the chiles as long as they'll stay on the plant, it just blows me away what these little things are doing especially since they were "free" pinchings off plants at Home Depot and Lowes. Don't tell anybody.
If they grow to full size they'll rival Peat's cukes.
Sat, 2008/11/15 - 12:56am
#7
Well, it wasn't full of liquid when I ate it. 
It wasn't ripe. None of them were. But, both the Aerogarden peppers were wet inside... And the potted pepper wasn't.
I didn't get any of these from a seed company. I got the seeds in trades. I believe one (the mini red bell) may have come from Baker Creek rareseeds.com, but I don't remember, and the person I got it from is no longer reachable (Sprout). But the place deals in heirloom seeds. The mini stuffing peppers were from Amishland seeds, also via trade with someone else. It's not at all unlikely one of these heirlooms was accidentally cross-bred. Then again, it may just turn yellow, via black... Seems unlikely. 
But peppers do all sorts of weird color gyrations...
You are doing well!!!
Sat, 2008/11/15 - 5:31am
#8
Sorry I got your peppers mixed up. So the potted yellow pepper was dry inside, huh? Would that not point to a salts build up? What kind of pot do you have it in? Sounds like some sort of self watering pot that may keep the soil too damp for peppers, they don't like wet feet. That, on top of too much nutrients will kill them. The best ones we've had have been almost completely ignored. Soil is totally different than hydroponics. I'm probably preaching to the choir but I've been amazed at the difference.
Peat's the expert and hopefully he'll chime in soon, I'm just a lucky newbie but I would soak it in plain water like I was saying and let it drain almost dry, maybe twice. It's already sodden so it can't hurt. If it's got a deep saucer take it off and let the plant drain completely, getting rid of the salts and giving it some oxygen then go lightly on the water.
Regardless, I'd wait to hear from Peat.
Sat, 2008/11/15 - 5:57am
#9
Thanks for the compliment Bruce, unfortunately I have never grow peppers before. I know more about growing hydroponically than soil, but don't have the practical experience of either, I will, tactfully, duck out of this... I wish I could help!
For sodden, overwatered soil, a dose of hydrogen peroxide will give the rootball some sorely missed oxygen, and pep up the plant.
Sat, 2008/11/15 - 12:55pm
#10
Thanks for all the ideas! For now I think I'm just going to let the soil dry out a bit, though I may add peroxide solution tomorrow - thanks, Peat. (I've actually done that to this plant before - it seemed to like it!)
The plant's leaves are 100% healthy. And it is flowering, if not setting fruit. But then, recall its litter mate was removed for failure to ever set fruit... This does have fruit. Which is... blackening. Many peppers do turn black.
Sun, 2008/11/16 - 4:55pm
#11
13.5 weeks: Regular weekly photo opp. Has flowers, no new fruit, soggy soil drying... I dunno how much longer I'm going to keep this plant, since I didn't like the spicy blackening fruit. And its productivity level already got its litter mate ko'd.
Sat, 2008/11/22 - 1:19pm
#12
Hm. This plant had only 2 peppers left on it, and the smaller one (about 1/2" long) just fell off. Has flowers, none setting fruit.
I'm thinking this plant is a waste of space...
Sat, 2008/11/22 - 4:58pm
#13
Bummer... It's been a thorn in your side anyway so use the space to grow something less aggravating. Lettuce would work there, huh?
Sat, 2008/11/22 - 5:57pm
#14
Yeah... Well, I dunno if lettuce will grow there, but the runty pepper isn't. 
Worth a try... I just shrinkwrapped the windows for winter, so hopefully that spot will be a tad warmer now. My office too... < fingers crossed >
Sun, 2008/11/23 - 1:05am
#15
Runty pepper delenda est.
Ate the one remaining pepper and tossed the plant this evening. Not an especially good tasting pepper, but not horrible. No seeds saved. I wouldn't grow these again, and the seeds were likely immature, anyway. Will post pix tomorrow on the continuing growlog.
Sun, 2008/11/23 - 1:43am
#16
Shrinkwrapped your windows??
Sun, 2008/11/23 - 12:38pm
#17
Shrinkwrapped windows = window insulation kits. Put double-sided tape all around the window frame inside, then stick a plastic sheet to it, kind of like a thin plastic storm window inside.
I'd never tried this before - only my 2nd winter in this place. I think it'll cut the draft from the window glass substantially, but there's also significant draft from the window frames not being well set.
Sun, 2008/11/23 - 1:12pm
#18
Great idea! We've got a double sliding glass door that could use something like that, that room is always chillier than the rest of the house. Thanks!
Sun, 2008/11/23 - 3:09pm
#19
I'm still cogitating on what to do about my sliders. Unfortunately, they both open onto upstairs decks, and sealing them off and putting them out of commission for 5-6 months doesn't work for me... But especially the one to my bedroom balcony is cold. Even the lettuces didn't like it by that window, once the wind picked up and night temps fell into the 20's.
Sun, 2008/11/23 - 8:50pm
#20
Runty pepper's last photo op before it was terminated for non-production:
Updated latest weekly photo - 3 fruit set.