Help on 4 inch transplants Ghost pepper,tomato.

mick5500 · June 3, 2014

I have some tomato and pepper seedlings that are doing well. They are Trinidad Scorpion and Ghost pepper(Bhut Jolokia) and some Bloody Butcher Mary Tomato
getting ready to transplant to 5 inch Planters Pride Grow Coconut Pots, or some 1 gallon fabric grow bags.

I purchased these form Hirts Gardens. I tried to grow the Ghost Pepper from seed but they never germinated
The Trinidad Scorpion pepper plants I have had a month and if they are in the sun for more then 45 minutes they wilt.This is at 9:00 am. They bounce right back though, but it has been a month, Pictures are attached

My question is what potting mix should I use for all these. I used Miracle potting mix on my other plants and they are not doing well.
Also should the Scorpion still be wilting after a month. I move them in and out to shaded sun a couple times a day.

Thanks for any advice.

Labradors2 · June 3, 2014

I wonder if the coco pots are allowing the plants to dry out too much? Plastic pots would probably do better.

Did you water before putting your pots out in the sun and did you dampen the Miracle Grow Potting Mix really well before transplanting? I don't like that brand as it always seems to come with fungus gnats in my area, but apart from that, my plants usually grow well in it. Pro Mix is a good Potting soil, and they have one with added nutrients for veggie growing. It comes in a pea-green bag.

Linda

RayR · June 4, 2014

I'm wondering the same thing as Linda, coco and fabric pots dry out much faster. Are you drenching them real good at each watering and what have you been feeding them?

mick5500 · June 4, 2014

I have kept them watered but not drenching . I just got some Organicare
http://www.amazon.com/Botanicare-BCO...utrient+system

I planted them a month ago and did put some Vigoro
tomato & Vegetable plant food plus calcium before getting Organic Care.
I will try drenching them today before I put them out .See if I can harden them a little more before transplanting into the next size container. What size container should I put them in next and would you recommend the Pro Mix instead of Miracle Grow.
I am getting ready to transplant the seedling in the first picture ,what size plastic container would be best for those.
Thank You

KarenO · June 4, 2014

Hi there,
You live in California? I think it's time to get them outside in their forever homes whatever you choose those to be. they all look like they need some sun, warmth, fertilizer and a bigger pot, especially the tomatoes. I like miracle grow moisture control potting mix or any other good brand name potting mix if you are planning on keeping them in pots. Many experienced gardeners make their own mix but for a few plants I recommend you buy some good quality brand name soilless mix and go from there. drainage holes are important and as to size of pot bigger is generally better as they hold more moisture.
Best wishes for your planting success
Karen

mick5500 · June 4, 2014

Thank You,
I was not drenching them enough put out this morning for a couple hours no problem, I have a shaded patio that lets sun through the slats that I can put them under for rest of day .90 degrees out here in Victorville ,Ca rest of the week.

mick5500 · June 4, 2014

Thank You Again.
For the first picture with the small black plastic plants( Ghost pepper -Bhut Jolokia, Bloody Butcher Mary Tomato),what size planter should I put them in before I put them in the final 10 or 15 gallon pot? I plan on putting the Tomato's in 15 gallon and peppers in 10 gallons.
This is my first year doing all container's ,just moved and always did them in ground. Wind up here is horrible and I have a spot that is shielded and I can move the pots around if needed.

clkeiper · June 4, 2014

Why don't you just plant them in the final pot if the weather is warm enough to not worry over needing to move them in from the cold? I know I wouldn't waste time or money potting up to the next size. I plant right into the largest size i have to work with and let them grow. I planted the dwarf grow out tomatoes directly into the final pot as soon as they had their first leaf or two and I wasn't worried about it being too cold and when it was cold I put another pot over top of them for the night.

mick5500 · June 4, 2014

Thank you for responding,
My only concern is the weather here in the high desert in Southern California has 30 mile an hour winds off and on and 90 degree 1/2 of the time, so I would have to move them inside off and on until they get established. Having them in a 1 or 2 gallon pot would be more manageable for another 6 weeks instead of a 10 or 15 gallon. But I want to give them the best chance to thrive. Just a bit confused because of weather conditions.

clkeiper · June 6, 2014

Ah, I missed the wind part of the sentence. Sorry. I should read slower and all of it, huh? either pot them up to the next size... like 6 or 8" size (you don't want their roots to get root bound.) or pot them up to the largest size you plan on doing and put your tomato/pepper cage on them and wrap the cage with a light sheet or row cover to break the wind??? just thinking.( No experience with high wind and 90 degrees). I have used promix, but not mg, I can't imagine there is enough difference to fret over which to use...use which ever you have or is most economical.

epsilon · June 10, 2014

Hey Mick I used to live in Hesperia until this past December(14 years). If you put the plants on the south eastern side of your house, you could put about 10º temp difference while they're acclimating, especially when it gets hot in the afternoon as opposed to having them in the sun, for the most part the shade usually kicks in right as the heat starts really turning up(around 14:40-16:00) this will give you that buffer on dry scorching desert heat. As far as the wind goes. Well there's no much you can do about that. Perhaps you can engineer some wind breaks or funnel it away at an angle.

Another solution to help speed acclimation and limit heat stress is applying Protekt by Dyna Gro. The Silicon helps protect the cell walls really nicely which makes them less susceptible to extreme temps.

Once they get established. 2-3 weeks If you're feeding them kelp(I've noticed the recover quicker) you can move them to a semi shaded southern exposure for a few days and then when they look like they are acclimated you can dump them where you want in the sun. I would watch for that aug/sep heat wave we normally get because that constant heat and monsoonal moisture kills everything. aside from that I think they should do well into november this year granted we don't get a strong El Niño event mid fall.

mick5500 · June 10, 2014

Thank You, I am going to order the Pryekt and I have not used Kelp yet but will get some to.
I have a sunroom with windows getting sun facing mostly East. We are using it for storage no AC. Trying to use it as greenhouse with fan on.
I get sun in the morning from 7:00 am to about 10:00 am direct through window.
It does not seem to wilt the plants when I set them by the window but I do not know how much sun gets through the glass window. I have about 25 pepper and tomato plants all in containers .
I have an area with 2 wood slat fences between front yard and patio about 50 feet by 75 feet that I keep them in and it still gets a bit of wind but most of my plants are established with strong roots. I have a shed I can put about 15 in if wind is pretty bad.
I attached some more pics.
The main point of this is I am trying to grow Ghost Peppers and Trinidad Scorpion that I got from Hirts Gardens online live plants. After failing last year and unable to germinate seeds this seems to be working. Just want to baby these 8 plants.

Any more advice would be appreciated

I can get a 7 gallon waterless planter
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Dynamic-D...06BK/203629990
or the 10 gallon Smart pot both around $10.00 each
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-Dirt...ords=smart+pot

Any advice on which is better? I think I am going to mix it up between the plants and the different pots and see witch comes out better.

epsilon · June 11, 2014

When I lived out in hesperia I tried using the self watering containers with limited success, and from what I've read you want to have the mix drain completely, So I would shoot for the 7gal nursery pots if not larger. Which, by the way are surprisingly cheap from nurseries I picked up four 15gal pots for 5$ a pop this past weekend. So as far as potting options thats what your working with. Also The popular mix to use is pro mix though I have done relatively well so far with nursery mix + some kind of peat moss /coco peat mixed in. The mix needs to drain but not dry out immediately so you might need to play with mixtures to get it tailored correctly for the high desert.

This is for refference for next year.
After having moved to Riveside county, I found louies(a little farther out) and Parkview(a little closer in) from the HD. Earlier this spring I found that both of these places carry superhots in 3-4" pots. peppers like Bhuts, Butch T's and Fatalii's.

At this point I'm currently growing Bhut jolokhia, Carolina Reaper(thanks to Rootloops), and fatalii, All of which are doing well so far, so I'll more than likely(hopefully)have plenty of seed to share next year.

June 4, 2014	#8
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	Why don't you just plant them in the final pot if the weather is warm enough to not worry over needing to move them in from the cold? I know I wouldn't waste time or money potting up to the next size. I plant right into the largest size i have to work with and let them grow. I planted the dwarf grow out tomatoes directly into the final pot as soon as they had their first leaf or two and I wasn't worried about it being too cold and when it was cold I put another pot over top of them for the night. __________________ carolyn k

June 6, 2014	#10
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	Ah, I missed the wind part of the sentence. Sorry. I should read slower and all of it, huh? either pot them up to the next size... like 6 or 8" size (you don't want their roots to get root bound.) or pot them up to the largest size you plan on doing and put your tomato/pepper cage on them and wrap the cage with a light sheet or row cover to break the wind??? just thinking.( No experience with high wind and 90 degrees). I have used promix, but not mg, I can't imagine there is enough difference to fret over which to use...use which ever you have or is most economical. __________________ carolyn k

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June 3, 2014	#2
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,896	I wonder if the coco pots are allowing the plants to dry out too much? Plastic pots would probably do better. Did you water before putting your pots out in the sun and did you dampen the Miracle Grow Potting Mix really well before transplanting? I don't like that brand as it always seems to come with fungus gnats in my area, but apart from that, my plants usually grow well in it. Pro Mix is a good Potting soil, and they have one with added nutrients for veggie growing. It comes in a pea-green bag. Linda

June 4, 2014	#3
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	I'm wondering the same thing as Linda, coco and fabric pots dry out much faster. Are you drenching them real good at each watering and what have you been feeding them?

June 4, 2014	#4
mick5500 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Victorville ,ca Posts: 23	I have kept them watered but not drenching . I just got some Organicare http://www.amazon.com/Botanicare-BCO...utrient+system I planted them a month ago and did put some Vigoro tomato & Vegetable plant food plus calcium before getting Organic Care. I will try drenching them today before I put them out .See if I can harden them a little more before transplanting into the next size container. What size container should I put them in next and would you recommend the Pro Mix instead of Miracle Grow. I am getting ready to transplant the seedling in the first picture ,what size plastic container would be best for those. Thank You

June 4, 2014	#5
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	Hi there, You live in California? I think it's time to get them outside in their forever homes whatever you choose those to be. they all look like they need some sun, warmth, fertilizer and a bigger pot, especially the tomatoes. I like miracle grow moisture control potting mix or any other good brand name potting mix if you are planning on keeping them in pots. Many experienced gardeners make their own mix but for a few plants I recommend you buy some good quality brand name soilless mix and go from there. drainage holes are important and as to size of pot bigger is generally better as they hold more moisture. Best wishes for your planting success Karen

June 10, 2014	#11
epsilon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Desert CA Posts: 400	Hey Mick I used to live in Hesperia until this past December(14 years). If you put the plants on the south eastern side of your house, you could put about 10º temp difference while they're acclimating, especially when it gets hot in the afternoon as opposed to having them in the sun, for the most part the shade usually kicks in right as the heat starts really turning up(around 14:40-16:00) this will give you that buffer on dry scorching desert heat. As far as the wind goes. Well there's no much you can do about that. Perhaps you can engineer some wind breaks or funnel it away at an angle. Another solution to help speed acclimation and limit heat stress is applying Protekt by Dyna Gro. The Silicon helps protect the cell walls really nicely which makes them less susceptible to extreme temps. Once they get established. 2-3 weeks If you're feeding them kelp(I've noticed the recover quicker) you can move them to a semi shaded southern exposure for a few days and then when they look like they are acclimated you can dump them where you want in the sun. I would watch for that aug/sep heat wave we normally get because that constant heat and monsoonal moisture kills everything. aside from that I think they should do well into november this year granted we don't get a strong El Niño event mid fall.

June 11, 2014	#13
epsilon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Desert CA Posts: 400	When I lived out in hesperia I tried using the self watering containers with limited success, and from what I've read you want to have the mix drain completely, So I would shoot for the 7gal nursery pots if not larger. Which, by the way are surprisingly cheap from nurseries I picked up four 15gal pots for 5$ a pop this past weekend. So as far as potting options thats what your working with. Also The popular mix to use is pro mix though I have done relatively well so far with nursery mix + some kind of peat moss /coco peat mixed in. The mix needs to drain but not dry out immediately so you might need to play with mixtures to get it tailored correctly for the high desert. This is for refference for next year. After having moved to Riveside county, I found louies(a little farther out) and Parkview(a little closer in) from the HD. Earlier this spring I found that both of these places carry superhots in 3-4" pots. peppers like Bhuts, Butch T's and Fatalii's. At this point I'm currently growing Bhut jolokhia, Carolina Reaper(thanks to Rootloops), and fatalii, All of which are doing well so far, so I'll more than likely(hopefully)have plenty of seed to share next year.