Sweet Heat Peppers 4/1/20

roots look ok..not slimy or anything at least.

[Shawn]

I have found the roots on mine never stay white.  They get that brownish look because of discoloration of the nutes.

[Sher]

Apr 30, 2020 5:33:33 GMT -5 Shawn said:

I have found the roots on mine never stay white.  They get that brownish look because of discoloration of the nutes.

Well they gave me quite a scare. I am so relieved that they seem to be okay now.  I can't wait to taste them! And it looks like it will work out! Yay!

[Shawn]

They look good.  I have never topped these as they do not grow very high.   

[Sher]

mike , I need your help again, please.

The water in the AG bowl is stinking again. For some reason, the water in that Bounty stays way too warm.

I have also noticed purple streaks in the main vein and stems of the plants. Those leaves' attachment to the stem is pretty flaccid. Also, one of the larger leaves has a mottled color. The picture doesn't show the variation in color well.

I added a tablespoon of peroxide and 3 ice cubes to the water a few minutes ago.

Is this something I can cure, or would I be better off buying new seeds and starting over?

Edit: The water staying too warm is something new. Could I need a new pump?

Should I try transplanting them to soil with a peroxide drench?

[mike]

The one thing that has bothered me all along is the warm water. I'm thinking your pump may be going bad. Do you have a spare? Your plants would hate overly warm water. If you have a spare, replace the pump. You can't be adding ice cubes 24/7.

[Shawn]

Mike is our resident Pepper Expert, but some things I have noticed in my growings:


How far from the plants is the light?  I would try lifting it some.  The water will be warm in the peppers, at least mine are.  They are not hot but warm.  If too warm I add ice cubes.  Odor, I have found if you sniff the water there will be a slight one as the nutes have a strong odor and it will transfer into the water itself.  However it should not be offensive enough to bother you when walking by.  Doing R&R's monthly helps.



The purple streak..  Does it look like this?  If so it is normal.  I have had purple in my Sweet Heat stalks.




Are the spotted ones the large older ones?  I cut them off.

[Sher]

What a relief, Shawn!  The purple streaks really scared me.

I am still a nervous wreck about possibly killing them!  I will cut that one mottled leaf off because it will make me feel better.   

Edit: The lights are not too close, but  will raise them anyway. Anything to cool that water!

[Shawn]

If you have a fan, place it in a way that they get some air flow without having the fan directly on them.  I have done that a couple of times.  With how I have them situated they get plenty so I no longer do that.

[Sher]

Thank you. I will grab the small fan out of the camper and use it.

[Sher]

May 2, 2020 8:24:00 GMT -5 mike said:

The one thing that has bothered me all along is the warm water. I'm thinking your pump may be going bad. Do you have a spare? Your plants would hate overly warm water. If you have a spare, replace the pump. You can't be adding ice cubes 24/7.

Mike, I missed your post earlier. I will go ahead and order a new pump tonight.

The too-warm water really concerns me, too. I have read that is the main cause of pythium. (sp?)

As always, thank you.

[Sher]

I think I figured out why the water stays too warm. It's because the pump runs 24/7. I checked the Bounty with the tomatoes in it, and it is also too warm.

The water in my Harvests is noticeably cooler.

So I have changed the high growth mode pump setting in the Bounties to 5 on, 25 off like the Harvests.

The tomatoes and peppers will grow more slowly, but at least the water temperature will not promote disease.

[Shawn]

I have to check but the new Bountys do not run 24/7 anymore.  Once I look I will report back as to how they run.

[Sher]

May 4, 2020 5:08:43 GMT -5 Shawn said:

I have to check but the new Bountys do not run 24/7 anymore.  Once I look I will report back as to how they run.

Thanks, Shawn.  Both of mine are the original Bounty models.

When you report back, I will change my settings to match yours.

[Shawn]

For lettuce my bounty is set for 5 mins on and 25 mins off.  So it runs 5 mins every half hour.  I do not know how to convert that on the older units.

Now for my peppers and tomatoes it is set to 60 on and 0 off.  But I am sure you can use the same as the lettuce to cool it down.

[Sher]

Shawn, you will not believe this!

I set it to 5 on 25 off yesterday. The water is much cooler. And just LOOK at the difference in the roots!

I just added a tiny airstone 5 minutes ago, so it couldn't have already had an effect.

mike, don't miss this!

⅕

[Shawn]

Wonderful!

[Sher]

These little peppers are amazing me with their growth!  The bigger one is closer to the air stone. I need to secure the hose to the pump post so it won't move around.

There are buds everywhere, including the tops of the branches.  Here are a few pictures. I am SO excited!

Small plants and a huge abundance of peppers on the way! Great project!

[Shawn]

They look wonderful!