Mocha Swirl Peppers

[Sher]

Shawn, I know that is good advice.  But I simply can't bear to get rid of those sweet little buds!  Maybe the next time I grow them.

[Sher]

I am amazed that this plant split into 4 stems without any topping.  I am hoping that means it will produce lots of peppers!

lynnee, are your Mocha Swirls doing this?

mike, does this happen very often? It is new to me!

[mike]

Most split into 3 branches. But they are all different.

[lynnee]

Mine are doing the same thing, Sher . 🌶

In my experience, peppers do better with minimal pruning. I keep the lights as low as possible, prune sparingly and only from underneath to improve air circulation, and start topping only if the peppers are still growing taller after the lights are at maximum height.

I also consult the photos and posts in mike 's gardens a lot!

[Sher]

Thanks, mike and lynnee!

I usually over prune my peppers.  I will be more careful this time.

I am surprised that they usually split in 3. I might have known that if I would have just let them alone to do their own thing! 

[mike]

3s or 4s mostly. Then the bushy ones can have a dozen.

[Sher]

Apr 4, 2022 16:43:31 GMT -5 mike said:

3s or 4s mostly. Then the bushy ones can have a dozen.

WOW!!! I had been over pruning all of mine because Khang Starr was my guru, and that's what he always does.

It's good to learn that his way is not the only way.

[mike]

I always prune underneath. The canopies I thin to leave space for the peppers to grow, I never felt comfortable pruning as much as Khangg.

[Shawn]

Apr 4, 2022 19:08:21 GMT -5 mike said:

I always prune underneath. The canopies I thin to leave space for the peppers to grow, I never felt comfortable pruning as much as Khangg.

I saw that he pruned a lot and I tried it once.  Then my plant looked barren and it eventually took a down hill turn.  Now I just trim out the large, older and darker leaves to make some air circulation areas.

[Sher]

The Mocha Swirl is doing well.

I had to remove several very large leaves that were blocking light, and the plant seems to appreciate it.

[Sher]

The Mocha Swirl is floweing, and has tons of buds that I couldn't capture on camera!

[Shawn]

Well I see at least one flower

[lynnee]

You're going to have Mocha Swirl peppers before I do!

My plants have a few flowers, but have been slow-growing. The poblanos and banana peppers that were planted at the same time are farther along.

[Sher]

I am fighting nutrient imbalances in my water. PH is fine. But I have learned I have to do an R&R every two weeks.

[Sher]

Here's a better picture. It is loaded with flowers and buds all around the middle of the plant.

Unfortunately while I was removing the too-large leaves that were blocking light, I inadvertently did a Khang Starr job on the plant!

[mike]

Why do you feel you have an imbalance? If your pump is operating, that shouldn't be the case. Is one plant good on one side but not the other?

[Sher]

mike , my  water out of the tap is 259 ppm. It was 37 in Georgia.

I would expect that with all the minerals in the water, especially calcium, that I would not need supplements. However, for some reason, my plants all show calcium deficiency symptoms. Maybe that calcium is not in a form that is available to the plants?

Anyway, I have to add extra calmag, and a tiny dose of bloom booster to correct potassium deficiencies.

My pH usually runs around 6.5 after the reservoirs have set for a week, so I don't think that is a major problem. However, I am constantly adjusting nutrients to get rid of mottled leaf problems.

I never had these problems in north Georgia. Any advice would be appreciated.

[mike]

Well, to know if that's it you could start purchasing bottled spring water. I prefer to use that over distilled or RO. Those always gave me pH issues. It gets expensive running a lot of gardens, though.

[Sher]

The plant seems to be a lot happier now.  It is loaded with flowers and buds, but they are mostly hidden by the leaves.

[Shawn]

It looks happy and I do see some buds