no its not what it sounds like. im growing hot peppers now :bigsmile:
right now i have trinidad scorpion peppers, jalapeno and sweet banana peppers going. want to start a few more too
pretty new to growing stuff. tried in my closet with a regular old tube florescent bulb, but always forgot to water haha S)
i have an exo-terra terrarium from last summer that i had a redback salamander, dusky salamander and two lined salamander in. they were fun to watch eat crickets, but i let them go after a while so they wouldnt die by not being able to hibernate and wouldnt forget how to live on the outside here is a video of the dusky and two lined and a peeper frog i had in it.
the peeper lost his front leg, pretty sure at the end of the video when you see him pulling on it. didnt notice til the next day. needless to say, i through out that substrate and got something else as soon as i realized. never get the exo-terra moss mat if you have small pets.
anyways, im using that terrarium, and a halogen bulb for lighting. it is staying right at 75-76f. these hot peppers need to be 75f or higher to germinate, so its going to be a good setup i think. i germinated the trinidad scorpions in front of a space heater so they had a higher temp. may affect germination of the other peppers being cooler, we shall see.
anyways heres some pics
though id share my setup for starting my hot peppers for summer. wont be able to let them live full time in there, but will be able to have a controlled environment for the first few months of their lives
the ones growing you see are the trinidad scorpions (up to 1.4m on the scoville), the two ones with just soil is the jalapeno and sweet banana. 15 seeds in each and i will seperate what grows in to their own cup when they get a couple inches tall, and keep 5 of each for myself. looks like i can have 20-25 cups in it at a time
anyone grow hot peppers and have tips? or anyone else with indoor grow setup with any tips?
PS: when i get a couple extra hundred smackers, id like to get some thumbnail dart frogs for it.
PPS: growing in my closet was in high school. this is the first year im going to have a garden so its going to be a lot of trial and error im guessing.
Hi Pulsar. I do the same. Got mine under a pair of daylight fluorescent tubes purchased from Lowes. Just make sure you have drain holes in bottom of those cups (at lowest point of cup bottom) and any other container you transplant to. And water them from the bottom when needed. Also, some air movement is really helpful for seedlings. I use a small fan in the area of the seedlings /not direct/ but just enough to give a very small movement of the plants leaves. It simulates outdoors and makes the plants much hardier.
I only grow my peppers in containers. Gave up in the yard. Too many critters, bugs, etc. And believe it or not direct sun is too much for em down here. I’ve had greater success growing in containers on my South-West patio.
Once my seedlings get their second/third full set of leaves (like your scorpions there) I begin using a liquid fertilizer *at half strength *for a few weeks. Then I transplant to quart sized container and feed at regular rates every two weeks.
I end up with patio plants when Spring rolls round in about March-April. Then transplant to 3- 5 gallon pots. It’s a hot scorchin heat way down South in South Texas (Zone 9) so half a day sun is more than enough here. I see you are in a milder zone…so you’re gonna need some artifical light for quite some time I’m sure.
I harvest my own seed for some hot peppers. Pequin and Tabasco are my favorites and I germinate some every January. I use the Jiffy-Pellets in a covered germinating tray. I put the covered tray in my wall oven utilizing the ovens light bulb with the door ajar…keeps a nice 86 degrees. If you need some Pequin/Tabasco seed to try, let me know and I can send ya a few.
thanks for the tips. i have some PC fans, i may rig a couple up to a battery pack to get some light air flow. ill have to go pick up some fertilizer soon for um too. im probably going to have to keep mine inside until may/june im expecting, its cold up here lol.
should i expect a pretty big harvest from 5 plants? everything im reading says each plant yields quite a bit. if so i may have some extra scorpion peppers to giveaway haha those things are too hot to eat all of them
i actually got the trinidad scorpion peppers in a kit for xmas from my fiances mom, when they sprouted it got me thinking. i like pretty much all peppers and hot stuff, so i figured i mine as well grow 5 or so verities or different hotness. also going to do some beans, cucumbers and pumpins atleast this year, but not going to need to start those inside
In my experience the banana and jalapeno should be your biggest yields. They are pretty prolific. The most prolific I ever grew was one called GYPSY…man what a producer.
Scorpions I haven’t done,… but would think a few of those is all a family could tolerate…LOL
How do you harvest the seeds with out killing them? Should I let them dry naturally in the sun, bake them, under a lamp? Like I said, I’m new to growing.
I’ll have to check out that link later, but I’m hoping this don’t turn into a hobby also. Just want some fresh fruits n veggies lol
Seeds do not mature until the fruit has ripened. Let the pepper ripen on the vine. Turns red and gets soft. Then it practicaly falls off. Keep your eye on it.
I then use a razor blade and cut it open. With tweezers i pick out the seeds and dry them on a paper towel. Then put them in a dish and let em air dry for a couple weeks .
Never bake them. They’ll die. Seeds dont tolerate temps over 100 or more degrees.
Some like to sun dry…then crush the pepper and pick up the already dry seeds.
BUT although easier, the seeds are exposed to possible diseases/viruses with prolonged exposure to moisture in such a slow drying process. This can come back to haunt you with a plant that may develop viruses etc. Really disappointing after you’ve harvested that seed and invested months of time only to turn out a diseased and unhealthy plant that usually dies off slowly. That’s why I harvest the seed out of the fully ripened fruits.
so my jalapenos are sprouting like crazy, got 10 out of 12 or 15 seeds planet growing. the banana peppers only have like 3 sprouted out of the same number of seeds. exactly one week later. i took those pics right after i set up the terrarium
so id say this is working pretty stinking decent
Halogen doesn’t provide the right spectrum and gives off too much heat. Plants don’t do well under them. Try some hi watt cfl’s or even better is high pressure sodium. 400 watts will do nicely . Running a small fan across the plants helps stem strength so when they fruit they can handle the weight.
ive been debating on whether or not to get the hood i want for the terrarium now. once i can plant these outside they are leaving the terrarium and hopefully a thumbnail dart frog will take their place. maybe a pygmy chameleon… not totally sure yet. maybe salamanders again. as long as it gives them light and keeps it over 75f in there right now ill be happy
the scorpion peppers separated fine. once they get their second sets of leafs i will transplant to their own cups. my banana peppers blew up since last night. i had three starting to sprout now theres 8 about an inch tall
If the light isn’t intense enough the plants grow thin and lanky trying to reach the sun. I’d recommend a 26W CFL with reflector covering about a square foot instead. Keep your lights as close to the plant tops as possible without having heat issues. What soil did you start with? Soil like Miracle Grow already has fertilizer in it, so don’t even think of fertilizing a seedling in Miracle Grow until the plant gets at least a month old. It’s always fun growing your own. Good luck.
no, it was some organic soil. its what was here in the basement when i moved in this house lol. one of the scorpion peppers are getting tall, wouldnt quite call it lanky yet, but the other ones seem to be staying short and stout. i wasnt going to start fertilizing until they got a little bigger though.
