Overwintering!

Due to having such issues last year with mites and yield, I wasn't actually going to overwinter any plants. In fact, I hacked them off at the stumps and threw them out.

But - I took pity on one scotch bonnet plant in the end. Its leaves weren't all mottled and sick looking like the other plants, so I kept it around.

I did however hack it right back to a stump. Literally. Look:

 The leaves you see weren't there when I hacked it. They've grown. And look, green shoots out of the main trunk!

Actually against all odds, I think we might just have a good start for this plant this year. I'm looking forward to the prospect of some good scotch bonnets!


Overwintering, apparently, isn't so hard after all.

Growing Update

Nothing spectacular to report.

Growth seems pretty slow at the moment, but I think its partially due to the small size of the plants (they have grown relative to their size immensely!) and partially how little sun they get at this time of year!

Super Chilli is doing best...

And Bhut Jolokia isn't too bad either, these always grow slower, considering these were planted around the same time in December, I don't think this is too bad a result! 

In the next few days, i.e. the beginning of February, I'm going to plant the next batch of seeds. This will be a more serious event - this is when you're supposed to plant them. I'll be doing some seeds of every type!

A New Macro Lens - And Some Minor Trouble...

I'm happy to have got hold of a 1:1 macro lens, finally. 1:1 means the image on "film" (digital in this case) is exactly the same size as in real life. That means an insect like a small spider, or a tiny leaf from a seedling, will take up the entire camera photo. That means I can now take some stunning close ups.

Although, of course it's still only capable of taking photos as well as I am :)

If you fancy macro photography, you can't beat a 1:1 macro. Most "macro" lenses aren't true 1:1 macro, the difference is, well, big.



And so on to the bad news. Well, to be quite honest it's nothing. One of the three bhut seedlings has a funny leaf curling and browning. I imagine it's probably going to recover but in all these kinds of cases I absolutely always quarantine. You just never know.

Probably just light+water burn or perhaps got a bit chilly overnight....but can't be too careful

Growing Update: All is well

Well mostly.

Last years thai super seeds are doing great!

A Mixup Of Cherry Bomb, Thai Super, Apache...

 Bhut Jolokia growing well, although I notice some of the leaves look funky - more on that later..




And finally - a side note for entertainment. Ever planted Basil? They puff up into these white jelly blobs as soon as you add water. Insane...

Transplanting to Pots

The seed trays were getting kinda busy...

So it was time to put them into pots.

  
Nothing technical - fill a pot with soil, leave about 1cm or so at the top. Poke your finger right down to the 2nd knuckle.

Separate the seedlings gently, generally I stick a finger in the soil adjacent to them and lift them out from the side, this supports the roots a bit, they don't have much root at this stage but what they do have is typically very deep, usually all the way to the bottom of the tray. This is why you need to poke a hole very deep into the plant pot!

I bury the stalks about 3/4 inch in too. Mostly for aesthetics but it might also help them grow upright better.


All done! :)

Remember to label every single pot!

Growing Update - Monkey Face and Bhut

An update since it's been a few days already!

Monkey Face chillis have all sprouted, three planted and three germinated.

The Bhut Jolokia are also doing well. However, nothing else in the "slow tray" has germinated at all.

 


The "Fast Tray" is fast becoming overcrowded, I will have to repot within a few days...