Day 85
UPDATE#9
Grower update
Update #9
Actions taken
HarvestCollected the ripe second-crop peppers, leaving three green fruits.
The harvest today (3 more completely green peppers left):
GrowLog
SuccessfulSanta Fe Grande, Jalapeño, and Caribbean Red Habanero Pepper Harvests
Grow log by tompepper7 · Original thread
9 visual updates9 photos76 replies
View recapCrop🌶️Pepper
VarietySanta Fe Grande, jalapeño, Thai chili, Caribbean Red Habanero
MethodAeroGarden hydroponics, long-cycle pepper production
EquipmentAeroGarden Bounty Basic, AeroGarden Bounty light extension, Be the Bee pollinator
Plants-
AudienceAdvanced
What you can learnA rich multi-season pepper diary with spacing lessons, pruning experiments, light-cycle changes, feeding adjustments, repeated harvests, taste reports, and a final pruning accident.
Actions:2 Harvest1 Solution1 Nutrients
Useful practices
- limiting mature peppers to roughly one plant per Bounty
- topping and selective leaf removal
- shortening and later restoring the light cycle
- changing to a staged Fox Farm flowering schedule
- harvesting peppers for sauces
- curry
- omelettes
- and poppers
Problems encountered
- initial garden overcrowding
- slow pepper ripening
- long delays between habanero crops
- limited fruit set despite flowering
- accidental pruning collapse
- possible pump damage from roots
*The days were calculated automatically and approximately.
Conversation
T
...oops. I decided I would end this plant next weekend no matter if the few green peppers were red or not. So I decided to prune all the vines that did not have peppers on them. First I accidentally clipped one vine that had a green pepper. Then I clipped a large vine with no peppers that was holding up the small vine with green peppers. The whole plant collapsed. The green peppers are in a glad bag to see if they ripen. The plant is gone and I'll need to clean up the Bounty and maybe replace the pump if the roots ruined it before planting some Thai chilis.
L
tompepper7, I wish I had a buck for every time that I've pruned a bearing branch or vine--even though my pruning mantra is "Always know what you're cutting!"
Day 81
UPDATE#8
Grower update
Update #8
Seven on the other side:
Day 80
UPDATE#7
Grower update
Update #7
This weekend I didn't think I had a good view of these peppers to share but a view of 8 peppers seems okay: Edit: 272 days
Day 64
UPDATE#6
Grower update
Update #6
1st red pepper from the second crop. There is another small pepper on the other side of the plant still turning red.
Conversation
L
Love your photo!
T
Two more peppers are getting nicely red. Four are in process of turning red.
M
How's the heat?
T
Not sure yet how this second crop compares to the first. The first pepper to turn red in the second batch was small and I removed the seeds and used it for a couple omelets. It had good flavor with some heat.
Day 56
UPDATE#5
Grower update
Update #5
Day 51
UPDATE#4
Grower update
Update #4
So far there are 11 peppers just starting and 4 like in the pic below.
Conversation
L
Good show! Nice photo!
M
Hot stuff on the way.
T
At 15 looking good for more I am hoping for 2 or 3 dozen. I have the spices for an nice curry I like to make.
Day 49
UPDATE#3
Grower update
Update #3
Actions taken
SolutionChanged the nutrient solution while maintaining the Fox Farm week-twelve schedule.
NutrientsMaintained the extended-flowering week-twelve nutrient strength.
There are a number of peppers just starting. The above pic is the best area with 3 peppers starting, flowers, and some buds. A few other areas are similar with 2 peppers starting. Haven't tried counting the small starting peppers. I 'll wait till they get a bit bigger. Did weekly change of nutrients holding at Fox Farm schedule week 12.
Conversation
L
You're going to have a lovely harvest, tompepper7! Healthy leaves, lots of blooms!
Day 7
UPDATE#2
Grower update
Update #2
I have said the Red Halapeno plant is huge. The Bounty light above is at about 2.5 feet.
Conversation
T
The Red Habanero pepper plant finally has 2 more peppers starting. After producing 11 peppers it has been around a month with no further activity (although the plant is still doing well). The only reason it is still there is because I need to purchase some pruning shears to remove the thumb circumference main stem, so I have just kept the water topped off. With the couple new peppers I flushed the Bounty and added fresh nutrients.
L
You can prune off the lower leaves and the non-producing branches to encourage the plant to get really going again.
T
The Red Habanero plant is at 235 days. I have tried a few different thing while growing this plant. Since it seemed it was taking a while to produce peppers I switched to newly purchased Fox Farm nutrients after a number of months. I also read shortening the light cycle would make the plant produce peppers, so I did that too. I am using the Fox Farm nutrients at the Extended Flowering week 12 level. I have returned the light to the Aerogarden pepper cycle. Still just 2 new peppers growing. A side story, I gave a half dozen of the red habaneros to a Filipina co-worker. She made something for herself and said it was too hot. But that meant it was good. She used the rest in a curry sauce for the family and said it was too hot which means they liked it.
L
Have you tried Koolbloom? That helps plants to set and retain fruit.Love your "too hot" story!
T
...make that 3... edit: 4
M
That Liquid KoolBloom really works well for me. Just don't use maximum recommended amount. It suggests 2.5-5 ml per gallon. DO NOT USE 5! Not unless you want to shock the plant and have it drop all of its blooms. That is what happened to me when I used it for the first time on a mature plant. Start with 2 ml and increase to no more than 3 ml. It does say you may want to shock the plant between crops. I only do this right before the final crop to get the best possible yield from that last crop.
T
Found 3 more peppers just starting today - so that makes 7. May have another batch starting. I'm hoping for a couple dozen or more. Edit: The Aerogarden says 238 days.
Day 1
UPDATE#1
Grower update
Update #1
Actions taken
HarvestReported ten red peppers already harvested, with one additional green fruit still growing.
Here are 6 of the red habanero peppers. So far 10 red peppers harvested with one latter pepper still green and growing. So 11 peppers and no more starting yet.
Conversation
M
Those ought to light you up.
L
What beautiful peppers! They sure took their time--nearly 6 months.
S
Lovely looking peppers! Give us a review of their taste