Sweet Heat Peppers Stressed by Light, Dry Reservoirs, and Nutrient Experiments

Thanks, mike and Shawn. I also think they are especially pretty.

Something is terribly wrong with this batch of Sweet Heats. They are fiery! Neither Ron nor I can tolerate them. The first ones I grew that were so amazing were from seeds Shawn sent me from Park Seed, I think. This batch is from seeds I bought from Totally Tomatoes. I don't know if the problem was with the seeds, or if the plants were over stressed and plotted their revenge! The third plant that I had planted in the grow tent was subject to extreme heat stress before I got the temperature regulated, and I also switched to different nutrients for the rain tower. So I was not surprised by their unexpected heat. I figured it was a normal stress reaction. The two plants in the Bounty Basic got the normal AG nutrients with CalMag. However, the water level indicator in that machine does not work, and I accidentally let them go dry twice. So they, too, were subject to extreme stress. In any case, since neither Ron nor I can eat them, I will be terminating this project. I did plant two more Pretty 'n Sweet peppers in another Bounty tonight.

mike, these don't have the sweetness either. The initial taste is unpleasantly "green" -- like an unsweet bell pepper.

The ripe ones have a watery, unsatisfying sweetness before the heat hits.

I`m trying to analyze what caused my pepper failure. After I decided to terminate the project, I just ignored it for a while, only adding water as needed. All the leaves were crisped on the tips. After a few days, I tasted a pepper, and the heat was dissipating and the pepper tasted sweeter. However, the roots looked very unhealthy. So I picked all the friut, changed the water to beginner nutes, and added peroxide to help revive the dying roots. Then I did a Khang Starr "remove most leaves, trim branches back severely" and expected it to eventually rebound like Starr's peppers do. But I must have damaged the plants too severely because the remaining leaves are still crisping and dying. In any case, I think my nute experiments did thie plants in, and I really doubt that it was the vendor's seeds.

I got them from Totally Tomatoes.

Shawn

mike and Shawn . Got a p.s. to add. It was not the seeds that were the problem. I had been pushing the nutrient strength to try to match the recommened ppm charts. After I posted that I was going to terminate the peppers, I dumped the water and just added 11 ml of AG nutrients and 5 ml calmag twice, and the peppers ended up tasting like Sweet Heats. So I was the culprit!

@cornne , they are thick walled, crisp, and I remember them as being sweet, like a bell pepper, with just a pleasant touch of heat. However, I just picked a green one from the grow tent so I could give you an up to the minute review. The peppers in the grow tent were grown under different conditions with different nutrients. The first bite was crisp, crunchy, and tasted like a green bell pepper. Then the heat hit! My eyes are watering and my nose is running and my mouth is on fire. I have no idea what the Scoville rating is, as I do not like hot peppers. Grown in a Bounty with AG nutrients, they are sweet with a little kick -- awesome for munching and stuffing, fresh or cooked. I think the Scoville rating is around 350. Flavorful, and definitely not sour!

Shawn, I did not post a review on the other page because I was going on memory of how the ripe Aerogarden Sweet Heats taste. Once mine ripen, I'll add my official opinion, if you want it in addition to the video review.

As always, thank you for your help, Mike.

I really appreciate your reassurance, Shawn!