Day 127
UPDATE#10
Grower update
Update #10
Day 194 (almost a week after the previous post): This will probably be the end of the Habanero Habanadas. I am looking at getting some Aerogardens cleaned up for new stuff.
GrowLog
SuccessfulHabanero Habanada Pepper Grown on a Full Fox Farm Nutrient Schedule
Grow log by tompepper7 · Original thread
10 visual updates10 photos39 replies
View recapCrop🌶️Pepper
VarietyHabanero Habanada
MethodAeroGarden hydroponics
EquipmentAeroGarden Bounty Basic
Plants1
AudienceAdvanced
What you can learnA detailed long-cycle pepper diary documenting staged fertilisation, repeated flushing, plant dimensions, fruit set, culinary use, and extended production.
Actions:4 Nutrients1 Solution1 Harvest
Useful practices
- thinning to one final plant
- siphoning and flushing between nutrient stages
- progressing through vegetative and bloom supplements
- tracking plant height and days
- using harvested Habanada peppers in cooking
- ending after an extended productive cycle
Problems encountered
- complex weekly nutrient schedule
- first pepper detached accidentally
- subtle flavour
- dense roots near the water opening
*The days were calculated automatically and approximately.
Conversation
S
Hi, Newbie here!Would you mind telling me a bit about how you got the Habanada pepper to fruit. Your peppers are perfect. I tried growing the plant several months ago and it was an absolute fail. The plant grew big and beautiful. It had tons of bloom but I never got not even one fruit. I grew 1 plant in a Harvest XL. I tried playing with the humidity. The Aerogarden Nutrients etc. nothing worked. Do you mind giving me some tips. I would love to try again. Thanks,
T
If you are just using the Aerogarden nutrients, that may be the issue. People will often use some sort of supplement for blooming if they are using only Aerogarden nutrients. I used the Fox Farm nutrients. There are a number of formulas that are added according to a schedule. You mention tons of blooms and since you do not mention pollinating I will ask if you were using some method such as the Aerogarden "Be the BEE" or such. Additional nutrients or pollinating are what come to my mind if you were getting blossoms but no fruit.
L
spaul, did you add any supplements? When my Poblanos weren't setting fruit, adding some Koolbloom helped. Koolbloom encourages blooms, fruit set, and retention of fruit. Some CalMag might also help.Pruning may help, too. Your peppers may have had so many leaves and blooms to support that they had no energy left for developing fruit. Drafts will also discourage fruit set.
S
Hi, I used aerogarden nutes and 4 ml of calmag. However, I am willing to try anything. Can you tell me how much of the fox farm you used and the schedule? Did you use fox farm from the start? I pollinated using the yellow and black bee the bee. I also used an electric toothbrush and a fan. I would try to pollinate it every time I passed the plant, after a while, because I became so desperate for fruit. For some reason I don't think the flowers had any pollen. I gave up after about 180 days because I couldn't justify it any longer. I am living to try this pepper. I'm not ashamed to beg for a step by step and stick to it if you are willing to give me the details. I'll buy any product or nutes you recommend. Happy Holidays!!!
S
Hi, I never heard of koolbloom but I will look into it . I used calmag when I grew it. Have you grown habanada peppers? I'm a newbie and I'm not very good at this. I'm trying not to get discouraged. I'm fighting of spider mites right now and they are brutal. They really are making me feel like giving up. Happy Holidays!
Day 120
UPDATE#9
Grower update
Update #9
Day 188 - more peppers:
Conversation
J
Did you have an issue with your habanada plant’s roots taking up too much space in your Aerogarden? I have one in mine now and the roots are taking over and getting into the pump. I trimmed the roots but it seems very unhappy now. Curious if you had any tips on that. I’ve enjoyed following your journey!
S
Hello and welcome. I did grow these and I can not remember if I trimmed or not. However I frequently trim roots but you should not trim too much. When did you trim? It can take a day or two to recover. They can go into shock.
T
I use a siphon when I change the water and don't really see what's going on with the roots. With some plants I do notice it is a bit difficult to get the siphon to the bottom of the Aerogarden past the roots. With the Habanada peppers there is an odd bunch of roots that seem to be growing right at the top of the Aerogarden cover and peeking into the area where the opening for watering is. Pump seems to be working.
T
Shawn, what did you think of the flavor? I am finding it more subtle than I would have preferred.
L
Those are probably the "air roots" that plants need to breathe in hydroponic and Kratky setups. Soil-grown plants have them too, and they help with propagation.
L
jpwaterskier, I rarely trim roots, since I nearly killed a healthy green pepper plant that way. It took over a month to recover!Tomatoes are more forgiving. If you really need to trim roots, do it from the sides, and leave the longest roots at the bottom center intact. Those are the active feeder roots.None of my plants mind having their roots cut vertically to separate them from the roots of a plant in a different pod. I do this when I want to remove a young plant for transplanting. Often I'm able to determine which roots belong to which plants by gently pulling sideways and down at the joined tangles.
S
I need to go back to read my thread I can not remember
Day 85
UPDATE#8
Grower update
Update #8
Actions taken
HarvestHarvested an orange pepper and mixed it into taco filling.
6 Peppers at 152 days. I have not tried them by themselves yet. The first pepper that turned orange was mixed 1 habanero habanada (no seeds) and 1/2 red habanero (no seeds) in a taco mix. The red habanero dominated with a subtle flavor of the habanero habanada. Next taco mix will be all habanero habanada.
Conversation
L
Lovely peppers!
T
There are around 2 dozen more peppers growing with a few turning orange. This plant is different from the Red Habanero in that, although is is easily a couple feet wide, it is only about 14 inched tall.
Day 71
UPDATE#7
Grower update
Update #7
138 days:
Day 54
UPDATE#6
Grower update
Update #6
The bad and the good. The first Habanero Habanada pepper to show up was turning from the pale yellow to a nice green color. Thought I would try a picture. The pepper was hidden by leaves and when I went to move it it fell off the plant. After a couple days it (the top pepper) looks like it may be changing color. The four lower peppers are the Red Habanero peppers that were green when I pruned the wrong branch. So far one is changing color nicely.
Day 44
UPDATE#5
Grower update
Update #5
Actions taken
NutrientsApplied the week-ten mix with reduced calcium-magnesium.
Adding Fox Farm week 10 today. Almost the same as week 9 except it has me cutting back on the Cal/Mag addition. There are three peppers that have started a bit apart and today I found at least four more just starting. Here are the second (bottom) and third (top) plus two starting (one pretty visible and one hard to see below the second pepper).
Day 30
UPDATE#4
Grower update
Update #4
Actions taken
NutrientsApplied the same nutrient mix as week seven.
Week 8 Fox Farm nutrients added. Same as week 7. This is the pepper above today: Not noticing any others starting yet.
Conversation
T
Added Fox Farm week 9 nutrients. This has me increasing one of the basic nutrients and switching to the late blooming addition. The first pepper is still growing and a second has started.
Day 21
UPDATE#3
Grower update
Update #3
Actions taken
NutrientsApplied the week-seven mix and switched from Open Sesame to Beastie Bloomz.
This week I am using the Fox Farm week 7 nutrients. This has me switching from the "Open Sesame" (vegetative to mid flowering) to the "Beastie Bloomz" (mid to late flowering) addition. EDIT: Almost forgot to mention, the plant is 13 inches tall. The Aerogarden says day 89 and I found this:
Day 3
UPDATE#2
Grower update
Update #2
It's official...
Conversation
T
Currently I am using 10 minutes on, 20 minutes off, for the Habanero Habanada.
T
This weekend it seemed appropriate to increment the nutrients at 1 week. After a water flush I added the Fox Farm week 5 nutrients. Week 5 has me using the 3rd basic nutrient (Tiger Bloom) while cutting back a little on another (Grow Big Hydro). The plant is about 8.5 inches, half dozen flowers started to fully open, and a good number of buds. I plan to be quite impressed if peppers start growing before the plant is a foot tall.
T
Again incrementing at one week to week 6 (which is the exact same mix as week 5) The plant is now 10.5 inches tall an extending just a bit past the width of the Bounty. I went ahead and changed the feeding schedule in the Bounty to 7 days (rather than the default 14). So I guess there is a question. I was doing an Aerogarden schedule of adding nutrients every two weeks (I.E. incrementing the Fox Farm one week schedule every two weeks) until recently. Would the pepper plant really be where it is now a month ago if I had totally followed the Fox Farm schedule?
L
Could be. For example, when I was growing AG strawberries, I found that the water and nutrients had to be changed weekly. On a 2-week schedule, the pH went too high, even when I tested regularly and added pH Down to correct the problem. Getting good production from your AGs is always a matter of finding the right balance of all the factors (room temperature, nutes, feeding, etc.).You seem to have hit on the right schedule and nutes for your particular peppers.
Day 1
UPDATE#1
Grower update
Update #1
Actions taken
SolutionSiphoned the old solution and ran fresh water, SledgeHammer, and fresh water sequentially before refilling.
NutrientsRefilled the Bounty with the scheduled week-four mix including Open Sesame.
10 weeks (tomorrow) I added Fox Farm nutrients. The whole bit now is Siphon old water (90 something percent) Fill with H2O only and run pump for 1 hour. Siphon H2O and then fill with the Fox Farm SledgeHammer Flush and run the pump for 1 hour. Siphon SledgeHammer and then fill with H2o and run the pump for 1 hour. Siphon H2O and then fill with Fox Farm week 4 nutrients. Week 4 has me adding the "Open Sesame" nutrient. The plant is now about 7 inches tall but very full and it looks like some blossoms forming.
Conversation
S
I see them