Any advice?

LS929

LS929

Ok guys, So I'm struggling to figure out what to do here. I seeded up some trays in rapid rooters to try a solid easy way to start seeds and I've had a little trouble because I didn't put them under my T5 fast enough. Some got a little elongated.
 
On top of that they seem to be hating the conditions I'm keeping them in. I took them out the humidity dome recently and raise my T5 up a little so they wouldn't sit and bake. I also put a fan blowing the air above my lights not directly on them and I only have 2 of my T5 bulbs on.
 
I've been watering with a weak mix of 1~2 teaspoons of Bioroot (1-1-1) per gallon of water. They loved it at first but the water quickly evaporated out the trays because of the heat and I live in Fort Worth Texas so it's pretty dry here. Some of the elongated ones have started to pop auxiliary roots out where they were stretched a little thin. Here is some general pics of the trays and I only have a phone to take pics right now so bare with me. 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 
So here is the deal. I'm debating weather or not to leave them grow for a few more weeks in the rapid rooters and let them get a little stronger before I transplant them. I will be transplanting them into 1 gallon pots and they will stay in those until the spring. They should be able to last a solid few months in those size pots. I have a hearty grow mix that has all sorts of goodies in there for them, as well as a variety of things I will add to it. I'm doing this grow soil-less so I'm trying to be careful and address all their needs before hand. I'm not completely new to this but I'm just at a dilemma because this is close to the point where my last seedlings died out.
 
Also, each row is a different variety so I'm working with about 14 different varieties here. I made an status that I said I had 15 but I forgot one of them died out due to a fungus or bacteria problem when germinating. 
 
Any thoughts or words would be helpful.
 
I'm no scientician, and I'm sure somebody will be along with better advice soon, but you've really got 4 options.
 
Decrease heat - reduce lighting.
Decrease evaporation - some sort of cover.
Strippers - ignore the plants and go see some strippers.
Larger water reserves - transplant into larger containers.
 
 
I personally seed directly into larger plastic cups.  That allows me to be lazy pretty much indefinitely with minimal risk to the plants.
 
Edit:  Unless I missed the thrust of your question, but it's late, so we'll ignore that option.
 
Rymerpt said:
My vote is to transplant. They look old enough.
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Agreed. They stretching and growing lateral roots because of the high heat/humidity. Keep the dome off, let them breathe. And pot up to the 1 gallons already. That size will retain enough moisture to last the day as they get older.
If you're unsure about it then do it to a couple of each strain and compare them in a week. 
Remember, don't give them so much water that they're soggy all day, they need to air out too. Too much water causes root rot.
 
Good Luck :pray:
 
     Definitely good advice here. I agree with transplanting them now, they're plenty strong at this point. Also plant them deeper like ErolDude said. And at least ask the plants if they like strippers - see if they want to go with you. It'll help stiffen up their stems.
     Just don't expect a lot of above ground growth for quite a while after transplant. They'll need some time to fill their new homes with roots.
 
Those are excellent examples of what we call "leggy" plants - way more stem than is needed for the amount of leaves. This is often caused by the light being too far away and others already named above. Yes, move them into larger containers, and yes, bury them deeper into the soil when you pot them. 
 
Note you should be ok getting the fan directly on them, but start slowly since you haven't done that from day 1 - a couple times a day for several days, then more. Ideally you have an oscillating fan on them. The airflow from the fan does a couple of things at this point - it helps strengthen the stems so they can tolerate oudoor conditions and it helps prevent damping-off fungus from growing as it helps keep the surface of the soil dry. 
 
Something else - looks like at least one cell has algae growing on it, which means you've definitely been keeping them too wet. Chiles are kind o' picky, in that they like to be humid more than wet. Your plants are at a stage where it can be hard to decide whether to water or not. Moving them to larger pots will help with this. Ideally use the lift method with the pots - pick each one up just a tad off the floor to feel how heavy/light it is. You'll be getting the soil wet to pot them up, so lift and feel how much they weigh after first being potted. Then wait until the leaves droop just a tad, then lift them again. This is the point you want to water them at going forward - when the pots are about this light. You don't have to let the leaves droop every time, just get an idea of how light things should be before you water again.
 
Dang, ok a lot to think over and I have limited spacing with a nice bit of plants. Anyone else care to weigh in?
 
Stab holes in the bottom of every slot, put it in a tub of shallow water.
 
Is it a good idea?  ...Damned if I know.  But it'll solve the dehydration issue.
 
I used to live in TX (Houston area) but now live in OH - very different weather between the two. I always grew from seed directly sowed in the soil, never started anything in "hockey pucks." But here in snow country, I have to start seeds while snow is on the ground outside, so I start them on damp coffee filters then move them to cups filled with peat (or hockey pucks if I have any) as soon as they peek out of the seed casing. Then I move them to Solo cups, which I have cut holes in the bottoms, then if any are outgrowing the Solo cups before I can plant out I move them to 1-gallon containers. I had 48 plants one year, and not enough room in the house for 48 1-gallon containers, so only the largest got moved up before a final repotting outside. But then, I don't start seeds until January.
 
Your grow season is much longer there than it is here, but you still are subject to cold snaps - I know in Houston it gets down to about 20F at least a few days a year, and that's too cold for chile plants. You've got roughly 5-6 months before plant-out for your area, which is a rather long time, so I'd suggest you do the same that I do - large Solo cups for all first, then 1-gallons for the largest until plant-out. If you want them to grow slowly keep the area somewhat cool, don't give them a lot of light, and go easy on the ferts. Like I said before, though, do keep a fan on them.
 
I grow in the DFW area and I use rapid rooters and T5's, as well.  You really won't be able to plant out until around late April to early May in the northern parts of DFW.  We've gotten into the 30's in early May (a year or two ago).
Last year I started my seeds in Rapid Rooters on January 10th.  I transferred them to Solo cups because they were growing so well/big and then those got to be too small for the plants by the time April/May rolled around.  My tepins and a couple of others had gotten to be about a foot tall in solo cups by then.  When I transplanted many were starting to get root-bound.  I've had jalapenos growing fruit in solo cups a couple of years ago because I started them a bit too early. lol.  This year I may start a bit later.  We'll see.
 
The white and green stuff growing on the rapid rooters means you may be watering too much or there's just too much humidity.  Keep the Rapid Rooters moist, but not necessarily soaked.  If you get them soaked, it's ok, just let them dry out a bit before watering again.  Just don't let them turn into rocks.  Heck, I think I did let them turn into rocks a couple of times and my plants still did ok.  Also, when the seedlings sprout, I don't cover them (I grow them indoors, btw) anymore.  I move them to another tray where I leave them uncovered and have a small fan running on them occasionally.
 
The leggy appearance of your seedlings is because your lights seem to be way too high up (maybe others have mentioned this already).  I usually try to keep my T5's 2 inches to, at most, 4 inches away from the tops of the plants.  Leggy plants and high Fort Worth winds do not mix well. :D
 
The problem with Fort Worth and much of Dallas is the insane 50-60 mph straight line winds and hail during the spring that could annihilate/stunt whatever you plant if they're not hardy enough.  Then, if you're growing certain varieties, you have to wait through 3 to 4 months of nothing due to the 100+ degree heat outside.  I can't get a decent amount of superhots because of this.  Maybe others have had better luck with them around these parts.
 
Wulf, Rymerpt, Hawaiianero, ErolDude, Alkhall, dash 2, moruga welder - Guys thanks so much for weighing in. Seems like there is a bit of a support for strippers but I don't think that will help with much of anything guys. I see the unanimous vote is to transplant them deep into solo cups so I'll give it a go. I'll transfer them and post a pic when all said and done.
 
geeme said:
I used to live in TX (Houston area) but now live in OH - very different weather between the two. I always grew from seed directly sowed in the soil, never started anything in "hockey pucks." But here in snow country, I have to start seeds while snow is on the ground outside, so I start them on damp coffee filters then move them to cups filled with peat (or hockey pucks if I have any) as soon as they peek out of the seed casing. Then I move them to Solo cups, which I have cut holes in the bottoms, then if any are outgrowing the Solo cups before I can plant out I move them to 1-gallon containers. I had 48 plants one year, and not enough room in the house for 48 1-gallon containers, so only the largest got moved up before a final repotting outside. But then, I don't start seeds until January.
 
Your grow season is much longer there than it is here, but you still are subject to cold snaps - I know in Houston it gets down to about 20F at least a few days a year, and that's too cold for chile plants. You've got roughly 5-6 months before plant-out for your area, which is a rather long time, so I'd suggest you do the same that I do - large Solo cups for all first, then 1-gallons for the largest until plant-out. If you want them to grow slowly keep the area somewhat cool, don't give them a lot of light, and go easy on the ferts. Like I said before, though, do keep a fan on them.
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Oh dang. Well I've done damp coffee filters before and it worked well, this time I wanted to use the rapid rooters because they came recommended and my growing media wasn't quite ready. I took the advice on the holes in the solo cups. I popped four holes in each and I'll put them into trays so they don't drain all over the place.
 
Thanks for the heads up on the grow season because I just moved here and have no idea what it's like here. I still have four plants outside on the porch putting out buds. Maybe even a pod or two I'm hoping. I'll have to get a better fan then. I've got just one massive oscillating fan on them that I can't keep on them too much.
 
 
FlameThrower said:
I grow in the DFW area and I use rapid rooters and T5's, as well.  You really won't be able to plant out until around late April to early May in the northern parts of DFW.  We've gotten into the 30's in early May (a year or two ago).
Last year I started my seeds in Rapid Rooters on January 10th.  I transferred them to Solo cups because they were growing so well/big and then those got to be too small for the plants by the time April/May rolled around.  My tepins and a couple of others had gotten to be about a foot tall in solo cups by then.  When I transplanted many were starting to get root-bound.  I've had jalapenos growing fruit in solo cups a couple of years ago because I started them a bit too early. lol.  This year I may start a bit later.  We'll see.
 
The white and green stuff growing on the rapid rooters means you may be watering too much or there's just too much humidity.  Keep the Rapid Rooters moist, but not necessarily soaked.  If you get them soaked, it's ok, just let them dry out a bit before watering again.  Just don't let them turn into rocks.  Heck, I think I did let them turn into rocks a couple of times and my plants still did ok.  Also, when the seedlings sprout, I don't cover them (I grow them indoors, btw) anymore.  I move them to another tray where I leave them uncovered and have a small fan running on them occasionally.
 
The leggy appearance of your seedlings is because your lights seem to be way too high up (maybe others have mentioned this already).  I usually try to keep my T5's 2 inches to, at most, 4 inches away from the tops of the plants.  Leggy plants and high Fort Worth winds do not mix well. :D
 
The problem with Fort Worth and much of Dallas is the insane 50-60 mph straight line winds and hail during the spring that could annihilate/stunt whatever you plant if they're not hardy enough.  Then, if you're growing certain varieties, you have to wait through 3 to 4 months of nothing due to the 100+ degree heat outside.  I can't get a decent amount of superhots because of this.  Maybe others have had better luck with them around these parts.
Click to expand...
 
FlameThrower! Thank you so much for the input. I'm new to DFW and haven't tried rapid rooters before. So dealing with them is something else. they seem to love to stay wet. I'm hoping that I'll be able to grow out what I have and give a few types away to guys in my offices. Also a few nurseries have been interested in the different varieties I have seeds of. If you have seeds and willing to put in a little time I know they would be willing to set up a deal with you.
 
Wow! Hopefully I'll learn a thing or two and be able to have success as well as you have. I'm hoping to now plant up into solo cups to let them grow out for a while. How many T5's do you use on them when they are small like this? I don't want to scorch the plants. I'm growing indoor right now as well.
 
Oh gosh! I really don't know much about growing here at all. Any types of varieties you have trouble with in particular?
 
LS929 said:
FlameThrower! Thank you so much for the input. I'm new to DFW and haven't tried rapid rooters before. So dealing with them is something else. they seem to love to stay wet. I'm hoping that I'll be able to grow out what I have and give a few types away to guys in my offices. Also a few nurseries have been interested in the different varieties I have seeds of. If you have seeds and willing to put in a little time I know they would be willing to set up a deal with you.
 
Wow! Hopefully I'll learn a thing or two and be able to have success as well as you have. I'm hoping to now plant up into solo cups to let them grow out for a while. How many T5's do you use on them when they are small like this? I don't want to scorch the plants. I'm growing indoor right now as well.
 
Oh gosh! I really don't know much about growing here at all. Any types of varieties you have trouble with in particular?
Click to expand...
Re: lights - I use these and also their 2-tube 2-foot brethren. http://www.amazon.com/EnviroGro-FLT44-4-Tube-Fixture-Included/dp/B005H1C7NA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412828422&sr=8-3&keywords=envirogro+t5
It's probably overkill.  You can probably go to home depot and get a cheap fixture and put whatever tubes you want in them.  When they're seedlings, I keep the lights about 2-4 inches above them.  They don't scorch.  Once you're ready to move them outside into "real" light, that's when they'll scorch if you're not careful.  They need to gradually be hardened off/acclimated to real sunlight or they'll scorch.
 
Re: varieties I have trouble with - I'm no expert at this.  I just do it for fun and the fact that I love eating peppers. lol.  I have the least amount of luck with chinense species (the superhots) like scorpions, reapers, etc.  I'm just now getting any meaningful pod production with only about 1-1.5 months of growing season left.  I had great luck with tepins (love their taste - possibly my favorite peppers) and jamaican red mushrooms this year.  I also had good luck with jalapenos (biker billy variety).  But don't let my experience dictate what you grow.  Try stuff you may like out yourself and learn from that.  Maybe you'll have better luck than I did. :)
 
FlameThrower said:
Re: lights - I use these and also their 2-tube 2-foot brethren. http://www.amazon.com/EnviroGro-FLT44-4-Tube-Fixture-Included/dp/B005H1C7NA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412828422&sr=8-3&keywords=envirogro+t5
It's probably overkill.  You can probably go to home depot and get a cheap fixture and put whatever tubes you want in them.  When they're seedlings, I keep the lights about 2-4 inches above them.  They don't scorch.  Once you're ready to move them outside into "real" light, that's when they'll scorch if you're not careful.  They need to gradually be hardened off/acclimated to real sunlight or they'll scorch.
 
Re: varieties I have trouble with - I'm no expert at this.  I just do it for fun and the fact that I love eating peppers. lol.  I have the least amount of luck with chinense species (the superhots) like scorpions, reapers, etc.  I'm just now getting any meaningful pod production with only about 1-1.5 months of growing season left.  I had great luck with tepins (love their taste - possibly my favorite peppers) and jamaican red mushrooms this year.  I also had good luck with jalapenos (biker billy variety).  But don't let my experience dictate what you grow.  Try stuff you may like out yourself and learn from that.  Maybe you'll have better luck than I did. :)
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Awesome! Thanks for the reply!
 
I have a similar light system, the 6 bulb fixture, so I'm a little more comfortable now. I have them about 6 to 8 inches from the top but I'll drop it down a little now. I just transferred them all into the solo cups and I didn't realize how much the soil was going to settle once I watered so next time I water I'll drop some more soil into them to cover leggy stem as much as possible. I know that given time, the stem will start to pop auxiliary roots off and it will help the roots system build even greater. 
 
Ah, well in light of that I'll give them a good try regardless then. I'll see which do well and which don't. One problem I'm having right now is I have four plants outside on my balcony that are exposed to the wind and they were stunted for a bit. They moved with me from LA and they weren't used to it. They recovered with a couple of fertilizings and then eventually started to pop flowers out but no pods. One plant had a couple of buds on it but none of them ever formed pods so I'm thinking I might hand pollinate them a little and see if anything takes. With the month and change we have I figure one or two pods might form and once December hits I'll clean them off and keep two for the winter.
 
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