My "garden" is limited to my apartment balcony which can get up to 140°+. The first four years I lived here I would have a plant or two and they would be doing fine, starting to produce the goods, and BAM, they would get cooked in a day while I was at work. Last year when I got down to the last two of my dried reapers, I got smart and ordered an indoor grow tent and thermometer for the porch to see how hot it actually got. I started some Carolina reapers, Lester Williams reds, and Aji Chombos inside in the fall. By December they were crowded, and although I had harvested a couple chombos, I cut back on food and water and light and started biding my time for warmer weather. I transplanted the reaper, chombo, and one Lester Williams red into slightly larger pots. I couldn't go too big though because I still had to bring them back in some nights and days. I have two more Lester Williams reds that are still in solo cups and are becoming my bonchis, which is a thing, I just learned. I water constantly and feed very often with fish emulsion. I am starting to work fox farms big bloom into the regimen, and every once in a while I add a small dose of cal-mag. They are starting to get loaded with fruit, and I should be able to get a decent harvest before the heat really hits this year. At that point, I will trim them back and bring them back inside. Btw, I hope you think my mini reapers are as cute as I do.
by MC_Red_D
3 Comments
BTW here is my basic soil recipe that I’m trying out this year.
4C Peat moss
4C Earthworm Castings
2C Perlite
2C Vermiculite
1/2C Greensand
1C Coffee Grounds
Looking good. I like your prune jobs on the last two. Impressive trunk size from the maintenance it seems? I assume those are the aji?
I would like to over winter from a fall start, that sounds great. Also growing in an apartment. Started seeds but we have a late frost through May so they’ve just been hardened and transplanted in the recent weeks. Decided to pot up some seedlings today that I couldn’t give away.
Used some fresh mix in with the old potting mix this year, added alfalfa for my N and my K and a bit of bone meal for some P. Thinking of running some big bloom, grow big, and tiger bloom this year. I like your tip/observation of cutting feeding early for the hot months.
It seems kelp or fish emulsion are popular here and in the San Pedro community, maybe I’ll add some of that to the regimen this year as well as some cal mag. Cal mag I want to find a good granular option instead of liquid so I can use it when I repot my Haworthia and such as well.
Thanks for describing your process, everything helps alongside the photos. I should get a thermometer because I expect a bit of heat mid summer on the higher floor, but the east facing, covered balcony I think I’ll be quite alright in zone 5. The biggest challenge here is starting seedlings inside early enough, but also not too pre emptively in the early spring or you won’t have the indoor space 😂.
Those solo cup plants are huge for the container. How old are they? Do you load their tiny root footprint with hydro nutrients? What kind of crop do you expect from your solo cup plants?