There were 10 Green Peppers

[ajagunle]

I found this on the net;

'Watering: excessive moisture causes the flower to fall. Dry conditions will intensify the piquancy of the pepper. Extreme draught exposure will turn the peppers into chillies.'

' A handfull of Padrón peppers count as one of the five recommended daily portions of fruit and vegetables. Their non-calorific value makes them an ideal snack.

Padrón peppers contain vitamins A, B1, B2, C and P, proteins, calcium and iron.'

If you haven't tried them they are simple and something different/unusual, they have become part of my family's summer ritual

 

[ajagunle]

On the 3rd of May the 11th tallest Padron plant was planted in a 10” pot of compost, topped with Pearlite and put under 2x30watt blue CFLs, the tallest 10 are now on the NFT trays in the greenhouse. The 3rd of May is the traditional planting out day for here.

Knowing what I now know about Padrons I have kept the compost on the dry side and the Pearlite is to create a barrier for the Fungus gnats that share parts of my house.

The first and second flowers are almost open

I shall have a rummage for a red CFL bulb

 

[Lady Cannafan]

Okay, great pics! And a question, do any of your pepper plants have yellow flowers? My mom gave me some plants that were supposed to be tomatoes, but the more I look at them as they grow, the more they look like pepper plants to me.

And, wondering if the bulbs that you use to clean babies noses would work as a "puffer"? They are rubber and you squeeze them.

I'll get a pic of these plants tomorrow.

 

[ajagunle]

All the peppers I have grown have the same white flowers, some/many have pale but distinct green markings on the inside of the petals.

I have tried really hard to picture cleaning a baby's nose with a bulb but I just can't imagine what you are thinking of, very curious now

 

[Lady Cannafan]

LOL, this is what I'm talking about.. You can find them in pharmacies everywhere:

I just remembered that two of the tomato plants I purchased had the word "black" in them. It was a strange variety name I had never heard of. That might be what these two pepper leaf looking plants are. I'll do some looking and see If I can locate the tag for them, then I'll know for sure.

 

[ajagunle]

I can see a bulb now, an upside down onion type affair, anyway, that is a bit like the hearing aid cleaner that I found on fleabay Great minds think alike, or fools seldom differ

I don't really have access to a Chemist , I'm hoping the make up brush has worked enough for the DE to start doing its worst

If they are black tomatoes they are recommended (by those that believe) for their anti-cancer properties Definite yellow flower but typical tomato leaf shape

 

[ajagunle]

I should start to learn not to think so 'definitely' about the short term future It may take a little while to get on top of the reservoir pH situation. The pH of the tanks has risen in the last 24hrs to 7.2 and 7.4, something must be awry. From my indoor experience I have a basic checklist to work through when the pH drops, light leaks, algae and too 'hot' a nutes strength, but not pH raising.

I reset to 5.6 and will check in 12hrs to learn more.

½ tea spoon of epom salts added to both tanks as magnesium deficiency is still evident although the difference in colour on the leaves does not look so extreme, encouraging sign that the Epsom salts are beneficial.

One plant is struggling,

NFT1

The water jet from the new pump is falling lower on the shelf than the rockwool cube so the roots are not really being fed. I can turn the pump down but I believe the higher the rate of flow the more beneficial it is, there is that much more oxygen geeting to the roots maybe, I will hand feed the runt twice a day for a week or so and see if the roots develop enough to reach the flow of nutes.

A more even and taller canopy

Extremely pleased with the quantity of buds now showing.

 

[ajagunle]

Fruits and Flowers strung-up like Christmas lights?

The Magnesium shortage is bad in this part of the World, new leaves are showing the signs as soon as they fully open

I have added a teaspoon of Epsom Salts every morning, there is about 25l of rain water and nutes in each reservoir, the PH is proving to be somewhat challenging which is maybe causing or exacerbating the situation. I set it to 5.6 yesterday and this morning it had risen to 7.5 in both reservoirs. I have looked through the first 2 pages of Google but 'they' don't want me to find out.


I lowered to 5.6 again, I also found an unopened bottle of Canna Vega, I have only been adding Flores up until now, unlike Cannabis the plants are in Flower and Veg simultaeniously I am thinking, which may cause an imbalance. I have added 5ml of Veg nutes to one tank to see if I can detect any improvement,

Oh, I had an audience

A posy for the Ladies

 

[ajagunle]

On Google page 3 at last and I have fought against it but have reached the conclusion that it is due to the amount of algae that I had llowed to build up before akingmg new Correx lids, mmm, bugger,

In the 'cannabis world' I would flush the system with a very dilute hydrogen peroxide solution but have just read on a UK vegetable greenhouse growing website

"Some growers add algicide products into the nutrient to kill off algae and there are a number of these products on the market. However, since any product which kills algae, a form of plant life, can also damage young or sensitive root systems, care must be taken with the dose and damage has been known to occur. Algae will also regrow, very quickly after applications of most algaecide products, requiring more and more of the chemical to get good control. In a study carried out in Belgium on Algae control in hydroponic systems, it was found that many of the products tested for control of algae in nutrient solutions (Diazinon, Endosulfan, Propiconazole, Thiram, Ziram, Quinomanid, Irgarol-1051 and Hydrogen peroxide) were either totally ineffective in killing algae, or killed off much of the algae but were also very phytotoxic to the plants and causes considerable root damage. It was also found that dose levels of 50ppm of hydrogen peroxide was requited to control algae, but that this dose was too phytotoxic for young plants, although older plants survived this dose rate. Therefore, careful and selective use of H2O2 could be used on older, more resistant plants, but since H2O2 is a 'biocide' rather than an 'algicide' there is always a risk of root damage. “

I remember reading a Micheal Morpurgo storey to my Girls about a friendly Giant saving a town (and winning womeone heart) from greeen algae killinf their lake using straw mats, I also remember it ws based on a true storey, no about the Giant but about the straw, Having the jet of water cascade over straw mights solve my 'dry cube' isssue too,

Research 'Straw & Algae' I think

 

[ajagunle]

My reading so far seems to suggest that putting straw in moving water will clear any algae and is fine with plants and fish so I looked up pH for fish and 6.8 to 8.4 is recommended by several reputable websites, but does Straw raise the pH? I discover that Google doesn't know everything. I shall buy a pair of Tights (hosiery) tomorrow, cut the feet off and stuff with straw. I shall position them on the NFT shelf and try and divert water at the same time.

 

[Lady Cannafan]

This is getting quite interesting. Does the straw soak up the algae?

And is there a "too much" on the epsom salts that you have read?

Lovely blooms.

 

[ajagunle]

This is mostly new to me, I've kept a pond and used Barley but never thought of using in the NFT until today. I checked out some sciency stuff and when you commented and I cut and pasted some research from somewhere in NY as below;

There are a few key factors that have to take place in order for the barley to have an effect on algae. Barley straw, when placed in water, will begin to decompose. Some of the same bacteria and enzymes that come in commercial bacteria additives are responsible for this decomposition.
One of the by-products released into the pond during the decomposition of the barley is a chemical that effectively br,eaks down the cell walls of the algae. These by-products, when combined with oxygenated water and sunlight, form hydrogen peroxide. The fact is that in scientific experiments, peroxide has been shown to effectively break down the cell walls of algae. The studies show that a constant low level of peroxide will reduce the capabilities of algae to form new cell growth.
Barley straw is not the “quick-fix” when it comes to controlling algae. It can take anywhere from four to six weeks for the barley straw to begin decomposing and release the algae-inhibiting chemicals. But once the decomposition process has started, the barley will remain active for to six to eight months


The beauty of using barley straw is that it is eco-friendly. Studies have shown that the chemicals released have no negative effect on higher plants.

Reading the final paragraph was what made my mind up, I have got loads of straw in a heap from wrapping my Banana every winter, apart from buying the tights, I haven't got any about the house , it will be instant and free.

I read on the Epsom salts to add 30gm to 100l reservoir until deficiency no longer shows, I am erring on the side of caution

 

[ajagunle]

ps. Just reread your question about too much Epsom, no I haven't read what is too much. I shall up the dosage on one tank tomorrow and watch for any change.

 

[Lady Cannafan]

This is mostly new to me, I've kept a pond and used Barley but never thought of using in the NFT until today. I checked out some sciency stuff and when you commented and I cut and pasted some research from somewhere in NY as below;

There are a few key factors that have to take place in order for the barley to have an effect on algae. Barley straw, when placed in water, will begin to decompose. Some of the same bacteria and enzymes that come in commercial bacteria additives are responsible for this decomposition.
One of the by-products released into the pond during the decomposition of the barley is a chemical that effectively br,eaks down the cell walls of the algae. These by-products, when combined with oxygenated water and sunlight, form hydrogen peroxide. The fact is that in scientific experiments, peroxide has been shown to effectively break down the cell walls of algae. The studies show that a constant low level of peroxide will reduce the capabilities of algae to form new cell growth.
Barley straw is not the “quick-fix” when it comes to controlling algae. It can take anywhere from four to six weeks for the barley straw to begin decomposing and release the algae-inhibiting chemicals. But once the decomposition process has started, the barley will remain active for to six to eight months


The beauty of using barley straw is that it is eco-friendly. Studies have shown that the chemicals released have no negative effect on higher plants.

Reading the final paragraph was what made my mind up, I have got loads of straw in a heap from wrapping my Banana every winter, apart from buying the tights, I haven't got any about the house , it will be instant and free.

I read on the Epsom salts to add 30gm to 100l reservoir until deficiency no longer shows, I am erring on the side of caution

Interesting. My pond is full of algae right now. It does it every year, and I have to buy an expensive chemical treatment to rid that and the pond weeds of several varieties. I couldn't buy it this year. Wondering if I put the barley straw down on some edges.......
It'a a really big pond though.

I'm going to do a little research tomorrow on this myself now.

 

[ajagunle]

Enjoy the reading Canna, I am enjoying 'discovering' solutions to things

I have bought a pair of Tights and cut the legs off, stuffed them with Barley straw and placed them on the NFT shelf, to catch the jet of water, I am fairly confident that I have diverted enough water towards the dry rockwool cube that the roots now have a chance.

pH of the tanks has not raised by as much as in previous 24hr peiods, the reservoirs are 6.4 and 6.5, both of which I lowered to 5.6.

TDS has fallen in the tank of healthy tallest plants, down to 250 from 350ppm, but risen quite considereably in the less healthy tank. It makes sense, unfortunately, I have diluted the nutes to below 300, from 450ppm.

 

[ajagunle]

The pH of both tanks has risen to 7.4, yeaterday's lower increase may have been an anomaly. The straw is still in place, moving water direct from the pumps are spraying over it. The TDS has risen in both reservoirs, NFT1 with the weaker plant has risen to +465, I diluted both tanks to 250, NFT1 had to have 15l of rervoir removed. The weak plant is doing OK,

The first pepper is developing on it and no flowers have dropped suggesting to me that all is tolerable with the reservoir, if not ideal.

The NFT tanks have surprisingly differing growth habits, NFT2 appears to show continuing difficiency in Magnesium, the new leaves are showing the mottling as they unfurl

NFT1 seems to be showing less deficiency, older leaves seem to be improving

There are too many variables to take into account for my attitude adjusted mind, one tank, with the taller plants, is in shade for most of the day, but is away from the open door, night time temperatures are dropping to the high 50's, then there is the reservoir pH and TDS.

I am in some doubt now about the Barley Straw, whilst it may solve the Algae challenge it maybe contributing, or continuing, the rising pH. I can find little info on the pH created by decomposing barley straw other than it is safe for fish and other plants,

 

[ajagunle]

Time lapse of pepper development

2 leaves have brown markings

After reading various vegetable growing websites I decided to remove the leaves to get a decent picture of the undersides, there are liberal amounts of DE on both sides of the leaves which leads me to think it is likely to be a virus of somekind, I shall have to inspect regularly and remove any infected leaves.

I am still adding a teaspoon of Epsom Salts everyday which does seem to be bringing some green to the leaves, however continuing deficiency is evident.

 

[Lady Cannafan]

What is the average temperature of the water?

I found a little tidbit about water temps, and sunlight along with moving water:

If the water temp is 40 degrees it may take up to 2 weeks for the straw to become active. When the water temperature is above 40 degrees the straw becomes active faster. In about a week the straw should begin to release its chemical, given sufficient sunlight and oxygen. Well oxygenated conditions are essential to ensure the straw will decompose and produce its chemical. If the straw is in a compacted state with restricted water movement through the straw, the effectiveness is extremely reduced.

 

[ajagunle]

Thank you Canna,

the temps of the reservoir are between 50 and 75f, I think there is loads of oxygenation going on. I have removed the straw from one tank. I shall leave it in the 2nd tank for now, especially now that it seems as if it will take a minimum of 2 weeks to start decomposing. From what I have read it will be just the thing for your lake maybe not so for a little NFT set-up

 

[ajagunle]

Starting with the good News, flower production is prolific and they all seem to be setting. I find the structure of the plants fascinating, so regular where the flower stalk grows. There is almost layers of flowers at regular spacing up the main stem.

I have removed barley straw from one NFT tank, should have thought the process through a lot better before putting it in both tanks. TDS has changed little in 24hours, nutes strength is where I want it, pH is still rising to 7.5. The Magnesium deficiency is getting quite severe in places, holes are starting to appear in some new leaves, at first I thought it was evidence of a hungry bug so I was quite liberal with a fresh dusting of DE.

From a distance they look healthy and green despite the pH challenges.The greenhouse hand rail is 36” high,