Week 2, 2019 - Pepper Growth Update

The plants have been in the ground for two full weeks now. Ranging in size initially, the plants that were already large are, surprise, still the largest. The habanadas have definitely stopped growing vertically in favor of spitting out blooms. As of today, there is one habanada blooming, but plenty of little buds on the way. The Thai Chili plants from Oakland nursery are trying to bud already, but are still rather short, so we’ll be plucking those off for another week. As a test, we intentionally did not harden off a few plants. Below is a Yellow Moruga we didn’t harden off. Initially it was bleached by the sun and looked as pale as a ghosts underarms, but now has developed fresh growth that appears to be coming in pretty healthy. The Tabasco plants are an enigma. The first time we grew them we had no idea they grew so vertically (both the plant and the pod). These got tall fast and while the leaves get incredibly droopy, they are starting to send new leaves out of the top along with some buds. Our batch of plants (Fatalii, Chocolate Habanero, Brain Strain Yellow) we got from ChilePlants.com is starting to do a bit better. Initially the leaves were falling off and the stems were weak, but they’ve come around and thanks to a good support system (we see you bamboo sticks) they are prepping to stabilize. Then we are very excited about our largest bed with the most pepper plants growing. In the middle, shining like a star is a Yellow Moruga that we did harden and used Fox Farm potting soil. It is definitely loving being in the ground and we cannot blame it. This box alone is going to pack a ton of heat by mid to late August. We lost track of our White Habaneros, but they will stick their heads out at some point. Off to a decent start this year. Fingers crossed for mild days and warm nights, with limited severe weather.