I live on the island of O'ahu here in Hawai'i and I love chile peppers. I won't talk too much and I'll get right to it.

A. Trinidad Scorpion

On May 10, 2010, a friend of mine gave me, as a gift, a Trinidad Scorpion plant. When he gave it too me it was pretty small and all I did was put it outside and give it literally a drop or two of water everyday. It grew slightly bigger and then I transplanted it into a bigger pot after about two weeks. When I transplanted it, I put chicken manure pellets in with it and potting soil. The plant started to die and I told another guy I knew my situation. He said that I should never have put the chicken manure pellets in with the young plant. So, he advised me to transplant the plant again and that I could still save the plant. So, I transplanted it again and only put potting soil. The plant was doing ok at first and got bigger. Now, the current situation is that the plant:

- has white fuzz underneath the bottom of it
- has random holes in it's leaves
- the leaves are turning yellow
- has a black looking film or something growing on the bottom of it

I lost the battery recharger for my Sony Powershot and my Nikon D70 and I'm ordering new ones from Amazon. When I get them, I will be able to take pictures of the plant and show you it's current condition.

My purpose for posting about my Trinidad Scorpion plant is to see what you all think.

1. Am I doing everything correctly in growing my Trinidad Scorpion plant? [ All I'm doing is giving it water whenever the soil is dry and putting outside in the sun all day on my lanai (balcony) ]

*note - In the pot where my Trinidad Scorpion is has -> black cinders (for drainage), Nature’s Premium Potting soil, and the plant itself. *

B. Bhut Jolokia

Regarding the Bhut Jolokia, a co-worker of mine brought me a Bhut Jolokia pepper yesterday. I cut off a piece of it and then I saved the rest of it. I want to grow my own Bhut Jolokia plant from the pepper fruit that he gave me. I think I know what I have to do but I just want to be sure. Right now, I put the Bhut Jolokia pepper in the fridge in a plastic ziploc bag. This is my plan of what I intend to do tomorrow:

- remove all the seeds from the bhut jolokia pepper
- put some potting soil in small container (I’m not sure how small a pot I should use or how much potting soil to use... I was planning on guesswork... :p )
- make a small hole in the soil and place all the seeds in the soil in the pot in that hole
- cover the seeds with potting soil and water everything for five seconds
- place the pot outside in the sun or shade if it’s night time and wait

After that, I was planning on reporting back here for more instructions on what to do.

2. Is everything that I posted correct? Please clarify in detail if I'm in any way doomed for failure. I know nothing about plants as you can see. :(

Any help, advice, suggestions, guidance, etc. extremely appreciated! Thank you very much!! :)

Note: This is re-post of my thread here. Another member advised me that I should post my inquiry in the pepper forum and that's why I'm here. :)

Do you live in a dry or humid region of the island?

If I were growing in Hawai'i, I'd use a very gritty, dry mix to eliminate mold/rot.

Josh

Transplanted into containers of potting soil at the four leaf stage and kept under the same lights until hardening off.

Definitely don't put all your seeds in one hole. I'd recommend you use a germination/seeding mix for your initial germination then transplant into pots. Fill a pyrex bread pan with the soil, use a stick to make rows about 1/4 inch deep, sprinkle the seeds in and cover. I like using an aquarium, as they are compact and easy to use. The trick for germination is maintaining moisture and temp. I'd say ideally 85 degrees soil temp and humid enough to make the glass sweat but not drip.

@hubris007 -
- Hmm, I don’t know where I could buy some rock wool cubes but I can just use any pot, right?
- I don’t need to use an aquarium as well since it is always warm here in Hawai’i, right? I guess the other things you did referring to plastic wrap and placing them under artificial light also doesn’t apply to me, right?

[quote]Transplanted into containers of potting soil at the four leaf stage[/quote]

I can use this info though. So, I’m supposed to transplant when there are four leaves on the plant. Ok, thank you.

[quote]Fill a pyrex bread pan with the soil[/quote]

- I don’t have a pyrex bread pan but I could use an aluminum lasagna pan, right?
- When I cover the soil and seeds, do I cover them with saran wrap and then place them outside in the sun? How long do I do this?

Everything you are posting, hubris007 is regarding growing my Bhut Jolokia seeds, right? But do I go ahead and plant the seeds now? I removed them from the pepper fruit four days ago and they have been just sitting on my dining room table in the open. I was letting them get dry. Do I just follow your above advice using the seeds as they are now?

What about my Trinidad Scorpion plant? How do I revive it? Just yesterday, I put in two small pellets of chicken manure since a lady at the nursery told me that I need to fertilize the plant. So advised me to do that because I told her about how me trying to grow the plant was going. She stated that the yellowness of the plant means that I haven’t fertilized it. I don’t know how true this is but no-one is giving me specific advice here so I just did what she said. Please give more specific advice. I’m still confused as to how I can save my Trinidad Scorpion plant and how to best grow my Bhut Jolokia plant...

Alright, Honolulu is pretty hot and dry, as far as the island goes.

By "gritty" mix, I mean a mix made of something like small pieces of (Aha) Lava rock, Scoria, or Pumice.
I would mix together Lava rock, Perlite, and Orchid Bark (even pre-blended Orchid Mix would be okay).

A fast-draining mix will help fight against over-watering and root-rot. It won't collapse, can be re-used,
can be flushed easily, and provides excellent aeration. Plus, it's fairly light-weight.

I use Osmocote slow-release mixed into the soil, and I also fertilize with Foliage Pro 9-3-6.

*seeds can be sown immediately, but I've always waited a few weeks until they're dry.

*do not put seeds/seedlings outdoors in the sun. They will fry.

Josh

I did a quick search and came across this site: http://userwebs.batnet.com/rwc-seed//Pepper.growing.tips.html

Haven't done anything but browse it, but looks like some good info for you.

DarJones

Please correct me if I’m wrong in typing any of this. Now, I will list everything that, according to the link, I need to purchase ASAP to get to work growing my Bhut Jolokia and reviving my Trinidad Scorpion:

1. Miracle Gro® Orchid Mix
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B0035H27P6/ref=dp_image_0?ie=U TF8&n=286168&s=garden

2. soil thermometer
http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-9842-Commercial-Waterproof-Thermometer/dp /B00009WE45/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1282805895&sr=1-5

3. Plastic labels
http://www.amazon.com/Luster-Leaf-Rapiclip-6-Inch-Garden/dp/B000HHS8C8 /ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1282806334&sr=1-1

4. Miracle-Gro® "Bloom Booster"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000VBK6H0/ref=dp_image_0?ie=U TF8&n=1055398&s=home-garden

5. bone meal
http://www.amazon.com/Scotts-Company-100940-Miracle-Organic/dp/B001EE0 F0Q/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1282807481&sr=1-7

6. Alaska Fish Fertilizer
http://www.amazon.com/Alaska-Fish-Fertilizer-1-Gallon/dp/B002BP0VEW/re f=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1282807675&sr=1-1

7. Perlite
http://www.amazon.com/MIRACLE-GRO-0065477-323-Miracle-Gro-Perlite/dp/B 000X1EP4S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1282807996&sr=1-1

8. pollen
http://www.amazon.com/Stakich-BEE-POLLEN-POWDER-1-LB/dp/B001LQZOJO/ref =sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1282808743&sr=1-1

9. Blood Meal
http://www.amazon.com/Scotts-Co-100961-Blood-Meal/dp/B0015HZ660/ref=sr _1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1282808957&sr=1-2

10. Miracle Gro® Organic Choice
http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Gro-Organic-Choice-Potting-Mix/dp/B000BQ LVNI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1282814609&sr=1-2

If you think this is correct or it’s totally wrong or whatever please let me know. The instructions in that link are not really that clear, IMHO.

A.
First off, my Trinidad Scorpion plant. I’ll start off by saying that my plant right now is terrible shape. I think it is either dead or dying very quickly. I don’t know what to do and I don’t have a camera available to take pictures to share with you all. So, what I’m going to do is take it to a nursery here and see if they can just fix/revive it for me. Nevertheless, I’m going to apply what I have learned in the link to what I would do myself if the plant wasn’t in such a bad state now.

First, I have the Trinidad Scorpion plant in a container that is too big for it’s size. Currently, the plant is __ inches tall. I need to transplant it into a smaller pot. Also, I am not using the correct soil for the plant. Basically what I need to do when I transplant the plant is put layer-cake the pot. The two layers will consist of:

- first layer (1/3 of bottom) => 50:50 mix of perlite and orchid mix
- second layer (2/3 of top) => 50:50 mix of organic garden choice potting mix and orchid mix (also mixed in with this layer will be one cup of bone meal and one cup of blood meal)

Then, I simply remove the plant from it’s current container and place it in the new container that I have prepared for it. I don’t water it, I just immediately place it outside in the sun for as long as possible every day. Since I live here in Hawai’i, this means that I can just leave it outside all day everyday since it’s always warm here. What I will need to do is notate the day I started this new lifestyle change for my plant and then do the following to maintain and take care of the plant:

- give the plant a sprinkle of bone meal every 2-4 weeks.
- give the plant diluted fish fertilizer every 3 weeks until they begin to flower
- when they do start to flower, hand pollinate them. This means taking a moistened water-color paint brush and brushing pollen powder on the center of the flowers

So, that’s it. Pretty please read everything and let me know if there ANYTHING incorrect that I have misunderstood or posted incorrectly. I do have some questions though regarding the information in the link.

1. In the link, it instructs to "give the plant a sprinkle of bone meal every 2-4 weeks". Exactly how much is a "sprinkle" precisely??
2. In the link, it instructs to "give the plant diluted fish fertilizer every 3 weeks until they begin to flower". Exactly how much should I give precisely?? The author didn’t state how much I should give...
3. 1. In the link, it instructs the following regarding hand pollination -> "To hand pollinate, take a moistened water-color paint brush, and pick up some pollen on your brush and transfer it to the other flower centers.". Exactly how much pollen should I be putting on the center of the flowers precisely?? Should I do this to every single flower that shows up and keep record of this also? Or do I just hand pollinate one flower on the entire plant only once and it takes care of the rest of the plant’s hand pollination needs?

B.
Regarding the Bhut Jolokia and getting the plant start from seeds. I am supposed to remove the seeds from the pepper fruit as soon as I get the pepper fruit. So, I was correct when I removed the seeds from the Bhut Jolokia pepper fruit that my friend gave me as soon as he gave it to me. I placed the seeds in an open bowel on my kitchen table to allow them to dry out. They have been sitting there for about six days so far. Now, I can plant them so they can grow.

First, I need to make a seed starter solution which consists of one tablespoon of the Miracle-Gro "Bloom Booster" in one gallon of distilled water. I get a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a strainer. I place all this aside for now. Now, I prepare the one 8 inch plastic pot that I have for all 19 of the Bhut Jolokia seeds that I have. I fill the 8 inch container with the Miracle Gro® Organic Choice potting mix. Now, I take the seeds and get the hydrogen peroxide. I put some of the peroxide in a bowl. I’m not sure how much though. I put all of the seeds into the strainer and then place it all in bowl with peroxide. I let it sit in the peroxide for one minute and then I remove it and let it dry on the side. I then sprinkle the soil with seed starter solution I created and set aside earlier. I then put the seeds in the container and space them half an inch apart. Next, I cover the seeds with no more than 1/8 inches of additional potting soil. I then water again with the seed starter solution. After I do this, I’m done with the initial stage. I now place the container on my kitchen counter and wait for the seedlings to grow. The only maintenance that the seeds/container will require at this stage is to water the surface of the soil after it is slightly dry. But only use the seed starter solution to water it.

Once the seedlings are a few inches tall, I transplant them into their own container. At this stage I follow the same steps that I outlined regarding my Trinidad Scorpion plant above and the plant will now be outside from this point forward. This means that I will not be using the seed starter solution to water the plants any longer and I will now be fertilizing the plants with the Alaska fish fertilizer every three weeks until they flower.

That’s it. Once again, please read everything and pretty please let me know if everything is all good to go or totally wrong or missing info or whatever. Once again, I do have some questions to ask though:

1. Am I really supposed to put all 19 of my Bhut Jolokia seeds into one container?
2. When planting the seeds, the link doesn’t state exactly how much of the organic choice potting mix that I’m supposed to put in the container. How much do I put in there?
3. The link also doesn’t state how much of the seed starter solution that I’m supposed to put into the soil at the part right before I place the seeds into the container. How much do I put in there??
4. This might be a stupid question but how much is 1/8 inches of soil exactly?

Ok, that’s all the questions and comments that I have. Please write as much as you can to clarify anything that I am wrong on or whatever if you don’t mind. Thank you very much in advance as always! :) :)

Yes, you are supposed to put all the seeds in one container. All you are trying to do is germinate them. You will transplant each to its own container at the 4-leaf stage. I would probably hold 9 or so of the seeds back just in case life goes tits up on you. Sucks when you are experimenting and you use up all your dynamite on the first tree stump. Besides, 19 bhuts is a LOT of bhuts. heh

Josh

Kinda depends on the container, doesn't it?

Fill cells in trays with potting soil.

Stick 1-3 seeds in each cell.

Cover and place on a heat mat set at 87 degrees or put the cells in a warm place.

Once they sprout put them under lights or a sunny window.
Crack open the cell cover to let the plants start getting used to no cover.

Heat mat with foam bottom so I don't have to heat up the starters and the counter top.

Grow shelves for starting from seed.

I prefere 12 cell (99 cent store) starter mini greenhouses -easier to get sprouts out without messing up other ones like in the 50-80cell ones.

Transfere small plants into pots.

Then outside in #15 pots this year.
I used to use #5(3 1/2gal.) pots-too much work/too little pods ratio.

I cut way back this year,2-300 varieties.

Peppers are both male and female all in 1 bud.

If you must mess with their sex life just use a small hobby type paint brush and wipe it in the buds.

If you want pure seeds isolate the bud , branch or plant by covering with netting or the buds with tea bags,gel cap or white glue before the bud opens.

Mark the bud by wrapping a thread around the stem...

I use Orchid Bark,Perlite,Peat and planter mix(composted forestry products) in my pots.
3-5 parts bark,1-2 parts perlite, 1-3 parts peat ,1-2 parts Planter mix.
Use fine grade bark.

I add some dolomite lime , bonemeal and sometimes osmacote to my soil mix.
I just put in whatever happens to look right at the time-not much per pot.I don't measure the bonemeal or Dolomite lime.They take a long time to break down so I'm not too worried about too much...

I fetilize with Fish Emultion and Seaweed extract in 1/8th - 1/10th strength almost every time I water.
I use bennificial bugs to eat most pests.
Works pretty good most of the time.
I NEVER use poison but do use boric acid powder and diatomacious earth around my pot bottoms for unwanted creepy crawlies that like going in the drain holes.

I'm not interested in going to a link to change what I do to grow my peppers already that works for me just because it looks/sounds cool or whatever.

Why fix what isn't broke...

I told you how I grow my peppers but whatever floats your boat...whatever works for you.

The more stuff you do the more you can screw up.

Plants are designed to grow.
They were made that way long before Gorgo braught that pretty weed back to wifezilla so she could grow it around the cave.

The more crap you do the more can mess up.

Cracks me up,bee pollen-so the guy who collected it to sell made sure it was at least partially from pepper plants?
Pollen dies really quick,even when refridgerated.A lot of it dies in hours.
Rose pollen won't work on beans,or beans on peppers etc.

Your plant already sounds like you are killing it with kindness-too much chicken poop and probably overwatered it.
Gray and black stuff sounds like mildew from being too wet.

I'd just put them in partial sun until the roots grow out from re potting and keep the pots dryer and see what happens.
They aren't money trees.Start new ones...

Not worth the aggrevation,if they are too far gone no magic system of ferts,soil mix etc. is going to do anything.

Chocolatre Bhut Jolokia

No pics yet of the T.Scorpions but 2 7Pot strains

Demon Habaneros

Josh

I totally agree that it is far more complicated than it should be though.

Regarding my dying Scorpion plant, yeah, I’m taking your advice. I put it on the top of my fridge and just let it stay there until something happens. I’m lost and praying for a miracle. All but two of the six leaves that were on the plant have fallen off. It really hurts to see it die like that but I guess I feel that way because it’s my first plant I’ve ever killed. I just need to get accustomed to death and I’ll be able to deal with this better in the future.

Regarding your instructions for planting my Jolokia seeds:
- when I put the three seeds in each cell, I just put them in there? I don’t need to worry about spacing distance or whatnot?
- Oh, wait, I just noticed the bowls in that third picture in your instructions post. So, I can just use a big bowl by itself only instead of purchasing a cell tray to start the seeds? If so, cool!! And then, I cover them with serran wrap, right? Haha, great picture!
- I don’t have a heat mat, so a warm place would be my kitchen?? Remember, I’m in Hawai’i if that means anything...
- You wrote that after the plants sprout, then I remove the cover or serran wrap for their containers and let them get used to being without a "cover". How long does this time period last?
- After the "without a cover" period, I transfer the plants to small pots. What size pots exactly and how long do they stay in the small pots? Do I just put potting soil into the new pot and then transplant the plant? That’s it?
- After the above step, then I transplant it into another pot, that I will keep outside. What size pots exactly? And this pot will be the pot that the pepper plant stays in for good? Is all that correct?
- The section starting from -> "If you must mess..." until "Mark the bud by wrapping a thread around the stem..." I don’t understand what that means at all...
- For the specific materials you use, I just use any random company’s orchid bark, perlite, dolomite lime, bonemeal, osmacote, fish emultion, seaweed, boric acid, diatomacious, and peat product? Or do you recommend certain ones that are the best? What is planter mix? Is planter mix another exact term for potting mix or potting soil?
- Regarding the beneficial bugs you use, which ones exactly are you referring to AND how I purchase/find them to use them.

@greenman28 - Nice instruction but I think I’ll go with smokemaster_2007 on this one. I love his pictures showing off his beautiful pepper plants! Especially that rainbow pepper!

Listen to smokemaster, he's telling you the things you need to know. Not all but some of the publications out there seemed to be prompting you to spend a LOT of money on materials you don't need. Basically if you put a pepper seed in a pot of soil, gave it some water and light it would grow into a mature plant. The less you fuss over your plants the better they like it. I prefer to give mine healthy neglect. I water when they need it, fertilize when I remember and they grow fine in spite of me. Jackie

I like 4 inch pots if I have the room but the 2 inch peat or plastic ones in the picture are fine.
The peat ones grow roots through the pot so you can just put the whole thing in a bigger pot later.

When I put 3 seeds in a cell I eventually pick the nicest one and cut the others off.

Pot size is determined by plant size.Small pot for small plant.
As a rule of thumb the smallest pot I use is #5(3 1/2 gal.)
I prefere #15(7 gal.).
It all depends on how much room you have to grow stuff in.
You can always pot up later if you want to.
Some of my stuff is in 20 gal. containers.

Manzanos-yellow in back with trellises

Habanero De Arbol

To pollenate buds you let the bugs do it unless you want pure seeds.
Put 1/2 a gel cap over an unopened bud OR a tiny drop of white glue on an unopened bud OR staple or tape(without hurting the bud)a tea bag(empty) over a bud.
OR you can cover the whole plant or a branch with mosqueto net or Tule(lace for wedding vails-google it).
If you want to mess with pollenation take a bud or small paint brush and wipe the buds with it.

Not rocket science...

To me peat is peat,perlite I like in the finer chunks but it doesn't matter except in the cells.
I buy whatever is at the nursery or Home Depote , wherever.
I don't really know the names of who sells what offhand.
Try and get the FINE size orchid bark.
Bigger isn't as good,
You want your mix to have ingrediants (bark and perlite)as close to the same size as possible so it doesn't settle into layers after repeted waterings.

The planter mix is just a soil amendment made from composted forest products(Lumber mill waste thats composted) Not a must.you don't need it.
I only used it as a filler because it is cheeper than Peat.I was trying to save a $.But in Hawaii you might not be able to get it.Not a must to have.

Use a mix of 3-5 parts bark , 1-2 parts Peat and 1-2 parts perlite.Just enough peat to hold the mix together.

OR do like a LOT of other people do,use the mix the other guy does that is orchid mix based.From what I read it works just fine.
The Orchid mix I found only comes in smaller bags so I mix my own to save $.
Otherwise I'd probably use it and not do all the extra mixing up of soil for my pots.

What we use these mixes is because they are fast(drain well)
and roots have a ton of airspace for growing in.
This soil is close to being like growing in hydroponics.
It contains nothing nutrient wise for the plant except great root enviornment.
You put Ozmacote or whatever time release fertilizer you can get in Hawaii.
I use the one that has even amounts of everything in it 14-14-14 or something.
I use fish emultion and seaweed extract in low doses about every time I water.
The only thing you need to watch is that this soil mix needs nitrogen as it breaks down at first until it gets saturated,then it starts releasing it as the bark breaks down.
Your plants will start to yellow if you screw up,just give them an extra shot of fish if they do.
You shouldn't have a problem though,thats what the time release fert. take care of.

Benificial Bugs

http://www.tiptopbio.com/tech_bulletins.html

read the bulletins to see what takes care of whatever is eating your plants.
The bugs you have are different than here in S.California.
I use Wasps(inside for sprouts) , Green lacewings, Ladybugs , praying mantis and Nematodes(for grubs in the soil-Japanese beatles).
Most of them stay around for several seasons as long as there are aphids or whatever for them to eat.

Click above on ONLINE PURCHASE.
That place is only a few miles from where I live.

They ship overnight so if I was you I'd try and find a nursery near you to buy direct from.
Save a lot of $.
Shipping is more than the cost of the bugs a lot of times.Probably more to Hawaii.

Greenman does basically the same as I do,not much different really.
I just grow only in containers.

Jeez,good thing I'm at work and bored.Just wrote a darn book...My typing finger is beat up.

Don't sweat the small stuff.
This isn't rocket science,it's supposed to be fun,not work.

I think , from the impression I get from you , is that you like messing with your plants too much.
You are killing them with kindness or are too impatient and don't just let them alone to do their thing.
Get a hammock and a cold drink and kick back and watch the bees buzz you peppers looking for a bud.
Relax...

Some make a big deal about adding exactly 1 eye of newt for every drop of bat sweat in your square foot of potting soil or your plants just won't grow right.
Where a lot of the additives they use take months or longer to become accesible to a plants roots so in the long run the plant is either past needing whatever the eye of newt or bat sweat is supposed to supply or the 80 day growing season for the plant is over and the plant is already dead.

But some like to just be constantly messing with something all the time.
Better they mess with plants than some other things I can think of that I won't admit to doing when I was younger...LOL

I was just checking out your seed list yesterday.

I'm fighting off mites (they nailed almost 1/3rd of my garden really bad.Lost a bunch of plants I think)and harvesting pods.
So many mite the Ladybugs and other good guys are too fat and lazy from pigging out to keep up.

I swear I heard a ladybug belch and fart yesterday when I was neeming and soaping down the plants.
I looked under a leaf and one was sitting there,kicking back with a ladybug brew picking her teeth with a twig,pulling out mite shell from between her teeth getting ready for a nap.

Time to get into trading and SASBE stuff as usual for this time of year.
Use the Gmail address,you never told me what you were looking for I don't think.

Regardless, if you use Smoke's method of pepper growing, you'll be using the method I swear by, as well.
Smoke hit all the major concepts behind drainage, pot size, and fertilization.

Good luck, and mahalo!

Josh

Mite free plants-I hope

Mites did this in a couple days

How long you keep the cover on depends on your plants and how hot it is where they are growing.
What about Hawai’i weather? How long here?

Take the cover completely off for a couple hours and if nothing wilts they are good to go coverless.
They will actually start to wilt before my eyes after a couple of hours? Wow! So, when I put the cover back on then they will go back to normal? Pretty cool, like my babies. :)

When I put 3 seeds in a cell I eventually pick the nicest one and cut the others off.
You "cut them off"? You mean you kill the other ones? *shocked* This is so I don’t have too many peppers, right?

As a rule of thumb the smallest pot I use is #5(3 1/2 gal.)
I prefere #15(7 gal.)
I still don’t quite understand which size pots to use at what stage but I think what you are saying is that I should just use 3 ½ gallon pots and 7 gallon pots. I can use either one no matter what size the plants are.

To pollenate buds you let the bugs do it unless you want pure seeds.
I’m not sure what you mean by "pure seeds" but I don’t think we have bugs here to pollinate flowers here in Hawai’i. I’m only say this because I have yet to see any bugs like I used to see them back home in MS. But I could be wrong here...

you can cover the whole plant or a branch with mosqueto net
I’ll do this one since I don’t understand the others. :)

OR do like a LOT of other people do,use the mix the other guy does that is orchid mix based.From what I read it works just fine.
His mix is fine size orchid bark, perlite and pumice. So, I presume I use the same mixture ratio that you mentioned then?? 3-5 parts bark, 1-2 parts perlite, and 1-2 parts pumice. Correct?

You put Ozmacote or whatever time release fertilizer you can get in Hawaii.
I use the one that has even amounts of everything in it 14-14-14 or something.
I think I saw Ozmacote at the garden store. I’ll get it as long as they have the 14-14-14 mix like you said.

I use fish emultion and seaweed extract in low doses about every time I water.

I fetilize with Fish Emultion and Seaweed extract in 1/8th - 1/10th strength almost every time I water.
So, you use a watering can then, right? You measure the amount of water that you’re going to give to each specific plant such as 2 cups, then you put that in the watering can. Next, you look at the instructions on the container for the emultion and seaweed and you ascertain what one full strength dose is. You multiply that by 1/8 or 1/10 and then you put that in the water you measured earlier and give that to the plant. You repeat this for each plant. Is that all correct? If not, please clarify. I aplogize for being so wordy but I have to make sure I understand everything very clearly or I’ll be utterly lost.

The only thing you need to watch is that this soil mix needs nitrogen as it breaks down at first until it gets saturated,then it starts releasing it as the bark breaks down.
Your plants will start to yellow if you screw up,just give them an extra shot of fish if they do.
So, with this, you are basically saying that if the leaves on my plant start turning yellow then that indicates that the soil mix needs nitrogen. I fix that problem by putting an extra 1/8 or 1/10 strength measurement of fish emultion in the specific plant with the problem. All correct?

read the bulletins to see what takes care of whatever is eating your plants.
Huh?
1. How do I know what is eating my plants? I’m not a scientist. :( I assume I just take pictures with my camera and post them here for you all to identify.
2. How does the beneficial bug thing work on the whole anyway? So, I simply purchase these bugs and put them on my plants? Won’t they just fly away to other plants or just fly away all together? Also, we have a lot of geckos here. (I love them btw) Won’t they just eat all the bugs that I purchase? I don’t understand this either.

Mark the buds by tying a thread near the stem of the isolated bud so whenthe pod gets ripe you know what ones are pure seed...
I don’t know what you mean here. Tying a thread (what kind of thread?) near the stem of the isolated bud (picture please of a stem and an isolated bud?) and I’ll already mentioned above that I don’t know what "pure seed" is. And I did Google "pure seed" and "pure seed wiki". I still don’t understand. I know I’m stupid when it comes to this agriculture stuff but please be patient with me. I’m trying really hard to understand and learn.

Especially with some of the die hard organic guys.
I think that’s partially why I get so confused here. Every time, you all post advice, I am asking myself, "how would I do or apply this advice if I were doing this totally organically on a farm somewhere all by myself?"

Better they mess with plants than some other things I can think of that I won't admit to doing when I was younger...LOL
Yeah, I have been putting this off forever! I figure I should go ahead and learn plants the right way for good right now!

Use the Gmail address,you never told me what you were looking for I don't think.
Are you talking to me or greenman or someone else?? lol

I understand that you might respond saying -> "well there isn’t one book for how to grow everything but..." That type of response is fine and expected but please, if possible, list the best book for growing the widest range of plants. Something akin to -> "this book __ is the best for __ and this book is the best for __ etc. etc." I’ll start this off first.

I’ve read reviews about a couple of books but what I’ve heard is that the best books for growing plants is:

for grains -
Homegrown Whole Grains: Grow, Harvest, and Cook Wheat, Barley, Oats, Rice, Corn and More

vegetables -
- "The No Work Garden Book" by Ruth Stout and/or
- Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners

herbs -
- The Complete Vegetable and Herb Gardener; a Guide to Growing Your Garden Organically. by Karan Davis Cutler

fruits -
Rodale's Garden Problem Solver: Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs by Jeff Ball
The Backyard Orchardist by Stella Otto

wood trees -
I don’t know... Your expert recommendations?? :)

Ok, that’s all I know of. Please let me know if my list is horribly wrong or whatever because I want to make sure that I am reading the absolute best books to learn how to grow anything. Please be absolutely certain in your recommendations if at all possible. I don’t want the same thing to happen that happened earlier in thread when hubris007 recommended a link but was unsure of it. I read the whole thing for nothing and waste three hours. However you all’s expert advice after that is great! I know or hope that if I have access to the best most clearly outlined books on how to grow any plant, then I won’t happen to ask so many questions here. I really hate asking so many simple questions but I am just so terrible at this since I’m such a beginner. Thank you all in advance! :D :)

YES

How long you keep the cover on depends on your plants and how hot it is where they are growing.
What about Hawai’i weather? How long here?

I don't have a clue...There isn't any set time.
If they don't wilt they are cool.

When I put 3 seeds in a cell I eventually pick the nicest one and cut the others off.
You "cut them off"? You mean you kill the other ones? *shocked* This is so I don’t have too many peppers, right?

Yes-not all seeds grow/sprout or grow...

As a rule of thumb the smallest pot I use is #5(3 1/2 gal.)
I prefere #15(7 gal.)
I still don’t quite understand which size pots to use at what stage but I think what you are saying is that I should just use 3 ½ gallon pots and 7 gallon pots. I can use either one no matter what size the plants are.

Yes
Pot size charts.

http://www.dillen.com/injection_molded_nursery_containers.asp

http://www.procalpots.com/Injection-Molded-Nursery-Containers.asp

http://www.procalpots.com/pressure-formed-plastic-pots.asp

I use fish emultion and seaweed extract in low doses about every time I water.

I fetilize with Fish Emultion and Seaweed extract in 1/8th - 1/10th strength almost every time I water.
So, you use a watering can then, right? You measure the amount of water that you’re going to give to each specific plant such as 2 cups, then you put that in the watering can. Next, you look at the instructions on the container for the emultion and seaweed and you ascertain what one full strength dose is. You multiply that by 1/8 or 1/10 and then you put that in the water you measured earlier and give that to the plant. You repeat this for each plant. Is that all correct? If not, please clarify. I aplogize for being so wordy but I have to make sure I understand everything very clearly or I’ll be utterly lost.

The only thing you need to watch is that this soil mix needs nitrogen as it breaks down at first until it gets saturated,then it starts releasing it as the bark breaks down.
Your plants will start to yellow if you screw up,just give them an extra shot of fish if they do.
So, with this, you are basically saying that if the leaves on my plant start turning yellow then that indicates that the soil mix needs nitrogen. I fix that problem by putting an extra 1/8 or 1/10 strength measurement of fish emultion in the specific plant with the problem. All correct?

I use a sprayer like this-read the discription...any companies product will do...

http://www.thefind.com/garden/info-hose-end-sprayer

To pollenate buds you let the bugs do it unless you want pure seeds.
I’m not sure what you mean by "pure seeds" but I don’t think we have bugs here to pollinate flowers here in Hawai’i. I’m only say this because I have yet to see any bugs like I used to see them back home in MS. But I could be wrong here...

No BEES?

read the bulletins to see what takes care of whatever is eating your plants.
Huh?
1. How do I know what is eating my plants? I’m not a scientist. :( I assume I just take pictures with my camera and post them here for you all to identify.
2. How does the beneficial bug thing work on the whole anyway? So, I simply purchase these bugs and put them on my plants? Won’t they just fly away to other plants or just fly away all together? Also, we have a lot of geckos here. (I love them btw) Won’t they just eat all the bugs that I purchase? I don’t understand this either.

If you don't have aphids eating your plants than you don't need something that eats aphids ,if your plants are getting eaten by caterpillars than you need caterpillar killer.
I have no clue as to what bugs are in Hawaii or if lizards eat all the kinds of pests that like peppers.

Use the Gmail address,you never told me what you were looking for I don't think.
Are you talking to me or greenman or someone else?? lol

Post was for Jackie-HI Jackie was the title...
But I'll trade with anyone who has something I want.
GW goes to my gmail address.She also has my old E mail address.
I've traded with her for a few years.

isolating buds-GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND>

http://howtosaveseeds.com/isolate.php

See picture in overview of bagged plants and buds

http://www.avrdc.org/pdf/PROD6-saving_your_own_vegetable_seeds.pdf

links from GW in this post

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/legumes/msg061309413628.html

Scratch,
you can grow virtually any vegetable or plant in these bark-based mixes.
Here is a quick list of vegetables that I have grown in containers or supervised:
potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, corn, carrots, squashes, melons, peas (beans), chives,
onions, garlic, and a plethora of herbs (dill, sage, cilantro, thyme, oregano, basil).
Then, of course, there are fruit trees like plums, dwarf peaches, dwarf nectarines, and
Moro blood orange.

For book recommendations, I would suggest a peek or posting at the Container Forum.
I can't remember the name, but someone posted recently on a solid container growing text.
For more generalized information on growing and propagating a wide array of vegetables,
you might consider Plant Propagation by The American Horticultural Society,
editor Alan Toogood.

Josh

It only took a couple days for the mites to screw my plants up.
What happened I think was there are Lemon bushes where I harden off my plants that are heavily infected with mites.

So without knowing it I was probably spreading mites pretty evenly throughout my garden.
Since they like heat,once the temps got to 100 they really started to multiply.
My plants are so close together I didn't see any webs until the plants were pretty bad off.

I have 150-200 more plants inside that I keep for just such an occasion-replacements.
Not the same varieties but 6-12 inch plants ready to get put in the pots from the dead plants.

I just got a shipmemt today of a few thousand lacewing larva that I'll put out tonight to clean up any stray mites that I haven't drown or smothered with soap and neem sparay along with just hosing the plants down.

I plan on seeing a bunch of REAL fat lacewings in a little while. LOL
Fat and sassy and ready to lay eggs...between snacks of coarse. :)

My chocolate Bhut isn't a chocolate.It's turning red.
Oh well.I've got other seeds for it from other sources and a couple more inside that will go out as plants die.

http://www.thefind.com/garden/info-hose-end-sprayer
I can’t use that in my tiny apartment.... I guess I’ll have to use a watering can in place of that.

No BEES?
We have very little here but I guess we do have a little bit since I was able to find this link:
http://www.hawaiibeekeepers.org/

Who knew... :p

you can grow virtually any vegetable or plant in these bark-based mixes.
That mixture of orchid bark, pumice and perlite can be used to grow anything!! That is great to know!

Now, I wonder, what is the homemade from scratch equivalent of those three ingredients. I have searched google and this is what I’ve found. Let me know if it’s all correct.

To make the orchid mix from scratch:
http://tuysonvien-whereigarden.blogspot.com/2009/02/home-made-orchid-b ark-chips.html

Perlite and Pumice are naturally occuring rocks so nothing special about them. So, basically if one had access to raw perlite stones and raw pumice stone, one could actually make this mixture and grow anything on their own, correct? :)

But....
If you can't find pumice stone, you can use peat moss or potting soil as a substitute.
The key is to keep the peat or the potting soil to a small fraction of the overall mix....
otherwise, the mix might hold too much moisture.

So you could mix 3-5 parts bark, 1-2 parts perlite, and 1-2 parts pumice
- or -
you could mix 3-5 parts bark, 1-2 parts perlite, and 1-2 parts potting soil (or peat).

Smoke and I both add Dolomitic Garden Lime to our mixes, which adjusts the pH of the bark.
Osmocote, a slow-release fertilizer, helps to keep fertility levels consistent in the mix -
but it only lasts about 4 months (sometimes less, since the mix is watered frequently).

Josh

Now, I know that hypothetically if I am able to grow all the plants that I mention, that does NOT mean that every plant I attempt to grow will, in fact, grow. My purpose in doing this is to gain knowledge. I want to have the know how to grow any kind of plant properly. If it doesn't grow on account of variables outside of my control then that's fine. But I want to be comfortable knowing that I did the correct process in growing them. That way whenever I want to grow ANY plant, then I can say,

"Oh, yeah, I know how to grow that. Just do this and this and it should grow just fine. Now if something funky with nature happens then that's another story but what I told you will make the plant grow."

That is what I want to be able to say and that is why I will grow a plant from each of the plant categories. That way if I meet another plant from that category then I will already know what to do with it.

So, what I will need according to your instructions, smokemaster_2007 & greenman28, to be able to grow any plant is the following:

- cells (4 inch or 2 inch)
- potting trays
- potting soil or peat
- #15 pots (containers)
- orchid bark (FINE size)
- perlite (FINE size)
- pumice
- osmacote 14-14-14
- bonemeal
- dolomite lime
- fish emultion
- seaweed extract
- boric acid powder
- diatomacious earth
- hose sprayer

Since I will not be purchasing any of this stuff online, what I am going to do is take my camera to the local garden store with me and take a picture of each of the items listed above. I want to make sure that I have the correct products. I'll post the pics of the products when I finish taking them.

I do have a question though. I am obviously very interested in self-sufficiency so I would like to know what are the all-natural equivalents of the products that you have told me about. I'll go one by one and do what I think I know so far.

1. Cells - the equivalent of this would be making clay pots or just putting the seeds directly into the ground.
2. Potting trays - same as above
3. Potting soil - This is simply soil and compost. Compost is animal and human waste and other naturally occurring materials. (i.e. sawdust, grass, hay, etc. )
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/How-To-Make-Your-Own- Potting-Soil.aspx
4. #15 pots - same as clay pots which can be made naturally and easily
5. orchid bark - this is nothing more than tree bark, very easily obtainable naturally
http://tuysonvien-whereigarden.blogspot.com/2009/02/home-made-orchid-b ark-chips.html
* I can't find a link online that lists how to make bleach at home. *
http://sci-toys.com/ingredients/bleach.html
6. Perlite - A naturally occurring rock.
http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photoperlite.html
http://www.perlite.net/
7. Pumice - a naturally occurring rock
http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photopumice.html
8. Osmacote - a commercial slow-release fertilizer
This is a product that is the result of mixing a number of materials commercial mined and what not. A way to make this osmacote at home is outlined below:
http://www.appalachianfeet.com/2009/09/07/how-to-make-your-own-slow-re lease-fertilizer/

So basically homemade osmacote is possible if one is able to go out into the field and mine the individual rocks listed in the link above. For Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) though, this process basically consists of boiling down saltwater.
9. bonemeal - easily made at home
http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/b6b6bd6e-08dd-4acc-8005-ec1540c4de 58
10. dolomitic limestone - naturally occurring rock. one would just need to mine it.
11. fish emultion - easily made at home
http://www.helpfulgardener.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2070
12. seaweed extract - Also seems easy to make at home.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0815223212330.html
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055864482
13. boric acid - Boric acid is by reacting borax (naturally occurring mineral) with hydrochloric acid.
http://www.ehow.com/how_6956409_homemade-boric-acid.html
- hydrochloric acid - hydrochloric acid is prepared by dissolving hydrogen chloride in water.
- hydrogen chloride - made by electrolyzing salt water (ie seawater)
*I haven't found a good link which explains how to perform electrolysis at home yet*
14. diatomacious earth - naturally occurring rock

Thank you!

What are you going to do with the possible toxic stuff left over after you made your boric acid or whatever?

The ingredients are probably more costly to get than just buying the finnished product I'd think.
Either in gas,starting material $ or just in time.

How are you going to know what impurities etc. you have in your starting ingrediants and what the possible reaction some impurity has on these chemical reactions?

Pool acid isn't made to be pure/regent grade for chemical reactions or whatever.

You shouldnt be messing with this stuff because it's on the internet and some yahoo says it's cool to do.

Just water added to sulfaric acid can boil up and burn you badly.
Some of the reactions could make flamable or possibly poisonous gasses if the wrong stuff mixes together.

What is your FREE heat source (1600 degreesF) to make expanded Perlite...Probably cost more to make than buy.

I don't know about you but my time is worth more than taking hours to save a couple dollars by hauling rocks or whatever and dodging acid/bleach fumes or whatever.

There is a reason people sell and buy it rather than make this stuff at home.

Houses are always burning down after some guy screws up trying to make illegal drugs...
Fuel for their car etc.

Nothing wrong with making your own pots and soil mixes.
But messing with reactions of acid and who knows what else isn't worth it.

If I found out you were playing with that kind of stuff in the apartment or house next door to me I'd stop you real quick.

Just thinking about the smell of Fish emultion from the nursey (stinks real bad) I can imagine what it smells like fermenting. LOL
I guess you do have access to lots of fish guts etc. though where you live.

Making Seaweed extract sounds about as aromatic too.

The people in the general vicinity are gonna love ya.

Lungs burned by acid fumes,skin burns can't be fun...

I can think of a ton of reasons not to mess with half the stuff you are thinking of trying with no knowledge of chemistry at all.

I think you could be more self sufficient by spending a few bucks to get started and scrounge what you can from dumpsters or wherever.
Growing stuff to sell to buy whatever you have to or isn't practicle (too stinky) or dangerous to make.

Containers to grow stuff in can be scrounged-empty food grade plastic containers from the local scarf and barf(food grade buckets,bottles or whatever is the size you need).
All sizes from Mayonaise jugs to 5 gal. + sized buckets.
Cut them to size...
Free is better than firing pots and messing with clay.

People use liter soda bottles for mini greenhouses for plants-cut the bottom to size and use the top for the cover.Since it's top is funnel shape you cut it slightly smaller than the bottom so it fits snug.

Old vegetable packages can be used for starting seeds.

Cardboard Egg containers work for starting seeds.
Cut the top off and use plastic wrap for a cover until they are big enough for pots.
Cut the sections apart and put the cardboard cell in the pot.cardboard breaks down quickly and lets the roots spread.
The clear plastic containers vegetables come in have air holes for drainage and snap close covers-good greenhouses too.

Vegetable scraps , coffee grounds etc. for compost gathered from resturaunts and grocery stores.
Make a small compost bin out of a plastic tub or just make one out of wood.
I'm sure you can google plans for most of the stuff you need-same as you did for your chemical reactions.

A lot of places will set the stuff aside (whatever you are collecting)if you ask them to.Especially Mom and Pop type places.

I know lots of people who grow stuff and sell it to pay part or all it cost them to get by.

You can be somewhat self sufficient and not risk your health at the same time.
You could probably raise extra plants etc. to sell at swap meets or wherever.

I will respond more later, since homework is calling me now. :)

1.
a.A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden.

Anything but chile Peppers are weeds to me.
What was so hard to understand.
I think this is the Pepper Forum isn't it?

I finally have those pics for you. My camera is working well now. (for the time being)

#1.
This is the Trinidad Scorpion plant that I tried to grow:
http://img828.imageshack.us/i/dsc0058qe.jpg/
http://img693.imageshack.us/i/dsc0059fh.jpg/
http://img515.imageshack.us/i/dsc0060p.jpg/
http://img267.imageshack.us/i/dsc0061jd.jpg/
http://img23.imageshack.us/i/dsc0062lr.jpg/

Is it dead?

Here are the things that I told you I used to try and grow the plant above:
http://img140.imageshack.us/i/dsc0065sd.jpg/
http://img801.imageshack.us/i/dsc0066kl.jpg/
http://img524.imageshack.us/i/dsc0067lr.jpg/
http://img183.imageshack.us/i/dsc0068et.jpg/

#2.
Here are the seeds of a Bhut Jolokia plant that I want to grow:
http://img266.imageshack.us/i/dsc0063ln.jpg/
http://img651.imageshack.us/i/dsc0064aa.jpg/

I've been drying these seeds on the kitchen table for over two months so far. Now that my camera is working well, I'm going to go ahead and start planting stuff again this week hopefully. I have my method outlined below just to keep you updated as always:

So, I will mix these three things together -> 3-5 parts orchid bark, 1-2 parts perlite, and 1-2 parts potting soil. I will be using eggshells to start the seeds in. I will poke two holes into the bottom of the eggshell and I will put the bark mixture above into the eggshell. Next, I will put the three seeds into the bark mixture. I will water it with a mixture of water, fish emulsion, and seaweed extract. I will put the eggshell in a warm shady place (on top of my refrigerator) until the seeds sprout from plant. I will water the plant with the water mix I mentioned above every time the soil is slightly dry. After the plant starts to grow and break the surface of the bark mixture, I will place them in the sun on my kitchen table NOT outside.

I will be posting pictures so you can have a visual to see what I'm doing and if it is correct or incorrect. :)

Please don't take this the wrong way but you are making the seed starting process way too complicated. Can you buy potting soil or potting mix or seed starting mix? As basic as it gets is to use an empty egg carton, put some potting mix in each little hole. Put 3 seeds in each hole. Water, not soaking, cover the soil with plastic wrap. Keep in a reasonably warm place, like the top of refrigerator. When the plants sprout, move them to where they get more light. At the time they have 4 leaves you can move the plants to the mix Smoke says he uses. If you give young seedlings fertilizer it must be diluted to 1/4 of what you would normally use. I know it's hard to grasp all of the information at first but spare yourself and don't make it complicated!