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centexan254

Super Market Find of Plants (Morgua Black, and Ghost)

I was going into the grocery store to pick up some munchies, and was stopped dead in my tracks at the door when I saw a bunch of plants with a mark down to half price so I decided to take a look.

This move surprised me. I on the normal day in late Aug. would not stop for plants as most of the time they look like crap, and have been infested with pest. Well these I stopped to look at the tags. Morgua Black was on the tag of one. Ghost Pepper was on the other. Price of both was $4.00 plus sales tax.

Upon inspection at home I popped them up out of the pot to take a look. They were big time root bound. I washed the root balls well, and trimmed the tangles out. The leaves on the Morgua dropped off. Though the stem is still green, and some new leaves are starting to sprout now. The Ghost fared better.

Is it unrealistic of me to think I may get at least a couple of pods off of them if they make it till winter? I plan on wintering them inside this winter with a couple of other plants even if they do not produce now. I have my fingers crossed that they are " The Real Deal." Looks like time, and luck will tell.

Thanks all,
Nate

Here is a pic of them. I potted them up to larger pots, and will start them on ferts when they have recovered.

Comments (53)

  • northeast_chileman
    9 years ago

    I get no plants at my local Stuper-Market but they had Habs today!

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    Great find !

    No, you won't get any real production this year. You might get one pod, but don't expect even that.

    Overwinter and get a running start for next year. Let us know how they turn out.

    BTW, who is the grower? It should say on the tags.

    Dennis

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Dennis the nursery tag says nature farms of San Antonio, Tx.

    Sorry for the delay in response it has been a busy weekend.

  • northeast_chileman
    9 years ago

    Looks like they sell to HEB.

    Nothing at their website indicates they're branching out to hot peppers, never mind super hots.

  • tomt226
    9 years ago

    chileman,
    The buyers at local HEB's usually get what the customers ask for...at least in this area.
    Presently they have piles of boxes of hot and mild New Mexico chiles on the floor. Bags of Pequins too.
    Always got a couple of girls cleaning nopales and tunas in the produce area...

  • northeast_chileman
    9 years ago

    "Always got a couple of girls cleaning nopales and tunas in the produce area...

    Cacti fruit? And what do you and other heathens down there do with it, eat it?

    The only thing close to a succulent us northerners eat drink is Tequila, Blue Agave being my favorite.

    And just so you south of the Mason-Dixon border rednecks don't think we're a bunch of non-Chicano aficionados up here, a bit of info.> 50 Year Old Agave Grown on Beacon Hill Bawstan '06.

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    Only 50? Just a baby.

    We need to introduce you to mescal.

    Dennis

    P.S. A red neck is earned through hard work. Or in my case hard pedaling.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Well I am guessing that they grow more than what is listed on the site. Many places will provide plants under contract to vendors. To get a better price from the vendor they will not list what they sell to the vendor on their site, or will list for higher than what the vendor sells for at retail. It is to keep from competing with such a large customer.

    Oh and I think I am more likely to get what is on the tag from them, than from the vendor that supplied the local Lowe's. I got two for one on the large basket planters with peppers. Neither was tagged right from off of the truck. They had pods set so I could tell what they were. The bell pepper was tagged as habanero, the jalapeno was tagged as a bell pepper. If I remember right was Hill Country Nursery or something to that effect. The jalapeno plant has produced well, and is still healthy. The bell while still alive has been stressed since I planted it.

    Oh and the super hots are still hanging in. The Ghost has perked back up. The Scorpion is bare to the stem, though I see a couple wee tiny leaves starting to pop out.

  • goinbaroke
    9 years ago

    I have a Bhut Jalokia plant that is now 4 years old, I take it in for the winter and replant in the spring....got 6 pods off of it last week and they seem to get hotter each time! The stem is getting woody but I'll try it again this winter, its 5th!
    Dick C.

  • TNKS
    9 years ago

    I find nothing on a black strain Moruga
    Taking much stake in a mis-labeled strain isnt going to help
    Brown Scorpion is the best you can hope for really

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Updating this thread. Both plants are looking much better. The Moruga has leaves again, and has grown taller. The Ghost plant seemed to be oblivious to being transplanted. It looked wilted for a couple of days, then perked back up. Then it started to grow again. Both have been getting fertilizer.

    Both are about 10 inches tall. The Ghost plant is very bushy.

    TNKS I had the same results trying to search out a Moruga Scorpion Black. Time will tell what it produces.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Editing double post.

    {{!gwi}}

    This post was edited by centexan254 on Sun, Sep 21, 14 at 12:31

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    It is time to update this thread.

    Both plants have done great so far. They have grown greatly. Both now have pods set. Both are covered in flowers as well. Unfortunately the season is coming to an end soon. The good news is since both are in containers they will be coming in out of the cold. As well as going outside on the warm sunny days.

    The first pic is of the ghost pepper plant. Pods have the classic blistered looking skin. As well as the classic shape. Now to see what color they turn. My money is on red.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Next pic is of the pods it has set. There is a better looking pod in the center of the plant. Though my phone only took blurry pics of that so I will spare the out of focus pics from your viewing displeasure.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here is a pic of the pod on the Moruga.

    I am not sure of what to expect for final color on the pods.

    The tag says" Scorpion Moruga Black"

  • northeast_chileman
    9 years ago

    centexan254's opening post asked;

    Is it unrealistic of me to think I may get at least a couple of pods off of them if they make it till winter?

    Well you got pods. Now if they ripen, indoors or out, it was a complete success!

    I really like success stories from members, warms the cockles of my heart.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Northeast chileman I can say I am glad that they set pods. I know they will ripen up. It is possible that they will set more pods in the next few days. The Moruga is loaded with flowers.

    Oh and here overwintering of plants is not as hard. We get plenty of nice days in the winter months. Though when the northern fronts blow in it changes in minutes. I will leave them in the present containers for the winter. I will keep them in the house on my reloading bench on the cold nights, and put them outside on the warmer days. The light above the bench should help as well. I moved the powder dispenser to a shelf off the bench. So there is more room. (Much to my wife's dismay. She accepts my hobbies of guns, and gardening though.)

    Attached is pic of the back yard as of an hour ago. The rain let up some. The cooler wet weather has not been nice to my tomatoes though.

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    So what do you load with? Moruga powder? (Beware overcharging!)

    Dennis

  • Mecdave Zone 8/HZ 9
    9 years ago

    Ha good one Dennis!

    Show of hands... how many here have plants and gun parts on the same workbench? (I'm in)

    PS Peppers Want to live. Tomatoes are always looking for an excuse to die. ;-)

    This post was edited by mecdave on Wed, Nov 5, 14 at 19:25

  • tomt226
    9 years ago

    Centex,
    The rain was great! My yellow pears are still putting on as all the peppers are too.
    Any of ya'll want a bullet trap? 3/16" plate. Come git it if you do...

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Dennis I would need a burn rate to use the Moruga powder. It could be too hot for my low pressure rounds. Though with things looking the way they are for finding any pistol powders I may end up trying it. It could not be any worse than Herco. I am sure it would meter better than Unique, Blue Dot, and Hi Skor as well.

    I have to prep up 2K rifle cases though. I hate the trimming part. Good thing I only have to do that once. While there are no gun parts on the bench. I have lead ingots, a turret press, a loading block, a sleeve of primers, 100 cases for .41 Rem Mag., and 100 cast lead gas checked Keith style SWC. As well as a pound of AA9 powder. Oh and my Black Hawk is on the bench. Gonna work on the green house in the morning, and when it warms up I am going to the range to put some cannon loads into the berm at about 1750 feet per second.

    To keep my own thread on topic I was surprised to see the plants when I did. I am glad I bought them. Two weeks later I picked up another moruga that looked pretty bad for 99 cents. It now looks like the other one. I see some pods that set that are tiny.

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    I imagine that the burn rate would depend on how it was dried. Now you need yet another piece of gear to test the moisture content...

    So what's the deal with pistol powders? I seem to recall something about the Administration buying it all up to keep it out of the hands of criminals (i.e. gun owners) ?

    OT: Yeah, them peppers are tough!

    Dennis

  • randy355
    9 years ago

    Welcome to Better Guns and Gardens

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    Come the Zombie Socialist Apocalypse, you will be glad to know a gun toting gardener.

  • judo_and_peppers
    9 years ago

    I most definitely do not have plants and guns on the same bench. I keep those 2 quite separate (easy to do because the plants stay outdoors and the guns stay indoors).

    I am quite interested to see what your "moruga black" turns out to look like at full color.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ghost peppers broke color at last. They are in a low tunnel for tonight. Tomorrow they come in for a few days.

    First frost will happen either tonight, or tomorrow. Either way there is a fat lady singing the end of the season song.

    This post was edited by centexan254 on Wed, Nov 12, 14 at 15:59

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    Nah. This is a short blast of cold air. I expect to be growing into December (as long as I can protect the plants).

    Dennis

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Dennis the fat lady has sang for all of the outside plants. Tomatoes were picked. Most of the vines have been disposed of, as well as clean out of the plants I am not going to overwinter. I built a small low tunnel to put some in. A few of them will be inside on my reloading bench till night lows go back above freezing. Then they will go back inside the low tunnel.

    Oh and my rosemary is huge. The cabbage seems to be doing great. I cut down two of my large pepper plants, and they are in the low tunnel as well.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    This is what it looks like as of 2 days ago. I was lucky to have a day of nice weather to do the clean out. Now to wait for another decent day to break out the hoe, and get the weeds out.

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    Rosemary is hardy, though trying to convince my SiL of that seems futile.

    The thermometer registered 35F here in town, though I expect it will get colder tonight.

    Nice cat.

    Dennis

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the compliment on the cat. He keeps the rodents at bay.

    The rosemary was a 4 inch seedling a year and half ago. I have raised it once this past spring when I tilled, and amended the bed. I cut a few sprigs off when I am cooking Italian. Other than that I have left it alone. I water around it. 3 times during the winter here it was covered in snow and ice.

    Throwing a quick question on the ghost pepper out there. What is the final color of the pods supposed to be. I have several that orange with no signs of turning red. I am still waiting on the Moruga to break color.

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    Bhut jolokia as I know it is blood red when ripe. Mine went pretty much straight from green to red. No 'orange' involved.

    But I lost count of ghostly 'colors' about eight varieties ago, so I have no idea what yours is 'supposed' to do...

    Dennis

    When did you plant Moruga? IIRC I got my first ripe ones in early August.

  • judo_and_peppers
    9 years ago

    ghosts will go orange and then red sometimes. or more accurately, light red then dark red. they can be picked at the light red stage but they're better the longer you leave them on.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the help Dennis, and Jason.

    This is my first time growing super hots. I was not sure on the colors. I awaiting the color break on the scorpion.

    I tried to coax it into breaking color by pointing a 51 Navy at it. It did not do anything. Tomorrow it will be a Walker Colt. I am not sure if the plant noticed that the cylinders were not capped. Nor were they loaded. The Walker is big enough most say it is intimidating to look at.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I am now cooling off. It is hot in here. I ate one of the small Bhuts. Sweet for the first split second. A nice crunch when bit into it.

    Heat that built up. and built up, then it got hotter. Then it was insanely hot. My eyeballs started to sweat. My wife said it was looking like I had too much sun.

    This pic is the first bite.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Then the aftermath. About two minutes later.

  • judo_and_peppers
    9 years ago

    you'll always remember your first superhot.

    I ate my first one (a red brain strain) when I was home alone, so nobody could see how much of a sissy I was about it.

    I've learned to sample superhots a piece at a time.

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    Selfie after wiping away tears...

    :(D

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Dennis my wife took the pic. There were no tears. Though I did have to wipe the sweat off of my brow. 5 minutes later she said I looked like I had gotten too much sun. My sinuses were clear as a whistle as well.

  • djoyofficial
    9 years ago

    Good stuff. Best decongestant I've ever had.

    Just wanted to comment about ghost pepper color. I really like the way judo put it. Being my first year growing them I first thought that they went straight to red but as more began to ripen and others were on the plant longer there was a definite difference in color. The more mature pods started to make the ones I thought were red look more orange.

    Is that a gun pillow case? Ha ha! Whatever it is nice decor!

    dj

  • seysonn
    9 years ago

    That is a tough one, to chew Centex.

    The hottest one I have ever done had been an orange hab and a Lemon Drop in another occasion. And I thought they were much milder than rating. I usually try them with cheese, apple, wine, on a piece of bread.
    I am tempted to try it again. I have still few fresh ones on the counter.

    I might report back. NO pics. hehe'

    Seysonn

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    djoy the pillow is one that my wife made for me. She traced the outline of my .357 Mag Desert Eagle and made the pillow with some spare fabric she has from her quilting.

    Oh and today I took a couple of ripe pods to work for a couple of chilihead coworkers. I sure wish I had my camera phone then. Their faces were redder than the pods. The vending machine company should thank me. They were eating ice cream like it was an all you can eat buffet for the entire half hour of lunch break.

    The weather has been warm enough that the peppers have been going outside for the days. I have been bringing them in at night as it has been wet at night. I want to avoid too much moisture in plants that could end up inside for week or more. The stuff in the low tunnel looks pretty shocked. Though the geraniums look they will pull though. The ornamental peppers dropped their leaves, though the stems are still green so I will hope for the best on that one.

    Ok now back to loading up some .45-70 Govt. cowboy loads for fun tomorrow. Nothing like banging the steel spinners with those big heavy bullets.

    A note on topic. One of the pods on the Moruga is now blushing orange. It decided to turn color after seeing my Walker Colt laying next to it.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here is a pic of the Moruga I took a couple of minutes ago. Now I have to clean up my bench, and warm up the scale. My wife wants to go shooting with me tomorrow so it looks like I am going to have to knock out a few hundred .30 Carbine to with all the other rounds.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here is a closer pic of the pod. I am sure it will be as hot as one of the M1 Carbine rounds.

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    I dunno. I'd be a little ambivalent about having a wife that knows how to shoot good.

    Jes sayin'.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Dennis I like the fact that she shoots well. It intimidates the mall ninjas when a woman with an old WW II surplus rifle out shoots them.

    To be on topic the scorpion has broken color to orange. I will keep posting with the progress. It is a nice day to hit the shooting range.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The moruga is turning a nice bright red. I am surprised it has done so as quickly as it has. The bhut pods took a while to go from orange to red. I will try to post a pic later. I am working on a grow set up today.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ok it is time for an update. The plants are still kicking.

    The pod on the scorpion has turned red as I noted on Sunday. Due to the cold snap the plants are now in my closet. I built a 3 tier grow rack for seedlings, and germinating on Sunday shortly after the update.

    I will start with a close up of the pod on the scorpion. Sorry about the quality of the pic. My phone does not take the best of close up pics, and my wife is not here for me to use her camera with the macro setting.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here is a pic of the ghost pepper plant.

    I know the leaves are drooping. I watered it a few minutes before taking the pic. It should be perked back up in a few hours.

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Time for an update to this. The Moruga seems to be a nice deep dark red. It is looking a little bit more waxy though. I am going to use the best pod for seed saving.

    I have harvested quite a few pods off the Bhut so far. I will post a pic of a few I took off today doing a trim down as I potted it up today. As the pods start to ripen I will be trimming back a few of the branches to keep it to a size that will not be too much of a burden to move it outside on the warm days, and back in for the nights, and cold days.

    Here is a better close up I took a few minutes ago of the Moruga.

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