Curry Recipes Online
Beginners Guide => Grow Your Own Spices and Herbs => Topic started by: h4ppy-chris on March 28, 2013, 02:03 PM
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I am loving this hydroponics for growing chillies. :) any tips? Once the flower is open, how many days do i leave it before i self pollinate it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1N6QLdbg7w (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1N6QLdbg7w)
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Nice little hydro set up there Chris. 8)
One important thing i see thats missing, is an oscillating fan. You really need to get a fan in there to strengthen up those stems so that they can hold the weight of the fruit.
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Nice little hydro set up there Chris. 8)
One important thing i see thats missing, is an oscillating fan. You really need to get a fan in there to strengthen up those stems so that they can hold the weight of the fruit.
Thanks for that mate, i thought a fan was just to keep things cool. Now i know better i will get a fan asap ;)
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Thanks for that mate, i thought a fan was just to keep things cool. Now i know better i will get a fan asap ;)
You wont have any worries with temps using an enviro (CFL), just make sure you dont blow directly on the seedlings at this stage. As long as there's a gentle breeze, they'll be fine. ;)
Air circulation is important to maintain healthy and strong plants.
And spray them once a day too while theyre young and before they start to flower.
Use plain water, preferably cooled down from a kettle.(not straight from the tap)
I dont know if youre planning to grow inside only or if you will eventually move them out to a greenhouse or conservatory, (still in hydro) but if growing solely indoors, you will need to add a bulb in the red spectrum.
I take it that you only have a blue enviro at the moment?
Oh, and watch out for the aphids! You might need to buy in some ladybirds :P
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Thanks for that mate, i thought a fan was just to keep things cool. Now i know better i will get a fan asap ;)
It's also helps to re-circulate the air around the plants.
As I'm sure you know, plants intake CO2 and expire Oxygen, it's handy that humans do that in reverse! The fan simply helps circulate air containing CO2 around their leaves so they have a constant fresh supply to help continue healthy growth. If the air around the plants and leaves remains static over time the CO2 will become depleted and growth will slow as a result.
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Hi Chris, that's funny because most people grow cannabis with a setup like that ;)
The fan is a good idea for the reasons given already. You need ph and solution strength meters to do hydrophonics properly and these need to be recalibrated from time to time. And a thermometer is handy too.
It's probably easier to kill your plants stone dead with hydroponics versus soil, if you make a big mistake.
Good luck anyway.
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Thanks for that mate, i thought a fan was just to keep things cool. Now i know better i will get a fan asap ;)
You wont have any worries with temps using an enviro (CFL), just make sure you dont blow directly on the seedlings at this stage. As long as there's a gentle breeze, they'll be fine. ;)
Air circulation is important to maintain healthy and strong plants.
And spray them once a day too while theyre young and before they start to flower.
Use plain water, preferably cooled down from a kettle.(not straight from the tap)
I dont know if youre planning to grow inside only or if you will eventually move them out to a greenhouse or conservatory, (still in hydro) but if growing solely indoors, you will need to add a bulb in the red spectrum.
I take it that you only have a blue enviro at the moment?
Oh, and watch out for the aphids! You might need to buy in some ladybirds :P
Oky been and bought a fan. :) Thanks for the other tips. ;)
"spray them once a day too while they're young and before they start to flower." Why mate?
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Thanks for that mate, i thought a fan was just to keep things cool. Now i know better i will get a fan asap ;)
It's also helps to re-circulate the air around the plants.
As I'm sure you know, plants intake CO2 and expire Oxygen, it's handy that humans do that in reverse! The fan simply helps circulate air containing CO2 around their leaves so they have a constant fresh supply to help continue healthy growth. If the air around the plants and leaves remains static over time the CO2 will become depleted and growth will slow as a result.
Thanks for your input it all helps.
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Hi Chris, that's funny because most people grow cannabis with a setup like that ;)
The fan is a good idea for the reasons given already. You need ph and solution strength meters to do hydrophonics properly and these need to be recalibrated from time to time. And a thermometer is handy too.
It's probably easier to kill your plants stone dead with hydroponics versus soil, if you make a big mistake.
Good luck anyway.
"people grow cannabis with a setup like that ;)" I know :) Youtube "hydroponics chillies" some really good viewing.
I have a ph meter just need the ppm meter now. thanks for the tips Paul.
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Oky been and bought a fan. :) Thanks for the other tips. ;)
"spray them once a day too while they're young and before they start to flower." Why mate?
Again, it keeps the plants healthy, raises the humidity and keeps them clean from any possible pests and diseases.
You're trying to recreate the perfect environment for them indoors, sun, wind, dew, rain etc.
Give them a light misting first thing in the morning.
I'm sure a lot of peoples houseplants would benefit from a good spray once in a while. ;)
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Oky been and bought a fan. :) Thanks for the other tips. ;)
"spray them once a day too while they're young and before they start to flower." Why mate?
Again, it keeps the plants healthy, raises the humidity and keeps them clean from any possible pests and diseases.
You're trying to recreate the perfect environment for them indoors, sun, wind, dew, rain etc.
Give them a light misting first thing in the morning.
I'm sure a lot of peoples houseplants would benefit from a good spray once in a while. ;)
Got ya, i will spray them tomorrow. I have the lights on for 16 hours and off for 8 hour, should the fan be on all the time the light is on?
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should the fan be on all the time the light is on?
Definitely Chris. Depending how warm your house gets at night, i'd have the fan running 24hours.
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should the fan be on all the time the light is on?
Definitely Chris. Depending how warm your house gets at night, i'd have the fan running 24hours.
Cheers mate. Once the flower is open, how many days do i leave it before i self pollinate it?
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Cheers mate. Once the flower is open, how many days do i leave it before i self pollinate it?
I dont think it really matters too much Chris because you're going to need a good few flowers on the plant before it becomes worthwhile to go from each one with a paintbrush anyway. ;)
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I have never been a fan of chemicals being used in grow rooms.
Make sure the plants get a week or 3 flushed with water and no food before harvesting to rinse out the chemicals.
When I grew "sage" it was all organic.... can't see why you dont do the same with your set up, you can achieve the same yeild.
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Cheers mate. Once the flower is open, how many days do i leave it before i self pollinate it?
I dont think it really matters too much Chris because you're going to need a good few flowers on the plant before it becomes worthwhile to go from each one with a paintbrush anyway. ;)
Thanks mate, found this;
http://www.chilliesontheweb.co.uk/growing-chilli-guide/flowering-and-pollination/ (http://www.chilliesontheweb.co.uk/growing-chilli-guide/flowering-and-pollination/)
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I have never been a fan of chemicals being used in grow rooms.
Make sure the plants get a week or 3 flushed with water and no food before harvesting to rinse out the chemicals.
When I grew "sage" it was all organic.... can't see why you dont do the same with your set up, you can achieve the same yeild.
hydroponics just fascinates me. I have taken on board about doing a flush.
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Hi Chris
Nice set up.
When you are a bit more experienced at this, are you planning on growing the more expensive, harder to grow types of chillies?
Only at the moment it doesn't seem a very economical way (with electricity, cost of all the kit, nutrients etc.) of growing them if they are pretty much bog standard chillies.
IMHO they would grow just as well on a sunny windowsill/outside or would even probably be cheaper to just buy them.
As someone mentioned, Cannabis grown in this way would pay for itself and said equipment pretty quickly, especially as I believe it costs about ?20 for about 3 grams these days.
Martin
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I have been using one of these
http://www.midlandgardensupplies.co.uk/product_info.php/white-aerogarden-unit-starter-herb-kit-included-p-20601273 (http://www.midlandgardensupplies.co.uk/product_info.php/white-aerogarden-unit-starter-herb-kit-included-p-20601273)
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Hi Chris
Nice set up.
When you are a bit more experienced at this, are you planning on growing the more expensive, harder to grow types of chillies?
Only at the moment it doesn't seem a very economical way (with electricity, cost of all the kit, nutrients etc.) of growing them if they are pretty much bog standard chillies.
IMHO they would grow just as well on a sunny windowsill/outside or would even probably be cheaper to just buy them.
As someone mentioned, Cannabis grown in this way would pay for itself and said equipment pretty quickly, especially as I believe it costs about ?20 for about 3 grams these days.
Martin
Hi Martin, the plant in the vid with the flower is one of two plants, the other is on the window sill. The one on the widow sill has 2 tiny buds, the one in the vid as 15 :)
It has not cost that much ::) compared to the fun i am having.
I would love to grow some other types of chillies, if anybody whats to send me any seeds ;)
As for growing Cannabis, i like my freedom to much.
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I have been using one of these
http://www.midlandgardensupplies.co.uk/product_info.php/white-aerogarden-unit-starter-herb-kit-included-p-20601273 (http://www.midlandgardensupplies.co.uk/product_info.php/white-aerogarden-unit-starter-herb-kit-included-p-20601273)
Hi Frank, they have one of those setup at my hydro shop with a chilli plant growing, looks fantastic.
what do you grow in yours? any pix?
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Hi Martin, the plant in the vid with the flower is one of two plants, the other is on the window sill. The one on the widow sill has 2 tiny buds, the one in the vid as 15 :)
It has not cost that much ::) compared to the fun i am having.
I would love to grow some other types of chillies, if anybody whats to send me any seeds ;)
As for growing Cannabis, i like my freedom to much.
Hi Chris
Wasn't for a minute suggesting you grow cannabis, just pointing out the cost effectiveness of said grows compared to a few 'ordinary' chilli plants.. ;)
Obviously at the moment, with this awful weather, your windowsill ones won't be doing as well as the ones under your lights, but will as the season progresses.
Yes, it is fun growing them, I was just trying to say that your set up, IMHO, would be put to much better use growing the more expensive, exotic and harder to grow in our climate types of chillies.
You can always get some from here (personally recommended) for good prices and cheap postage.
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Premier-Seeds-Direct/_i.html?_nkw=chilli&submit=Search&_sid=79364908 (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Premier-Seeds-Direct/_i.html?_nkw=chilli&submit=Search&_sid=79364908)
Some good info on there too re the Bhut Jolokia growing.
Martin
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Hi Martin, the plant in the vid with the flower is one of two plants, the other is on the window sill. The one on the widow sill has 2 tiny buds, the one in the vid as 15 :)
It has not cost that much ::) compared to the fun i am having.
I would love to grow some other types of chillies, if anybody whats to send me any seeds ;)
As for growing Cannabis, i like my freedom to much.
Hi Chris
Wasn't for a minute suggesting you grow cannabis, just pointing out the cost effectiveness of said grows compared to a few 'ordinary' chilli plants.. ;)
Obviously at the moment, with this awful weather, your windowsill ones won't be doing as well as the ones under your lights, but will as the season progresses.
Yes, it is fun growing them, I was just trying to say that your set up, IMHO, would be put to much better use growing the more expensive, exotic and harder to grow in our climate types of chillies.
You can always get some from here (personally recommended) for good prices and cheap postage.
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Premier-Seeds-Direct/_i.html?_nkw=chilli&submit=Search&_sid=79364908 (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Premier-Seeds-Direct/_i.html?_nkw=chilli&submit=Search&_sid=79364908)
Some good info on there too re the Bhut Jolokia growing.
Martin
Thanks Martin good link.
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My flower dropped off >:( >:( >:( but 2 more have opened ;D
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Week #2 update.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U58-sDGQS0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U58-sDGQS0)
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Curling leaves can be lots of things Chris. Overwatering, too much Nitrogen, too high a temp, etc.
Just keep doing what you're doing, they're lookin fine. ;)
A couple of things, Once the roots start showing out of the bottom of the nets, you only want to fill so that the water is licking the bottom, then let the roots follow the feed down. You dont want the rockwool constantly soaking.
The other thing, the small seedling at the front of the back right bucket, is that powdery mildew or just a trick of the light? Looks to have some white patches on it.
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...is that powdery mildew...
What would that signify Frank? I'm not green fingered in any way but the wife has this problem with many potted plants around the house. I've often wondered if it were over watering.
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...is that powdery mildew...
What would that signify Frank? I'm not green fingered in any way but the wife has this problem with many potted plants around the house. I've often wondered if it were over watering.
Best to do a search just to make sure because PM is every gardeners nightmare! Needs to be stamped out asap or it will spread and kill everything. Spraying and air circulation should keep it at bay, but it is a systemic problem. Meaning it is already in the plant but with the right conditions will force its way out or can be caught from spores in the air from surrounding plants that already have it.
Chillies do struggle with wooly aphid so thats another possibility. (which is another sign of curling leaves) Often found underneath a curled leaf.
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Ah, Google shows the PM appearing on leaves, this is not what ours are suffering with which I guess we should be fortunate for. Our mildew appears on the soil surface within the pot.
Apologies for deviating slightly Chris.
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Curling leaves can be lots of things Chris. Overwatering, too much Nitrogen, too high a temp, etc.
Just keep doing what you're doing, they're lookin fine. ;)
A couple of things, Once the roots start showing out of the bottom of the nets, you only want to fill so that the water is licking the bottom, then let the roots follow the feed down. You dont want the rockwool constantly soaking.
The other thing, the small seedling at the front of the back right bucket, is that powdery mildew or just a trick of the light? Looks to have some white patches on it.
Thanks mate, just looked no PM on any (thank god) :)
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Apologies for deviating slightly Chris.
No problem it's all good info. ;)
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hydroponics my chilli growing setup video week #3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce413NfFAlQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce413NfFAlQ)
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Looking good there Chris. 8)
I'd be thinking about pinching out the growing tips on those 4 soon if they were mine.
Always a problem with height when growing indoors. It will also encourage new side shoots to grow too as well as keeping the plants squat.
It can be scary but you have to be brutal sometimes. ;)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYi5XNUAadg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYi5XNUAadg)
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Looking good there Chris. 8)
I'd be thinking about pinching out the growing tips on those 4 soon if they were mine.
Always a problem with height when growing indoors. It will also encourage new side shoots to grow too as well as keeping the plants squat.
It can be scary but you have to be brutal sometimes. ;)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYi5XNUAadg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYi5XNUAadg)
How soon is soon mate i am following your lead on this. ;)
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Looking good there Chris. 8)
I'd be thinking about pinching out the growing tips on those 4 soon if they were mine.
Always a problem with height when growing indoors. It will also encourage new side shoots to grow too as well as keeping the plants squat.
It can be scary but you have to be brutal sometimes. ;)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYi5XNUAadg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYi5XNUAadg)
How soon is soon mate i am following your lead on this. ;)
Thats for you to decide. ;D
Only you will know your own plants and how theyre looking. Never easy to tell for sure with pics and how fast theyre growing. But by the looks, a few days upto a week?
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Looking good there Chris. 8)
I'd be thinking about pinching out the growing tips on those 4 soon if they were mine.
Always a problem with height when growing indoors. It will also encourage new side shoots to grow too as well as keeping the plants squat.
It can be scary but you have to be brutal sometimes. ;)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYi5XNUAadg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYi5XNUAadg)
How soon is soon mate i am following your lead on this. ;)
Thats for you to decide. ;D
Only you will know your own plants and how theyre looking. Never easy to tell for sure with pics and how fast theyre growing. But by the looks, a few days upto a week?
Oky cheers.
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Keep us posted Chris, about to follow your lead on this. :)
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Keep us posted Chris, about to follow your lead on this. :)
Doing a short vid each week. ;)
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Up date week #4 good news this week ;D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNbuzSn7m44 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNbuzSn7m44)
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They're coming along fast eh Chris. :D
I wouldn't worry about that one at the back. It looks like aerial roots showing thats all. ;)
I'd spin that bucket around too, looks like its getting a bit crowded out at the back there, maybe not?
A couple of other things.
Dont know how full those nets are, just make sure all gaps are covered to stop ANY light getting through to the roots and water.
Some Mylar would benefit by covering the bucket lid and to reflect more light to the fruits hidden amongst the foliage. You could lay it over and around the stems like this
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/92c953de03abd14d200bb31ab1289ed0.jpg)
Now that they're growing well and the weather is warming up, you might want to think about having the fan blowing more directly at the plants. An oscillating fan is best, or hang a fixed fan either at a good distance or from above pointing down at them.
Get them moving about more. ;)
Cheers, Frank. :)
P.s. ohhh and regards to feeding in general, you should never follow the inst on labels and never give full strength. Thats where your PPM meter comes in handy. ;)
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Thanks Frank, i think i would of failed without your advice.
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Thanks Frank, i think i would of failed without your advice.
Nahhh dont be silly Chris, You were doing great by yourself. Just some friendly encouragement offered thats all.
If not by me, somebody else would've jumped in for sure. :)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn3NfH0cjx8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn3NfH0cjx8)
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Thats bad practise to do what you've done there Chris unless you're wanting to create a level canopy at the top with nothing underneath.
The only time you should consider removing leaves is at the end of the season to let the sun ripen the fruits or if the leaves are dead or diseased.
The Big leaves are very important during the grow for photosynthesis. Without them, you have no plant.
Whats going to happen now is all the energy will be transferred to the top of the plants making them more leggy.
They will still grow and stay healthy so dont worry too much. ;) But those side shoots will take longer to develop. I would be tempted to pinch an inch or two off the top of each plant to send some energy back down to those side shoots.
The plants will be leaning over because the roots have nothing to cling to for support like they would have in soil. Add a few stakes if you feel they're going to topple over. (they look ok for now though)
Cheers, Frank. :)
p.s. get that rockwool covered over! any light getting through into the buckets is bad news. ;)
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As always thanks for your advice Frank :)
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Looking good there Chris.
I also back the statement about removing the 'shade leaves' they are what capture the light and help the plant create food. Only remove them when they start to turn yellow.
DalPuri mentioned Mylar earlier in the thread, if you need some to cover the inside of your grow box let me know as I have plenty of it left from my indoor growing experiments ;)
I'll post you some out if you want it.
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Looking good there Chris.
I also back the statement about removing the 'shade leaves' they are what capture the light and help the plant create food. Only remove them when they start to turn yellow.
DalPuri mentioned Mylar earlier in the thread, if you need some to cover the inside of your grow box let me know as I have plenty of it left from my indoor growing experiments ;)
I'll post you some out if you want it.
i will pm you my address very kind of you Geezah.
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How long should i leave the chillies on the plant before they are ready?
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Really sorry Geezah got the Mylar in the post thank you Very much.
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Chris - Thank you for inspiring me to have a go at a very crude hydroponics setup. I bought a cheap chilli plant from B&Q a few weeks ago. Until now, it's been on a window sill in full sun. Yesterday, I positioned it over a bowl of water, using a very basic lash-up. Water movement and air bubbles are created using a cheap water pump (4w mains). I'm using a kitchen sieve to help stop any solid particles from blocking the pump. I added a few grains of Miracle-Grow fertiliser to the water.
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Like it George, hope it works for you. I had to throw my plants, had too many in that small space and the pots were too small. So the next set up is gona be one plant in a 3x3 foot square, need bigger pot so the plant as something to anchor itself too.
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Still waiting for my kashmiri chilli plants to flower. Planted the seeds in January. Grew nicely in plastic TA containers. Split them up into more containers. Seemed to have stopped growing now though. Fed them with tomato feed, half dose. Look nice and healthy, but no flowers.
Rob :(
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Still waiting for my kashmiri chilli plants to flower. Planted the seeds in January. Grew nicely in plastic TA containers. Split them up into more containers. Seemed to have stopped growing now though. Fed them with tomato feed, half dose. Look nice and healthy, but no flowers.
Rob :(
Rob
Strange should be flowering by now - where have you kept them? - not been very active lately so you might have covered this in a recent thread so sorry if I've missed it.
I planted my Kashmiri's late January aswell - cant believe the amount of flowers relative to the size of plant - some chilli's fruiting just this week.
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They look great Mark. Hoping mine burst into life soon outside in this hot weather.
Rob :)
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Still waiting for my kashmiri chilli plants to flower.
Me too! I can't understand why the flowers are taking so long to open. There are plenty of buds on the pot plant I bought from B&Q about 6 weeks ago. Perhaps the 30C temperatures this week will help.
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Still waiting for my kashmiri chilli plants to flower.
Me too! I can't understand why the flowers are taking so long to open. There are plenty of buds on the pot plant I bought from B&Q about 6 weeks ago. Perhaps the 30C temperatures this week will help.
Not even got any buds yet George and the plants have been baking in the sunshine all week. Been well watered as well. Reckon I'll stress them a bit with no water to see if that helps. Worked for the wife's lilly plants. Haven't flowered for years, but she dug them up and moved them, and now they are flowering like mad. Absolutely no idea what I am doing with chilli growing though. Must be a knack to it.
Rob :)
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Worked for the wife's lilly plants. Haven't flowered for years, but she dug them up and moved them, and now they are flowering like mad.
That's amazing. But how would most people guess to do such a thing unless told? It sounds a bit like tricks probably used by the best chefs to produce really tasty BIR dishes.