Chilies 2022

This looks quite fun. It's a sweet one.

 

They look a little like the aci sivri that I grew last couple of years. It was the earliest producer for me and as they are typically eaten green were very productive

 

Hello all,
Just an update on the Sweet Pepper problem I posted a few weeks ago.

Today I went to a local Chili Grower/Wholesaler where I know there are a number of experts, highly experienced with both diseases and pests. I took along samples of affected leaves from my problem Sweet Peppers and asked for their opinion about the cause. I expected confirmation of the Spider Mite diagnosis but was surprised when they all unanimously said that I had Calcium deficiency and that I should add Calmag. This is a black viscous liquid that is mixed with my hydro water at a dilution of 50cc/100litres. It's now added and we will wait to see if the problems persist. I don't have problems with the hot peppers, only the sweet peppers. The experts also said that the Sweet Peppers need less concentrated food than the Hot Peppers and so I've pumped out about a quarter of the solution and topped it up with water to reduce the "Total Dissolved Solids" or "Electrical Conductivity".

Let's see what happens...

Ademission

 

Hi,

Interesting, but is your tap water hard or soft, if the former would have thought there would have been enough calcium ?

Do you use RO filtered water in your tanks ?

Re using a less concentrated solution for sweet peppers, our understanding of plants and fertilizers is that the plant will take up only what it needs, even if the water or soil contains a level far higher than the plant needs, its a well used method in planted tank aquariums where the total nutrients cannot be readily calculated so they are overfed.

ps - Streptocarpus - Cape Primrose

 

Hi Ricky,

According to the experts I spoke to today, I have been doing three things wrong with the Sweet Peppers: -

1. This is the first year with the new greenhouse and I began watering with water from my new water butts for the first time. The pH of the water is better than the tap water in that I do not have to adjust it as much, however the Calcium content is much lower as its almost pure water with dissolved CO2 but no lime. I know this is the case in that the local water here is full of limescale.
2. They also advised me that Sweet Peppers require less food than hot chilis which I have not taken into account. I have been setting the tanks to a TDS (EC) of that suitable for hot chilis.
3. Specific nutrients like Calcium can only be absorbed by the plant when the pH is around 6.0. My pH drifts upwards to about 6.8ish with time and I then reset it back to 6.0 during general maintenance. This averages 6.4. Better would be to set the pH to 5.5 and correct it when it gets to 6.5 giving an average of 6.0.

The great big wholesale greenhouses I saw today do not suffer from these problems as they use "Autopots". The nutrients are mixed to perfection in big (huge) tanks and each plant gets new water when it dries out and the process is automatic. The water + nutrients flow to the plant and is always perfectly balanced. In my case the water degrades over time and needs replacing occasionally which I'm due to do about now.

The experts suggested that I use a 50/50 tap water to rain water split to add Calcium in future to the water. Replacing the nutrients more often would also do the trick. Calmag can be used as a supplement but better is to renew the nutrients and use some tap water.

It was fascinating talking to the wholesalers, one of which is deemed a real expert. Complex stuff this gardening.

Best regards

Ademission

 

Ricky,

Oops, forgot to answer your question. No I don't use reverse osmosis on the water though I know many fishkeepers do this.

Ademission

 

Hi Ademission,

A lot of aquarium users add this Seachem Equilibrium suppliment to RO water so think it might be ok with rain water, though to be honest would never have thought about using rain water for such a controlled watering method like yours as likely you could introduce unwanted elements from the water butt.
Its often said in gardening you should not use the water from butts on seeds/seedlings as it can lead to all sorts of infections etc.

For £80 you could buy a decent RO system that would easily meet your needs to produce your water and also using some solendoids be set up to auto top up your reservoirs etc.
RO-Man.com | Reverse Osmosis and Water Filtration Systems

3 Stage 50 Gallon Per Day Reverse Osmosis System

 

JWK,
I use a meter to do the testing. I've tried various meters but recently settled on the Apera pH20 after a fair bit of research. If you buy a meter then they do have to be calibrated regularly so please cost in the buffer solutions. The Apera pH20 comes with the solutions. Also when stored after use, the meter tip should be kept in a preservative solution as drying out is a problem.




I got mine from Amazon.

Hope this helps

Ademission

 

Ricky,
Thanks for the information on the Reverse Osmosis systems. I'll have a look at them.

Regards

Ademission

 

Hi,

Think we would use known tap water or RO for a system like yours to help maintain a consistant level of your addatives.
When you think about all the bird droppings and insects that will get washed down off the roofs into your water butts which then stagnate in the summer heat ...!

A basic 50 gal per day 3 stage RO would probably be all you need.
Our tap water is TDS 80 and the output from the RO is TDS 2 - 3 ( RO is about 95 -99% effective)
For the ultra cautious marine aquarists, they then use a fourth DI resin stage to 'polish' the water and give TDS = 0.
Normally a 5 micron pre filter and a Carbon Block filter are stages 1 and 2.

Two possible downsides -
You need to fit a booster pump if your water pressure is very low, normal = 40 - 60psi
Also , environmentally , the RO works on a ratio of about 4-5 : 1, so you have a lot of waste water, though that would be ideal for the garden or water butt.

 

Hello all,
I had three Sweet Pepper plants that showed problems with brown spots on the leaves. I originally thought the problem was an infestation of "bugs" so I decided to destroy the plants after first harvesting the peppers. Later I found out that the discoloured leaves were related to Calcium deficiency so I countered the problem but too late for the harvested peppers. I was amazed how many peppers i got from 3 plants (see photos). Anyway they have all been sliced and diced and are currently in my freezer ready for cooking at a later date.





The moral of the story is don't jump too quickly.

The plants have been returned to the greenhouse and I'm hoping for more peppers later.

Regards

Ademission