Hi GPS,
Yes, they have grown very well and have large lush green leaves. Since germination, I have always had some plants taller than others. I selected the tallest and best looking 24 plants when I decided what plants to keep in the system. Some started fruiting earlier than others. I followed the pinch off rules discussed for most of them. It seems that the ones that started fruiting first are now the shortest.
I had a
pump failure about 6 weeks ago due to the reservoir getting too low. The plants were in the hot sun most of the day and wilted to nearly nothing. They all survived but every mature leaf had to be trimmed off. They survived with only the small new leafs, they were basically sticks. So I’m really lucky to have them now. This is where the carbon filter replenishment system came into play. Pumps are expensive and I don’t want to lose my crop from something like that. This could also be a reason for some being taller than others. You’re dead on, the tallest ones are 3’.
I change the
nutrients every week. I have 24 plants and the reservoir is 28 gallon. I cut off the replenishment system on Friday night and when I dump on Sunday afternoon I still have about 7 gallons left. So that would be (28-7=21 gallons consumed in two days or 10.5 per day) / 24 plants would equal about 0.4375 consumed by each per day. Or we can just round it to a half gallon per plant per day for a good average.
The nylon netting is nice. I got it from Amazon really good price for a large amount and it is 7” squares so it is easy to get your hands into. I have been just layering it over them and letting them grow through it. I have the system up on my deck and the winds can be really strong when the afternoon thunder storms come in. It is secured at the four corners but nothing secured the center. All of my center plants are leaning over by quite a large degree. It doesn’t seem to hurt anything. Reaching inside is not an issue. I have access to the front any back, reaching only 2 feet to the second tube from either side. My current issue, there is too many large leaves to see what I have. But the leaf coverage is important in this hot Georgia sun to protect the peppers.
I’m going to eat some, give some to close friends and take the rest to a local farmers market if a lot matures at the same time. I am also going to experiment in freezing some for the winter. I read that if you slice them up you can lay them on a cookie sheet, separated and place into the freezer for one hour. After that you can put them into a freezer bag. They would then be loose and you could just take out what you needed per meal. If anyone else can validate this or give another good preservation method for bell peppers that would be appreciated.
Thanks,
StrangGuy