Sunday, March 13, 2016

In Like a... Super Hot?

You know the old adage about March coming 'in like a lion, out like a lamb'? At BobbyGitr, things are "in like a Super Hot," and we hope they'll go out just the same.

First, an update on BOBBYGITR BIZ!

SEEDS: Available for sale
HOT SAUCE: 5 oz Bottles available, $8 each or 2/$15
PLANTS: BobbyGitr LIVE PLANTS will be available for local purchase around April/May! Variety and pricing TBD--be first to know by following us on Twitter @bobbygitr and Facebook


AND NOW...  A recap of recent Hot Pepper Happenin's:

'LEAF'ING OUT   
Seed sprouts now have their first set of true leaves and are doing very well! We had nearly a 100% germination rate from our 2015 seeds (check the Facebook Page and eBay for availability) so we had to start culling early this year.  
Sunny Side Up

Peach Bhutiful Babies




















For me, thinning is THE hardest part of keeping the crop healthy.  I love all my li'l seed babies so it can be hard to choose who goes and stays, but a HaPeppaMama gotta do what a HaPeppaMama gotta do...  as you can see, those that remain are growing strong and healthy.  


TRANSPLANTS & UPGRADES
Brain Strain Beauties
After losing a couple of plants to issues related to cramped quarters, we began the long process of moving solo plants to larger 3" pots ($1/12 at the Dollar Tree).   They are VERY happy to have the extra room!  We also added a small fan for ventilation, and within 24 hours, the plants were greener and the leaves more developed than ever.  

With larger containers, we needed to revamp for stability, so we added 1/2" wooden dowels for support and stiff cardboard to each rack.  The cardboard is blocking light, so may switch it out for smaller mesh metal, screen, or plexi/glass soon.




We still have 2-300 plants in the seed trays and are running out of room in the ol' greenhouse, so keep your eyes peeled for pics of the expansion.  

CHANGING DIET
This week, we switched from watering with a MiracleGro Orchid mix + distilled water to a diluted fish fertilizer mix on the plants (1 T/gallon of distilled H20).  I started with half the recommended dose for vegetables as a tester--seedlings and young plants seem to be very sensitive to changes, and since this is the first time using it on seedlings, I tested on a batch of larger plants before putting it on all of them and had no problems.

JOHNNY CAT SEZ "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!" 
Remember the plants we brought in from last year? Thanks to the efforts of a certain Jerk Cat (aren't they all) we are now down to the one USBC from last year... cross your fingers that it makes is to the garden this spring!





That's all from the BobbyGitr garden for now!  Remember we LOVE to talk peppers, so send your questions, comments, and curiosities to info@bobbygitr.com, or find us on Twitter @bobbygitr and Facebook!

-The HaPeppaMama