Question..Ron Vandergrift..Jalapeno Peppers

 

 

 

 

Ron Vandegrift‎Tagum / Panabo Expats

Ron's Question:

Ok, let's start with both an admission and a clarification all rolled into one.
I AM NOT inclined to grow anything. All past attempts have resulted in the deaths of everything that I have tried to grow.
So it is at this point that I ask for help of anyone/everyone.
I am from Texas and as such, I enjoy our Jalapeno peppers.
I had some of my wife's relatives that live in Louisiana come to visit family, and I had them bring me some fresh seeds (2 varieties).
One is called "Jalapeno Early" and the other is called "Jalapeno Chili"
I took half of the seeds from each packet and planted them according to the directions on the package (1/4"deep). Sprout time was 45 days.
It has now been about 6 months and I have nothing, except dead seeds.
They never even tried to sprout.
I have no idea if I gave them too much or not enough water.
I have no idea if I gave them too much or not enough sun.
Basically....I just have no idea.
I now have the remaining half of each packet of seeds and I don't want to kill them also.
ANY ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Tagum Gardening...Some chili will take between 17 and 21 days to germinate but none will take 6 months..Dead seeds happen.. Harvesting seeds properly is an important first step.
Harvest mature, fully-ripe peppers for seed. (Most  peppers turn red when fully mature.) If the seeds are not mature they will likely not germinate..
Soil..
 Jalapeno peppers prefer well-drained soil that is alkaline. A ph level between 4.5 to 7.0 is essential for vigorously growing Jalapenos. Jalapenos can do well in a range of soil conditions provided that it receives a generous amount of sunlight and water. However, pepper plants DO NOT LIKE TO BE FLOODED. if This happens they may not recover... 
Germinate your seeds in Worm Cast compost if you can get it. It promotes germination and is great for growing your Jalapeno Chili. Worm Cast compost is alkaline in nature.Make sure that your soil remains damp..not saturated, and  gets plenty of warm morning sun..Here the sun is so hot at mid day that it can actually cook your seeds in the pot..So although your seeds need the energy from the sun to germinate be careful not to let them cook..
.Use a generous amount worm cast compost combined with a rich loam that includes sand. If your soil is like mine in Tagum you may have a high clay content. this is not good for peppers. If this is your soil do a soil mix of worm cast compost, a rich potting soil and sand.. You may also want to put some manure in the bottom of the hole when you plant..Banana compost contains high potassium content witch is necessary for root development. Use this also when you make your soil mix. a strong root will yield a strong plant and bear more fruit..
Once your plants are growing you will likely have problems with Aphids and White Flies that will kill your healthy plants if left unchecked..You must check under the leaves every few days for these and use a spray bottle with water to dislodge them from the leaf. The white Flies with eat your flowers which means that you will have no fruit. You have to use either an organic pesticide or a chemical pesticide to keep these in check to preserve all of your hard work. If one thing does not work for you you HAVE to find something that will work or you will definitely loose your plants. They suck the juices from the leaves and stem and your plants will wither and die.
Good luck ron..let us know how you are doing...Carl 

Basil propagation experiment

This slip of Basil is about 3 weeks old. It is about 10 inches tall now. I planted this as a fresh cutting  about 4 inches high. If you measure down with your eye from the top about 4 inches this is what I initially planted. At the same time I put a slip from the same plant and about the same size in water to root. This cutting began to root but the leaves died before the root system was the customary the right size to plant. I planted the this cutting in very rich soil and watered it once a day to keep it fairly moist..It grew without hesitation and never showed any signs of wilt.

Today I cut the new plant about mid way just before the new growth leaves.

Red line shows the cutting point.

Now we will cross our fingers and hope for the best for this little guy.

Submitted by Carl B.

How to Identify Whiteflies

Whiteflies ingest plant juices and in turn produce a sticky substance known as honeydew. Honeydew left on its own can cause fungal diseases to form on leaves. Plants will become extremely weak and may be unable to carry out photosynthesis. Leaves may dry out and turn yellow, and growth will be stunted. Check undersides of leaves around the veins for flies, even if they aren’t visible, feel leaf surfaces for honeydew.

Eggs are also laid on the undersides of leaves. Adult females can produce up to 400 eggs, which can hatch anytime between one week and a month. They are usually laid in a circular pattern.

How to get rid of Whiteflies

Spray with insecticidal soap. Follow up twice or three times.

Ladybugs and spiders may help control whitefly population.

Some garden and hardware stores sell whitefly traps, which may be useful, although not as successful as insecticidal soap.

Try this homemade mixture from the Almanac to control and deter whiteflies: In a 32-ounce spray bottle mix 2 parts rubbing alcohol, 5 parts water, and 1 tablespoon liquid soap. Spray the mixture on the foliage of garden plants that are susceptible to these pests.

Organic Strategies for Managing Pests

1. Learn to tolerate some damage: Most healthy Chile plants can tolerate some damage without suffering serious long-term problems or yield reduction. Munched leaves/ damage pods can easily be removed to maintain the attractive appearance of your plant.

2. Introduce the 'Good guys': Aphids feeding in the spring can alarm many Chile growers. Introducing natural predators such as Ladybirds, Parasitic wasps and Lacewings will help clean up most local infestations in a month or so. 

3. Hand pick/Hunt down: Hunting down snails and slugs and 'disposing of them' can be a highly satisfying exercise particularly if the little blighters have already struck your prized plants. Night time 'slug hunts' during wet weather can be particularly productive.

4. The Water Hose: A strong water hose will temporarily dislodge flies, aphids and other pests from mature plants. However be careful not to saturate or damage your plants and avoid this using method on young seedlings.

5. Remove diseased plants or plant parts: Simply removing and disposing of badly damaged plants can help reduce the problem and prevent is spreading to adjacent plants.

6. Crop Rotation: This is particularly important strategy for tackling soil borne pathogens such as Verticillium Wilt and root rot.

7. Grow pest resistant & pest tolerant plants: Many hybridised varieties, particularly some of the newer sweet pepper varieties have been developed to give specific resistance to diseases such as Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) and Bacterial Leaf Spot.

8. Innoculate: When growing in pots it is likely that sterilized soil has been used. Sterile soil is ripe for colinisation by many forms of bacteria, fungi, & insects. It is quite likely that the first colinization will not be beneficial. However, just as you can buy yogurts containing beneficial bacteria from the supermarket, you can also buy beneficial bacteria for your soil (though it is a little bit more difficult to get hold of). Beneficial Mycorhizzal fungi is also available, and is starting to become popular in many on-line shops. It may also be useful, depending upon the scope of your growing conditions, to introduce beneficial soil dwelling predatory insects. Introducing your own symbiotic bacteria, fungi, and insects limits the likelihood of colonisation by parasitic forms. In addition to aiding growth of the chile plant, & providing tolerance to environmental stresses, many forms of bacteria and Mycorhizzal fungi are also thought to innoculate the chile plant from diseases and viruses. In addition, they are helpful at reducing the conditions that make these diseases and viruses possible. 

The Harvest

In our small garden here in Tagum City we have managed to raise a variety of vegetables to include TOMATOES..Yes Yes Yes Tomatoes!!!

In the past we have not had much luck with tomatoes. For some reason they would get to maturity , begin to flower and then wither and die. Sometimes the tomato plants would look fine when I went to bed and be dead in the morning. It was a frustrating experience which made this growing season's harvest all the more sweet.

 The Tomatoes that we planted this time are Diamante Max F1. we have at this point hundreds on 8 plants. On one of the smaller isolated plants I counted 65 on just on that plant alone. We have allowed them to ripen until dead ripe before harvesting.

Although they cannot compare with a Big Boy or a Beef Steak tomatoes I have no complaints about the Diamante Max F1 either.. They are smaller but allowed to ripen on the vine they are sweet and juicy..

In addition we have 5 varieties of peppers. My favorite peppers are heart peppers and Sword Chili..Although the sweet peppers here have the reputation for having in-eatable skin we have managed to find some with tender skin and through seed management have realized a good pepper with eatable skin..





Our egg Plants are doing just fine and string beans are doing well
but I think beans will just grow anywhere.








You will see 2 wild Chili plants that we are cultivating in the large brown pots in the front of the beds. These beds are 4 feet wide and 15 feet long. the seemed more than adequate when I built them but now we wish that we had double the space.





One of my wife's prize projects are her Ginger and Turmeric.. they are about 9 months old now and we harvested some root for the first time. we were both amazed with the richness of the color and the taste. We try to use Turmeric everyday.

Here are some misc pics from our garden and our harvest to date..Hope you all enjoyed and hope also that you will share some of your pictures and gardening stories.

Submitted by Gilman Jones

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Controlling Aphids in Your Precious Garden..

Aphids cluster around new growth, causing stunted and warped new growth.  

What Are They?

Aphids are tiny sucking insects from family Aphididae. Adult aphids are pear-shaped, measuring less than 1/8" in length. The most common aphids on houseplants are the light green ones (pear aphids), but aphids can also be found colored pink, white, grey and black. Additionally, winged aphids can appear when colonies are established and fly to infect new plants. Juvenile aphids (nymphs) look like smaller versions of the adults.

Aphid infestations tend to develop quickly, and the insects are highly mobile: they rapidly travel from one plant to another. In the outdoor garden, aphid colonies are often tended by ants, which feed on aphid honeydew. Researchers have observed ants transporting aphids to new plants and hypothesized that the ants are "farming" aphids. Indoors, aphids spread through flying or crawling.

Aphids cause damage by sucking sap from new growth. They tend to cluster at the growth end of plants and attach to soft, green stems. As a result, the new foliage may look crinkled or stunted, and the aphids are usually plainly visible around the stem. If the infestation is bad enough, the plant will begin to drop leaves. Finally, like mealy bugs, aphids secrete honeydew that encourages the growth of sooty mold and fungus.

Outside, aphid eggs survive the winter by attaching to woody growth. In the spring, eggs hatch into females. The females give birth to nymphs without mating, and the nymphs rapidly mature into adults (about 10 days). Males are born in the fall and begin to mate with the females to produce eggs in preparation for the long winter. Indoors, however, there is no winter to slow their reproduction, and females can continue to produce nymphs all year without pause. Thus, the aphid population can quickly get out of control.

How to Get Rid of Aphids

Like most pests, the best control for aphids is defensive. Healthy, vigorous plants are less susceptible to infestation than weak, underpotted, and stressed plants. As a general rule, make sure your plants are healthy, and you're less likely to attract these annoying critters in the first place.

If you see aphids on your indoor plants, there are several control options:

Wash them away. Use a strong stream of water to blast aphids from your plants. You can also knock them off with your fingers or a cotton swab. This is best for light infestations.

Insecticidal soap. Insecticidal soaps are available on the market (such as Safer's Insecticidal Soap), or you can make your own by using a dish detergent such as Ivory Liquid. Try to find a product free of perfumes and additives that might harm plants. Mix the soap in a weak concentration with water (starting a 1 teaspoon per gallon and increasing as necessary). Spray on plants.

Neem oil. Neem oil is derived from the neem tree. Use according to label instructions. In addition to its insecticidal properties, neem is also a fungicide and has systemic benefits (meaning the plant absorbs it so it can control insects it doesn't directly contact). According to the Environmental Protection Association, neem is safe for use on vegetables and food plants as well as ornamentals.

Kitchen insect spray. This all-purpose insect spray was developed by the editors of Organic Gardening magazine and came to me by way of Rodale's Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control. 

To make a batch, combine 1 garlic bulb, 1 small onion, and 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a food processor or blender and process into a paste. Mix into 1 quart of water and steep for 1 hour. Strain through a cheesecloth and add 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap. Mix well. The mixture can be stored for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
submitted by C. Bruce