mike
The Pepper King
Posts: 3,661 
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Post by mike on Dec 23, 2021 5:52:15 GMT -5
Wow, I now have 26 plants growing. The amount of foliage is daunting. After today, I have 10 days off. I will start, plant by plant ,pruning from underneath. This will not be fun.
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,266 
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Post by Shawn on Dec 23, 2021 6:54:00 GMT -5
It may not be fun but worth it in the long run. I hope you can relax and enjoy your time off mike. |
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campingcorgis
AGA Farmer
🌴 I wet my plants. :-) 🌴
Posts: 3,114
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Post by campingcorgis on Dec 23, 2021 7:17:49 GMT -5
Sometimes I think, wouldn't it be nice to have all the AG's, especially the Farms up on a counter or table. So that working on the underneath so much easier. Then, I realize there would be all that space under the tables...and that would seem to be wasted without an AG down there too? |
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mike
The Pepper King
Posts: 3,661
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Post by mike on Dec 23, 2021 16:05:22 GMT -5
All my gardens are on tables. I can't get down any lower.
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Post by lynnee on Dec 23, 2021 18:09:07 GMT -5
Sometimes I think, wouldn't it be nice to have all the AG's, especially the Farms up on a counter or table. So that working on the underneath so much easier. Then, I realize there would be all that space under the tables...and that would seem to be wasted without an AG down there too? When I first started up the Farms, I was thinking that it would be nice to have them on platforms or something, to make it easier to work with the plants. Then I realized that raising them off the floor would also raise the height of the display on the hoods--a real negative with any Farm XL. What I really didn't like was having to squat to pollinate the Fairy Tale eggplants. However, that has turned into a form of PT. A few weeks after I got the eggplants going, I realized that my right hip had stopped getting sore after exercise--for the first time since I broke my right femur in late 2016. I guess that the squatting and getting down on hands and knees has stretched the hip muscles in a way that PT exercises never did!  |
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campingcorgis
AGA Farmer
🌴 I wet my plants. :-) 🌴
Posts: 3,114
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Post by campingcorgis on Dec 23, 2021 19:20:09 GMT -5
I did worry over the height of the screens, but now I'm so used to using the app on my phone I don't think it would matter much? That said, I do keep a step stool in the "office" so I can check screens occasionally. I can see that top Farm 24+, as I have my 2 Farm 24+ machines stacked. But, I can see your point, lynnee! "They say" that gardening is a great form of exercise...but then "they" are thinking outdoor gardening. That's how I did my knees in, many years ago. So now, I'm much more careful with the old knees! |
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Post by lynnee on Dec 23, 2021 20:23:40 GMT -5
campingcorgis, do you have the stacked Farms attached to the wall? I wanted to stack a couple of Farms (a 12 XL and a 12 Plus), but decided against it when: (1) I read the stacking kit instructions about securing them to the wall, and (2) I saw how tall the stack would actually be! Here in earthquake country (California), you don't generally stack heavy items like the Farms (each with 3 gallons of water) without attaching them to the wall. Like Charles Richter, I don't attach bookcases to wall studs, but I do weight them by putting the heaviest books on the bottom shelves. (I read in a newspaper story some years ago that Richter pointed out his unsecured bookcases to the reporter. 🙂) Apologies to Mike--didn't intend to hijack this thread!
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Post by lynnee on Dec 23, 2021 20:28:39 GMT -5
Wow, I now have 26 plants growing. The amount of foliage is daunting. After today, I have 10 days off. I will start, plant by plant ,pruning from underneath. This will not be fun. , your pepper plant photos usually show a lot of foliage. Is there a point when you stop pruning the lower leaves? My peppers seem to dislike pruning for some reason. They sulk and stop growing for a while when I try to prune to control height. They don't seem to mind as much having lower leaves removed, though. |
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mike
The Pepper King
Posts: 3,661
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Post by mike on Dec 23, 2021 21:24:43 GMT -5
No. Circulation of air is important. I have yet to get to the point where I stop pruning. It looks like I need to cut out some major branches to open some of the canopy, too. I'm a bit scared, there. Now is the time to learn, though.
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Dec 23, 2021 22:44:55 GMT -5
After watching Khang Starr's pepper pruning videos, I aggressively prune and it has helped the varieties I have grown. But I have not grown the ones Mike is growing.
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mike
The Pepper King
Posts: 3,661
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Post by mike on Dec 24, 2021 5:29:05 GMT -5
I have been talking to a lady who told me I could increase my pepper production significantly by pruning the canopy to open it up for better air circulation. This is much more radical pruning than I have ever done before as it involves removing major branches in the canopy. But I know she is correct. This morning I am photographing the Yellow Jamaican, the Sweet Pickle and the Pot-A-Peno canopies prior to pruning.
After documenting, I will start the prune. To be honest, I have no idea how much work this will be. I have wanted to do this many times before but I have never had the nerve. Well, I will never know unless I give it a try. When I complete the prune I will also take pics. I'm actually thinking about writing a book on this. That is why I've been taking so many photos so often. Let's learn the science, here.
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,266
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Post by Shawn on Dec 24, 2021 7:08:43 GMT -5
Keep us posted on how you are doing this Mike.
I had no clue that was a good thing (opening the canopy) but I always do that now. I always prune out some leaves for circulation but I think I do it wrong,
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mike
The Pepper King
Posts: 3,661
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Post by mike on Dec 24, 2021 8:02:37 GMT -5
I just went at the yellow Jamaican's. It felt like I was breaking everything. It's different from going after branches lower down. I went down to a "V" and I took off one branch of the 'V". It's more open on the top, but I only did part of it.
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campingcorgis
AGA Farmer
🌴 I wet my plants. :-) 🌴
Posts: 3,114
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Post by campingcorgis on Dec 24, 2021 10:12:08 GMT -5
campingcorgis , do you have the stacked Farms attached to the wall? I wanted to stack a couple of Farms (a 12 XL and a 12 Plus), but decided against it when: (1) I read the stacking kit instructions about securing them to the wall, and (2) I saw how tall the stack would actually be! Here in earthquake country (California), you don't generally stack heavy items like the Farms (each with 3 gallons of water) without attaching them to the wall. Like Charles Richter, I don't attach bookcases to wall studs, but I do weight them by putting the heaviest books on the bottom shelves. (I read in a newspaper story some years ago that Richter pointed out his unsecured bookcases to the reporter. 🙂) Apologies to Mike--didn't intend to hijack this thread! No, I do not have them attached to the wall. If we still lived in California, I don't think I would stack them either. At least, not without attaching to the wall. |
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mike
The Pepper King
Posts: 3,661
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Post by mike on Dec 24, 2021 10:59:19 GMT -5
Do not stack them without mounting to the wall. I didn't have my two Plus' stacked 10 minutes before I almost tipped them over. I caught them just in time. Right after I added water.
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,266
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Post by Shawn on Dec 24, 2021 13:06:22 GMT -5
I have a Basic on top of an XL. They are not attached to the wall and are pretty sturdy. Maybe because of the level floor or the floor itself.  |
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mike
The Pepper King
Posts: 3,661
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Post by mike on Dec 24, 2021 15:04:12 GMT -5
I wouldn't recommend it. Mine was on the floor, too. JMHO
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campingcorgis
AGA Farmer
🌴 I wet my plants. :-) 🌴
Posts: 3,114
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Post by campingcorgis on Dec 24, 2021 15:44:32 GMT -5
My DH takes those zip tie straps and straps the Farm down to the dunnage rack. They do seem pretty solid that way. But, I do hear you, mike. I really hate to attach them to the walls as I don't want to have to repair the damage when we move. And we both so wish to move. We love the PNW, but someone let the secret out and now everyone is moving here!  I try to tell them, it rains here all the time. Really!  24/7/365! Now, we love the rain, but others like to complain about it. Anyway, traffic is getting bad and they are building and building and building. The other day, a lady told me she is number 1,300 on the list for one of the local builders to build her a home. Anyway...sorry for the rant. Thank you for the input!! |
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campingcorgis
AGA Farmer
🌴 I wet my plants. :-) 🌴
Posts: 3,114
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Post by campingcorgis on Dec 24, 2021 16:55:52 GMT -5
After watching Khang Starr's pepper pruning videos, I aggressively prune and it has helped the varieties I have grown. But I have not grown the ones Mike is growing. Sher, might you have a link to the videos you mention? I can't seem to find them here on online. Sigh. Thanks for any help or direction! |
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Dec 26, 2021 14:28:54 GMT -5
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24/7/365! Now, we love the rain, but others like to complain about it. Anyway, traffic is getting bad and they are building and building and building. The other day, a lady told me she is number 1,300 on the list for one of the local builders to build her a home.