Showing posts with label pepper seedlings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pepper seedlings. Show all posts

Saturday, March 13, 2021

Is There Something Wrong with the Seed Starting Mix? Ropotting Seedlings. 3.13.2021

 I've been noticing that the peppers and eggplants seem to be failing to thrive.   About a week ago, I repotted some of the larger ones into new potting soil, and they have grown quickly and more healthy looking.  So yesterday, I repotted all of the eggplants and most of the peppers.  I need to find more containers in order to repot more.

Pepper that I repotted about a week ago.

Eggplant that I repotted about a week ago.

Here are some that I repotted last night.  Note that the color is not true because the photo is taken with them under LEDs.  Here are some that I repotted last night.  Note that the color is not true because the photo is taken with them under LEDs.







Friday, March 05, 2021

Up-potting Apple and Pepper Seedlings. 03.05.2021

 Yesterday got a bag of potting soil during senior coronavirus hours at Costco, so this morning I up-potted the three apple seedlings and two of the peppers, from their six-pack cells into individual larger pots with actual potting soil.  They had good root systems. My theory, borne out by experience but never tested, is that when the roots reach the sides and bottom of the container and start winding around, the plant growth slows down and it doesn't thrive.  

The apple seedlings look surprisingly healthy, considering I don't know what I'm doing.  I wonder if, on being in real sunshine, the red coloration will darken. 


Background info:  

 The apple seedlings are Redlove Calypso X Golden Sentinel.  

So far, Calypso  has red flesh and is sort of cranapple flavored. Quite tart and crisp.  Smaller than my other apples, although first year fruits are usually not as large or good as those from more mature trees.

Golden Sentinel is a Canadian development, a cross of ‘Discovery’ X (cross of Wijcik Spur MacIntosh x Delicious). Discovery is an English cross of . Worcester Pearmain with, possibly, Beauty of Bath, reported to have a bit of a strawberry flavor and red coloration that sometimes bleeds into the flesh. So Golden Sentinel has some good flavor genetics. I like it although it seems to be biennial bearing.

My pipe dream is to create a columnar apple tree with reddish leaves, pink flowers, red flesh apples that are sweeter than Calypso but more fragrant than Golden Sentinel, which I think is a good apple as is. Since two of the seedlings have reddish leaves, I might be part way there. They have a 50% chance of columnar trait. According to the Canada Plant Inspection Agency, Golden Sentinel has shorter internodes compared to McIntosh Wicjik, so it’s possible that I might see that in seedlings although I don’t know if I would recognize it. I try to put these on a top shelf where they get more sun, because I don’t know if the wavelength of the LED lights is suitable for red-pigmented leaves.