Monday, July 11, 2011

It's a beautiful thing!

First buds on my second Bhut Jolokia pepper plant.
Detail of first buds.
And I don't mean the heat! Although, the heat is exactly what has caused my great news. The second bhut jolokia plant has started to bud (and I might even have a flower "pop" before day's end).
Yesterday was extremely humid and today is almost the same. The temps are high, but the humidity is making things unbearable. I went outside to water the plants earlier today. Don't ask me why - but I decided a plant needed to be re-potted while I was out there. (I know - the heat went to my head). I came back into the house and had to shower again.
As I stated in a previous blog, the pepper plants love the hot and humid weather. I really didn't think I was going to have any peppers on the second plant. Now, I have buds on it and the first plant has more buds too! These buds are very fragile however. I am trying to contain my excitement and hope for tamer weather. High winds and heavy rains took their toll on the first plant (leaving me with 4 peppers)!

Peppers in foreground and branches with new buds in background.
Detail of buds from the plant above.
The peppers are doing well and starting to get the "menacing look". I told Scott earlier, they are getting wrinkly - like a Shar Pei dog. 
With any luck, I should yield more than 4 peppers this year! Then, after summer ends its research time. I need to know how to grow these plants from seed. From all the research and forums I've read, I can "officially" consider myself obsessed (just like all the other pepper growers). Whether it's a pepper plant, a flowering plant or a houseplant - I'm ready to learn and become a better gardener. 
  
The Sheffield in bloom.
A much happier Sheffield daisy.
The plant I decided to re-pot is called a Sheffield Daisy. It will bloom in summer and last through the fall. When I first purchased it, it was small and I placed it into a cute little pot. While it was doing well and continuing to grow, it wasn't flourishing like some of the other plants. So, this is what lead me to pick it up and re-pot it in 90+ degree heat! (Warning! Obsession can lead to stupidity). The plant was severely root bound and it took me about 10 minutes to remove it from the pot. But, now it is in an extremely bigger pot with plenty of room to branch out and start to flower. (Note: The white pot to the left - that's the previous pot). I plan to clip some from the top to keep it from getting too tall (and to make it thicker). I will make sure to snap a few photos when this beauty starts to bloom.

Until next time - Happy Gardening and watch out for the heat and humidity.

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