Canadian Chillies…..eh!

This is a guest post from Mark, an English chilli head living over in snowy Alberta in Canada. If you’d like to post a guest grow log here on the chilliking, don’t be shy….get in touch. Over to you Mark…..

24th December 2011

I live in Southern Alberta, Canada. A transplanted Brit with the Chilli bug. As the last winter dragged on for 5 months I decided to try grow lights. Nothing too expensive but functional. Using the info on this site, I purchased 2 lots of double fluorescent light fixtures with wide spectrum grow-lux bulbs. I then found some cardboard and made a reflector to help maximise the light.

I covered the inside of the reflector with silver xmas wrapping paper (which was going cheap) and bent back the mickey mouse reflectors back that came with the fittings so the reflector would sit nice and cosy and cut a 4′ x 2″ slot in the reflector to allow it to sit on the light fixture.

Next stop was to rig up some chains. I bought 5′ of chain for each end and screwed hooks in the ceiling so I could keep the lights about 3-4 inches above my babies.

14th January 2012

Seeds arrived from England! Here’s whats on the menu for this year…..

• Butch T  x 10
• Trinidad 7 pot Jonah Red x 10
• Bhut Jolokia x 10
• Chocolate Habanero x 10
• Orange Habanero x 15
• Habanero Caribbean Red x 20
• Habanero White x 15
• Habanero Yellow Bumpy x 15
• Safi Scotch Bonnet x 15
• Aji Lemon x 15
• Aji Amarillo x 15
• Peter Pepper Yellow x 10.
• Peter Pepper Orange x 10
• Peter Pepper Red x 10
• Numex Big Jim x 10

I know it’s overkill but I couldn’t help myself!

Germination

I decided to use the wet issue germination method mentioned here on the site. I placed 10 of each seed on a napkin and gave them a light soaking in camomile tea.

I bought 2 heated 72 cell propagators which were surprisingly cheap and planted 144 seeds (What was I thinking!). Just four days later I had 40 + seedlings!

Using a my once secret method of 18 hrs light then 6 hrs of dark + Motorhead and Slayer playing on loop to give them a mean edge,they mostly grew well.

25th January 2012

Death to my White and Chocolate habs,only 1 Bhut still going.I’ve entered a period of mourning. Started potting the survivors in plastic beer cups with holes drilled in the bottom. Still mourning!

Bought a second light fixture to cover the new space and bent back the mickey mouse reflectors.

15th February 2012

Under the lights and being forced to listed to Motorhead and Slayer,the plants are doing well. I couldn’t fit them all into one photo as there are so many seedlings! I’m planning on re-potting them soon and buying one more set of lights.  I can’t wait for some Albertan sunny days to help their growth!