2018 Hydroponic Week Fifteen Update

It’s been just over fifteen weeks since I started a few plants for this years hydroponic project. And so far, things have been proceeding fairly well. Earlier this month, I followed through on a plan to reduce the number of plants down to two due to space constraints. The plant that I removed was also lagging behind the other two in terms of blossom production.

As you can see below, I can barely accommodate the two varieties of Scorpion that I have left in my home office. Both plants are maintaining a good size, though the Yellow Scorpion on the right is much bushier in appearance — and putting out less blossoms, but more on that in a moment.

Yellow Scorpion

This is one of two of this variety that I started the project with. It’s an attractive looking plant with lush, dense leaves and a great color. The only problem, as mentioned above, is that it isn’t putting out nearly as many buds or blossoms that I would like to see at this point. There are a handful of blossoms here and there through out the plant, but unfortunately, any blossom that arrives seams to drop shortly after opening.

The hydroponic solution is the exact same between the two plants. They are fed at the same time and are in the same temperature zone, but as you’ll see below, the Lava Scorpion, though thinner in appearance, is simply crushing it in terms of blossom development.

Lava Scorpion

This plant germinated later than the other two that started this journey and it’s always been a relative runt in comparison. That said, it is putting on a show with an abundance of buds and blossoms. It has really taken to the hydroponic solution in use and should (if everything continues as it has) produce a sizable number of fresh pods for me to enjoy in the coming months.

One thing I have noticed with this plant is that the blossom petals seem to be sticking around a good deal longer once the pod has formed. I’m not sure if it’s a trait of this variety as I haven’t grown it before. Typically, what I’ve experienced is that the petals drop shortly after pod formation, especially for a juvenile fruit of this size.

I’m not sure what to do about the plant that’s not putting out as many blossoms. it’s a great looking specimen and, in all, looks incredibly healthy. I’m reluctant to remove it, but I also don’t want to end up wasting hydroponic solution for just a handful of peppers. It’s a decision I’m going to wrestle with over the next few weeks. I’m hoping a bit more time will give the plant a bit of a kickstart.