My hydroponic chili farming 2024.
We are approaching the end of 2024 and as I have just harvested a lot of chilis, I intend to sum up the chili cultivation for this year. I chose to keep the same setup as last year without any changes whatsoever. It worked well, so why change something that gave good results? Brief description of that setup: 3 connected boxes (Harvy hydroponic cultivation that I drilled holes in the sides of) and a water tank of 25 liters with a pump that circulates the water via timer (runs for half an hour 3 times a day). I add nutrients when I top up the water and measure the pH at irregular intervals.
Last harvest. About 200 fruits.
Just like last year, the simple solution worked very well. I have no sensors or other advanced technology that can go wrong, but everything depends on a single pump (on timer) that pumps water into the first grow box and when they are connected, the excess flows out of the last box back down in the water tank.
Another advantage of the simplicity of the system is that it does not need to be running all the time and that the plants are then dependent on continuous flow. It allows me to leave everything completely switched off for a few days without worrying about leaks and moisture damage when I'm not at home.
But having said that, I discovered one thing that I need to check in the future. One day when I was walking around cooking, I heard dripping somewhere. I located it to the first grow box where the chili plant had grown very much and had a substantial root system that covered the entire box. The roots had grown so much that they found their way into the hole where the water is supposed to flow over to the next box and blocked the flow a bit. This led to the pump adding liquid faster than the flow out allowed and thus the box was filled beyond its intended amount and it began to leak. The quick fix was to simply pull the roots out and put them back in the box and then everything worked as intended. The lesson is to take some time now and then to ensure that the flow in the system is not obstructed by anything. That and the fact that I only run the pump on occasions when I am likely to be at home so I can detect similar things in time if it were to happen again.
Seed sowing
One thing I did differently this year was to go out and buy a mini greenhouse, with a simple little light bar, so I could sow the seeds and let them germinate there before moving them to the grow boxes.
"Heart leaves"
This was mostly because I had problems last year with some seeds that just wouldn't germinate when I put them directly into the boxes. My thought was that it would be enough for the water to rise enough in the boxes so that the growing basket with the seed became moist and the seed would germinate, but I don't think it was enough to provide optimal conditions for the seed.
My solution was to place the seed in the grow basket and then place it in my small greenhouse. I then filled the bottom with approx. 1cm of water (did not add any nutrients even though there are special nutrients for this) and let everything take care of itself.
When I saw that some of the seeds started to germinate, I placed the mini-greenhouse in a place where there was no direct sunlight. I left the light ramp on for about 12 hours during the day.
Placed in grow box
I started this in February and it seemed to work well. Some seeds took off quickly and I could see them finding their way already after a week or so. However, some seeds did not germinate at all (or very poorly) and there I found another advantage in being able to determine which plant grew best and thus choose that one for placement in the growing boxes later.
Another fun side effect of this was that I now had more plants than I was going to plant, but a chili plant makes a great gift for someone who is interested, but can't bear to go through the process of sowing them.
When the plants had grown according to the picture and the roots had grown a little out of the growing basket (enough so that they reached the lowest water level in the growing boxes) I placed them in the growing boxes. I then started the pump in the system which was now filled with water and nutrients and then it was just a matter of waiting.
Initially the plants needed no support, but pretty soon I had to place a wooden stick which helped the plant to grow straight up. When the plants grew a little bigger, I used a wire that I hung from the curtain rod so they stayed upright and didn't collapse.
In the middle of summer
The plants were now in a south-facing window, but I adjusted the blinds so they didn't get direct sunlight all the time. I also adjusted this during the rest of the grow if the sunlight was too strong. Large plants love sunlight, but when they are still small they can be a bit sensitive.
The plants grew nicely and I used T.A Nova Max Grow nutrient that I mixed into the water tank. I also checked the pH and adjusted with BioBizz if necessary.< /p>
When the plants grew (which they did with notice), I started to mix in another nutrient T.A Nova Max Bloom to trigger bloom. A short time later I had lots of flowers on the plants and it looked good.
I went around pollinating with a smaller paintbrush to the best of my ability, but one of the plants in particular (Trinidad Scorpion) got loads of flowers, but most of them fell off. Not quite sure why, but somewhere I failed...
The ghost pepper wakes up in November
A slightly surprising thing that happened was that the plants from last year that I replanted into a regular pot with soil grew very well. I didn't see many fruits on that plant during the summer, but now in November it has started to produce a lot of Ghost Peppers, which of course was fun. The plant stands in a "self-watering" pot on a table near my south windows and I have done nothing more than top up with water when needed.
So I'm thinking of cutting down the plants I still have in my hydroponic grow boxes and replanting them in soil for next year. The only problem with that transplant was that it was a bit of a struggle to get the root system out of the grow boxes without damaging them. The hole is a bit small, but the plants are quite hardy and can handle the move even if it is a bit violent to pull out the root system.
Chili varieties
Trinidad Scorpion
The Trinidad Scorpion plant grew very well and quickly became large. It was the first to grow all the way up to the ceiling and I had to support it with some sticks first, but then ropes that I hung from the curtain rod. It also got lots of flowers, but in the first round almost all the flowers fell off... The chili itself was of course very spicy and I used it to make, among other things, a hot oven roasted salsa.
Lemon Drop (Hot Lemon)
The Lemon Drop (Hot Lemon) plant produced a steady amount of chilis. When I completed the last harvest of almost 200 fruits, I could state that it threw out a total of well over 400 pieces over summer and autumn. It's a good, moderately hot, chili to have with most things and I've used it to add a little extra heat to various dishes. Specific things I used it for are chili sauce with apple and mango and onion herring with chili , but as I said - it works for most things and does not lead to excessively hot dishes.
Cayenne
The cayenne plant was hardy, but I managed to burn it a bit during the summer when it was in direct sunlight for several days in a row. However, it recovered and produced a total of around 100 fruits. I used these for various recipes, including lamb curry in slow cooker, but I dried the bulk of the harvest and ground it into a fine powder so I don't have to buy this on for a while.
Summation
Even this year it went very well. Vigorous plants that grew fast (almost too fast) and lots of chilies to use for food and to give away.
What went well
The pre-cultivation went well - I only planted the small plants that grew well and were ready to stand in the grow boxes. The plants that I didn't have room for became gifts, which was fun.
The small light ramp provided enough continuous light for the small plants.
One plant in each growing box is fine. There was no competition for light in the windows.
What could be better
The flow through the system is good, but I found that the root system was growing into the outlet of one of the boxes and thus creating a bit of a problem. I simply have to keep an eye on it, lifting the lid at regular intervals and pulling out stubborn roots that grow in the wrong direction.
Already last year I discovered that the concept of letting everything just grow completely freely is not such a good idea. I should prune more often. One of the problems is that it becomes such a dense wall of greenery and most of the fruits grow against the window - a bit difficult to spot and pick the chilies when they are ripe then (I missed many that were overripe).
I have now used my home-made system for 2 years in a row and it needs cleaning. So I'm going to take it all apart over the winter and scrub everything so it's ready for next season.
