This Week's Focus in the Greenhouse
Last week was about getting our Dutch Bucket hydroponic system ready. This week was about filling it and making a deliberate change to how we have always done things. We are testing out a new soilless medium, the Dragon's Breath transplant is on the doorstep, and the grower plants are hardening off and headed outside. A lot of moving pieces, all pointed in the right direction.
Live Pepper Plants: Season Complete
Nothing to report here and that is exactly how it should be. Every plant is gone, every order is fulfilled, every replacement is out the door. The shelves are empty and we are not looking back.
See you next season.
Seed Stock Production: Dutch Bucket Media Update
This is the one we have been building toward.
This season we are making a change to our Dutch Bucket growing medium. We have always run straight perlite, lightweight, fast-draining, reliable. It has served us well. But this year we are layering in something new on top: PRO-MIX HP Mycorrhizae Growing Mix.
Here is how the buckets are set up:
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- Bottom layer: perlite, same as always, handles drainage and keeps the root zone oxygenated
- Top layer: PRO-MIX HP, a high-porosity, peat-based professional growing medium with added mycorrhizae to stimulate root development, increase nutrient uptake, and build stress resistance from the start
One thing the team learned quickly: PRO-MIX HP is light. Too light straight out of the bag. Before it could go into the buckets it needed to be hydrated first. Dry PRO-MIX does not compact enough for a pepper plant to root and establish itself properly. The team worked through hydrating the media before filling, which added a step but is the right call for plant health.
The result: buckets filled, layered correctly, and ready to receive plants.
With the buckets filled and the medium prepped, the team also got the stock tanks ready. Stock Tanks A and B were loaded with nutrient solution ahead of the Dragon's Breath transplant, so the moment the plants go in, the system is ready to feed them from day one. No lag, no adjustment period, just roots hitting a dialed-in environment from the start.
Nutrient solution is water mixed with a balanced hydroponic fertilizer formulated for fruiting plants, it is the sole food source for plants in a soilless system.
Stock Tanks A and B, where the nutrient solution is mixed and stored before being pumped through the Dutch Bucket system. The rows of buckets are visible in the background, ready for plants.
Seed Stock Plants Transplant Day
Our plan was to get Dragon's Breath transplanted, but the system took too long to adjust after adding the fertilizer to the stock tanks. We will get them planted early next week, but it's important when you add concentrated fertilizer to a hydroponic system, it needs time to stabilize before the plants go in to avoid stressing or burning the plants.
This week we did get two other varieties transplanted and they are in our Isolation Rooms.
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- A quick note on why isolation rooms matter: peppers cross-pollinate easily. If two different varieties are flowering in the same space, insects or even air movement can transfer pollen between them, and the resulting seeds will not grow true to type. For a home grower that might be an interesting experiment. For seed stock production it is a problem.
- Our isolation rooms keep each variety completely separated during the flowering and seed development stage. When we say a variety is stable and grows true to type, the isolation room is a big part of how we back that up.
- We have two Isolation Rooms and the main area of the greenhouse to grow seed stock plants
We are not ready to share the varieties we transplanted into the Isolation Rooms yet. If this grow goes the way we hope, you will be hearing a lot more about both varieties soon!
Isolation Room 2, freshly planted and already on the drip system.
Grower Plants: Hardening Off
The grower plants are outside getting acclimated and will be heading into our outdoor beds and two hoop houses soon. Hardening off is one of those steps that is easy to rush and costly when you do, we are taking our time and letting the plants adjust before they go in the ground for good.
Hardening off is the process of gradually exposing greenhouse-grown plants to outdoor conditions like sun, wind, and temperature swings, so they are not shocked when they go in the ground.
More on those varieties as they get established. There are a few in this round worth getting excited about.
Looking Ahead
- Complete Dragon's Breath transplant into Dutch Buckets
- Monitor PRO-MIX HP performance post-transplant
- Monitor pump, lines, timers etcetera to ensure everything is working properly
- Move grower plants into outdoor beds and hoop houses
What This Means for Home Growers
If you are running your own Dutch Bucket setup at home, the media prep step is worth paying attention to. Whether you are using PRO-MIX, coco coir, or straight perlite, knowing how your medium behaves before it goes in the bucket saves you problems after the plant is in. Hydration, compaction, and drainage all affect how well your plant roots and establishes in those first critical weeks.
A few resources if you are dialing in your own setup:
- Dutch Bucket Hydroponics for Peppers: Complete Setup Guide
- Pepper Plant Care Guide: From Seed to Harvest
- Full Library: Grow With Joe
Keep Up with the Greenhouse
Missed last week? Week 22
Want to see how the season started? Start at Week 1!
Stay spicy. Thank you for being the best pepper community around.
The Pepper Joe's Growing Team