Most of the seedlings are growing well; I am no longer worried about them surviving. Only one seedling is still fighting for life; with only a single tiny miniature leaf.
I have 10 seeds that are still alive; one seedling died and four seeds never sprouted.
The algae was still rampant, and in many cases had started to develop a slime. It had to be dealt with.
To combat the algae I have
- Added diluted hydrogren peroxide H202 on the Rockwool and in the tank. Interestingly it fizzed and bubbled slightly on the Rockwool.
- Sprinkled food grade diatomaceous earth powder on the Rockwool, as it discourages gnat flies and algae growth.
The steps I have taken seem to have had an effect overnight; the next morning the gnats seemed to have disappeared from the grow room.
The Marbles variety seedling has grown a number of their first true leaves. Since it has several full grown leaves I am able to “top” the pepper. That’s when you cut off the top of the main stem to encourage the pepper plant to grow alternative branching and leaves.
Topping also encourages the trunk to thicken (and we want thick trunks with bonsai).
The Bolivian Rainbow pepper also surprised me this week with it’s leaves starting to turn purple!
I’m excited to see this variety grow larger. Many of my peppers are similar looking when not fruiting, and the Bolivian Rainbow variety will give a nice variation to my collection.
Finally this week I replanted the pepper seeds that did not germinate initially:
- Bonzi,
- Birds Eye Baby (this is the seedling that died),
- Chinese 5 Color,
- Italiano,
- Orange Habanero.