Photo Update: Ancho Magnifico

Here you can see where the Ancho Magnifico (left) and another jalapeno plant (right) are plugged into their bucket, and how they have overwhelmed the wire supports that were supposed to hold them.

As you may have read, I have lost three great plants as a result of the stem snapping away from the root system. This photo really illustrates how the stress of an overweight and undersupported plant becomes concentrated at the base of the stem. The ancho plant (left) has uprooted its coco cup and started to pull it from the net pot. This plant will definitely snap and fall soon, which is why I kicked off the emergency harvest to get as many peppers as I can this week before the plants start to snap.

The next generation of buckets are going to feature a cylindrical 'cage' attached to each lid which should provide plenty of solid support for big heavy plants.

You may wonder why I don't simply support these plants by tying them to the ceiling of the growing area. One answer is - I can't. The entire ceiling of my 4x4 growing area is a huge umbrella reflector that blocks access to the crossmembers on the ceiling that I would tie the plants to. The other reason is that tying the plants only supports them when they are in their bucket and the string connecting them to the ceiling is held taut. Keep in mind, these plants have root masses that are about 24 inches long. When the reservoirs are changed, I have to lift the lid (containing the plant and its roots) completely out of the old bucket and into the new, clean one. If the plants are tied to the ceiling, they will not be supported at all when the plant is lifted and the support string goes slack. It's best for the plant and for my ease of maintenance if the bucket lids have built-in support for the plant and don't rely on being staked or tied to any other structures.