Very interesting technique mrpepper - but unconventional indeed. Can you explain how you manage (what toolset you use) to increase your EC by only .05 mS/cm (EC) each two weeks (if that is what you meant)? I am growing most peppers in about 3 months from seed to harvest, that would mean a total increase of 0.25 only ;-) I believe that there is a multitude of distinct (sometimes uncommon) strategies that actually work. In fact many work, because plants are very adaptable . But if all these different approaches are just interchangeable as in "any of them may work, as it works for me", why not choose the simplest, easiest and most economic of them? I do not agree on the following: "Hot Pepper Plants do not like Nitrogen". Every plant likes and needs nitrogen, so do peppers (bell, wild or semi domesticated) as well. But in case you feed nitrogen in excess, they may have too much vegetative growth, will tend to be week in stems, bloom late, drop blossoms or pods, or get even prone to fungus and parasites. In a later stage they even need some more for fruit building (depending on pod size). Btw: a study about Jalapeño pepepers has even shown, that Nitrogen content of a nutrient solution is relevant for the pungency of the pods! I have some trouble recognizing the logic behind this: "every 5 days min, I change my solution. This seems to make a big difference when the plants are in the early stages versus waiting a week or so." It might be related to your PH. Because if you change the nutrients, your PH will be reset as well. Correcting the PH, instead of changing the nutrients that early would be the more conventional and certainly more economic way to proceed. UNLESS you only use a very small quantity, - in later case, this strategy obviously makes sense and isn't a uncommon thing at all. But if you use a decent quantity of nutrient at an early stage, plants (peppers or else) do not actually draw much nutrients from that stock- hence I don't see what a more frequent nutrient replacement in an early growth stage may actually change or improve to the better. As for growing seedlings in 0.2 mS/cm, it's unconventional as well from my perspective. Simply because most waters used for hydroponics have already got 0.2-0.4 mS/cm if not more. Allthough the concentration to use with seedlings is actually controversial and still a kinda disputed matter. Here also, very different strategies seem to work if you believe what people regularly report or recommend on several forums (or websites). As for my personal experience with peppers (or any other plants), anything under 0.5 mS/cm always delays both, shot- and root growth. But what may be true in Paris, may not be the case in Sevastopol ;-) The water you use for growing seedlings is essential and has to be the key factor with four your strategy anyway. The very distinct water quality (with a multitude of mineral content and concentration) that is used by various folks is clearly underestimated with hydroponics and mostly when it turns around germination and seedlings. Cheers and good hunt for more rare peppers ;-) Lucas

shroomcloud, Welcome. I've recently received some varieties from a friend in Brasil. Amongst them was a Turkish pepper; Aci Sivri. I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for. The best description I've found is: An old Turkish variety can be mild to burning hot. Unusually productive for northern gardens, producing up to fifty 5-9 inch cayenne-shaped fruits per plant. If you're interested I can spot you a few seeds (I haven't grown them myself yet). Send me an email via my profile page if you're interested. Bill

The soil itself breaks down slowly and that breakdown is enough for almost all plants. Dry poweder fertilizer is SALT. Salt kills plants. You go ahead and give them plenty of salt for food and watch them die. Organic fertilizers are usually not salt. But all the dry powder ferts are all SALT. A little salty fert can be OK but the salt builds up in the soil. It takes a lot of rain water to wash out the salt. Organic matter breaks down slowly and provides all the nutrients a plant needs that is why weeds grow without fertilizer. Trees grow huge without fertilizer. People are brainwashed by the companies that sell SALT. The politically correct term for SALT is Chemical Fertilizer. I call it SALT to remember what it really is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilizer Properly applied, organic fertilizers can improve the health, and productivity of soil and plants as they provide different essential nutrients intended to encourage plant growth[citation needed]. Organic nutrients increase the abundance of soil organisms such as mycorrhiza, which aid plants in absorbing nutrients[citation needed]. Chemical fertilizers have long-term adverse impact on the organisms living in soil[citation needed] and a detrimental long term effect on soil Here is a link that might be useful: Fertilizer

I hear ya .... I grow a seed called hot chili hybrid and they produce like mad. I then dry and crush them and they are alot hotter than the grocery store kind. I would assume they use the cheapest peppers available as there are in a huge shaker and no more than 5 bucks. when i say cheapest i am going with a over fertilized plant that is just ment for production not quality.