I don't know about others, but I do not lump them all together. With "peppers" and tomatoes, you have got at least 10.000 varieties of each. Growing tomatoes and bell peppers in one setup and with one nutrient isn't the worst you can grow together, though. Bell- and hot peppers (generally speaking) are not unlike tomatoes, best grown with high Potassium and relatively low Nitrogen formulas. Well, tall bell pepper plants are often growing fast and can use more Nitrogen than their smaller relatives. And, most hot peppers (c. chinense, c. baccatum, frutescens and pubescens are much happier with lower nutrient concentration but don't mind somewhat more Nitrogen (in respect of lower concentration) as tomatoes. PH is compatible anyways, all in all - no big deal to grow them together, as long as you follow these rules that aren't a big secret anyway. ;-) Btw: your Cajun Tabascos should be capsicum frutescens, and in case, they grow slowly and build up quite a structure before going to blooming and fruiting stage (what you aim for in fact) - and hence they will take several month to mature and grow best with low nutrien concentration and high potassium content (as seen earlier). The good thing about them is that they are quite robust and forgiving, if treated decently... Btw: Capsicum frutescens is what grows best here in Thailand and in this "rough" climate.

People will tell you anywhere from 1-2 inches below the pot.. to part of the pot submerged. IMHO it depends on how much bubble action you have going.. with alot of bubbles they will mist the bottom of the pot and the medium will wick moisture.. helping roots seek out the moisture. You could just put it at 1 inch submerged and then move the level down as the roots appear. I personally do a 1 inch below because I have tons of bubbles and the hydroton is quite damp with the misting action. --chris

Yow torquil, I didn't realize tulle could cost that much..... on the other hand, if it means more tomatoes, I'll probably go for it! I'm an addict and wait all year for this. I just hate to see these little buggers knocking out the plants -- jeez, its not fair! I don't mind a little predation (I even put up with the rats stealing a few), but this idea of a bug that poisons the whole plant just by sucking on it in a little tiny space is driving me nuts!!! Mrs H, I'll take a look at the Peaceful Valley stuff and see if it looks fine enough to deter the fliers -- For the next round, I don't have to worry about ground or stem stuff because I'll be planting in pots (all my tomatoes are in large containers) and can "bag" the plants right to the dirt in the pot. I think that should eliminate anything that might be running around in the potting soil. I'm happy to jiggle and or paintbrush to pollinate (since I only have 5 pots running at any time). I'm guessing I'll be ok if I can just barricade out the incoming fliers. --Tuesday

I wanted to post an update on my net pot experiment. About half of the seedlings had to be repotted because they were not happy. The leaf edges were browning, leaves would turn yellow, the caudex looking dehydrated, etc. I found it extremely difficult to keep these happily watered. Perhaps I should have used a different media. I made up the gritty mix for this batch which in my opinion requires watering too frequently for plants this age. Several of the plants are still doing fine in the net pots but based upon the root condition of those I did repot, I would have to give this experiment a big thumbs down. Perhaps when the Adeniums are closer to adulthood and outdoors I can try this experiment again. Tracy