Lawrence Logic wrote:
I have the vents closed on the mini green house to keep in the heat
and moisture. My little green friend probably has different
requirements now, such as a fresh supply of oxygen. My concern is
that the mini green house can only provide one environment at a
time, so I don't want the seedlings to suffer while I wait for the
stragglers to catch up. At what point should I transplant the
seedlings?

Don't keep them too moist or you will get fungus. You would be
better off opening the vents and checking for water each day. Transplant
when the second pair of true leaves appear.


I've opened the vents and I'm administering a gentle spray of water
each evening. The sections of the "green house" are usually pretty
dry when I get home each afternoon now that the vents are open.

Six of the Bhuts have sprouted now. What do you mean by "true
leaves"? Does that exclude the pair of leaves that open when these
babies first sprout?

Yes, those are called cotyledons, see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotyledons


What should I transplant into? I'll be using pots, and I read a
page that said to have a pot at least 60cm wide. Is that correct?

For how many chilli plants each? A 30cm pot would do for one. You
could get 3 in a 60cm if the mix was good and rich. Bigger pots
have the advantage that they don't dry out as quickly as small ones.
Mulch the top. Keep in filtered sun until they take.


I was going to have one pot each. I'll still have one pot each, but
I'll probably compromise and have pots somewhere around 45cm in
diameter. I want them to have enough room to spread their roots and
grow as much as they can. The pots are still on the "to buy" list, so
I haven't committed to anything yet.


Apparently they prefer soil with pH around 6. What sort of soil or
potting mix should I use, and what additives would you suggest to
get the pH to the desired level?


Most potting mix is slightly acid which is what you want but it may
be already limed so don't start adding lime etc unless you are sure
the pH is wrong. If it isn't on the bag the manufacturer may tell
you.

So you'd advise that I use a potting mix rather than digging soil from
somewhere and trying to treat it to satisfy what I think the plants
will require? My intention is to get good results, so I'll buy
whatever I need to achieve that.


No I only mentioned potting mix because you did, sorry I missed the "soil
or" part. If you are going to do this regularly it is much cheaper to get a
load of good quality loam delivered in bulk rather than buy soil or potting
mixt in bags, cheaper still if you have (or can borrow) a trailer and save
the delivery fee. Even so you will want to enrich it.

Should I actually measure and monitor the pH level, or am I just
being an over-protective "parent"?


I wouldn't worry too much, if the pH is 5 or 7 they will still do
OK. If you are likely to grow other things in future or really want
to know the pH get one of the dye indicator kits (about $15) not a
meter.

I'll consider getting a kit. If I monitor what's going on, at least
I can use my experience from this attempt to make a better fist next
time in the event that everything turns to fertiliser!!


It will last for years and do many tests before the chemicals run out.

As I'm not endowed with a green thumb or two, I'd appreciate any
guidance you could give me.

Thanks

Enrich your potting mix with horse or cow manure or compost before
you plant. After they have taken move them into full sun and check
the moisture daily as they will dry out quickly in a pot especially
on hot days and very especially on exposed balconies or verandas. Chilli
plants like heat but not to dry out and wilt.


I don't have a balcony or a verandah. I have places to strategically
locate the pots so that the sun exposure can be controlled to a
point. That's why I'm using pots rather than planting them in the
garden where they'll be in the sun all day.

Thanks very much for your advice, David. I'll let you know how things
progress.

Provided you can prevent them from drying right out and wilting they will
grow best in full sun once the roots are established. Using pots does allow
you to control things to some extent but the disadvantage is that they dry
out much more quickly than plants in the ground.

Plants that produce fruit are high energy users and high energy builders.
Annual plants that fruit are more so. That's why you need rich soil, full
sun and planty of water. If you want to see this taken to extreme grow
pumpkins but leave word of your whereabouts before you enter the pumpkin
patch so a rescue can be mounted if you don't get back.

David