Aerogarden Peter Peppers

There are two Aerogardens with chile peppers, one old style with fluorescent lights and the new one with LED lights.

The first Aerogarden is planted with seven Peter Pepper plants. Apparently one in the back died and I only just now noticed it. So, six Peter Pepper plants.

The second Aerogarden has nine compartments, but only four are planted with Peter Peppers.

That's ten Peter Peppers total.

But look at the difference in results between types of Aerogardens.

 

The plants are young and budding all over the place. A bud appears at the first Y in the stems. Both tops of the Y also produce a leaf, a flower and another Y stem. Sometimes it makes a ᴪ so the plant builds a structure exponentially upward and outward. They appear very unplanned. 

And there is nothing worse, it just breaks my heart to see little shriveled flowers fallen onto the Aerogarden platform unfertilized. It means those peppers are wasted. Each flower has its place in the structure. Each of the fallen flowers means another wasted spot in the structure. 

The baby plants under the domes are Habanero peppers. 

I'm planting two types of peppers this year; Peter Peppers an Habanero. 

I figure I can buy all other types easily enough and a lot less expensively than I can grow them.

The old-time fluorescent Aerogarden did very well. The Peter Peppers germinated quickly and the plants grew rapidly. They flowered and produced fruit almost immediately. 

The new LED Aerogarden did even better. The leaves are larger and much darker and much more compacted. There is very little elevation between layers so it grows in height more slowly and the buds develop a little more slowly presently. I kept peeking in and seeing buds developing but not opening. I think they're opened now. I haven't checked today. I don't know how the bottom leaves are getting any light. I'm ready to remove one of the four right now because it is intruding on the Habaneros that are just babies. I'll put it in a 4X4 pot and keep it very wet with the same treated water and near the same lights. 

Both Aerogardens had the same liquid organic fertilizer and dry organic fertilizer from MI Gardener.

They are both watered exactly alike. 

Both Aerogardens did very well while the new LED one is blowing my mind. When I put the plants outside I'm not sure that partial sun can do as well as this Aerogarden full blast. These are densest chile plants that I've ever seen.