The New Year has arrived and it seems as good a time as any to recap on where I am at with the chilli grow. Most recently you may remember that the roots were just beginning to come through the cube, and I had begun preparing to put them into the main systems. A fast approaching festive represented somewhat of a tricky obstacle, since the plants didn’t quite seem ready to relocate to the main systems – the ideal period for this unfortunately being over Christmas. There are certain stages when plants require special attention and just after transplanting is unquestionably one of them.

Admittedly I could have taken a calculated risk and transplanted the plants anyway, albeit with tightly crossed fingers and the odd prayer or two. But at such a crucial point of their development, the chances of luck being on my side were not worth gambling on. See the plants not only needed to get used to the main system, they also faced an entirely new location – moving from the small tent in the relatively stable temperature of an office, to a radically different garage type building. Whilst I conducted tests to try and achieve stable temperatures here with the heater and lights, it may prove to be a bigger shock for the plants than anticipated.

As I said at the start I ultimately decided to wait until the New Year, when I would be around to regularly check on my plants. With this decision made, I had to set about ensuring the maintenance of healthy roots. If I simply left the plants in the propagator, there is a good chance the roots would become damaged and potentially suffer some kind of mould as they escape the cube, direct onto the plastic base of the propagator. To counter this eventuality, I popped some thoroughly washed clay pebbles into a small pot and rested the cube on top, allowing any root growth to be protected from the light, and hopefully encouraging plants to keep developing while the office sat empty.

Now that the festive period is over, I’m pleased to say that the plants are ready to be transplanted. Finally I can get them into their systems and on the journey to incredible results.

Next time – Transplanting into the main system.