Thanks Beefxer! I'm pretty sure the powdery bumps on the leaves are water deposits caused by edema. That one plant is the only one that's really affected (but it's also podding the most!). Improving the exhaust seemed to have helped, but the bumps are still there. But so far, it's not really slowing it down at all, so I'm not too worried about it. I've asked around if it might be caused by some kind of deficiency, but no guesses yet. It's not a pest or pollen or anything on top of the leaves, I know that. Do you have any guesses?
My first guesses would be powdery mildew or insect activity. Take a close look at the tops and bottoms of your leaves and make sure there isn't anything moving around!
A quick google search yielded a few more ideas. It could be a calcium deficiency, magnesium deficiency, or just a genetic trait. In any case if your plants are thriving I wouldn't worry too much about it. Curious little bumps though.
Lots and lots of pods! All varieties are doing very well. Only the tallest variety hasn't podded yet. I can't believe it's been less than two months from seed! It's looking more and more like I'll even be able to give a taste test before the trial period is over.
I just gave them a spray-down with neem in these photos.
Thanks, I have four different varieties of the same basic type of Chinese chili called "facing heaven." I'm trying to start up a fifth variety right now too from seed, but they're being stubborn. I use these in Sichuanese cooking.
I never would have guessed there were different strains there. Shows what I know...
I'm interested to hear how they compare to other peppers. When I grew some little peppers in my Aerogarden they were good, but they weren't very spicy. Will LED peppers be as spicy as their naturally-grown counterparts?
I hope they're spicy, but spicy peppers are pretty easy to get (most supermarkets have fresh habs, which are plenty spicy for me!). The main thing I'm looking for is this variety's distinct aroma -- which can range from citrusy to funky, depending on the cultivar.
My two smaller plants are flowering like nuts. I'm pretty sure there are more flowers than leaves at this point.
Weekly update time. I used a calcium-magnesium supplement for the first time which the smaller plants hated! They got some nute-burn, but nothing that they won't recover from. The big plants ate it up and I'm getting a ton of flowers.