Pat Stamile and Dan Trimmer both told me to narrow your breeding goals to what you can handle. Most new hybridizers go in too many directions at once.
Pat also told me to use high nitrogen/low phosphorus/high potash fertilizer to help correct short scapes. Nitrogen and potash are easily water soluble---and tend to wash out of the soil. They have to continually be replaced in the soil for good growth. Phosphorus, on the other hand, binds to soil particles and can build up to toxic levels if too much is used, too often. Urea, which breaks down into ammonia--which breaks down into nitrogen can also reach toxic levels if used too much. It does not break down until the temperature gets warm (70 degrees F.)---and continues to break down more rapidly as the temp increases. You see good growth early in the season---then everything goes bad later on when the temps get above 85 F.. It pays to do two things: get your soil tested periodically---and read labels on fertilizer packages. Many of the cheaper ones are very high in Urea and low in the soluble nitrogen.
Wyatt LeFever told me: "Have fun."
Dan also told me to give the plants some magnesium during active early growth. It makes the plants foliage more sturdy and improves the action of the chlorophyll so the plants grow stronger.
