It's surprising how well peppers do in containers. At first I only expected marginal results, at best, but I've been surprised. All of my thirty plus pepper plants are putting on blooms and fruit.
Pepper blossoms are self-pollinating, being both male and female within the same flower. Normally, outdoors, the wind or insects would shake loose the pollen so that it reaches the pistil in the center of the flower. Indoors, a little human intervention is necessary. I've tried hand pollinating the flowers with a small paintbrush and I've tried gently shaking the plants to release the pollen and I've had equal success with both.
As for container size, as long as I use at least the minimum necessary, about a two to two and a half gallons, the plants thrive. That is, as long as they get adequate care.
This bell pepper plant is doing well and putting on peppers, even though it's only growing in a re-purposed two gallon hanging pot. I have tomato plants growing in a five gallon bucket in the background.
This Aji Panca is putting on an abundance of peppers. It shares a ten gallon tub with half a dozen other plants.
My pepper plants started from seed in three inch pots filled with Nature's Care organic potting soil. Most took more than a week to germinate. As soon as they had their first set of true leaves, I transplanted them to one gallon pots. It didn't take long for the plants to outgrow the gallons, and I moved them to larger pots where they will remain. When transplanting, I used a mix of potting soil, compost and Nature's Care plant food. After two weeks, I top dressed with about a tablespoon of EcoScraps Tomato and Vegetable food per plant.
The combination of warmth and the breeze created by the greenhouse fans dries out the upper layers of soil in the containers quickly, necessitating thorough daily watering. The plant food gradually dissolves into the soil with each watering and I reapply every two to three weeks.
While the plants develop strong stalks and stems, I find it necessary to tie them up to prevent them sprawling and taking up too much space in the greenhouse.
Good drainage is essential and I add extra holes if necessary. So called "self-watering" pots and other pots with attached trays create unhealthy situations, in my experience, and encourage root rot. Attached trays can be popped loose and removed. Self-watering pots generally have something inside the bottom that can be removed, but the pot usually needs extra holes added for adequate drainage.
I also find that if soil is allowed to dry and pull away from the sides of the container, it is difficult to re-hydrate. In extreme cases, re-potting has been necessary. Most of the time I can loosen the upper layer of soil and slowly saturate it, repeating several times during the day until I can push my finger into the soil and find moisture several inches down. With proper drainage, over watering is not a problem.
Pepper blossoms are self-pollinating, being both male and female within the same flower. Normally, outdoors, the wind or insects would shake loose the pollen so that it reaches the pistil in the center of the flower. Indoors, a little human intervention is necessary. I've tried hand pollinating the flowers with a small paintbrush and I've tried gently shaking the plants to release the pollen and I've had equal success with both.
As for container size, as long as I use at least the minimum necessary, about a two to two and a half gallons, the plants thrive. That is, as long as they get adequate care.
This bell pepper plant is doing well and putting on peppers, even though it's only growing in a re-purposed two gallon hanging pot. I have tomato plants growing in a five gallon bucket in the background.
This Aji Panca is putting on an abundance of peppers. It shares a ten gallon tub with half a dozen other plants.
My pepper plants started from seed in three inch pots filled with Nature's Care organic potting soil. Most took more than a week to germinate. As soon as they had their first set of true leaves, I transplanted them to one gallon pots. It didn't take long for the plants to outgrow the gallons, and I moved them to larger pots where they will remain. When transplanting, I used a mix of potting soil, compost and Nature's Care plant food. After two weeks, I top dressed with about a tablespoon of EcoScraps Tomato and Vegetable food per plant.
The combination of warmth and the breeze created by the greenhouse fans dries out the upper layers of soil in the containers quickly, necessitating thorough daily watering. The plant food gradually dissolves into the soil with each watering and I reapply every two to three weeks.
While the plants develop strong stalks and stems, I find it necessary to tie them up to prevent them sprawling and taking up too much space in the greenhouse.
Good drainage is essential and I add extra holes if necessary. So called "self-watering" pots and other pots with attached trays create unhealthy situations, in my experience, and encourage root rot. Attached trays can be popped loose and removed. Self-watering pots generally have something inside the bottom that can be removed, but the pot usually needs extra holes added for adequate drainage.
I also find that if soil is allowed to dry and pull away from the sides of the container, it is difficult to re-hydrate. In extreme cases, re-potting has been necessary. Most of the time I can loosen the upper layer of soil and slowly saturate it, repeating several times during the day until I can push my finger into the soil and find moisture several inches down. With proper drainage, over watering is not a problem.
So far, my container pepper plants are doing even better than the ones planted out in my garden.
Stephen
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