Known tricks to growing peppers

jahwarrior1423 · February 4, 2015

Hello, I am a small hobbiest. I am only growing Carolina reaper, chiletepins and jalapeños.

I am curious of known tricks/tips on growing peppers...when to prune, size containers, how to make the peppers extra hot.

Example: I've seen online that people cut the top of the plant to make it grow fuller?...

Another, stop watering at a certain time and the peppers will become hotter?

What are the tricks to growing great peppers?

ScottinAtlanta · February 5, 2015

Over winter the superhots.

Cole_Robbie · February 5, 2015

They love manure in the soil. I also think they respond especially well to foliar feeding.

Blueaussi · February 5, 2015

The known tricks are that there are no tricks, just preferences. Hot peppers are sturdy boogers, and generally do well even if benignly neglected. Everyone has their own Soooooper Seeekrit formulas and chile voodoo they practice; but, honestly, good basic garden practices will usually get you more hot peppers than you can eat.

Don't give them too much nitrogen; you'll still get peppers if you do, but not as many. Don't put them outside too early, peppers do not like having cold feet. And, I'm another fan of Tomato Tone.

It's true that if you stress a pepper plant, the peppers will be hotter. Don't decrease your production, though, by stressing the plants into blossom drop.

I think pruning is a sort of garden version of helicopter parenting. They branch very nicely on their own unless treated excessively with one of the plant hormones.

I did an olla experiment with some of my peppers last summer. I grew 2 Lemon Drop and 2 Dedo De Moca peppers side by side in 10 gallon containers with 1 1/2 quart ollas in one of each variety. It didn't seem to make any difference in growth or production. The only difference was that on really hot days that plants without an olla drooped a little.

Father'sDaughter · February 5, 2015

My peppers pretty much get ignored aside from regular watering and the occasional feeding--the tomatoes require almost all my attention. Both hots and super hots are grown in five gallon grow bags and produce more than I know what to do with.

I now only grow two medium hots in ground--Numex Big Jim (which I roast, peel and freeze) and Rosso Dolce Da Appendere (for drying and grinding). They get about the same amount of attention as the hots and do just as well.

I can't speak to sweet or bell peppers as I'm not a big fan of them so I won't use any valuable garden space to grow any!

drew51 · February 5, 2015

I agree with blueaussi and btw I have a blue aussie! Topping makes no difference for me, putting them out early can really hurt them. I use a cold frame, which increases temps about 20 F. I bring them in at night! That helped me get a jump on size, and helped acclimate too. The superhots are more compact plants, so no worries, and as far as heat that reaper is going to be so hot no matter what you do!!

Starlight · February 5, 2015

Patience... Patience... and more Patience... In my experience the hotter the pepper, the harder it is to get good germination and also it may take weeks longer to get them to sprout.

Stay away from peat based soils to start the seed in. I had a lot of trouble at first with the super hots. it took me awhile, but I finally figured out that they were allergic to the soil that had peat in it. Good organic soil with lots of pine based materials and those babies jumped at it.

Heat. Peppers love heat. They don't like excessive heat and humidity, but they do enjoy a nice semi hot day and a bit cooler night temp. Watch the watering. Too much water and you'll rot them out. Too little and you stress them that way too.

The super hots are fun to grow, but it is even more fun just to grow the hots that are edible to folks without causing them and their bodies undue stress from the "burn."

One of the most productive sweets I grew this past season was the Sweet Habanero. A neat looking sweet pepper that was productive and had a good taste was the Star pepper plant.

Big Jim was an excellent producer with good flavor and many types of culinary uses. Another fun and good tasting hot was Monkey Face.

http://cubits.org/salsagarden/db/pep...se/view/98367/

RobinB · February 5, 2015

I only grow a few peppers each year, but I have found that for me, pepper plants do better when not baking in full desert sun all day long. I have a place in my backyard under some trees which gets full sun until about 3:00 or so and then the plants are in dappled sunlight the rest of the day. I have noticed that pepper plants are much more productive here when compared to when I had them in the front yard with no shade at all. It's high desert here, 5000 ft, and single-digit humidity in the summer.

Gardeneer · February 19, 2015

There are no tricks, me thinks. Growing pepper is very similar to tomatoes, as far as feeding and watering is concerned. Actually peppers re quire less efforts and they don't fall victims to diseases like tomatoes (except pests like aphids and mites).

I grow mine all in fabric and plastic pots and I use 5-1-1 potting mix and the same fertilizer I use for tomatoes.

But I have heard that peppers can benefit from a little more sulfur. Some stick few match sticks in the soil.

slugworth · February 24, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

There are no tricks, me thinks. Growing pepper is very similar to tomatoes, as far as feeding and watering is concerned. Actually peppers re quire less efforts and they don't fall victims to diseases like tomatoes (except pests like aphids and mites)..

earwigs bore holes in the peppers and ruin them,I lose many every year.
They attack at night and on one rare occasion I saw one crawling out of the hole.
Junebugs chew the leaves down to the stems,again only at night.

Worth1 · February 19, 2015

I read that if you are really mad when you put your plants out they will be hotter.
Actually this came from a book of tall tales I read when I was in grade school.

It seems there was a very mild mannered man who couldn't grow hot peppers.
His family went to a local wise woman and she told them to make him mad when he planted the peppers.
They turned the mule loose nailed his boots to the floor and hid his gardening tools along with other things.
By the time he got the peppers planted he was madder than a wet hen.
When the plants put on fruit they were so hot they glowed in the dark and people could light their pipes and cigars with them.
It was reported that putting the peppers in chilli would make it boil.

Worth

heirloomtomaguy · February 19, 2015

I grew 32 Carolina Reaper plants last year along with another 24 misc. super hots. All of these went in the ground for the first time. I usually grow in containers so here is what works best for me. In a container i like to prune all of the lower leaves that form on the main stem leaving only about the top 1/3 of the plant. When you notice the main stem starting to "Y" do not prune anymore. This will give your plant a nice tree style growth habit. When the plant starts to flower always pick the flower that is in the "Y" of the plant. Doing this will make the plant go into hyper drive. If that flower in the "Y" or split develops it will slow down production of your plants. I have no scientific evidence or explanation to why this works but i was told by a fellow chile head to do so and since i started doing it ive seen results. I also like to give them a foliar feeding of compost tea once a week when they start to flower and if you want even more flowers and potential chiles foliar spray them with earth juice bloom master. Believe me it works awesome. I usually grow my peppers in 5 gallon containers but for more production double the size. Now as far as making the peppers hotter i have not noticed a big difference when i let the plant wilt. However if you are looking for the hottest peppers on the plant i have noticed that the lower on the plant the pepper grows the hotter it is. So if you are trying to really burn someone who thinks they know chiles just give them the first peppers lowest to the ground off of the main stem. Also my Super hot plants usually reach 5-6 feet tall with the proper nutrients in the soil and with my pruning method. Good luck with your Carolina reaper plants!

Starlight · February 20, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by heirloomtomaguy

I grew 32 Carolina Reaper plants last year along with another 24 misc. super hots. All of these went in the ground for the first time. I usually grow in containers so here is what works best for me. In a container i like to prune all of the lower leaves that form on the main stem leaving only about the top 1/3 of the plant. When you notice the main stem starting to "Y" do not prune anymore. This will give your plant a nice tree style growth habit. When the plant starts to flower always pick the flower that is in the "Y" of the plant. Doing this will make the plant go into hyper drive. If that flower in the "Y" or split develops it will slow down production of your plants. I have no scientific evidence or explanation to why this works but i was told by a fellow chile head to do so and since i started doing it ive seen results. I also like to give them a foliar feeding of compost tea once a week when they start to flower and if you want even more flowers and potential chiles foliar spray them with earth juice bloom master. Believe me it works awesome. I usually grow my peppers in 5 gallon containers but for more production double the size. Now as far as making the peppers hotter i have not noticed a big difference when i let the plant wilt. However if you are looking for the hottest peppers on the plant i have noticed that the lower on the plant the pepper grows the hotter it is. So if you are trying to really burn someone who thinks they know chiles just give them the first peppers lowest to the ground off of the main stem. Also my Super hot plants usually reach 5-6 feet tall with the proper nutrients in the soil and with my pruning method. Good luck with your Carolina reaper plants!

I haven't heard of this method before. Thanks for sharing. I think I will give it a try and see what happens. What is your compost tea consist of, please? So many folks have different recipes they make and use.

You also mentioned earth juice bloom master. Is that something folks can buy locally?

clara · February 19, 2015

I am doing a little experiment this year: Starting seeds on a spoon with a thin layer of kitchen paper (cut into small stripes and folded 8 times so that it fits into the spoon). Add a bit of water so that the paper is moist and put the seeds on the paper after having watered them in chamomile tea for 24 hours. Put the spoon in a small bag, reseal it. Then put it on a heat mat, which I don't because one window sill in the living room is very warm (heater is just below) - I use it instead of a heat mat since years. 3 of the 4 pepper varieties germinated after only 6 days, the hottest one after 8 days. After 5 days, I replaced the paper by agar-agar (it was my son's idea) and I am very pleased with it - now ALL pepper seeds have sprouted and will be transplanted tomorrow.

I am doing the same agar-agar experiment with tomato seeds (started a bit later), some on spoons also, some in small curd bowls. All bowls were first put in a big bag, but apparently there was too much humidity in that big bag - drops were falling down into the bowls so that the seeds were swimming, I assume that the agar had go too wet. Now all bowls are placed on a thin tray (to give them less warmth) and the big bag is placed ON the bowls (no more bowls inside the bag). There are first signs of germination, like little white tiny worms in the agar, LOL! The seeds on the spoons need a tiny bit of water from time to time because I have problems with my right hand and can't reseal the little bags properly, but perhaps it's even perfect so - not too much humidity.

For all those who are not familiar with agar-agar: It's made of algae and you can use it for making fruit jellies or juice. It's a product of mother nature, no chemistry!

DonnaMarieNJ · February 20, 2015

I have a few seedlings growing in an egg carton. It is the first successful time I am growing peppers from seed. Do I treat them like tomatoes, i.e., now that the first true leaves are showing, pot them up? And, if so, do I plant them deep like tomatoes (will the roots grow along the stems like maters?)

I have no idea what I am growing - they are seeds from purchased fruit with no name, so they might be hybrid....

Thanks.

Donna

February 4, 2015	#1
jahwarrior1423 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Benson, Arizona Posts: 37	Known tricks to growing peppers Hello, I am a small hobbiest. I am only growing Carolina reaper, chiletepins and jalapeños. I am curious of known tricks/tips on growing peppers...when to prune, size containers, how to make the peppers extra hot. Example: I've seen online that people cut the top of the plant to make it grow fuller?... Another, stop watering at a certain time and the peppers will become hotter? What are the tricks to growing great peppers?

February 5, 2015	#6
drew51 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Sterling Heights, MI Zone 6a/5b Posts: 1,302	I agree with blueaussi and btw I have a blue aussie! Topping makes no difference for me, putting them out early can really hurt them. I use a cold frame, which increases temps about 20 F. I bring them in at night! That helped me get a jump on size, and helped acclimate too. The superhots are more compact plants, so no worries, and as far as heat that reaper is going to be so hot no matter what you do!! Last edited by drew51; February 5, 2015 at 11:40 AM.

February 19, 2015	#12
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	I grew 32 Carolina Reaper plants last year along with another 24 misc. super hots. All of these went in the ground for the first time. I usually grow in containers so here is what works best for me. In a container i like to prune all of the lower leaves that form on the main stem leaving only about the top 1/3 of the plant. When you notice the main stem starting to "Y" do not prune anymore. This will give your plant a nice tree style growth habit. When the plant starts to flower always pick the flower that is in the "Y" of the plant. Doing this will make the plant go into hyper drive. If that flower in the "Y" or split develops it will slow down production of your plants. I have no scientific evidence or explanation to why this works but i was told by a fellow chile head to do so and since i started doing it ive seen results. I also like to give them a foliar feeding of compost tea once a week when they start to flower and if you want even more flowers and potential chiles foliar spray them with earth juice bloom master. Believe me it works awesome. I usually grow my peppers in 5 gallon containers but for more production double the size. Now as far as making the peppers hotter i have not noticed a big difference when i let the plant wilt. However if you are looking for the hottest peppers on the plant i have noticed that the lower on the plant the pepper grows the hotter it is. So if you are trying to really burn someone who thinks they know chiles just give them the first peppers lowest to the ground off of the main stem. Also my Super hot plants usually reach 5-6 feet tall with the proper nutrients in the soil and with my pruning method. Good luck with your Carolina reaper plants! __________________ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Last edited by heirloomtomaguy; February 20, 2015 at 02:16 PM. Reason: spelling

February 20, 2015	#15
DonnaMarieNJ Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northeast New Jersey Posts: 731	I have a few seedlings growing in an egg carton. It is the first successful time I am growing peppers from seed. Do I treat them like tomatoes, i.e., now that the first true leaves are showing, pot them up? And, if so, do I plant them deep like tomatoes (will the roots grow along the stems like maters?) I have no idea what I am growing - they are seeds from purchased fruit with no name, so they might be hybrid.... Thanks. Donna __________________ DonnaMarieNJ I pay the mortgage, but my cats own the house!

February 5, 2015	#2
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	Over winter the superhots.

February 5, 2015	#3
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	They love manure in the soil. I also think they respond especially well to foliar feeding.

February 5, 2015	#4
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	The known tricks are that there are no tricks, just preferences. Hot peppers are sturdy boogers, and generally do well even if benignly neglected. Everyone has their own Soooooper Seeekrit formulas and chile voodoo they practice; but, honestly, good basic garden practices will usually get you more hot peppers than you can eat. Don't give them too much nitrogen; you'll still get peppers if you do, but not as many. Don't put them outside too early, peppers do not like having cold feet. And, I'm another fan of Tomato Tone. It's true that if you stress a pepper plant, the peppers will be hotter. Don't decrease your production, though, by stressing the plants into blossom drop. I think pruning is a sort of garden version of helicopter parenting. They branch very nicely on their own unless treated excessively with one of the plant hormones. I did an olla experiment with some of my peppers last summer. I grew 2 Lemon Drop and 2 Dedo De Moca peppers side by side in 10 gallon containers with 1 1/2 quart ollas in one of each variety. It didn't seem to make any difference in growth or production. The only difference was that on really hot days that plants without an olla drooped a little.

February 5, 2015	#5
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	My peppers pretty much get ignored aside from regular watering and the occasional feeding--the tomatoes require almost all my attention. Both hots and super hots are grown in five gallon grow bags and produce more than I know what to do with. I now only grow two medium hots in ground--Numex Big Jim (which I roast, peel and freeze) and Rosso Dolce Da Appendere (for drying and grinding). They get about the same amount of attention as the hots and do just as well. I can't speak to sweet or bell peppers as I'm not a big fan of them so I won't use any valuable garden space to grow any!

February 5, 2015	#7
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	Patience... Patience... and more Patience... In my experience the hotter the pepper, the harder it is to get good germination and also it may take weeks longer to get them to sprout. Stay away from peat based soils to start the seed in. I had a lot of trouble at first with the super hots. it took me awhile, but I finally figured out that they were allergic to the soil that had peat in it. Good organic soil with lots of pine based materials and those babies jumped at it. Heat. Peppers love heat. They don't like excessive heat and humidity, but they do enjoy a nice semi hot day and a bit cooler night temp. Watch the watering. Too much water and you'll rot them out. Too little and you stress them that way too. The super hots are fun to grow, but it is even more fun just to grow the hots that are edible to folks without causing them and their bodies undue stress from the "burn." One of the most productive sweets I grew this past season was the Sweet Habanero. A neat looking sweet pepper that was productive and had a good taste was the Star pepper plant. Big Jim was an excellent producer with good flavor and many types of culinary uses. Another fun and good tasting hot was Monkey Face. http://cubits.org/salsagarden/db/pep...se/view/98367/

February 5, 2015	#8
RobinB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Near Reno, NV Posts: 1,621	I only grow a few peppers each year, but I have found that for me, pepper plants do better when not baking in full desert sun all day long. I have a place in my backyard under some trees which gets full sun until about 3:00 or so and then the plants are in dappled sunlight the rest of the day. I have noticed that pepper plants are much more productive here when compared to when I had them in the front yard with no shade at all. It's high desert here, 5000 ft, and single-digit humidity in the summer.

February 19, 2015	#9
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,922	There are no tricks, me thinks. Growing pepper is very similar to tomatoes, as far as feeding and watering is concerned. Actually peppers re quire less efforts and they don't fall victims to diseases like tomatoes (except pests like aphids and mites). I grow mine all in fabric and plastic pots and I use 5-1-1 potting mix and the same fertilizer I use for tomatoes. But I have heard that peppers can benefit from a little more sulfur. Some stick few match sticks in the soil.

February 19, 2015	#11
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I read that if you are really mad when you put your plants out they will be hotter. Actually this came from a book of tall tales I read when I was in grade school. It seems there was a very mild mannered man who couldn't grow hot peppers. His family went to a local wise woman and she told them to make him mad when he planted the peppers. They turned the mule loose nailed his boots to the floor and hid his gardening tools along with other things. By the time he got the peppers planted he was madder than a wet hen. When the plants put on fruit they were so hot they glowed in the dark and people could light their pipes and cigars with them. It was reported that putting the peppers in chilli would make it boil. Worth

February 19, 2015	#14
clara Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Germany Posts: 1,351	I am doing a little experiment this year: Starting seeds on a spoon with a thin layer of kitchen paper (cut into small stripes and folded 8 times so that it fits into the spoon). Add a bit of water so that the paper is moist and put the seeds on the paper after having watered them in chamomile tea for 24 hours. Put the spoon in a small bag, reseal it. Then put it on a heat mat, which I don't because one window sill in the living room is very warm (heater is just below) - I use it instead of a heat mat since years. 3 of the 4 pepper varieties germinated after only 6 days, the hottest one after 8 days. After 5 days, I replaced the paper by agar-agar (it was my son's idea) and I am very pleased with it - now ALL pepper seeds have sprouted and will be transplanted tomorrow. I am doing the same agar-agar experiment with tomato seeds (started a bit later), some on spoons also, some in small curd bowls. All bowls were first put in a big bag, but apparently there was too much humidity in that big bag - drops were falling down into the bowls so that the seeds were swimming, I assume that the agar had go too wet. Now all bowls are placed on a thin tray (to give them less warmth) and the big bag is placed ON the bowls (no more bowls inside the bag). There are first signs of germination, like little white tiny worms in the agar, LOL! The seeds on the spoons need a tiny bit of water from time to time because I have problems with my right hand and can't reseal the little bags properly, but perhaps it's even perfect so - not too much humidity. For all those who are not familiar with agar-agar: It's made of algae and you can use it for making fruit jellies or juice. It's a product of mother nature, no chemistry!