skip to main content

Too late to pot up?

heirloomchefmark

13 years ago

I have a single plant of each pepper I'm growing this year in 1 gallon nursery pots, they'd been sprouted in cell trays, moved to 4 inch pots and then to the gallon pots. I wanted at least one of each in pots so I could put them in the garage if early frosts threatened before they all had ripened fruit.

With the cool wet spring we'd been having they hadn't needed to be potted up again, but while I was gone on business the last two weeks it finally turned sunny and warm and they exploded with growth. Several varieties have peppers on now, but they're definately outgrowing their pots.

I have 4 gallon pots that were supposed to be their final home this year. Should I go ahead and move them, and how important is it to remove all the peppers and blooms when transplanting? My only surviving plants of Tobago and Trinidad seasoning peppers are in the pots and have dozens of peppers on now, it would hurt to take them all off but losing the plant would hurt more.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

smokemaster_2007
13 years ago
I'd re pot,just don't mess with the roots.
If they are rootbound you shouldn't have a problem,everything will come out of the pot in 1 piece.
Some like to scratch the outside edge of the roots (breaking a few of the outside roots)to stimulate new root growth with rootbound pots.
I don't take off buds or pods when I repot.
If the plant gets stressed it'll abort them anyway.
I use a starter fert. when I repot rootbound plants.
Something like Schultz Starter Plus(5-10-5).It seems to help.It has B1 in it too.
Any low nitrogen fert would probably work.
I also add a calcium source when I repot plants too.
If your plants are healthy I don't see you having any problems.
Peppers are pretty hardy plants.
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
I agree with Smokemaster.

Also, I put my recently re-potted plants in a somewhat shaded area for a couple days.
Then I return them to their former location.

Another thing to consider is soil and container temperature.
I'd fill the containers and get them warmed up/sunned before planting.
You don't want those warm-acclimated roots suddenly dropped into a
much larger, much cooler volume of soil.

Josh
Related Discussions
Newbie - Too late for moving to another, larger pot?
Q
Comments (10)
Sorry Josh. I didn't phrase my question correctly in the first post which is why I added this. "Will they grow upwards after being put in new pots at this late stage or will they just remain at the same height?" oregonwoodsmoke - I have been checking the soil to make sure they need the water. We were experiencing a period of extremely hot and sunny days that were drying them out very quickly so they were getting two small portions of water a day. The weather has been more dreary the last couple of days so they're currently getting a break. I thought I had read that a 7 inch pot would be okay for the jalapeno and cayenne peppers. They seem to be doing quite well so far anyway. I have one of the bell peppers in a 5 liter pot now so I'm waiting to see if this makes a difference before I move the others.
...See More
Too late in the game to transplant to bigger pots?
Q
Comments (3)
Agreed PepperGuy222... As soon as the roots can be seen on the top, pot up!
...See More
Transplanting / Potting Up Very Late
Q
Comments (4)
If you have plants in 3.5" pots that are putting out fruit, then you really are late in potting up. But all is not lost by any means. They should be fine now that you finally got them repotted. They were likely severely root bound so what you should have done if you did not was to break apart the root ball and let the root system loose. If you just pulled the plant out of the small pot and dropped it into the bigger pot, the root ball will take some time to figure out that it has a lot more room and will stay root bound for some time. The Big Jim just took to the new pot better, but the Black Hungarian should catch up. If you are concerned, you could always pull the BH and spread the root ball out a bit and replant it. Bruce
...See More
Two Sun Gold tomato seedlings in one pot: is it too late?
Q
Comments (13)
zornitzayoung, why not just plant a single plant and don't remove any suckers? There's no reason to prune except lack of space. If there's room for two plants, planted in the same hole, with one stalk each, then why not a single plant with 2, 3, or 4 stems? I should add that I was raised to prune to the main stem, but realized how severely that limited yield. Then again, I suppose there might be an advantage to 2 separate plants if the season is particularly short. The second plant would bear a week or two before the oldest sucker on a single plant would. You don't give a location or a USDA zone, so I can't tell if that might be the reason. === A few years back, due to family illness, I didn't start my own seeds. The plants I bought were from Bonnie, and many had suckers coming up through the planting mix (which didn't bother me -- and they were pretty determined suckers!). The Black Krim turned out to be two plants of different varieties. When I realized that, I gave them more water than the other tomatoes, but for whatever reason, toward the end of the summer, the BK died. I don't know how typical that is when two plants are started together and barely pruned. [The tomato that survived -- a dark pink egg that didn't match anything Bonnie was selling that year -- was one of the few highlights of a difficult year.]
...See More
reyna1
13 years ago
I've had good success re-potting even in high heat, by removing entire soil/root and putting whole thing in a larger pot - then surrounding it w/ soil and then give it a good drenching (make sure great drainage).

I don't mess w/ the roots when potting up.
Mad Ferret
13 years ago
I repot when they need it too as long as you don't disturb too much root it's fine (and usually even if you do).

As mentioned keep in a cool moderately dry place but only if they actually look stress, otherwise I wouldn't bother.
heirloomchefmark
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks guys. We've got another stretch of cloudy rainy days so I got the stuff to make a couple more wheelbarrow loads of bark mix and will probably pot them up tomorrow evening.
smokemaster_2007
13 years ago
I just mixed up 2 bales of Peat,Bark and perlite today and poted up several plants.
Only 150 or so to go...

But I grow year round.

Related Stories

FALL AND THANKSGIVING It's Not Too Late to Decorate: Minimalist Fall Decor

By Alison Hodgson

No need to go all-out with autumn decorations. Nod to the season with just a few well-placed pumpkins and flowers

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Larix Laricina Glows Gold in Late Autumn

By Pollination Press LLC

Plant tamarack for a beautiful late-fall golden display

GARDENING GUIDES 12 Edibles Perfect to Plant in Late Summer

By Marianne Lipanovich

Keep those homegrown vegetables and greens coming well into fall

BEDROOMS Room of the Day: A Cocoon for Late-Night Crashing

By Mary Jo Bowling

Moodily masculine and warmly enveloping, this loft bedroom welcomes the owner after his long hours in the music studio

FLOWERS Best Cutting-Garden Beauties for Late Summer

By Paintbox Garden

Pick blooms bursting with color or in classic white for bouquets to give away or keep all to yourself

12 Fun Late-Winter Projects

By Erin Lang Norris

Pick a simple DIY idea to help get you through to spring

FLOWERS AND PLANTS Rudbeckia Laciniata Enlivens Late-Season Shady and Sunny Sites

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Give long-blooming, towering cutleaf coneflower room to spread in U.S. gardens for maximum rewards

LIFE Late Again? Eliminate the Things Holding You Up in the Morning

By Emily Hutchinson

If you find yourself constantly running late for appointments, work and get-togethers, these tips could help

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: Host a Late-Summer Soiree

Have a beachy but elegant summer fling with serveware, glasses and accessories that nod to nautical

KITCHEN DESIGN House Planning: How to Set Up Your Kitchen

By KitchenLab Interiors

Where to Put All Those Pots, Plates, Silverware, Utensils, Casseroles...

Sponsored