Newbie - Too late for moving to another, larger pot?

13 years ago

Hi.

First time growing peppers, first time posting here.

I bought a small box in a store about 3 months ago with cayenne, jalapeno, sweet and bell pepper seeds for 2 euro. Didn't expect much to come of it but here I am now with 16 plants taking over the windowsills of my house!

My problem is one I've been ignoring for a while. What I assume to be (forgot to label the plants early on... wont be making that mistake next year) the cayenne and jalapeno plants are growing fine and tall (about 16 inches i estimate from soil to tip) in 7 inch pots and have both flowers and fruit but I have four plants which are not growing as well.

I'm guessing these are the bell and sweet peppers as from what I read these plants should grow a lot taller and require larger pots. They have only grown to about 8 - 10 inches and are amassing lots of leaves and the start of what look like much larger flowers at their top. They also require a lot more water and the leaves begin to look extremely wilted if they arent misted and watered at least twice a day. At the moment they are in pots varying from 7 to 9 inches.

My question is this.

Is it now too late to re pot these plants into larger pots? My main reason for doing so would be to enable them to grow taller but I feel like there's no point now as they are so clustered on top that they would just grow out more and not up.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Comments (10)

tsheets
13 years ago
If they're in their own pots, no problem with potting them up. If several share a pot, you have to decide the lesser of evils.
daithi
Original Author
13 years ago
They're all in their own pots. I'm not worried about any damage done to them. Just wondering if there's a point in doing it. Will they grow upwards after being put in new pots at this late stage or will they just remain at the same height?
Related Discussions
Too late to move a rose in zone 5?
Q
Comments (2)
A bit off the mark of your question, but according to another poster in zone 5 Michigan, most Austin roses are not cane-hardy there, but will be injured down to the ground or winter protection in a normal winter. This means that the plants should be set with the graft swelling below grade, several inches below where it was set in the usual nursery pot. If the graft freezes, you have only a rootstock plant left rather than the variety you purchased. If you planted too shallow, I'd recommend replanting all of them now, since roses from pots (if they were from pots) transplant more easily during the first few months than later. Otherwise you will need to maintain deep winter protection over the crowns for the life of the plants. Forgive me if you already knew about this. If you transplant during summer, temporary shade may be needed to alleviate wilting. Lawn chairs are good.
...See More
Have small Clematis in 4' pots, should I move up to larger pot?
Q
Comments (8)
I agree with Janet and as she well knows I have beating this drum for several years now. The old adage of heads in the sun and feet in the shade is an old wives tale. Moisture is what is required and that typically occurs when the roots are shaded since it slows down the evaporation of the water in the soil and the consistent moisture is the critical element, along with appropriate fertilization. For what it is worth, I have potted up countless numbers of clematis into one gallon sized pots and left them in the sun where they get morning sun thru midafternoon sun and they have been fine. One definite advantage of sinking the pots in the ground is that you won't have to water the pots as much since the soil will act as an insulator to the desication of moisture from the potting mix. Just make sure that the surrounding soil drains well or your pots could hold too much moisture and cause root rot.
...See More
Too late to pot up?
Q
Comments (6)
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.
...See More
Too late to move large cultivars?
Q
Comments (17)
I don't see it being a problem to do it it now. If the soil mass around the roots is going to stay fairly intact, then it should be fine. I have even bare rooted two hosta this week. I am also repotted a few. As for why you would want to bare root, that would be if you want to divide or if you want to emend the soil. If you are happy with the growth of your hosta, then moving it should be all it needs. I agree with you that spring just seems to be such a busy time. Doing what we can now is helpful. The squirrels here are digging like crazy. Crazier than I ever remember. So the hosta I bare rooted and divided have to be pinned down! I have some old plastic mesh which I have placed around each hosta. I also had to do this to the small raised bed that I planted just weeks ago. What a pain! And, of course, I ran out of ground staples and can't find them to purchase---anywhere! What I did have was some galvanized wire, so I cut that up to make the staples. Now I've run out the them! I'll have to look for some hangers!
...See More
CaptTurbo
13 years ago
I think re-potting is in order for the best production. Be sure to wet them down good before you make the change and they will love it.
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
I always set my plants to recuperate in a shady location after re-potting.
If the plants were in full sun previously, they can be re-introduced to full
sun after 1 - 3 days, usually. This has always helped minimize the shock
to larger, leafier, more developed plants. Small plants transplant easily.

Josh
daithi
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the replies. I haven't really gotten an answer to my question though but the advice about repotting has helped. I have decided to go ahead and move one to a larger pot and if this shows serious signs of improvement I'll relocate the rest too. Will try and upload some photos tomorrow to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about.
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
"Is it now too late to re pot these plants into larger pots?"
- This question has been answered uniformly by all.
If that isn't your question, what is?

Josh
oregonwoodsmoke
13 years ago
Yes, it is worthwhile to move the plants to bigger pots.

A larger pot will allow the plant to grow more root system, and then the roots can support a larger plant and the plant will grow.

I don't know how small a pot you can grow peppers in. I grow my peppers in 7 gallon pots and then over-winter them inside. They are perennials and will give you more fruit the second year if you protect the plants from freezing during the winter.

Watering twice a day in a 7 inch pot for an indoor plant seems an awful lot of water to me. Are you feeling the dirt below the surface to see if the soil is actually dry?

Peppers can wilt for other reasons than no water. Like, they will also wilt if they receive too much water.
daithi
Original Author
13 years ago
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.
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
The answer is yes. Re-pot, the peppers will continue to grow upward and outward.
The only way to keep them the same height would be through aggressive, continuous pruning.
Last July, deer got into my garden and ate one of my peppers down to a bare, six-inch stub.
By October, that pepper plant was four-feet tall - and had produced over 140 pods.

I have experience growing peppers in .71, 2, 3, and 5 gallon containers. You *can* grow
a pepper in a small pot....but the plant will be small, and you won't get as large a harvest.
Smaller, ornamental chiles are better for container culture.

I do not think you or the JalapeÃ±o and Cayenne peppers will be happy with a seven-inch pot.

Josh
daithi
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you Josh. That is pretty much the exact answer I was looking for. :)

Looks like some shopping at the gardening center for me on Monday. Will have to sort out a table in the window for them as well. The larger pots won't fit on my windowsills!

Newbie - Too late for moving to another, larger pot?

Comments (10)

tsheets

daithi
Original Author

Related Discussions

CaptTurbo

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a

daithi
Original Author

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a

oregonwoodsmoke

daithi
Original Author

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a

daithi
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Newbie - Too late for moving to another, larger pot?

Comments (10)

tsheets

daithiOriginal Author

Related Discussions

CaptTurbo

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a

daithiOriginal Author

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a

oregonwoodsmoke

daithiOriginal Author

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a

daithiOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

daithi
Original Author

daithi
Original Author

daithi
Original Author

daithi
Original Author