Fertilizer + ideal shape and colour for peppers in containers
Hello Gardenweb,
First, I'd like to thanks everyone here for providing a large percentage of the information I've used to embark on the journey of gardening. This is my first time ever trying to grow anything, so I'm sure there is a ton yet to be learned, but I'm definitely more educated than I was 3 months ago. All of that said, I do have a couple of questions regarding my pepper plants that are currenty containerized. It's likely many of them will remain in containers, as I am interested in trying to overwinter them, although some will be planted in the ground here in a few weeks.
Either way, my questions specifically address fertilizer requirements. I'll give some specifics about the situation first.
- The peppers retain their nursery soil, which appear to be peat based, but also shows perlite and some type of bark (looks like pine, but I can't be sure). They have all been potted up since their purchase, and when I potted them up I used a 40/30/30 mix of peat, sifted pine bark, and perlite.
- They are under an 8 bulb, 4 foot t5ho fixture, on for 16 hours each day, with a south facing window, and fan on one side, and something called Pandafilm on the other 3 sides (it's reflective film I grabbed from the local hydro shop to keep the light from leaking out.
- The two dark green bell pepper plants have been fertilized with primarily 3-2-2 fish emulsion. All of the other pepper plants have not received any fertilizer (other than compost tea, made in an aerated 5 gallon bucket with compost from a pile the previous home owner had created) since they were purchased from the nursery. I'll explain why here in a second.
Since I mentioned the fish emulsion in the last bit, I'll start there. I had 6 bell pepper plants, 6 Serrano and 6 jalapeno that I started from seed a while ago. They were all doing good and received highly diluted fish emulsion every third wattering once they had 3 sets of true leaves. Then I ran out of fish emulsion, and went to pick up more, but the hyrdo shop was out of stock, and the local nursery didn't carry it. Instead, it was suggested that I use something called "Age Old Grow," an organic fetilizer which had the ratios 6-1-1. I figured the higher nitrogen number may help with the vegetative growth the plants were experiencing, but in fact, when used at the same dilution as the fish emulsion, it nearly killed them all, and set them back far enough that I made more sense to buy nursery plants than to try and restore their health.
Well, now I have those replacement plants, and I am pretty paranoid about using any fertilizer at all on them. It looks like they may need it, but I don't think I know enough about reading the plants that I want to make that call alone. Instead, I'll post up these pictues, and hope some of you all could confirm or deny the need for fertilizer. A buddy who does hydroponics gave me an organic bottle of nutrients called "earth juice grow" with the suggestion that it would not only be easier to avoid burning the plants, but also help them along quite well. The specifics are 2-1-1, and it is composed of Oat bran, sea kelp, bat guano, steamed bone meal, natural potash, blood meal and feather meal. If I use this fertilizer as directed on the bottle, without knowledge of what fertilizer is in the growing medium from the nursery, should I be in good shape, or should I consider something else? Is now an appropriate time to use the fertilizer.
One final question is shown in the pictures. On picture portrays the, older, dark green bell pepper plants that I have raised from seed, and the other shows the lighter green, newer, nursery plants. Which picture is closes to a peppers ideal colour and shape? I ask since I'd like to know what to strive for regarding visible indications of health on my pepper plants.
If you've read this far, thank you! I know I wrote a bit of a novel, but I figured I should give all of the pertinent information, so that if anyone stops by to help, they can make an informed answer.
Comments (7)
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoFor me it's Osmocote and Foliage Pro, too.
With the seedlings, the Osmocote is in the mix, and I apply the Foliage Pro at 1/2 strength. The plants have been beaten up by a recent hard rain and pests, so I'm thinking of increasing the Foliage Pro.
This old Hungarian Wax, on the other hand, is fertilized at double strength once a week when I fertilize my Citrus.
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Comments (16)I consider Josh one of the experts on this and many other container growing issues. What he does is probably the ideal. But I have more than 120 containers, about one-third of them 20-25 gallons. Those big containers require 7-10 gallons of water every other day. It takes me 90 minutes a day to water them with a hose. If I followed Josh's example I'd have no time left for work or family. So the truth is I start out fertilizing at half strength a couple times a week but end up only fertilizing once a week as the season gets hotter and drier. In between I use a hose. I supplement with Tomatotone on most of my veggies, so I think they're getting a healthy dose of feeding....See MoreDo organic fertilizers work in containers?
Comments (19)Hi, Soeur. Microbial activity is dependent upon the presence of organic matter in soils. Most garden soils, before improvement will contain less than 5% organic matter. The addition of more organic matter supports a larger micro-herd, which in turn, breaks down organic particulates faster making the nutrients available (as long as pH is favorable). The soils that most container gardeners use are usually 100% organic. The microbes are already there. If, by some chance a decision is made to sterilize container soils, the moment you plant anything other than seeds in the soil, it is inoculated with the microbes. As long as there is a N source, they will continue to multiply, but they are not necessary for plants to be able to absorb nutrients. As long as soil pH is within a suitable range, fertilizers, organic or inorganic, can supply all the nutrients necessary for healthy plants whether microbial activity is present or not. I'm not promoting the idea that microbial activity isn't desirable, only that it is a minor factor in container culture & merits minor consideration because microbial activity is always ongoing in containers with organic media. Add N, keep moist & suitably warm = expanding microbial activity. I think the farmer's problem you attributed to the use of chemical fertilizers is more complicated than you make it seem, but that's a discussion for another day. I also don't think there is an "inherent' problem with inorganic fertilizer's use - especially in container culture; perhaps over-use? Just standing up for those of us who don't attach a stigma to the use of inorganic products. As I mentioned - plants don't care where their nutrients come from, and I've had equally satisfactory results from using both organic and inorganic fertilizer products. Al...See MoreQuestion re fertilizing container veggies
Comments (15)WOW! How to respond to the erroneous assumptions stated or implied in the previous post? 1) Container gardening requires a totally different mindset from inground growing due to the unique requirements and characteristics of this method. It is not reasonable to apply the same principals, theories and methods of inground gardening to container gardening - they are apples and oranges. 2) The most successful container potting mixes are those without "soil". Garden soil does not provide adequate drainage and aeration for a container environment and hence "soil-less" container mixes prepared with various combinations of peat, coir, bark and drainage enhancers like perlite or turface. Even compost or worm castings - sources of natural nutrients - are ill-advised in quantity for a container soil because of their ability to breakdown rapidly and compact the mix and impede drainage. In container gardening, drainage and aeration are key. 3) Because quality potting soils have a minimal organic matter component and are not really "soil", populations of soil organisms may or may not exist or are not present in sufficient quantities to conduct the same activities as they do in the ground. Therefore, relying on organic fertilizers to supply all the nutrient needs of a container gardening effort is problematic. Organic fertilizers require the soil microbes to convert them into plant accessible forms - if the microbes are not present or not present and active in sufficient populations, this conversion cannot occur and the plants will suffer. 4)Do plants recognize the difference between organically sourced nutrients and those provided by synthetic fertilizers? Nope! By the time the plants are able to access the nutrients, they are in the form of soluble salts, whether they were provided that way directly in the form of water soluble synthetics or they were organics converted to that form by soil organisms. If there are no soil organisms (or they are present in a highly reduced quantity and diversity) as is most common with a container mix, it stands to reason that the efficiency of an organic fertilizer is in question, whereas the efficiency of a synthetic fertilizer is not. 5)Do plants grow well in a soil-less container mix? You bet! Consider the potting medium as primarily an anchorage to support the plant roots - water and necessary nutrients are applied manually, in much the same manner as hydroponic gardening. How and what you apply in the form of necessary nutrients will determine how well the plants grow, not the 'soil' itself, unless it is a soil that breaks down rapidly and interfers with proper drainage and aeration. If you read through various threads on this forum, you'll find various discussions regarding the issues involved in organic container gardening. It is not as simple as it sounds and many who garden extensively in containers have found that adhering 100% to organic principles offers less than optimum results, particularly when it comes to nutrient supplementation. Delivering nutrients in adequate concentrations for optimal growth - necessary because of the frequency of watering of containers and the nutrient leaching that occurs as a result - is most efficiently and effectively accomplished via soluble synthetics. The bottom line: Can you grow a great crop of whatever in a soil-less container mix using only a Miracle Gro-type water soluble synthetic fertilizer? Of course you can! Is it 100% organic? No, but the results will be consistent and predictable. Sometimes compromises must be made....See MoreHow often should I fertilize hot peppers?
Comments (4)I would suggest 1/4 to 1/2 the recommended strength MG 15-30-15 every 2-4 weeks. Wish that I could give you exact figures, but most or many of us that container grow with artificial fertilizers do it by 'ear' or perhaps 'eyeballing' describes it better. You will learn by experience how to read leaf color etc for how often to fertilize. It is in my opinion much better to err on the side of under-fertilizing. Put in a larger pot to start with. Try to disturb the root system as little as possible. I would go to a one gallon container or at least half that....See More
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Jay Part Shade (Zone 10B, S21, Los Angeles)