Potting Up Pepper Plants
 

When potting up tomatoes, the standard practice is to pot them deeper than they were before.

What about peppers? Do you deepen them up?

I've read that it is a bad idea to plant fruit trees any deeper, as it can cause disease. (peach trees)

No, they should planted at the same level.

when transplanting my peppers, i always plant them deeper than they were before. doesn't seem to bother them. this year, i treated them like craig demonstrated with the tomato seedlings by laying them on the surface of the transplant mix and jamming them down and giving them a shake before watering. they are all doing well.

one year in an extreme case, i had planted pepper seeds, and had to leave town for a few days. i didn't think the seeds would sprout before i returned. i came home to seedlings that were about 3 inches tall from stretching toward the light when they should have been maybe an inch. i transplanted them deep, and they all survived and grew ok. i planted more seeds to hedge my bets, but there was no need to.



keith

I, too, always transplant deeper. Nothing different between peppers and tomatoes. I treat tomatillos the same. Last year, I transplanted a bunch of regular and pickling cucumbers, two different kinds of beans, and some zucinnis, and transplanted all of them deeper.

Ted

Peppers don't root from the stems as easily as tomatoes do, but there is nothing wrong with planting them deep. I always do.

The reason for not planting things like fruit trees or roses deeper is mainly because they are GRAFTED to a hardier rootstock. If you plant too drrp they could root from the tree stock and not be hardy. The other extreme is also true with trees -- don't plant too shallow. If the top dies, the rootstock could sprout and chances are it wouldn't be something you would WANT to grow.

Carol

I have always planted my peppers as deep as I can when I pot them up and again when I put them out in the garden. You can't trench plant them as they obviously don't bend the way tomatoes do but you can just dig the hole deeper. Roots will grow from the stem that is buried, not as quickly as tomatoes, but they are also wider stronger roots. Have you ever seen a really big pepper plant that is way too big for its starter pack? You will see very thick white roots forming higher up on the stem and reaching down toward the soil trying to find more food/soil/water because what is has is no longer enough.

Pepper plants grow roots along the sides of the stems too.

By all means bury them deeper. But when the stalk gets woody, takes a
Lot longer for it to root on the sides of the stems.

USF researched this and when peppers are planted deeper the first fruit flush will be more productive than the ones planted at the soil level. After that first flush there did not seem to be any difference though.

Are all pepper species the same in their ability to make adventitious roots along the stem? Can you post a link to the study.

If they are leggy you can plant them slightly deeper, but you cannot bury them like mators.

Can not seem to find the link to the full study but this one does mention the same study

[url]http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?booknrarnr=412_32[/url]

Also here is another link though will post the section here to save people time trying to find it.

Depth of transplanting has normally been to the top of the roots or root ball. Research from Florida with the variety Jupiter suggests that pepper transplants may benefit from being set deeper, up to the first true leaf. Thirty days after transplanting, plants planted to the first true leaf had more leaves, greater plant dry weight, more blooms and less lodging than transplants planted to the cotyledons or to the top of the root ball. Other data from Pennsylvania suggest caution however. Soil temperature and moisture would be important considerations.

[url]http://groups.hort.oregonstate.edu/content/peppers-0[/url]

Somewhat off-topic, but I also make a point of picking off the first blossoms of my peppers, especially any blossoms that set at the ★★★★★★★★s of main branches. If I let my pepper plants grow fruit there, they seem to think they've done their job and don't need to grow any others.

And to add spice to the discussion...(no pun intended,....yeah, right!)

I bury my peppers and eggplant deeply, just like tomatoes. They do wonderfully.

I do NOT pinch any blossoms from peppers or eggplant - with no issues with production at all - in fact, I get the first fruit, then the plants just keep on going.

What does make a difference - I find peppers and eggplant in pots outyield garden (in the soil) grown plants often 5 to 1 or better. They appear to like well baked roots!

All good info, and a good thread. Thanks to all.

I've also had better success with peppers in pots.

I agree with NC and feldon, ’ve also noticed a dramatic increase of pepper plant production when grown in containers. But I don’t think it’s warmer or ‘hot roots’, but more consistent drainage, especially for cayennes.

I grow pepper plants in white pots in half a day sun and basically see all pepper plants out produce those grown in the ground. What’s confusing is when growing seedlings, you can’t seem to overwater pepper plants, but tomato plants will shrivel. I’ve learned a tomato plant that is drooping needs watered, preferably bottom watered, but too much ‘love’ will cause problems, though when pepper plants are drooping you can’t give them too much H2O.

I have to disagree about the watering. I find that pepper seedlings hate having 'wet feet' and will quickly yellow and even drop leaves when overwatered. I usually wait until they wilt slightly before watering.

I get just the reverse with larger and more productive plants in the garden than in containers. I plant all of my peppers in raised beds so they have the advantage of the natural soil and good drainage. I also have found it beneficial to pinch off the first couple of peppers if the plant is still small. I like to let my bells get at least 18 inches tall before I allow them to set fruit. It means waiting a little longer but getting many more and larger fruits. I also set my peppers a little deeper just because they can stand up better in the wind; but I have never really noticed any difference in planting deep or at the original level.