Best Fertilizer??

whoose · April 14, 2015

So what do I use for my pepper plants?? I will in Bozeman Montana and have about 120 day season.

whoose · April 21, 2015

Really no one use fertilizer on their peppers!

Worth1 · April 21, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by whoose

Really no one use fertilizer on their peppers!

Sorry I have been here every day and this is the first time I have seen your question.

What I use is Plant Tone and a fertilizer called LadyBug.
They are blooming like crazy but they seem to keep falling off.
The weather here is swinging too much from hot to cool right now.

Worth

greyghost · April 21, 2015

The last couple of years, I've been using Texas Tomato Food as well as their
Vegetable formula (theurbanfarm.com). I also like Fox Farms Grow Big-
I get it from Amazon; TTFood is also sold on Amazon. If I didn't use these,
I'd use Tomato Tone or Plant Tone, Espoma products found in hardware stores,
garden centers. My Dad used to use 10-10-10 and his own compost many years ago.

greyghost · April 22, 2015

Also, you can never go wrong with Neptune's Harvest fish and kelp or
similar products. And many people get very good results with Miracle
Grow (for tomatoes). A lot depends on what you can find. Probably
the most popular products are the Espona "Tones". Happy Frog for
tomatoes is another good fert for peppers. If you have access to compost
or can make your own, that'd be great to use. I'll often use a dry mix
(such as the "tone") in the planting hole and use a liquid when watering
depending on how plants look (such as Texas Tomato Food or Fox Farms Grow Big).

kath · April 22, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by whoose

Really no one use fertilizer on their peppers!

Didn't respond sooner because I just use whatever I'm using on tomatoes in any given year and haven't found any favorite or magic pepper fertilizer yet. I've used Espoma products, Neptune's Harvest and other companies' fish and fish/seaweed combos, Steve Soloman's COF mix, Texas Tomato Food/Vegetable Food, manure/compost tea, Spray N' Grow, Bill's Perfect Fertilizer, Thrive, Fertrell's Organic Lawn & Garden and others. Can't say that I've noticed a difference.

kath

Blueaussi · April 22, 2015

The only thing I advise is to watch your nitrogen. Too much nitrogen, and you'll get lovely, healthy plants will fewer peppers. I like Tomato Tone, but there are a lot of other good fertilizers out there.

drew51 · April 22, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueaussi

The only thing I advise is to watch your nitrogen. Too much nitrogen, and you'll get lovely, healthy plants will fewer peppers. I like Tomato Tone, but there are a lot of other good fertilizers out there.

Yes, best use a low nitrogen fertilizer. if doesn't matter much what it is. When young you can use anything but once planted out I use low nitrogen. I use calcium nitrate or foliage pro until planted out at 1/3 strength or so.

tnkrer · April 22, 2015

I use both granular fertilizer (tomato tone) and liquid fertilizer.
Tomato tone goes in the containers at plant out. For a month, I do not provide any additional fertilizer. Then I start adding liquid fertilizer in the reservoir every other week.

I have been very happy with foliage pro. Based on the reviews here, I bough Texas Tomato Food last year and used that on one plant and Foliage pro on another. Foliage pro worked better for me.
This year I plan to add kelp liquid extract to the water reservoir throughout the growing season.

I was having some problems with fruit set, so I added epsom salts (at that point only foliar spray). This year I plan to add it to the soil

Caspian Pink · April 23, 2015

I use only compost during planting and apply fish emulsion once in a while.

AZGardener · April 25, 2015

Since I planted my plants in early Feb, I have used Epsom salts every couple weeks and Fish Emulsion in between. I have the most beautiful, healthy, and producing pepper plants that I have seen in a long while. Heat is key though and I don't know how much you have this time of the year?

b54red · April 28, 2015

I have had good luck with Urban Farms- Texas Tomato Food, Vegetable Food, and Apples and Oranges as well as Miracle Grow fertilizers.

Bill

Redbaron · April 28, 2015

I started testing Unkle Dunkles foliar for peppers last year. I took him up on his free offer. I like it because it uses all organic ingredients and works extremely well in small doses. The total number of peppers was similar, but the quality of those peppers was much better. Thicker walls and larger size. I saved a couple PKS for this year to see if it also improves seedlings. It does.

UFXEFU · April 28, 2015

I use 8-8-8 on my peppers and tomatoes. At plant out 2# 8-8-8 per 36 ft. row. Sidedress with 2# 8-8-8 after first fruit set, then about every 2 or 3 weeks. That's what I like to do, but this year with all the rain I am a little off.

CelticFarmer · August 23, 2015

Dyna-gro foliage pro along with a calmag+ every watering has worked very well for my potted peppers. 1 ml per gallon for every water with 1ml per gallon of calmag+. FP is super concentrated so a little goes a long ways.

Every week I also use protekt to build a strong plant. The calmag is important to the pepper plants, so don't skimp on this. You could also use the bloom when they start flowering mixed with the FP... You don't want to stop nitrogen uptake just as the plants start flowering. This difference here is you are delivering nitrate nitrogen... Not that urea nitrogen that burns plants.You want all of that growth energy to continue 2-3 weeks into flowering, Then you can begin using the bloom and cutoff the Fp entirely. I usually skip the bloom since I water in maintenance mode with a small nute mix and it still allows the plants to flower just fine.

This is what works for me, but I suspect it chould work just as good for you.

April 14, 2015	#1
whoose Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Bozeman, Montana Zone 6b Posts: 333	Best Fertilizer?? So what do I use for my pepper plants?? I will in Bozeman Montana and have about 120 day season.

April 21, 2015	#2
whoose Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Bozeman, Montana Zone 6b Posts: 333	Really Really no one use fertilizer on their peppers!

April 22, 2015	#9
tnkrer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: MA 6a/b Posts: 352	I use both granular fertilizer (tomato tone) and liquid fertilizer. Tomato tone goes in the containers at plant out. For a month, I do not provide any additional fertilizer. Then I start adding liquid fertilizer in the reservoir every other week. I have been very happy with foliage pro. Based on the reviews here, I bough Texas Tomato Food last year and used that on one plant and Foliage pro on another. Foliage pro worked better for me. This year I plan to add kelp liquid extract to the water reservoir throughout the growing season. I was having some problems with fruit set, so I added epsom salts (at that point only foliar spray). This year I plan to add it to the soil Last edited by tnkrer; April 22, 2015 at 05:07 PM.

April 25, 2015	#11
AZGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Zone 9b Phoenix,AZ Posts: 390	Since I planted my plants in early Feb, I have used Epsom salts every couple weeks and Fish Emulsion in between. I have the most beautiful, healthy, and producing pepper plants that I have seen in a long while. Heat is key though and I don't know how much you have this time of the year? __________________ Kelly from Phx, AZ Toes and Tomatoes on FB

April 28, 2015	#13
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	I started testing Unkle Dunkles foliar for peppers last year. I took him up on his free offer. I like it because it uses all organic ingredients and works extremely well in small doses. The total number of peppers was similar, but the quality of those peppers was much better. Thicker walls and larger size. I saved a couple PKS for this year to see if it also improves seedlings. It does. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

April 21, 2015	#4
greyghost Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: southeastern PA Posts: 760	The last couple of years, I've been using Texas Tomato Food as well as their Vegetable formula (theurbanfarm.com). I also like Fox Farms Grow Big- I get it from Amazon; TTFood is also sold on Amazon. If I didn't use these, I'd use Tomato Tone or Plant Tone, Espoma products found in hardware stores, garden centers. My Dad used to use 10-10-10 and his own compost many years ago.

April 22, 2015	#7
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	The only thing I advise is to watch your nitrogen. Too much nitrogen, and you'll get lovely, healthy plants will fewer peppers. I like Tomato Tone, but there are a lot of other good fertilizers out there.

April 23, 2015	#10
Caspian Pink Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: US Posts: 18	I use only compost during planting and apply fish emulsion once in a while.

April 28, 2015	#12
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I have had good luck with Urban Farms- Texas Tomato Food, Vegetable Food, and Apples and Oranges as well as Miracle Grow fertilizers. Bill

April 28, 2015	#14
UFXEFU Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Gloster, Lousiana 71030 Zone 8a Posts: 253	I use 8-8-8 on my peppers and tomatoes. At plant out 2# 8-8-8 per 36 ft. row. Sidedress with 2# 8-8-8 after first fruit set, then about every 2 or 3 weeks. That's what I like to do, but this year with all the rain I am a little off.

August 23, 2015	#15
CelticFarmer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Corona Ca Posts: 6	Dyna-gro foliage pro along with a calmag+ every watering has worked very well for my potted peppers. 1 ml per gallon for every water with 1ml per gallon of calmag+. FP is super concentrated so a little goes a long ways. Every week I also use protekt to build a strong plant. The calmag is important to the pepper plants, so don't skimp on this. You could also use the bloom when they start flowering mixed with the FP... You don't want to stop nitrogen uptake just as the plants start flowering. This difference here is you are delivering nitrate nitrogen... Not that urea nitrogen that burns plants.You want all of that growth energy to continue 2-3 weeks into flowering, Then you can begin using the bloom and cutoff the Fp entirely. I usually skip the bloom since I water in maintenance mode with a small nute mix and it still allows the plants to flower just fine. This is what works for me, but I suspect it chould work just as good for you.