Hey everyone, what’s up? So I was looking at my Carolina reaper plant and noticed that there were roots poking out of the top of the soil. I was puzzled when I saw this, but noticed for about a week now that the top of the soil in this particular pot stays really damp. I water my plants every 2-3 days and stop when I see water come out the bottom of the pot. So I don’t think I’m over watering them, this is the only pot which this happens. So I thought maybe that the roots were seeking out water from the top soil too. Is this normal/healthy for this to happen or is it a sign of the plant becoming root bound? I took some pictures of the plant, posted down below…Surely the plant isn’t too big for a one gallon pot huh? Anyway, any insight would be greatly appreciated. Y’all have a good day!
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health Question about roots
- Thread starter Perky91
- Start date
HellfireFarm
Business Member
if they were seeking water I would expect them to go down, not up into the air! No idea why they would grow upward - can't say I've run into that.
Tuck them back under the soil and see what happens.
Tuck them back under the soil and see what happens.
It sounds like you might not be getting adequate drainage with whatever soil you are using in that pot. Or maybe there are not enough drainage holes in the pot itself? Are you using the same soil in that pot as in all of the others? Perlite helps with aeration and drainage. I don't see any perlite at all in the soil in your picture.
Regarding the roots on the surface, well if the surface is staying wet I guess that could explain why the roots are going there. I have grown peppers to maturity and fruit in Solo cups (and even a couple of varieties in shot glasses), and I don't typically see roots breaking through the surface like that until after the root ball has completely filled the entire container. But I don't think that would be the case here, just judging by the size of the plant relative to the container right now (although potting up will give you a larger mature plant. Conventional wisdom says about 5 gallons is good if you want a big mature plant). I agree with HellfireFarm on that; I would just cover them back up and not worry too much about the roots on the surface. I would be more concerned about ensuring that the roots have adequate drainage, since if the soil is too dense and/or is retaining too much water it could lead to an issue with root rot down the road.
CaneDog
Extreme Member
Hey Perky!
Did the roots break the surface after you bought the plant or before? If before, my guess would be it was either a poor transplant job or the plant got knocked over and was put into the dirt back haphazardly. Looking at the stems suggests it was potted too deep - if that's not 2 plants it's sunk underneath where it's branching and if it is 2 I can see nodes immediately above the surface - but then again, roots are exposed. I'd guess the latter - that it maybe it was upended and stuffed back into the soil - but that's totally a guess. Myself, I might take a peak at what's going on there.
If they grew that way under your maintenance without any uprooting event, I don't remember ever seeing that before. But as BF suggests, I'd be considering whether the soil is drying out enough. Watering every 2-3 days until water runs could absolutely be overwatering, though that depends on a number of variables. I sure wouldn't expect them to need that much given the size of the plants versus the size and depth of the pots, unless perhaps the weather were very, very hot and dry. Like you're hearing above, I don't think the roots are an issue, but proper soil moisture levels are certainly worth your attention as that can lead to issues over time.
Good luck with your peppers!
Did the roots break the surface after you bought the plant or before? If before, my guess would be it was either a poor transplant job or the plant got knocked over and was put into the dirt back haphazardly. Looking at the stems suggests it was potted too deep - if that's not 2 plants it's sunk underneath where it's branching and if it is 2 I can see nodes immediately above the surface - but then again, roots are exposed. I'd guess the latter - that it maybe it was upended and stuffed back into the soil - but that's totally a guess. Myself, I might take a peak at what's going on there.
If they grew that way under your maintenance without any uprooting event, I don't remember ever seeing that before. But as BF suggests, I'd be considering whether the soil is drying out enough. Watering every 2-3 days until water runs could absolutely be overwatering, though that depends on a number of variables. I sure wouldn't expect them to need that much given the size of the plants versus the size and depth of the pots, unless perhaps the weather were very, very hot and dry. Like you're hearing above, I don't think the roots are an issue, but proper soil moisture levels are certainly worth your attention as that can lead to issues over time.
Good luck with your peppers!
Yea, so I’m using the same type of pots for all of my super hot pepper plants and the Carolina reaper (my biggest plant) is the only one having this problem. So it’s definitely got to be a drainage issue in that particular pot. Thanks for the insight!
Definitely after I bought it is when this happened. I noticed the top of the soil wasn’t dry when I watered this plant for about a week now. Yet my other 2 plants, which are in the same type of pots/dirt, will dry out on the top great and aren’t having this issue. Which is why I don’t believe I’m over watering them plus it’s 80 degrees where I’m at everyday. I’m thinking it’s a drainage issue in that particular pot, because this isn’t happening to my other 2 plants. And I was very careful when I transferred them into their bigger pots. Thank you for your help.
Hi Perk.
Just a noob of noobs here so take my stuff with a grain of salt..
Is it possible that its a root structure from another plant? I see that random leaf in the lower right..
Not clear on if you bought them in these pots or if you planted them yourself and know the soil in the pot.
If roots are growing up, Id think there is nothing for them to feed on growing down, maybe even repelled and they are searching up. If you didnt pot them yourself Id say maybe looking at re potting them. If you did, its possible they are rejecting the soil.
Last and future, those are not good pots for peppers past 8in.. They have limited drain into basically a 1/4 - ish or less cup reservoir. The bottom plate is very small for the the flow of water you need and its a water trap. Plus all of the fertilizer would also remain trapped, maybe burning the roots instead of flowing out. Id suggest going to a 3gal. tall or wide, with a more open bottom and water tray to see when the water starts coming out of the pot. The 3gal. size should be good for the life of your plant. Myself, Im going to use 5gal.
I have three plants growing in the same pots but they are peace lilys. Totally different animal. With peppers you are going to need more water flowing through.
Just a noob of noobs here so take my stuff with a grain of salt..
Is it possible that its a root structure from another plant? I see that random leaf in the lower right..
Not clear on if you bought them in these pots or if you planted them yourself and know the soil in the pot.
If roots are growing up, Id think there is nothing for them to feed on growing down, maybe even repelled and they are searching up. If you didnt pot them yourself Id say maybe looking at re potting them. If you did, its possible they are rejecting the soil.
Last and future, those are not good pots for peppers past 8in.. They have limited drain into basically a 1/4 - ish or less cup reservoir. The bottom plate is very small for the the flow of water you need and its a water trap. Plus all of the fertilizer would also remain trapped, maybe burning the roots instead of flowing out. Id suggest going to a 3gal. tall or wide, with a more open bottom and water tray to see when the water starts coming out of the pot. The 3gal. size should be good for the life of your plant. Myself, Im going to use 5gal.
I have three plants growing in the same pots but they are peace lilys. Totally different animal. With peppers you are going to need more water flowing through.
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Noob here too bro, lol. Yea, so I think that rando leaf is just a little baby leaf that fell off somehow. I did buy it and transplant it, so Im pretty confident there’s no other plant in that pot. I did cover the roots up and the soil is drying slowly but surely, which again, is making me think these pots aren’t getting good drainage. The soil was brand new out the bag and I haven’t used any chemical fertilizers in it yet, thankfully. But like you said, I think the move is just to get better pots. Definitely going with a 5 gal as well.
I recently watched a video about growing peppers in a 5gal. The initial planting went int 4gal of soil, topped by mulch. A few months later, the guy removed the mulch and added a gal. of fresh soil then added mulch again. While Ill fertilize when needed, I liked the fact of adding that fresh soil at the top. I believe Ill follow that plan when the time comes. Thought Id throw it out there for you!
This is my Mama Reaper. She's only a few years old now but showing roots. I just noticed this today. I know what happened. I repotted the overwinter plants probably a few months ago by now. My soil mix settled with rain and watering. I did add more mix to cover up her roots today so please don't think I'm totally bad dad.
