• If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.

Out Door Pots and Furtilizers

Well for my first go - I'm pretty excited. I have 23 sprouting as of this morning and seems like they are popping up like wild fire. I have a handle and understanding of what I am going to do inside with the seedlings and even understand how to harden them off against the sun. I think I even have a mix figured out that I am going to use for my 5 Gallon buckets ... but not 100% sure. I am still confused on when to water, how much per hour to water, and when to use nutes and when to just use water.

What I have planned it roughly 32 x 5 gallon buckets on a 4 zone drip system with a timer. I'm planning on using Botanicare for my nutes and cal-mag. Maybe start experimenting a little after I settle into something. Being new its a learning curve. I would love to find out what everyone's process is for watering and applying Nutes once you've moved them outside (minus your trade secrets of course lol). But a solid understanding is, I think, very important.

Thanks,
Gerry
 
When to water- when the pot becomes so light it is easy to pick up. Soil should be dry.

How to fertilize- 1/4th strength with every watering, watering with only just water every 3rd watering. It all depends.

Botanicare is a good choice. What soil or grow medium are you going to use. It being your first year you should consider a good potting mix like Fox Farm, or even Miracle gro potting mix cut with peat and perlite. Or if you can pro mix is a good option aswell. Good organic potting mixes have better buffers and rooom for play then even pro mix so you may want to go with organics. Some even add worm castings to promix to add some extra buffer.

Feel free to ask more.
 
After a ton of reading (maybe even to much cause I have to make sure I don't over think this) I ended up with this... all of which I was able to pick up locally. I say locally cause I can't believe how much frieght is on some of the soils out there - DDDAMMMMN!

- Pro Mix BX; roughly 50% of the mix
- Vermiculite; roughly 25% of the mix
- Mushroom Compost; 12.5% of mix
- Kow compost; 12.5% of mix
- Epsoma as recommed

For applying the nutrients - what do you use? I will be using a mix of Liquid Karma and Pro Gro ... Cal-Mag most likely every other feeding ... I have to figure out a rotation ... cause I know every 3rd or 4th watering I want it to be straight water.
 
I would not use over 10% Compost in any potting mix. You need air porosity as it is not like growing in ground with the natural wicking of the earth. I do not recommend vermiculite in a potting mix, it hold too much water, instead use Perlite.

Try this.

-Pro Mix BX 80%

-Mushroomcompost 10%

-Perlite 10%

You will have a good buffer and air porosity. Once the plant uses the nutrients in the compost it is nothing more then fine particals that keep roots wet but is acts as a buffer that could be better then the lime used to balance the peat Thats why I would say try to keep compost to a min.


Yea just always go under 1/2 strength. When You get the fertilizer on the bottle it will give a program so do not worry. Just make sure to do what it says but 1/4th strength. You can increase when new leaves show a little yellow/green color rather then dark green. Your better off under fertilizing then over fertilizing. In fact you will get more harvest if you under feed then over feed and burn plants. The thing is do not underfeed as well. All I can say to help is that there is time I use 1/8th strength do to temp. Plants will need more fertilizer stregth when at full production then when in the cool part of the year. Like I said Do not use over 10% compost and fertilize 1/8-1/4th strength.

Happy growing.
 
I would get with AlabamaJack, a member here who has experience with container growing. He can answer all your questions, he grows 300 or so container peppers a year, and has been growing them for years. No need to use botanicare all the time, kind of expensive, there are cheaper alternatives. Hopefully AJ will stop in and give you some hints.

I have 30 containers going myself, but have been growing peppers only a year, so I am not comfortable giving too much advice.

Good luck, what peppers you growing?
 
Thanks guys... I'll be sure to hit AJ up and get his input. I'm also looking at the differences between Pro Mix BX and Sunshine #4 ... apparently the local providers are looking at Sunshine #4 over the Pro Mix BX due to supply issues.
 
Yup I agree with armac. I use miracle gro fertilizer to get some micro nutrients and make it a little more economical. If you really wanted a basic easy fertilizer program you could use Miracle gro, Gypsum, and epsom salts. You cover both basic Macro/Mirco nutrients. But I use Botanicare for some organics.
 
I mix my own, personal preference. 40% soil conditioner, 30% pine bark nuggets, 10% cow manure, 10% perlite, 10% Miracle Gro potting mix. Cheaper than what you are looking at and performs well for me.
 
Soil conditioner? Please clarify. I am very open to thoughts and suggestions ... and if it saves me money by all means. I'm still learning terms too so...

I also find it funny that I called 5 of the nurseries in my area and none of them understood what I was trying to do with the super hots and kept referring me to other places.
 
Soil conditioner, from the Home Depot is basically pine bark fines mixed with a little sand. Its designated use is to mix in with denser soil to add aeration. Costs 2.47 a bag, that is in deep South Texas, your HD may or may not carry soil conditioner.

I mixed up half 5 gallon buckets, half 7 gallon nursery containers and I also have a drip system. With this mix if I run my 1 gph drippers for more than 5 minutes, the water is dripping out of the bottom of the containers. It moves water well.
 
What I have planned it roughly 32 x 5 gallon buckets on a 4 zone drip system with a timer. I'm planning on using Botanicare for my nutes and cal-mag. Maybe start experimenting a little after I settle into something. Being new its a learning curve. I would love to find out what everyone's process is for watering and applying Nutes once you've moved them outside (minus your trade secrets of course lol). But a solid understanding is, I think, very important.

Thanks,
Gerry


to figure out your feeding regiimen, you first need to figure out what your soil mix is...the more compost you put in your soil, the less fertilize you will need theoretically...

I, in the past have used about 20% cushion sand, 30% compost, and 50% premium potting mix (no nutrients)...as I said above, if you use compost that has available nutrients, you don't need as much fertilize....maybe only once every 3 weeks to a month...because of the number of plants I grow, I can not afford the Botanicare during regular grow season...I use the miracle grow tomato food and feed full strength when needed (3 weeks to a month)...if you notice on the botanicare packaging, they recommend using it every watering...that is for soil that has no nutrients in it...

are you going to use an inline fertilize injector for your drip system? as few plants as you are going to grow, a one gallon injection system will be perfect for you...here is a link...I use the 3 gallon one for my plants...

http://www.irrigationdirect.com/irrigation-products-and-supplies/ez-flo-fertilizer-injection-systems/ez-flo-fertilizer-injection-hose-end-units

another thought about your "fertigation" system...you can run 40 1 gph drippers on a single line so unless there is a reason you say you are going to use a 4 zone timer, with the number of plants you have, save yourself some money and just use a single zone controller...

during the heat of the summer, I water my plants 3 times a day for 6-8 minutes...that equates to between 12 and 16 ounces each watering...I water at 6 am, 12 noon, and 6 pm usually...

synopsis of what I recommend (from my experience)

1. determine your soil composition

2. determine your feeding regimen...

Listen to your plants, they will tell you want they want/need...
 
Thanks again everyone - and thanks AJ ... I scored the 4 zone timer at Lowe's the other day on sale with a coupon I received in the mail for a total of $50 out the door so I couldn't complain. However that EZ Flow system really has me thinking now. Oringally was just going to do 4 zones with 8 plants each but that EZ flow really has me thinking of a change up.

My buddy Craig Ross (he is the one that sparked this passion for me) showed me some of the techinques you shared with him AJ ... so I think I have my soil mix pretty much mapped out based on what he has been using. For my nutes I'm thinking I'll still go with the Botanicare as I already bought it. Next year that will most likely change but then again I am looking at most likely migrating to a grow tent in the garage with Hydroponics. Would have stuck with Hydroponics this year but after building and buying the stuff for my seed germination/seedling station (as I call it) I decided to hold off on expensese. Have to hold off the heat from the wife if you know what I mean.

I am running a GLOG as I hear it is referred to where I am posting my learning experiences and pictures - texashotpeppers.blogspot.com ... I'll be sure to post here too. I will be uploading new pics of the metal shelf growing station this weekend. I'm also doing Time Lapse using my Canon 5D and an intervelometer. I very much welcome all feed back .. I don't want to learn bad habits for this. I really enjoy the Super Hots for consumption.
 
Just to confuse the subject I have been using SIP buckets with Xtreme Gardening feederpacks and am pretty happy thus far. I use 3 feeder packs/bucket and it isn't killing them.
 
cool...hey, why don't you start a GLOG here on the forum...or do you already have one that I missed?

if I didn't grow as many plants as I do, I would have attacked this hobby from another perspective...indoor/outdoor grow hydroponically...however, I have so much money tied up in the system I have developed over the past 5 years, I just can't change horses in the middle of the stream...and the wife freaked out when she saw last months electric bill...over $200 for my lights in the growrage...
 
Sounds close to what I do AJ. I use miracle grow and botanicare. Miracle gro takes care of the micro missing in the botanicare. And the botanicare gives the plants minerals and some secondary macro like Ca Mg. I have used CalMag but I now just use gypsum and epsom salts.

Good luck.


"lights in the growrage..." hahaha :rofl:
 
Lol AJ ...I'll start a mini version of my glog here but my main one serves as a lot of notes and stuff. I'm researching solar and alternative energy that I can tie into the growing lights to avoid the wife freaking on my electric bill. Lol
 
Have a good one. And happy growing. Ok I edited it lol.

Just check out the 5-1-1 by "tapla". But I can not make a better mix then Pro HP
 
Just started a GLOG on the GLOG area - will see if I can keep it up to date lol. FYI I thought I'd share - I'm pretty stoked about the germination growth. Still surprised my Habaneros are not taking off yet ... Planted for Germination on March 5th. As of last night - my verison of skittles - :)

peppers.jpg
 
Back
Top