bigger roots bigger fruits/crowding plants question

austin87

austin87

So earlier today I got some really good info about picking the best plant here: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/59571-any-tips-tricks-or-hints-for-picking-the-best-seedlings/
 
My original plan was to choose the single strongest plant of each variety to be repotted in a 5 gal pot/root pouch. I have been strongly encouraged to keep the strongest 2 per variety and think it makes a ton of sense.
 
I don't think 5 gal is big enough for 2 very strong and healthy plants. I can't double the number of pots due to limited space, but I can go with bigger pots and put 2 plants of the same variety in each one. The next sizes up are 7 gal, 10 gal, and 15 gal pots/root pouches.
 
How big do I need to go to keep the plants from cannibalizing each other for root space and nutrients? Are there other concerns involved with planting 2 plants close together that I should also consider?
 
I am so appreciative of the feedback I have received to direct questions and I am amazed how much I have learned just from poking around, reading topics, glogs, and doing searches.
 
+1

Go bigger, but keep one per pot for best results. I got a 7ft ghost from a five gal bucket.


10913586_10203347700001816_166266751_n_zpsb07077ec.jpg
 
Bigger is better when it comes to potting your plants but you say you have limited space so have to make concessions somewhere.
I keep most of my potted plants in 3 gallon pots and bags. I get loads of Red Brainstrains, Fatalii's, and Chocolate Habs this way and it's less foliage to deal with when the bugs come to town. Every now and then I find one that's aching to go bigger and so I'll pot up to 7 or 15 gallon and in a special case like with my first Bhut Jolokia, I'll find a spot to put in the ground.
You can put 2 in a 10 or 15 gallon pot but you want to separate them a bit and keep pruning back most of the branches that grow towards the middle. Don't worry if some intermingle because a healthy plant will get very thick with branches anyways.
I have a Brazilian starfish and a Bishops Hat growing together in a 25 gallon pot and they are both easily 6 or 7 feet taller than the soil (almost 9 feet tall if I count the pot height).
 
Hmm... I'll have to think on this one. I guess I also feel bad culling plants I nurtured from seed. I'll have to find some foster parents.
 
You can grow plants in a very small area, but yield will suffer accordingly. I've seen pepper producing plants grow from literally a soda can.
 
Choose the highest producing plants for the smallest containers or spaces if you want to optimize things. 
 
(Sun) area is your primary limitation. Putting two plants in a 10 gallon container you can't space them out from each other as much as two plants each in a separate 5 gallon container, so two in their own 5 gallon is better.


5 gallons per plant would be about right for someone in a shorter than average growing season, while you have a longer than average growing season. For this reason I recommend at least 7 gallon and better 10 gallon pots per plant except for small varieties which should attain most of the size they otherwise would in 5 gallon pots. The only way to gauge this in your particular environment is do a grow and plan the next season based on those results. If your plants don't get much larger after ~3 good months outside, they're probably pot bound. If your plants never got pot bound, grow great and with your long growing season, you could benefit from about 1 gallon of soil per square foot of floor (patio, or whatever) space, with each individual plant spaced as far away from the rest in that space as reasonably possible. That 1:1 ratio may seem high to some people but keep in mind that a cubic foot is over 7 gallons of soil.


The shorter answer to "how big do I need to go" in your case is "as big as you can". If in the available space you prefer to have a greater variety of different types of pepper but fewer per plant, then it could make as much sense to use a greater # of smaller pots. Either way you will be spacing things out so they spread over the most area you can give them to catch more sun, until the day comes that it gets too hot and they get too much sun, then you will want to think about evening shade or moving them closer together.


Root space and nutrients aren't much of an issue. Well they are, in that a plant will not get much larger once root bound but not so much in how long it takes to get them to that size. You can always add fertilizer to make up for that, but how often you need to water can be a burden, and their growing close enough that they compete for height putting more energy into stems, less into pods is the ultimate problem, unless your area often has damaging winds then two or more plants with intertwined branches can be a LOT more wind resistant than a single plant. You can stake and tie plants to help prevent wind damage instead if you prefer.

ultimately, you can't have too much soil per plant. The rest is about your budget, how easily you need to be able to move a heavy pot around, or the aesthetics of what looks nice to you if you have to be looking at it in an area near the house for most if not all year long.

A large # of large, identical looking containers can get expensive. Many people eventually invest in them, once their skill at growing increases so their plants get more gains out of larger pots. Some people start out getting 30 pods per plant per season and wouldn't have any gains going beyond 3 to 5 gallon pots yet.
 
For the best harvest per plant --- biggest container per single plant.
For the best harvest per available space /container----two or three plants per 5 gal container.
 
tctenten said:
Here is a visual. This picture was taken mid-july, so still plenty of time in my growing season.





image.jpeg
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Those plants look great! I'm going with root pouches this year, aside from the plants I'm planting in the ground.

I usually use the biggest pots for the chiles I need to grow to freeze and eat year round, like Aji Amarillo, Rocoto, and Aji Limo. Bigger pots definitely give larger yields, based on my experience.

I use smaller 3-5 gallon pots for the novelty peppers I grow for fun, like superhots.

I only plant one per pot, so I can't give an answer on the crowding question.
 
I just want to throw this out here:
 
I have, in the past, had two equally sized plants in the three inch pots I go to from the coir plugs I use for seed starting. I have successfully managed to separate the two plants with a large, very sharp, chefs knife by carefully slicing the rootball, dividing it equally between the plants. These 'twins' were completely rootbound in the three inch pots,which, I believe is the key factor, since more root structure generally equals better plants.
 
Just something to consider, I am not advising you to attempt this, as it may not give the intended results.
 
austin87 said:
Hmm... I'll have to think on this one. I guess I also feel bad culling plants I nurtured from seed. I'll have to find some foster parents.
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Even though it's difficult, one per pot is the way to go.  If they're nice and healthly put them on Craig's List for $4.00-5.00 each. If no takers, Offer em up for free. You'll find them a home.
 
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