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Does size count?

huntsman

huntsman

I will certainly run out of veg patch (and garden!) before I run out of peppers, toms and the rest, so I am looking at container growing.

To this end, I have purchased some 11" and 15" plastic pots. Will this be ok for most peppers?

Are there any peppers that you would avoid planting in containers at all?

I was planning on lining each pot with river sand for drainage and then watering each more regularly than the plants in the ground...:?::?:

Cheers!
 
I would save the sand for the actual mix and use gravel or ag for the drainage bottom.
If you water too often the soil will turn too acidic at the bottom of the pot if there is not enough drainage. I would strongly suggest looking at the way AlabamaJack goes about growing in pots, he is the bomb!
 
Thanks, Bud!

So you'd actually mix river sand into the potting soil? Ok Ok...I'll check with AlabamaJack...! :-)
 
I just pot up as needed in gradual steps and this seems to give me optimal growth. Wait till roots are aggresively growing out of the bottom of the pot or if the soil stops holding enough water then re-pot into the next size container.
For extra drainage I usually add perlite instead of sand which can make your pots quite heavy(this could be an advantage or disadvantage depending how you grow)
 
Sand will be bad for drainage, will compact. go with nova on the drainage. I Have no yard just a patio, so i am forced to grow in containers(i could build a raised bed). I will have seedlings in pint conatiners for a month then to a gallon, the rule of thumb is allow a gallon of soil for each month that the plant is in. AJ uses 5 gallon buckets and he says that the plants grow out of them into the soil. I'm using some 7gallon bag pots. I mistakenly had my plants in 3 gallon containers thinking it was enough no way. afer the pint containers i will go to1 gallon to three gallon then to 7 gallon. 7 gallon should be plenty of space for the roots i hope. My Tree Hab I have going i want to put in ten gallon or more. I almost want to just skip the three gallon and go from 1 gallon to 7 gallon. One Big thing you don't want is for a plant to become root bound or pot bound, this is when the roots have no where to go, and stunts the growht and can take a month just to resume normal growth. 7-10 gallon should be plenty to grow a bumper plant!
 
Actually I believe sand(mixed in soil) is great for drainage, just too heavy for my use. I think course builder's sand is your best choice
 
my containers are all 5 gallon...from the plantout to the end of season is about 8 months for me...all the plants are definitely rootbound but I have found that the roots will grow out of the bottom of the containers into the soil in my yard...this is good for two reasons...helps secure the containers in the wind and keeps them from tipping over and also the roots grow into the ground get "ground water"...

I use a mix of 30% compost, 20% sand, and 50 percent good grade potting soil...

once you get the plants where you want them do NOT move them or you will disturb the roots that have grown out of the containers...

not saying this is the law, just saying this is how I do it and it works for me...I have a lot of 6' tall plants that are huge and loaded with pods at the end of season...

I am going to do an extreme cutback on the plants and leave them in the same containers they are in until next spring when I will trim the root ball and repot them...probably will repot into 7 gallon containers...

for me, a 5 gallon container is plenty big enough for a first year plant...
 
Drunk mods on the loose!
 
the sand where i live right on the water compacts very much. I was using it in my mixes at first and was very compact that i why i steer away from it. i must be using the wrong sand.
 
Ha!

Some jolly responses lads...thanks!

I plan to have some of the plants surrounding my swimming pool on paving, so perhaps 7 gallon would be better AJ? Nowhere for the roots to go?

Also, are grow bags ok, or do I need to spring for plastic or terracotta pots?

With grow bags, I'm concerned lest the weight of the bush effectively closes the drainage holes, so should I toss some small pebbles in the bottom, if bags are even acceptable?
 
huntsman said:
Ha!

Some jolly responses lads...thanks!

I plan to have some of the plants surrounding my swimming pool on paving, so perhaps 7 gallon would be better AJ? Nowhere for the roots to go?

Also, are grow bags ok, or do I need to spring for plastic or terracotta pots?

With grow bags, I'm concerned lest the weight of the bush effectively closes the drainage holes, so should I toss some small pebbles in the bottom, if bags are even acceptable?
Click to expand...

Personally, I would not put plants around the pool because of the clorination...JMO...especially if the containers have holes in the bottom...

I really think 5 gallon is big enough for a first year plant no matter what species...second and third will need larger pots to accomodate a larger root ball, thus a larger upper structure...I don't use grow bags because they are not sturdy enough for my rough handling...if you use a good mixture of potting soil, compost, and coarse sand, you won't have any problem with drainage IMO...you don't want a free running medium...you want some water retention...
 
That was quick!

Thank, AJ!

I've run out of space so the pool surround is essential, but perhaps I can use a drip tray or even elevate the pots on some attractive pebbles, etc...

Gotcha on the drainage...

Neighbours have dumped one cubic metre of river sand on my pavement, so that will go straight into the pots, LOL!

Five gallon it is...TY
 
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