One other thing with fabric pots though, is to watch out for how quickly they'll dry out in hot weather. I love fabric pots and use them for all my figs and pomegranates and sometimes for a few tomatoes and peppers. But the fabric can sort of wick the moisture out where the heat and wind can dry your plants out very quickly. On really hot days or hot/windy days, I can water in the morning and come home to plants that are already starting to show signs of drying out and getting wilty by late afternoon.
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Not intending to hijack this thread, but I have a question about recovering, heat- and water-stressed plants. Okay, assume:
Just prior to the current trend of raining 2" every other day, I had fed the plants a liquid balanced meal (the first feeding since planting with worm castings and 10-7-7 Marine Cuisine), but that night, it rained 1.5", along with another nearly 1" the next day. Has that meal been washed down the pipes and should I repeat the feeding, or could it still actually be doing the plants some good?
Thanks for any insight into how to handle keeping plants healthy in the new normal
weather patterns.
- It's been hotter than Hades, the plants wilt daily, then perk back up in the evening, the existing flowers drop, and torrential rains arrive at least twice a week, but I've kept my plants alive, What steps should I take to restore them to tip-top shape and back to flowering and producing fruit like gangbusters? They really don't need any more moisture, but would they benefit from an extra shot of a liquid nitrogen-heavy fertilizer, given the late point in the growing season, to kick-start the flowering process once it cools down? Or let nature take its course.
- Assuming the answer to the above is let nature takes its course, will I be hurting my plants if I do choose to kick-start pod production?
Just prior to the current trend of raining 2" every other day, I had fed the plants a liquid balanced meal (the first feeding since planting with worm castings and 10-7-7 Marine Cuisine), but that night, it rained 1.5", along with another nearly 1" the next day. Has that meal been washed down the pipes and should I repeat the feeding, or could it still actually be doing the plants some good?
Thanks for any insight into how to handle keeping plants healthy in the new normal
weather patterns.
nmlarson said:Not intending to hijack this thread, but I have a question about recovering, heat- and water-stressed plants. Okay, assume:
- It's been hotter than Hades, the plants wilt daily, then perk back up in the evening, the existing flowers drop, and torrential rains arrive at least twice a week, but I've kept my plants alive, What steps should I take to restore them to tip-top shape and back to flowering and producing fruit like gangbusters? They really don't need any more moisture, but would they benefit from an extra shot of a liquid nitrogen-heavy fertilizer, given the late point in the growing season, to kick-start the flowering process once it cools down? Or let nature take its course.
- Assuming the answer to the above is let nature takes its course, will I be hurting my plants if I do choose to kick-start pod production?
Just prior to the current trend of raining 2" every other day, I had fed the plants a liquid balanced meal (the first feeding since planting with worm castings and 10-7-7 Marine Cuisine), but that night, it rained 1.5", along with another nearly 1" the next day. Has that meal been washed down the pipes and should I repeat the feeding, or could it still actually be doing the plants some good?
Thanks for any insight into how to handle keeping plants healthy in the new normal
Not sure how you think you'll "kick-start" your pod production... That's not triggered by nutrient availability. In fact, heavy rains that disrupt uptake, can cause nutrient deficiency mimics, and are often a sufficient stressor to trigger flowering. The trick is just keeping them fed.
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I live in the land of torrential downpours, and for me, pods happen, when pods happen. BUT... if you want advice for how to handle the deluge, that's easy.
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Use a slow release fertilizer, along with a liquid. Feed the liquid while the slow release is ramping up. (before the rains, where possible) In order for ANY fert to work, you need transpiration. So, as long as pot is waterlogged, there's no nutrients flowing. But, if you keep your mix light and airy when your uptake resumes, it should be as steady and even as it gets.
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The nutrients you fed aren't necessarily washed out, but let's face it... Not much is going to get sequestered in potting mix that's less than 18" deep. So you'll need to feed again.
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This is one of those cases where for a limited time, you can foliar feed to help you over the hump. (probably not going to be too beneficial, because foliar feed relies on transpiration, also) I go through this all the time, and have never foliar fed. But I only speak for my garden.
Solid7, thanks for the quick response. I'll confess...I was hoping you would offer an opinion.
I wouldn't say the pots are waterlogged, they're just not drying out... They're fabric pots, sitting on mulch on landscape fabric, in a constant state of moist...wetter than peppers like to be. I have not watered them since they went in their fabric pots May 18.
When I said "kick-start," I meant feed them a nitrogen-heavy feeding to encourage flowering.
Following your recommendations, for slow-release foods, I have Osmocote 19-6-12 and Caliber Cote 16-8-12 80 day, and DynaGro, FoliagePro, Cal-Mag and SeaPlus 3-2-2 available for foliar feeding. However, the Sea-Plus spent the winter in the garage and froze, and I don't know what effect that had on it, if any. Do any of these fill your prescription?
We have one more day of high 90s forecast. Monday, we'll see scattered thunderstorms, then showers on Tuesday. After that, it looks like an extended stretch of sunny and mid to high 80s, which would be lovely.
I wouldn't say the pots are waterlogged, they're just not drying out... They're fabric pots, sitting on mulch on landscape fabric, in a constant state of moist...wetter than peppers like to be. I have not watered them since they went in their fabric pots May 18.
When I said "kick-start," I meant feed them a nitrogen-heavy feeding to encourage flowering.
Following your recommendations, for slow-release foods, I have Osmocote 19-6-12 and Caliber Cote 16-8-12 80 day, and DynaGro, FoliagePro, Cal-Mag and SeaPlus 3-2-2 available for foliar feeding. However, the Sea-Plus spent the winter in the garage and froze, and I don't know what effect that had on it, if any. Do any of these fill your prescription?
We have one more day of high 90s forecast. Monday, we'll see scattered thunderstorms, then showers on Tuesday. After that, it looks like an extended stretch of sunny and mid to high 80s, which would be lovely.
I would just lay down a mild dose of the OsmoCote, and do a half strength (or less) of the Dyna Gro, right now. I'm a "safe player", and I like to always feed to the low end. More isn't "more better", after all.
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I have, also, in the past, run a rod or bamboo stake into a pot, pulled it out, and put a "spike" of dry organic ferts in. (proactively, of course, and several time throughout the season)
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As long as you don't get a week or more of big rains, you should have no problem getting through this.
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I have, also, in the past, run a rod or bamboo stake into a pot, pulled it out, and put a "spike" of dry organic ferts in. (proactively, of course, and several time throughout the season)
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As long as you don't get a week or more of big rains, you should have no problem getting through this.
solid7 said:
Thank you for your insights! Looking at our weather history for the past two months, one would never suspect I was in Pennsylvania. More like south Florida.
There are three each of the Aleppo and Piment d'Espelette and two of the Mad Hatters. As an experiment, I'll give the "spike" technique a try on one of each variety.
As for getting those pots next to the ground, the location is not a particularly well-draining area. In fact, a couple of years after we built, we had a large perforated pipe buried in a trench of stone the length of the house in that area to carry ground water away and I suspect it's no longer draining well as there are wet spots under every pot when they are moved. I'd even considered raising the peppers up off the mulch to give them a chance to dry out.
We have another one to two inches of rain forecast for tomorrow, then we have lots of sun for a week, so that OsmoCote is being spread this morning. A high of 97°F with a heat index of 115°F is forecast for today, so maybe I'll wait to do the foliar spray until after the next monsoon passes.
Thanks, again, for sharing your expertise and experience.
nmlarson said:
Oh, yes, absolutely wait. In fact, I really only suggested the foliar spray, as a means to eliminate unsightly temporary issues. Either way, while it isn't really necessary, don't do it until your containers are drained again, or it will be for naught. And absolutely avoid a situation where you have high humidity, with low transpiration. You'll be in mold/fungus territory, with a rich substrate on the leaves to promote that growth.
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The osmocote is a good move, though.
Happy Im successfully growing my first peppers without any issue now, I plan on crossing them just for fun♂ banana will be the mother, although pepperoncini is a lot bigger, Ill just make them both mother plants ♂.idk much about crossing yet.
Didnt know banana peppers grew preaty big they still growing.
Didnt know banana peppers grew preaty big they still growing.
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Those things are a godsend. If you have aphids or whitefly, that are pre-infestation level, they are your best friends. After they make their kills, they build a "shell" of carcasses on their back. They'll wander all over your plant with this pile on their back, that looks a bit like a dirty spit wad or a dust bunny.
I got another issue pleas tell me they aim aphids or something bad , sure looks like aphids
Sorry bad quality from zooming in... theirs so tiny surprised I even caught one or saw one, theirs like 2-3 walking around the banana pepper(the pepper)
And I see this flying insect a lot keeps coming back to the peppers
Sorry bad quality from zooming in... theirs so tiny surprised I even caught one or saw one, theirs like 2-3 walking around the banana pepper(the pepper)
And I see this flying insect a lot keeps coming back to the peppers