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From the Bed to the Pot

MGOLD86

MGOLD86

So I have been having issues with my peppers. For the full background you can check out http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/22263-is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/ but basically not enough drainage coupled with too high pH too compact soil has been giving me a headache. I think I can take a drive tomorrow during work (i'll just say I have a meeting in town or something :) ) and pick up some PROMIX from ACE. I was thinking about removing the plants from the raised bed and potting them in pots. My question is has anyone had any experience with this and if so, any recommendations to do it with as little shock to the plants as possible? I think I will end up moving most of them (18 or so) and leave the maters as they seem to be growing fine.

Anyone's .02 would be greatly appreciated!
 
I don't really have any advice accept that you may want to try one or two and see if they make it alright. The reason I say that is because if the soil is compacted in the raised bed that effect is going to be amplified in a pot. As a result, you would probably want to remove a good portion of the existing soil from the roots. This may in turn cause shock. So...trying it on one or two will give you an idea how things will go without risking them all. Good luck and I hope things turn around for you.
 
One tool I've starting using to help soil compaction is the Broadfork shown below. It's a bit pricey, but rock solid. 14" tines really break up the soil in no time.

IMAG0135.jpg
 
I have done it with 7-pods, Bonda ma Jacque and Red Congo with no hassles. You should be fine.
I just dug out a cube around the base and plonked it in a pot then top up with mix.
 
Josh said:
...The reason I say that is because if the soil is compacted in the raised bed that effect is going to be amplified in a pot. As a result, you would probably want to remove a good portion of the existing soil from the roots. This may in turn cause shock. So...trying it on one or two will give you an idea how things will go without risking them all.
Click to expand...

Good idea. I was going to move to the pot with a better mix hoping to alleviate some of the bad drainage and compact dirt. Hopefully hey respond. Thanks.
 
I've been doing it this year a lot. My soil is very dense clay and it became more prnounced this year. Suffice to say, my plants spent about a month in some really tough soil. I started moving them into pots and most (all but a red savina) have doubled in size.

You'll certainly want to break the soil off the root as much as you can without ruining the root structure. I few roots won't be an issue, just be sure to be gentile. Also, if your raised bed soil holds a lot of water, remember the dirt you don't remove will likely be dense with water still so let it dry for a day or so in the pot. I let mine get to the point of wilting before they got their first water.

It's basically just making them feel like nothing is changing.

Oh and don't let the roots get sunburned. Do it in the morning or on a cloudy day.
 
Getting as much compacted soil off the roots as possible is the best idea. If you want to go to the extreme then rinse the roots off and repot into new soil that is very light. The plant may be shocked and lose some leaves but in the long term it will grow back. It depends how much growing season you have left.
 
Lastly, I use Neptune's 2-4-1 as my fert and I also have tomato tone in the garage. Should I add anything to the pot when moving the plants or just let them get used to it for a few days before adding any nutrients to the mix? Basically is Promix and similar mixes an "out of the box" soil or does it need to be added to? Thanks!
 
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