I'm planning on growing some Bhut Jolokia in pots. Could someone advise on what size container to use? 3, 5, 7 gallon? Thanks
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Growing Bhut Jolokia in Pots
- Thread starter SlaveofJESUS
- Start date
To the MAXXXXXXXXXX!
Thanks for input. Depth or expansion is important or a combination of both maybe?
Are you only growing a few, if so the big box stores sell 18 gal utility containers for a few bucks, and they're squat enough not to topple over especially when your "bhuts" grow 7ft. (+).......Altough Nova's idea sounds pretty interesting..."Air Pot"
7ft wow really? I know this is another post but when do you prune them and what amount of growth did you get each year? I am growing about fifty pots on this little Island which is 11 miles long and 3 miles wide. Thanks for input......
AlabamaJack
Extreme Member
the larger the pot, the larger the plant because the rootball will get larger...I grow in 5 gallon containers, but 7, 10 or larger will work just fine...the reason I use 5 gallon containers is because of the number of plants I grow each year (>300) and the extra soil to fill those larger containers is kinda cost prohibitive...
Ha, Yer right Jack especially when its all over, there's only a root ball left with minimal soil, then there's next season, soil,compost, neuts...($$$)..but, its a heck of a lot of fun
LOl, i have struggle with 8 plants at times. couldnt even image do that many.
I was told min 5 gallon pot. wich i belive is a 16" pot at homedepot.
Also if you are near a firehouse subs (not sure if they are at where you are) they sell 5 gallon used pickel buckets for like 1 or 2 dollars when they are done with them.
How many plants are you wanting to grow? The root ball from a bhut jolokia can easily fill a 7 gallon pot, and probably even a 10 gallon pot in one growing season. I'm using 6.15 gallon pots and most of them were root bound with over 3 months left in the season. If you're only going to have a few plants and you get a nice early start on them then the larger the better. If you're growing a lot of plants, then you may want 5 gallon pots since it quickly gets expensive filling them. You can save some money making your own potting mix if you can get vermiculite and perlite in bulk (~4 cubic foot bags usually). You should be able to get peat moss in bulk anywhere. 5 gallons should probably be the minimum though, since bhut jolokias are rather large plants. 3 gallons is ok for some varieties, e.g. some bird peppers and frutescens, but for large chinenses like bhut jolokia it's going to limit production a lot.
Keep in mind if you're using nursery pots that the listed gallons is larger than the actual volume of the container. E.g. a 3 gallon pot is probably about 2.5 gallons capacity, a 5 gallon is about 4 gallon capacity, 7 gallon is actually a little over 6 gallons, etc. Another thing to keep in mind, when your plants become root bound and it's very hot outside they're very hard to keep watered, and will require water at least every two days, and probably every day. Sometimes even twice a day. With a few plants that's probably not a big problem, but with a lot of plants it becomes very time consuming unless you have an automated system like drip lines. I used straw mulch to retain water and it wasn't extremely effective, next year I will be mulching with composted manure.
Keep in mind if you're using nursery pots that the listed gallons is larger than the actual volume of the container. E.g. a 3 gallon pot is probably about 2.5 gallons capacity, a 5 gallon is about 4 gallon capacity, 7 gallon is actually a little over 6 gallons, etc. Another thing to keep in mind, when your plants become root bound and it's very hot outside they're very hard to keep watered, and will require water at least every two days, and probably every day. Sometimes even twice a day. With a few plants that's probably not a big problem, but with a lot of plants it becomes very time consuming unless you have an automated system like drip lines. I used straw mulch to retain water and it wasn't extremely effective, next year I will be mulching with composted manure.
I'm moving all my Jolokias, and other important (to me) peppers, to 7gal pots. Of course I get them from a nursury recycler cheap, and I am now going to composted ZooPoo, which is free from the local Zoo.
I say start with a 3 gallon
then once they reach thier maximum size
go straight to the 7 gallon. These ones grow big!!!!!!!!!!!
my best advice for your potting soil
go with a good potting soil mix.
and Manure
do a 50/50 mix.
Just this alone will get you great results.
Thanks Alabama Jack!
Thanks Avon for the info! How many pods does your 5 gallon yield per plant because in fact I am going to grow alot next year, working with 2 hectors of land here on Rota.