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in-ground Pepper Transplanting Q

Pepperhunt

Pepperhunt

I thought I knew how to plant peppers but conflicting information from the few days has confused me. I've been seeing information saying that when you transplant peppers into the garden to plant them deep, up to the first set of leafs. I've also seen sources saying not to transplant any deeper than it is in the pot to avoid risking stem rot.
I have some really cool peppers that I really want to succeed this year so I thought I would consult the experts, what do you guys say? I live near Mesquite NV, so transplant time is approaching fast!

One more question, a worker at the local nursery told me that I can transplant peppers into the garden as soon as the nighttime are above 40 degrees F. However, some sources have said that the nighttime temps need to be above 50 degrees F for things like peppers and cukes or else their growth will be stunted. What are your thoughts?

Thanks for any help y'all can offer!
 
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My $0.02 is not to plant them deeper than the level they were. Some varieties may accept being planted a bit deeper - you'll often see these types develop adventitious roots readily in the grow room under warm, humid conditions - and others don't. In any event, I haven't seen any that respond like tomatoes and would take advantage of a deeper planting with a materially increased root base. Even if a pepper is a little stretched and planting deeper makes it look better, if you consider the final height of the plant, planting the sprout a half-inch or inch deeper isn't going to have much effect. It's probably better to stake it.

Adding another $0.02, 40F is too cold. You're generally better off waiting until night temps are 55F or so before transplanting out, because if you shock a pepper it's probably going to end up behind one that waited longer and transitioned into warmer conditions. Being in NV, you likely have warmer days that most and that means your peppers will accept a little cooler nights due to the soil temps, but I wouldn't think 40's is advised. I'm sure others in the similar locations can provide solid feedback on when to plant out, but if I were to guess, I'd guess at least 50 when taking into account your warmer days and soil temps.

What varieties are you growing?
 
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From my personnal experience (I'm only an hobbyist so don't take the following for a proven method!), you can bury your pepper seedlings a bit deeper when you repot them as long as the stem is tender (not woodty). I've seen roots growing on the buried part (sometimes even higher than ground level) on many plants at the end of the season (did it really make a difference? I can't tell...) but like @CaneDog said, it's certainly not comparable to tomato plants!
 
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