soil question about using expensive soil efficiently

SichuaneseFoodFan

SichuaneseFoodFan

If you had a very long season, which would eventually yield more peppers: two plants each in 5 gallon pots, or one plant in a 10 gallon pot?

I know more soil helps a plant, but presumably this tradeoff stops at a certain point. You'd definitely get more pods from 10 plants each in 5 gallon pots than 1 plant in a single 50 gallon pot. I'm sure it depends on many factors (including the kind of pepper you're growing), but where's the sweet spot?

Thanks

(jealous of people who can grow in the ground)
 
good question. I'm willing to bet multiple 5gals would produce more overall. Can't wait to see replies from the experienced growers though.
 
Yep.... as evidenced above, 1 plant per pot, and the larger the pot, the better. And it's always cheaper to compost than to buy soil to fill your pots. Of course, if you haven't been composting already, it's too late for that to provide you soil for this year's grow. Maybe keep it small until you can build up compost for next year.
 
My problem with A LOT of the commercial potting soil mixes is that in our long season they run out of gas around pod time.
 
Fox farm,for example was killer until mid/late Aug.
My Manzanos did well in spring but the fall crop sucked without messing with the plants soil.
 
If it was cheaper I'd use it for potting up from my sprouter into 4 1/2 in. pots,but never again in anything bigger.
 
 
Then it was back to HAVING to use it like Hydro plants - small doses of nutes everyday when I watered.
 
Bottom of pots turned into broken down organic mush...The bigger the pot the better,the bottom 1/4 of the pots were mush that held way too much water...
I found I got better results with less work for cheaper making my own soil mixes.
 
With pots,I think it's all about drainage balanced with nutes.
 
In general,you water pots until the water drains out the bottom(washes everything water soluble away +/-).
I think most foliar feeding results are from run off building up the soil rather than actual plant uptake above the ground by a plant.
Back to a hydro type thing...
 
I also think it depends on the variety of pepper as to pot size.
I potted up from 5gal. to 15gal. pots one time with plants that were several years old.
Some plants LIKE TO BE ROOT BOUND.
Manzanos like big roots but wider shallow pots do better than narrow taller pots of a larger size.
Some plants roots grow shallow and wide.others like deep tap roots that spread out less.
 
I don't think ANY GROW SYSTEM ALWAYS works for everyone.
 
I use only Alaska fish fert , Seaweed extract and witches brew ( dolomite lime soaked in 5% vinegar= Ca. + Mag.).
Sometimes I use Foli Cal. at budding time.
 
I mix my potting mixes,depending on the pot with an orchid bark mix.
For different peppers I use anything from a 3-5 parts bark , 1-3 parts peat , 1 part perlite and 1 part white Pomice(for weight in bigger pots-Santa Anna winds get nasty at times).
I treat my soils like Hydro,weak ferts every time I water...
 
What works for me might not work for you.
 
I started reading the link above - 36 pages-not gonna happen until this thread is months old...  LOL
 
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