S......L......O.......W growing habaneros and ghosts

Hot Head

Hot Head

I have 12 ghost peppers and 13 or 14 orange habs that just will not seem to shoot up like my scorpions...I have gotten a lot of rain lately, could this be the reason?
I am putting up a few pics....
They do have new growth, but arent getting very tall at all....full of buds though?
 
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They all are getting FULL SUN all day, and some  of the ghosts are doing well, although slow, some arent getting as tall as the others.
the habs even has 1 pepper already....but im worried due to the slowness of the growing....
 
What's the composition of the soil? The roots may be having a tougher time getting going on these. Otherwise, they look healthy. Once the roots take off, look out!
 
Phil said:
What's the composition of the soil? The roots may be having a tougher time getting going on these. Otherwise, they look healthy. Once the roots take off, look out!
Click to expand...
 
Thats the thing, the soil is the exact same as the other ones...
 
With the only exception being that they get more drainage water from my patio...so maybe its just stunted a little do to that you think?
 
If I were going to get some fertilizer to try to jump them what would I use?
Right now they get 3-2-3 organic only... and every now and then a good leaf and stem spraying of fish emulsion and seaweed.
 
But this morning I noticed that some fireants are chewing on my stems and leaves of one of my Scorpions..so I gave them some homemade soap and oil mixture and it killed them instantly... :dance:  :rolleyes:  :dance:
 
Hot Head said:
 
Thats the thing, the soil is the exact same as the other ones...
 
With the only exception being that they get more drainage water from my patio...so maybe its just stunted a little do to that you think?
 
If I were going to get some fertilizer to try to jump them what would I use?
Right now they get 3-2-3 organic only... and every now and then a good leaf and stem spraying of fish emulsion and seaweed.
 
But this morning I noticed that some fireants are chewing on my stems and leaves of one of my Scorpions..so I gave them some homemade soap and oil mixture and it killed them instantly... :dance:  :rolleyes:  :dance:
Click to expand...
 
 
Sounds reasonable with the drainage issue. It's possible that the extra water is washing away nutrients from those guys, and possibly even causing new root growth to rot before it gets a chance to take hold..... although probably not the case, but a guess.....
 
I would up the fertilizer to maybe a triple 13. It's your standard veggie gardeners' fail-safe. I use MG tomato plant food, which is 18-18-21.
 
Phil said:
 
 
Sounds reasonable with the drainage issue. It's possible that the extra water is washing away nutrients from those guys, and possibly even causing new root growth to rot before it gets a chance to take hold..... although probably not the case, but a guess.....
 
I would up the fertilizer to maybe a triple 13. It's your standard veggie gardeners' fail-safe. I use MG tomato plant food, which is 18-18-21.
Click to expand...
 
That actually makes sense, especially with the rain, they are still very small compared to the others, I bet there is a small amount of root rot going on..that makes perfect sense.. thank you!!
I will grab some MG tomato stuff today and see if it makes a difference...
my local lanscape gardner has some stuff thats like 5-32-5  do you think it would be worth a shot?
It is blue and you mix it with water...the  name escapes me at the moment..
 
5-32-5... wow, that's high phosphorus! So, I looked that up and it seems that's made for plumerias and blooming flowers like periwinkle, oleander and jasmine, etc.
 
It probably wouldn't hurt, but you may not get the production you could from something more balanced. Something with higher nitrogen and potash. Nitrogen will make those leaves rich and green, potash is needed for fruiting - if I remember correctly. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. 
 
Keep in mind that the blue stuff is sold at a landscaping store - flowers. Do you have a agricultural feed store nearby? They'll probably stock something more suitable for veggies.
 
Keep this post updated with any results! Best of luck!
 
Those plants do have an overwatered look to them. It's happened to many in north america this year. There's a chance that the nutrients may be in the soil already, but overwatering causes the plants to enter a state where they cannot absorb them (aka nutrient lockout).
 
Personally, for store bought, i like Espoma products, especially Tomato-Tone because it has a lot of ingredients, easy to find and inexpensive. But this year i'm finally trying out Urban Farms Texas Tomato Food, the ingredients list and price is excellent imho (free shipping), 1 tablespoon per gallon mix. It's more geared for mid-season onwards, the flowers and pods stage.
 
Update: I was just doing a little research and found this.... good thing to keep in mind
 
"...Generally, when planting it is a good idea to add more phosphorus, because phosphorus helps to develop strong roots. Developing the root system is very important during the early growth..."
 
This came up in a search for "best fertilizer to use for growing peppers"
 
http://www.veggiegardener.com/best-fertilizers-for-tomatoes/
 
Are they overwatered? See the many leaves on the ground under the plants? See the yellowing? When overwatered, growth is stunted.
 
they look pretty healthy.

i know my plants go through peaks and troughs of growth, where they don't seem to grow much, but 2 weeks later they have another spurt.
theres so many variables!
 
I am just going to leave them alone for now and see how the hot sun does for them in the next few days.... :hot:

Phil said:
Update: I was just doing a little research and found this.... good thing to keep in mind
 
"...Generally, when planting it is a good idea to add more phosphorus, because phosphorus helps to develop strong roots. Developing the root system is very important during the early growth..."
 
This came up in a search for "best fertilizer to use for growing peppers"
 
http://www.veggiegardener.com/best-fertilizers-for-tomatoes/
Click to expand...
I wonder if its too late to try to work on the root systems?
 
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