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Upside Down Pepper Growing?

Shandley

Shandley

Greetings,

My GF bought me a Topsy Turvy last year and I tried tomatoes in it. The root ball grew so large that I had to wonder. Has anyone tried this with peppers? My thought is to grow the seedlings upside down until the root ball gets large and in charge, then repot it right side up. Has anyone tried anything like this with peppers?

I thought I saw a post about this on thehotpepper but I can't find it.

topsy.jpg
 
I tried a few of these last year.

Yeah, it worked... but not well. That seems to be similar to the responses I've seen from others on that topic around here when it has come up before.

I won't be doing it again.

Of course, maybe you're better at it than me. Wouldn't hurt to give it a shot, just don't get your hopes up.
 
I think those were invented because supporting tomato plants can be a PITA, and most likely just a gimmick. I've never tried them, but I know many people that have, and none of them liked them.
Starting plants upside down, and then flipping them rightside up would make for a plant with branches that swoop down and touch the soil instead of reaching up towards the sun. It could make for a more sprawling and bushy plant, but it could also be counterproductive. Low laying branches are a good way to spread disease and pests, and are often trimmed off.

Like I said, I've never tried those things. Those are just my guesses.
 
I suppose it did what it was intended to do when I used one... hung from a patio beam and didn't take up much space, produced a few small plants which didn't grow too well, but ended up producing a handful of pods each.

I think my biggest complaint with it had something to do with watering.
 
I did a tomato plant in one just to try it out couple of years ago and it grew huge. It seems to work for those. Not sure about peppers though. I hate tomatoes so I didn't care about it. I love my peppers too much to grow them upside down. Feel like I am torturing my preciousses!
 
muskymojo said:
I think those were invented because supporting tomato plants can be a PITA, and most likely just a gimmick. I've never tried them, but I know many people that have, and none of them liked them.
Starting plants upside down, and then flipping them rightside up would make for a plant with branches that swoop down and touch the soil instead of reaching up towards the sun. It could make for a more sprawling and bushy plant, but it could also be counterproductive. Low laying branches are a good way to spread disease and pests, and are often trimmed off.

Like I said, I've never tried those things. Those are just my guesses.
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+1, What next? Sideways mon ftw!

Or you could just grow them normal and once pods start to show bend the main stalk without breaking it, tie it down to a tent stake, similar to harvesting another well know plant ;). While it tries to straighten out it sends precious juices throughout ... call me old fashion but I just like the normal way of growing.
 
Makes more sense for tomatoes because they grow like a vine, peppers grow like a tree. Nothing wrong with trying it, but I don't see the benefit.
 
Tried.
Failed.

Roots get too hot, plants stay small and never really develop.
May work better in high humidity areas?
 
I grew my big box-purchased peppers in one of these my first year. I agree, they were root bound and nothing grew more than a foot tall-- everything was L-shaped and did grow upward. The dollar store does carry these along with the tomato type planter, which does happen to work well since it only fits one plant.
 
KiNGDeNNiZ said:
Well for those that dare $.99 cent store has then for. Guess what. $.99
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Yeah, I got mine at Big Lots for $1, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to give them a try. Of course one's curiosity should be aroused as to the efficacy of the product given that it is on-sale in a wholesale clearance store...

The biggest problem I had, was the way the product is designed, it's prone to not holding water well, and it was constantly drying out and needing watering.

I'd say they are all right for a very modest grow. If you have very little space, and aren't looking for a massive harvest, they could be a good choice. If taken care of properly, the plants WILL produce a handful of pods... but they are certainly not a good option for a serious gardener concerned with a large yield.
 
They may work well for some of the baccatum varieties which have a more sprawling and vine type growth habit like Aji lemon
 
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