Growing Peppers: Transplanting For Space

Today I had the magical combination of both time and inclination to do some transplanting.  All the peppers seeds except one Carolina reaper have popped up and most have their first set of true leaves.

Not all of the peppers are as far along as we’d like, but I wanted to get it all over with at once, so everyone was moving today.  Transplanting into separate containers avoids root entanglement and nutrient competition.  Earlier in the week I made up several more solo cup planters and set them in a tray of water to soak the soil. Armed with little but a plastic knife I dug each plant out of the crowded cup, making sure to get a chunk of soil with it. This detail avoids disturbing the roots, making for a smoother transition to the new cup. When planting into the new cup, I buried the stem a little. Like tomatoes, peppers adapt to deep planting by putting off roots from the stem, taking up nutrients faster.

Before:

After:

From here on in I’ll be watering from the bottom cup, because some fungus gnats have joined the party. Watering from the bottom leaves the top layer of dirt dry, not a hospitable environment for fungus gnats. Who’s a fungi? Not those gnats that’s for sure.

Diva Reaper:

Super hots are notoriously picky about germination. This reaper seed popped up dead last and was the only one out of three planted in this cup to make any attempt at growing.   Next time sprouting them in a paper towel will be the first step. The paper towel version of germination tends to be a bit better, but in many cases you can get away with our cup methods.

The Thai chilis are sitting tight in their rockwool cubes until roots emerge from the sides. Then it’s into a net pot with clay pebbles and hydroponic solution for some deep water culture hydroponics. Similar to the Epcot center exhibit, but hotter.

Keep an eye out for more tips on how to start and grow your pepper plants by subscribing below or following us on Instagram. If you’d like to see more of our setup, check out Growing Peppers: Double Solo Cup Pseudo-Hydroponics Method or Hydroponics and You.

More From the Fartley Farms Blog