Hello all, I am checking in after about a month of growing here in Zone 5. Been growing for years off and on but this the first time Ive grown at this property and Ive done a few things diffently this season. As you can see, they dont seem to be filling out like Id hoped. Ive been patient but now Im wondering if I need to take some action. Heres a few facts:
Ordered as saplings from chiliplants.com. I let them rest for a few days before planting into 7 gallon planting bags (first year using bags and 7 gallon size pots). I used organic soil and a bit of mulch on top. I use fish emmulsion ferilizer about once a week. The first couple weeks of June were wetter than usual… i brought them inside and left them under an umbrella a couple times. Now were about a month in and a few have barely budged. Leaves seem yellow, a few have fallen off. House faces North but neighbor trees prevent them from gettin earlier and later sun. Most of the day they get full sun
They appear like they may have gotten too much water but to be honest it hasnt rained in awhile now and the bags let alot of water out anyway. Is it nitrogen? Im sort of frustrated.
Thanks fellow pepper heads!
by Capnlanky
2 Comments
It looks like your pots are too big for right now. The plants are small and not taking up much room in them. What’s surrounding the plants is just soil and when you water the plants you’re more watering the soil. What happens then is the whole pot gets saturated and you’ve overwatered. Overwatering leeches nitrogen out of the soil causing your plants to look yellow and stunted.
I’d try moving the plants into smaller pots, fertilize with whatever you like to use and only water when necessary. They should grow well and fill out their smaller pots, and be ready for the big ones.
ETA: I’ve heard that wood much also leeches out nitrogen from the soil. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I would remove some mulch while you’re repotting. Hope this helps.
What do you mean by organic soil? Most natural soils are predominantly inorganic/mineral soils.
What have the temperatures been like in your zone 5 location?