Last year I did all of my peppers in 10 gallon pots and even though my substrate was low porosity, I had to water twice a day. By the time mid July hit they had almost smoked out entirely with almost no pod production. I did furrows with flood irrigation the year before last and had about the same results.
This year I put 15+ varieties per 100 gallon fabric pot and have loved the results. On super hot days (temps reach 110°F here) I'm watering every other day, but when it's more temperate I'm getting away with every 3-5 days. Although the per plant production is slightly lower due to their growth habit being more "one sided", not having to get out there twice a day JUST to water has been a game changer. I also put a shade cloth up mid-June that shades them from about 12pm-7pm, which here in central Oklahoma is hotter than hell. Like "oh my God what did I do to deserve this" level heat.
Substrate is a mixture of "rich mix" from the stockyards here in town, leftover potting mix from my day job (greenhouse production), and compost I make at home. Top dressed with 13-13-13 NPK granular, with supplemental feeds of Kelp, Humic Acid, Silica, EWC, and Jacks 321 water soluble fertilizer. During fruitset stages I have applied a foliar spray of Jacks 5-55-17 and Epsom.
Pest management is a homemade "clone" of Lost Coast Plant Therapy, and occasional BT.
Anyone else inter-plant super close?
by BudgetDelivery9394