User avatar
Gary350
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7396
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

New Discovery for fast growing Peppers.

A few years ago I learned by accident if I put 6" of peat moss on my soil then till it in and plant peppers they grow very fast and get 5 tall. Peppers grow very large too. I figured the loose soil made it easier for the roots to grow better. Peat moss is known to make the soil acid so last week I decided to do an experiment.

I planted bell peppers and banana peppers a month ago they have grown only 2" taller in a month. A week ago I sprinkled acid stuff around the pepper plants to make the soil more acid like peat moss does and in only 1 week the plants are 6" taller.

I did not measure anything. Not knowing how much to use I sprinkled this stuff around all the pepper plants. I was worried too much might kill the plants so I gave some plants more than others. The plants that got the most grew the tallest. I have very good fertile soil for all the plants every thing in the garden had been growing very well except for peppers. It seems strange to me all of a sudden pepper plants grow 6" in one week. It has not rained in about 2 weeks. Acidifier is 12% sulfur with gypsum. I watered the plants to make sure the stuff went into the soil right then.

Online report from Tennessee State University shows Gypsum improves garden plant growth from 3 to 7 times for all plants. In the post I used gypsum in place of lime for BER after eating vegetables it leaves a very fine sandy gritty feeling on your teeth. It also gives vegetables a slightly different flavor so I do not use gypsum anymore. I hope it was not gypsum that made my peppers grow faster. I bought this acidifier many years ago and never used it, today I think I will throw it all in the weeds.

Image
Last edited by Gary350 on Wed Jun 08, 2016 11:11 am, edited 10 times in total.

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13962
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Sulfur does acidify the soil, but it usually does not work that fast in changing pH. But sulfur is also a fertilizer and maybe the plants just liked having a bit more sulfur.

https://www.nutrientstewardship.com/impl ... r-nutrient



Return to “Pepper Forum”