Why Has Growth of Peppers Slowed?

[thesteed46]

I’m a first time pepper grower. I have a mix of bell pepper plants in pots. There are a few plants that have grown some peppers that are getting close to full size. I have another plant, however, that was one of the first to show peppers but I feel like the growth has slowed down quite a bit. They are somewhere between a gold ball and tennis ball in size. I keep them watered but not too wet.

Any help is appreciated.

[applestar]

First 1~3 pepper fruits, especially when borne early on while the plant is still small, can pre-empt the necessary nutrients and energy for the plant to establish the physical resources needed later.

If those fruits you are watching are growing in the first V-crotch of the main stem or the 2nd V- crotches there after, it’s a good bet that removing one or more of them (harvest and use as green peppers) will trigger blossoms further up the plant to set fruit and/or small fruit to begin the developing process.

[imafan26]

Yeah, I have that trouble too especially with bell peppers. When they set fruit on small plants, the plants don't do much growing.

[woodsperson]

Did you water with miracle gro or another spray fertilizer? sometimes getting liquid fertilizer on the leaves&plant can stunt growth.

[imafan26]

Actually what I think is happening with my peppers is not a fertilizer problem. They get enough. It is a temperature problem. Bell peppers like it between 68 -75 and I am around 84 degrees now. I am going to plant more bells when it is cooler, hoping it will do more growing before blooming. some of my peppers are so small the fruit touches the ground. When they flower small, the plant never reaches full size. They can tolerate hot temperatures in production, but I don't think they like it that hot when they are growing.

[woodsperson]

Not trying to argue, just sharing one thing that "can" cause stunted plants. That being water/fertilizer mixtures on the leaves can stunt plants and the foliage with grow super thick. If you didn't get it on the leaves/plant itself than I'm not sure. Could just be a troublesome plant. I live in the Treasure Valley of Idaho where we have close to a month and half of 90 to 105 temps and really haven't had that problem.- other than said fertilizer issue in which my wife unknowingly sprayed it on the plants with some high test Miracle Gro.

Make sure you're hitting with nitrogen rich stuff as it grows from initial planting then switch phosphorous rich once it starts blooming. Hyper nitrogen mixtures will only encourage vertical growth.

[webmaster]

just sharing one thing that "can" cause stunted plants

Good suggestions, woodsperson!

[imafan26]

Thanks for the advice. I grow my peppers in pots with a starter fertilizer and I also have some in the ground. I do soil tests. The phosphorus is 2300 in the ground and I only used sulfate of nitrogen for years. I doubt fertilizer is a problem, the other plants in the garden are huge. I do have the peppers setting fruit very small. Maybe I should try to cull the early flowers and actually give them more nitrogen to to keep them growing vegetatively longer. Hot peppers are not bothered and they get very tall. I only have problems with bell peppers flowering short and staying that way. I don't prune my peppers, I don't know if that would help. I have only used miracle grow once in the whole garden and that was given after the plants were already producing. I use water soluble very sparingly now. What do you use for a starter fertilizer in pots and how much per gallon?