J&L’s Gardening Handouts Tips and Suggestions for Year Round Gardening www.JLGardenCenter.com www.JLLandscapingUtah.com [email protected] 2016 Pepper Care Pepper plants make a wonderful addition to any backyard vegetable garden. They are prolific producers, come in all shapes, colors, sizes, and range in taste from mild bell peppers to flaming hot habaneros; and everything in between. Peppers are second in popularity, only to tomatoes. Although peppers are closely related to tomato plants, peppers are more demanding than tomatoes. Peppers require warm temperatures, need regular fertilization, and they need consistent moisture conditions to grow and produce an abundant harvest. Peppers don't just taste great; they look good too. Growing peppers in containers is easy, and most (if not all) peppers will thrive on a porch, deck or patio. Please read our Tomato Care Infor- mation Sheet and our Vegetable Gardening in Containers Information Sheet for more information. Temperature Water them again with either Root Starter or Fertilome Do not plant peppers too early in the Blooming and Rooting Fertilizer. spring. Wait until the average night tem- Once the pepper plants are rooted and growing, fertil- perature will stay above 55 degrees and the ize them regularly with a high phosphate fertilizer, such as soil temperature has reached 60 degrees 6-10-4 Vegetable and Tomato Fertilizer, every six to eight before trying to plant peppers. Peppers like weeks until mid-August. Do not apply too much fertilizer. the heat and they are very sensitive to the frost. Peppers Too much fertilizer may produce a lush plant, but it might cannot tolerate cold nights or cold soil conditions. be at the expense of producing fruit. Protect your young plants from frost, Heat in Hot Peppers especially if you plant them in late-April or The impact of using hot and spicy early-May. A Hot Cap will protect a plant peppers in any recipe can maximize the from a very mild frost, while a 'Season Start- flavor of the dish and give it a real kick. er' or a 'Wall of Water' will protect a pepper There are varying degrees of “hot” peppers. plant to about 30 degrees F. Be sure to set The burn comes from capsaicin, an oily compound up your Wall of Water at least 5 days before planting; to that is found in all parts of a hot pepper's fruit, but it is help warm the soil. Do not remove the wall of water until particularly concentrated in the seeds and ribs. Capsaicin the night time temperature will stay above 55 degrees F. creates a burning sensation in the mouth, as well as water- Peppers grow best when the soil temperature is be- ing eyes, a runny nose and perspiration; it can even cause a tween 70 to 80 degrees and when the air temperature is skin irritation if handled without gloves. The more capsaicin, between 65 to 85 degrees. Peppers set fruit when nighttime the hotter the pepper. This heat is rated in “Scoville” units, temperatures are between 60 and 70 degrees. which indicates the level of capsaicin in the pepper variety. Pepper plants may struggle and wilt during the day, if Hot peppers might look harmless, the nighttime temperature stays above 80 degrees, but the but they can do more damage than you plants do not usually die. Peppers grow and produce fruit might think! Safely handling hot peppers better during warm and hot weather than in cold conditions. is extremely important. You should never Fertilizer handle hot peppers directly, especially Apply either two pounds of Dr. Earth Veg- while cutting or processing them. If you do, wash your etable Garden Food or 6-10-4 Vegetable and hands immediately, before touching your mouth or rubbing Flower Fertilizer per 100 square feet. your eyes, to prevent a painful experience. Spread one inch of Bumper Crop, Ferti- People vary in their reaction to hot peppers. Some mulch, or 'well-rotted' compost over the garden. Do not people take to hot peppers better than others, but as a gen- use fresh manure, it can rob nutrients from the eral rule, the younger the person, the more sensitive they soil. Roto till the soil and compost as deeply as are, and the more careful they must be. Never let children possible. pick, handle, or process hot peppers. Plant peppers 12 to 24 inches apart. Water Avoid feeding hot peppers to children under two years plants throughly as soon as they are transplanted. old, and only introduce hot peppers in small amounts to older children. Common Pepper Plant Problems es that effect tomatoes. The initial symptoms are wilting, Blossom Drop. Peppers, like tomatoes, are sensitive upward curling of leaves, and yellowing. Eventually, the to temperature. Most peppers will drop their blooms when stems and roots of the plant are affected. There is no cure daytime temperatures get much above 90 degrees F. in for these wilt diseases. Remove and destroy affected plants. combination with night temperatures staying above 75 Rotate your garden to help prevent and control these diseas- degrees F. They will also drop their blooms in the early es; be sure to rotate with plants that are not susceptible to spring if temperatures remain too cool for extended periods. them. Please read our Crop Rotation Information Sheet Hot peppers, such as jalapenos, withstand hot weather for more information. fairly well and can often produce fruit throughout the Anthracnose. This disease can sometimes be prevent- summer. Optimum temperatures are between 70 degrees ed by just keeping the plants healthy - plenty of water and and 80 degrees F. for bell-type peppers, and between 70 fertilizer. Anthracnose creates dark spots on the leaves, and degrees and 85 degrees F. for hot pepper varieties. forms dark, sunken spots on the fruit. Pinkish spores may You can use either Bonide Blossom Set or appear within these dark spots. Spray your plants with a Fertilome Tomato and Pepper Set to help pro- fungicide every 10 to 14 days to control this disease, if it mote fruit development if the blossoms do not set becomes a problem. Be sure to wait the proper length of fruit when they should. time after spraying, before harvesting the fruit. Blossom end rot is not a disease. It is a phys- Peppers are sometimes affected by the ical problem that affects peppers in the same Tobacco Mosaic Virus, the same disease that way it affects tomatoes. Blossom end rot caus- affects tobacco plants and tomato plants. Symp- es a brown, or black region on the blossom toms of this disease vary but most plants have end of the fruit. Blossom end rot is caused by malformed leaves. The leaves become stringy, physical stress within the plant, usually from mottled, and fern like with age. Affected leaves are some- inconsistent watering. If a plant is under stress, times confused as being sprayed with a weed killer, because it cannot absorb and utilize the calcium in the soil. of their fern-like appearance. Prevent blossom end rot by keeping plants growing The fruit may be mottled and may ripen unevenly. healthy. Water plants consistently. Mulch plants to prevent There is no control for this disease. Remove and destroy water loss, and to reduce excessive heat. You can also add any affected plants. Crop rotation is the best method to extra calcium (gypsum), to help prevent blossom end rot. prevent this disease from spreading further in the garden. If your peppers do have blossom end rot, you can People who use tobacco products may spread this still eat them. Just remove the bad portion and eat the rest. disease just by touching their plants, after touching infected If your peppers 'always-have-blossom-end-rot' or they tobacco products, such as cigarettes. 'just-don't-grow', try adding two tablespoons of Epsom Bacterial Leaf Spot. A mild case of Salts, and four tablespoons of Gypsum, around each plant bacterial spot causes prominent necrotic spots when you first plant your peppers. You will be pleased with on leaves. A severe case can cause premature the results. leaf drop, and spotting of stems and fruit. Like most bacterial diseases, bacterial spot is dif- Insect Problems ficult to control when frequent rains and moist conditions Hot pepper spray is often used to repel prevail: avoid sprinkling plants. Use common crop rotation insects on many plants. However, some insects practices to help control, or to help prevent this disease. still live on pepper plants, and eat pepper fruit. Aphids, Cutworms, Flea Beetles, Leaf Min- Harvest Time ers, and Mites are just a few of the insects you will need to Harvest peppers early and often; the watch for and control. Spray or dust your plants regularly more you pick, the more the plants will pro- with Sevin, Eight, or Malathion, if your plants have an duce. Most varieties can be eaten when they insect problem. are green and under-ripe, although the flavor Be sure to read the label before harvesting; to make improves as they mature. Always cut (don’t pull) peppers sure that you have waited the proper length of time before from the plant. eating the fruit. Harvest bell peppers anytime they are a good size. Slugs and snails are also attracted to pepper plants. Reg- The skins should be firm and shiny. Peppers can be harvest- ular applications of Corry's Slug and Snail Bait, or Sluggo ed green (immature) or they can be left to ripen on the plant Snail Bait, is the best way to keep these pests under control. (yellow, red, or purple).