Hi
Can anybody please help me with this problem? I have sown about 12 sweet peppers, they took a long time to germinate and have only grown to approx 1 inch. I have tried some in the polytunnel and some on a warm windowsill. I have tried half in plastic pots and half in terracota pots approx 7 weeks ago.
Everything else is growing really well. Is this normal? because I am wondering how they get big enough to fruit at this rate.
Any advise will be most welcome
Greenqueen
same with my chillies. everything else is huge by comparison. either we're both doing the wrong thing, or that's the way they are.
also bought a sweet pepper and chilli as seedlings, both with fruit on now.
trying 4 varieties of chilli. 2 are about 2" tall. one other are only 1" tall though. also took about 5 weeks to germinate, in a warm conservatory
Chillies and peppers do prefer potting on gradually into larger pots..if they are transplanted into larger pots too soon it will take long time for them to start filling the available root room before the tops start growing.
Try well diluted nitrogen rich feed..little and often..and allow the compost almost dry out between waterings.
Also ......Sow chillis as early as mid February as they take such a long time to germinate.
They dont fruit until late summer, mine always are slow to grow, You wait until they get going you will have plenty then. As with all gardening Patience :P
Like Goodlife says i think you have potted them on into big pots to quickly and they have run out of feed. There is only enough feed in compost to last six weeks at the most.
I would suggest you dip them in a high nitrogen liquid feed to try and boost them and then give them a liquid feed once a week with tomato feed or chempac no 3.
I've struggled with many pepper varieties. I've found that "King of the North" performs well, but all peppers are slow to germinate and seem to need more heat than tomatoes. Patience is needed, usually.
I use well diluted Seasol seaweed booster works well on peppers and chillies. It acts more as a plant stimulant rather than a feed, particularly helping root growth,you do not get the overly fast growing sappy green top growth you get with plant feeds. Also agree about patience and potting on only once the roots start showing out of the bottom of the pot.