A Detailed Guide to the Latest Fertilizing Methods for Potted Chili Peppers
Nutrient uptake by chili peppers at different growth stages: nitrogen rises steadily as growth progresses, fruit yield increases, and uptake increases; phosphorus uptake varies little across stages; potassium uptake is low in the early growth stage and increases markedly from the beginning of fruit harvest, continuing right through to the end; calcium uptake also rises with the growing period, and if calcium supply is insufficient during fruit development, blossom-end rot is likely to occur; magnesium uptake peaks during the full fruit-harvest period.
If you want your chili peppers to bear more fruit, you need not only light but frequent fertilizing, but also suitable fertilizer. Besides routine topdressing, when potted chili peppers are first transplanted onto a balcony, an appropriate amount of decomposed cake fertilizer or animal manure can be added beneath the potting soil. Once the chili seedlings grow, they can generally be fertilized once every half a month, with organic fertilizer being best. Loosen the soil around the chili roots and put in the fertilizer. The fertilizer must be fermented and decomposed organic fertilizer; for your own consumption, chemical fertilizers are generally not used. The specific fertilizing techniques are as follows:
I. Fertilizing Characteristics
Chili peppers have a high fertilizer demand and strong tolerance for fertilizer, and belong to the high-nitrogen, medium-phosphorus, high-potassium type of vegetables. Chili peppers are mainly harvested as tender fruit, so attention must be paid to the use of potassium fertilizer, which is very important for improving fruit quality. In addition, attention must also be paid to the application of medium and trace elements, especially calcium fertilizer; once deficient, the fruit is prone to blossom-end rot.
1. Chili peppers prefer nitrate nitrogen fertilizer: the ratio of nitrate nitrogen fertilizer to ammonium nitrogen fertilizer is best at 1:1.
2. Chili peppers prefer potassium: the absorption ratio of nitrogen to potassium in chili peppers is above 1:1.2, and the requirement for phosphorus is not high.
3. Chili peppers require large amounts of calcium and magnesium: calcium is an important element constituting the plant cell wall, can promote cell wall development and make fruit thicker; insufficient calcium supply during fruit development makes blossom-end rot likely, and applying an appropriate amount of calcium fertilizer can improve the disease resistance of chili peppers. Magnesium is an important component of chlorophyll, and magnesium deficiency causes yellowing between the veins of chili pepper leaves; chili peppers need less magnesium in the early planting stage and more during the harvest period.
4. Chili peppers are sensitive to boron deficiency: boron participates in the transport and metabolism of carbohydrates in chili peppers, can stimulate pollen germination and pollen tube elongation, and has a special role in promoting the fertilization process; when chili peppers lack boron, the roots turn black and rot, the flowering period is delayed, and flowers fail to set fruit, affecting yield.
II. Fertilizing Methods
Boron participates in the transport and metabolism of carbohydrates in chili peppers, can stimulate pollen germination and pollen tube elongation, and has a special role in promoting the fertilization process; when chili peppers lack boron, the roots turn black and rot, the flowering period is delayed, and flowers fail to set fruit, affecting yield.
Because the growth and fertilizer requirements of chili peppers are roughly similar to those of tomatoes, and the cultivation methods are roughly similar, the fertilizing techniques are also much the same.
1. Base fertilizer: fertilizing the seedling pots mainly means preparing seedling soil; the substrate must be fertile soil, and at the same time sufficient fertilizer must be applied, otherwise development will be affected. During the seedling stage, apply 1-2 topdressings as supplemental fertilizer depending on growth.
2. Topdressing: chili peppers also continuously set fruit, are continuously harvested, and continuously carry away nutrients, so nutrients need to be continuously replenished. On the basis of applying sufficient base fertilizer, topdressing should also be done multiple times. When the fruit begins to swell, apply fruit-promoting fertilizer; upon entering the full fruit stage, topdressing should continue 3 times (topdressing after each fruit harvest); after entering the full fruit stage, the root system's ability to absorb fertilizer declines. Spray once a week for a total of three sprays, which helps delay senescence, extend the harvest period, and improve fruit quality.
According to the fertilizer requirements of chili peppers and the level of soil fertility, the key to fertilizing potted chili peppers lies in applying heavy base fertilizer and skillful topdressing. For detailed fertilizing, the following principles should be grasped:
1. Apply heavy organic fertilizer
Apply more well-decomposed organic fertilizer (such as chicken manure), and additionally apply a small amount of enzyme bacterial fertilizer and similar bio-organic fertilizers. In pots with dead-plant disease, a small amount of Bacillus-type bio-organic fertilizer should be added. Of course, chemical fertilizers should also be reasonably selected; when chemical fertilizers are used as base fertilizer, single-element fertilizers should be chosen as much as possible, such as urea, superphosphate, and potassium sulfate.
2. Skillful topdressing
When topdressing with compound fertilizer, choose compound fertilizer containing nitrate nitrogen as much as possible. Applying True Root during seedling raising, transplanting, and planting stages makes rooting fast and fibrous roots numerous, can shorten the seedling recovery time of chili peppers, and increase the seedlings' ability to resist adverse environments. For the continuous fruit-setting ability of chili peppers, fewer flower drops, high yield, and improved quality, the proportions of base fertilizer and topdressing should be reasonably allocated. Under normal circumstances, organic fertilizer, micro-element fertilizer, 80% of the phosphorus fertilizer, 50% of the potassium fertilizer, and 30% of the nitrogen fertilizer are mixed evenly and used as base fertilizer, while the remaining 70% of the nitrogen fertilizer, 20% of the phosphorus fertilizer, and 50% of the potassium fertilizer are used separately as topdressing. For some trace elements such as borax, foliar spraying can be used.