Soil for peppers

[bill ace 350]

Just bought a small indoor "greenhouse".

I want to get an early start on some Thai Hot peppers.

Any recommended soil mixtures?

Thanks.

 

[Fueling Around]

I've had pretty good luck with general purpose potting soil.

I wet the seed for a week until they show signs of germinating and move to a cup of potting soil with an inch or so of seed starter mix on top.

edit found some photos

I use red cups. Wrap top with plastic as I don't have a greenhouse

Need a good grow light.

 

[bill ace 350]

I've had pretty good luck with general purpose potting soil.

I wet the seed for a week until they show signs of germinating and move to a cup of potting soil with an inch or so of seed starter mix on top.

edit found some photos
View attachment 711573
I use red cups. Wrap top with plastic as I don't have a greenhouse
View attachment 711575
Need a good grow light.

Thanks. That's what I normally use but was curious if there was something maybe better.

 

[Fueling Around]

The seed wetting is a trick I learned from the place I purchased Datil pepper seeds.
If you put them in a damp paper towel, don't remove the seed from it when it germinates. Cut a circle of the towel and plant it all.

Which variety (s) of Thai?
I have Garden Bird and another simply listed as "Chili"
Both were very prolific. I was going to bring the seeds south and start some plants but forgot. Seed is probably close to 10 years old, so will just order some new.

 

[bill ace 350]

Thai Dragon, according to the Amazon details-

NON-GMO. HEIRLOOM. HARVESTED AND PACKAGED BY HAND IN RESEALABLE AIR TIGHT BAGS (EACH BAG IS INDIVIDUALLY LABELED). ALL SEED LOTS ARE TESTED FOR GERMINATION. Sometimes called the Thai Dragon Pepper. Thai pepper variety is seriously hot and gorgeous in a container. Originally from Thailand, this seriously hot pepper makes a lovely impression in a patio container. The ornamental 8-12" plants are bedecked with up to 200 small, conical 1/2 -1" fruits that ripen to bright red. Extremely hot, the peppers can be used fresh or preserved in oil or vinegar. Harvest about 85 days from transplant. Thai pepper is a mound-shaped 8 inch plants, covered with extremely hot inch green and red peppers held upright, widely used in oriental dishes, makes a good ornamental as well. About 35,000-40,000 Scoville Units I dry and chop these up for pepper flakes to spice up a variety of dishes. CHILI IS NEVER THE SAME AFTER USING THESE FOR HEAT. Seeds can be sown directly into garden when soil is warm or started in containers and transplanted when several inches tall.

 

[dr k]

1/3 spent coffee grounds, 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 top soil or 2/3 potting mix vs later two. Or 1/3 sand vs 1/3 spent coffee. Coffee is best for nitrogen and as a draining additive like sand. In the growing season 1/2 cup magnesium sulfate per gallon of water monthly which is plain Epsom salt that facillitates the up take of the nitrogen in the coffee grounds bc plants can get stuck and the leaves turn light green/yellow from the lack of magnesium vs dark hunter green.

 

[Fueling Around]

Thought I replied earlier.
Yes, peppers prefer a slightly acidic soil. Don't use a lot of coffee grounds
Don't forget adding powdered egg shells for the calcium to reduce blossom end rot.

I used to get my Asian seed from Kitizawa but they sold out to True Leaf Market.

My Thai Chili are also Dragon
I think the bird eye or garden bird are a better variety

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

If you are starting peppers from seed instead of soil use vermiculite. I get about three times better starting rate using it. Just keep it moist. These usually have covers on them but removed to take a photo. When they reach the top of the cover I move them to the larger containers with a mix of 1/3 peat moss 2/3 potting soil.

 

[bill ace 350]

1/3 spent coffee grounds, 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 top soil or 2/3 potting mix vs later two. Or 1/3 sand vs 1/3 spent coffee. Coffee is best for nitrogen and as a draining additive like sand. In the growing season 1/2 cup magnesium sulfate per gallon of water monthly which is plain Epsom salt that facillitates the up take of the nitrogen in the coffee grounds bc plants can get stuck and the leaves turn light green/yellow from the lack of magnesium vs dark hunter green.

Thank you!

 

[normanaj]

If the plants are eventually going into the ground I use native soil with some pete and manure mixed in.Obviously if the native soil is something like clay then some store bought topsoil would do.

 

[chopsaw]

Bill , I never mixed a starter soil , but have used spent coffee grounds after planting .
Did a test a couple years ago . 3 plants got coffee and in another section of garden , 3 plants didn't . The coffee ground plants were twice the size and yield .

 

[dr k]

I've had pretty good luck with general purpose potting soil.

I wet the seed for a week until they show signs of germinating and move to a cup of potting soil with an inch or so of seed starter mix on top.

edit found some photos
View attachment 711573
I use red cups. Wrap top with plastic as I don't have a greenhouse
View attachment 711575
Need a good grow light.

Yes, I cut a couple thin slits in the bottom edge of the solo dirt cups with sissors and put it in another solo for drainage or in a square solo cup to keep it higher for drainage. I start with this in mini solo shot glasses doubled when germinating many plants to save space vs a tray and use the solo cup shot glass to push into the soil to make a perfect foot print to put in the standard solo cup dirt. Plus, wetting the indoor soil and microwaving to kill aphid and white fly eggs is less dirt to sterilize in a bowl in the microwave for shot sized glasses. Then, sterilize more dirt later for the standard cups when roots show in shot glass slits in February for an early hardening process. I'm surprised how many pest eggs are in bags of store bought soil and I had to turn the individual regular solo cups upside down to rinse aphid and eggs off the stems and from the underside of leaves you may never see unless you look for them. That's why I really like the Aerogardens with no soil for pest issues for Herbs, lettuces, tomatoes and peppers. I just like solo cups for dirt because if a lot of roots come through just cut the rest of the bottom at the slits and push em out. Throw the plastic cups in the recycle and save what you can for the next season to soak in vinegar to kill bacteria.

 

[Fueling Around]

...
Plus, wetting the indoor soil and microwaving to kill aphid and white fly eggs is less dirt to sterilize in a bowl in the microwave for shot sized glasses. Then, sterilize more dirt later for the standard cups when roots show in shot glass slits in February for an early hardening process. I'm surprised how many pest eggs are in bags of store bought soil and I had to turn the individual regular solo cups upside down to rinse aphid and eggs off the stems and from the underside of leaves you may never see unless you look for them.
...

Great points Kurt
I forgot to mention the sterilization process.

 

[dr k]

This thread reminded me to get a new Harvest Aerogarden water pump. Amazon is way cheaper At $15.00 plus 10 filters that lasts years unless you do an extended grow season over a year. I use distilled water that is perfectly fine easy clean up and 8 ml of liquid Aerogarden fert during germination every two week and golf balls are great extra pod covers to keep the light from growing algae. You want to keep 1/3 pod holes vacant to let roots spread and not get bound for a long harvest. Now or anytime the furnace is needed to heat the home is the right time to grow lettuces since they bolt and get bitter in warm temps when not making a head of lettuce. They grow the fastest of all hydro plants for a 2x per week hair cut 3" above the deck. The other rectangular LED array is also Aerogarden $99.00 I used for 3 mos on a timer but switched to The aerogardens 100%. After this lettuce winter crop I have some Chocolate Hab seeds that I'll try to micro grow since I have so many dried and smoked Chipotle style dehydrated but I want to walk by in the house and pick a fresh one to eat whole to get my super hot tolerance going before summer. I usually eat a whole Serrano, Jalapeno or Habanero after wiping it down walking through the store while shopping bc the SHU in store bought peppers is dropping so I have to eat one before buying to skip if they are mild.

Piggy back to back or in a T formation results in great light sharing so those plants produce faster.


Once the plants outgrow the array legs max adjustable height, disconnect them and hang the array from the supplied chains. Aerogarden light spectrum is white so it doesn't make the whole room a blue/purple color. I'll get the Harvest at Menards if mine fail bc they go on sale $20 cheaper than Areogarden. They have a germination tray of 30-40 if you'll always transplant to garden or pots.

 

[chopsaw]

golf balls are great extra pod covers

Great idea . I've tried all sorts of things , but never thought golf balls . I have 3 of the Harvest gardens . Need to get them fired up .