Fertilizers are crucial for making your peppers grow strong and healthy while at the same time producing a handsomely bumper crop.
That being said, there are so many products available online and in your local garden stores that it can be a bit daunting to choose the right one.
Anyway, the best fertilizer for pepper plants will have an NPK value of 5-10-10, meaning five parts nitrogen to ten parts phosphorus and ten parts potassium.
We have taken on the task of compiling all the information you’ll need to successfully fertilize your pepper plants.
What You Will Learn: By the time you finish reading, we can say you will know what’s best for a pepper plant fertilizer, along with the correct way and time to do it.
What Is the NPK Value?
When you are selecting the top fertilizer for your pepper plants, you will have seen the term of a series of three numbers stuck to the bag.
This is known as the fertilizer grade or the NPK value, which stands for the amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in the bag.
These three nutrients are what your pepper plants need the most to grow.
- Nitrogen is used to create chlorophyll that helps in vegetative growth, giving the plant a lush and leafy appearance. Ultralife is necessary in early vegetative growth, whereas the concentration of nitrogen should decrease as the plant begins to flower. If you used too much nitrogen in a fertilizer, they would not transition into flowering, which, in all likelihood, would impact the plant’s ability to set fruit.
- Phosphorus plays an important role in root and flower system development and allows the pepper plant to convert solar energy into plant energy. Potassium establishes a framework for the plant’s defense against diseases. In addition, potassium is important for the flow of water and nutrients generating good quality peppers.
The best type of fertilizer for your pepper plants will have the N-P-K ratio of 5-10-10.
This means you are giving your peppers five parts nitrogen in ratio to ten parts of phosphorous and potassium each.
This is perfect to power good lively plants that will produce plentifully.
Types of Pepper Fertilizers
| Type | Granular fertilizer | Liquid fertilizer | Powder fertilizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | Granules | Concentered liquid | Fine powder |
| Application | Mix into soil | Dilute | Dissolve |
| Advantages | Easy to use Long-lasting | Fast absorption Versatile | Longer shelf life Budget-friendly |
| Disadvantages | Corrosive to seedlings | Easily washes away with rain | Time-consuming preparation |
| Tools | Spreader, Shovel | Watering can, Garden hose, Canister | Watering Can, Garden hose |
Granular Fertilizers
Granular fertilizers are a type of fertilizer that are slow-release and will be around for a long time.
The granules are coated with a permeable coating that allows water, and with the right soil temperature, nutrients to slowly leak out as water permeates the coating.
You can put the granules down in a circular pattern around the plant base, as long as they do not touch the pepper plant stem.
Because the granules are concentrated with nutrients, they can burn the plant and cause it to wilt.
After you apply the granules, you will want to water them, which will allow the granules to seep into the soil and be taken up by the roots.
If you have a field of pepper plants, this is the best fertilizer for you!
Best Practice: Measure out the manufacturer’s suggested amount of the granules and mix it into the top two or three inches of soil. If you are following the suggested usage, it is usually 2-3 pounds per 100 sf of bed.
Liquid Fertilizers
These fertilizers are concentrated liquids.
You mix them with a set amount of water and spray it onto your peppers.
Unlike granular fertilizers, it is absorbed into plants quicker.
However, you need to put them on again after a couple of weeks or a month.
Be careful to spray the plant at the base of the stem line and not over the leaves, because there is a good chance you may burn the stems or leaves.
Also, do not trim the plant or muck around the soil or they will spread bacteria and fungi.
Powder Fertilizers
Inside this fertilizer, nutrients are mixed and ground into a super fine powder to fully dissolve when added in water.
Once the water fully dissolved the fine powder, you can apply it as you would with liquid fertilizer.
They are one of the cheaper options and have a longer shelf life than other fertilizers.
When to Fertilize Pepper Plants
You could be applying the right fertilizer, but if you do not apply it on the proper schedule, you will not see the results you expect.
Growth stage is pertinent to apply fertilizer correctly. As pepper plants develop, they have different nutrient needs as they begin sprouting and when they start developing pepper pods, specifically:
- Pepper seedlings need sufficient nitrogen to develop strong roots, stems and leaves. Prior to transplanting, incorporate a nitrogen fertilizer into the top few inches of soil. It is important not to overdo the fertilizer because a high concentration may kill the seedlings.
- When your pepper plants begin flowering, it is probably time for more fertilizer. More phosphorus and potassium are needed to promote pepper pod production at this point. A 5-10-10 N-P-K ratio fertilizer would be your best option because, it has less nitrogen.
- After adding some fertilizer, a layer of mulch at the base of the plants is recommended. Not only does this help preserve the nutrients as well as keep the system moist, but it acts as a barrier against evaporation and subsequently might add nutrients to the soil.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to apply pepper fertilizer?
Apply your fertilizer during the early morning hours, or in the evening.
When you apply fertilizer while the sun is hot and bright, and the soil is baked, the moisture will evaporate before roots uptake it.
Also, do not apply fertilizer when it is raining, as the fertilizer may be swept away.
How do you tell if there is a fertilizer deficiency?
Yellow leaves, limited flower dimples, no new fruits, and imbalance in soil nutrients.
However, before continuing with further fertilization, you should perform a soil test first.
You want to know the pH, the acidity, and what minerals may or may not exist prior to remedying whatever your soil needs.
How often should you fertilize peppers?
It is mainly determined by what manufacturer of fertilizer you are using.
Fortuitously, the majority of manufacturers of fertilizer will instruct you on when to provide your peppers with fertilizer.
Thus, please follow these recommendations, refrain from over-fertilizing, as this a disservice to your pepper plants, doing them more harm than good.
Why is my pepper plant developing brown spots on the leaf?
Generally, it is caused by too much fertilizer.
Reduce the fertilizer input, and flush out your pepper plants with water without any nutrients to flush out excess minerals and salts in the root system.
However, don’t add so much water that the soil is soggy as the roots will rot and prevent absorption of water and minerals.
Conclusion
Choosing the right fertilizer for your pepper plants should be a straightforward task, but, like many other things in life, it is not that straight forward.
The reason for is that different stages of plant growth can require different amounts of nutrients.
Access to the correct nutrients at the right time is required of the plant.
If you want to maximize your results you might want consider using two different fertilizers for two stages of growth.
In the end, each brand follows its own unique consideration and set of instructions.
In all cases, whatever fertilizer you selected, just ensure that you follow consistently, the manufacturer’s recommendations for application, and you will achieve the best gains from your fertilizer.