Hydroponic Peppers

Growing Hydroponic Peppers

Peppers are a popular choice for hydroponic gardeners. They grow well in hydroponic medium and can get quite tall, producing so many peppers that the gardeners don't know what to do with them all. Some have had pepper plants that continued to live and produce for many years.

Lighting Types for Peppers

You need good quality grow lights to have success with peppers. If you attempt to use natural light indoors, you will most likely get very poor results. If you are transplanting seedlings, expose them to as much light as possible before transplanting so they don't become shocked by stronger light levels. Compact varieties perform best in hydroponic systems with grow lights.

Best Nutrients and Temperature

Peppers do well with a half strength vegetative nutrient solution as soon as they develop seedling leaves until a week before transplanting. Full strength nutrients can be given to them before transplanting into your hydroponic system. This will help them harden off.

You need to keep a constant temperature to keep your peppers happy. They like it to stay between 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. If it gets warmer, your peppers will grow faster, but they will be smaller and won't be as tasty. Lower temperatures will cause the plant to drop flowers before fruit sets. Keep your humidity around 80 percent.

When to Grow hydroponic peppers

If you are growing indoors, it doesn't matter when you plant your peppers. Climate controlled environments give you the freedom to kick seasonality to the wayside. If you cannot completely control your climate for temperature and humidity, stick to the traditional seasons for growing your peppers. For the Northern Hemisphere, that means you need to start your seedlings in March or April and transplant them into your system in May. By late August you will be well into harvesting your bounty.

Possible Pests and Diseases in Small and Commercial Gardens

Peppers can fall prey to gray mould, stem rot, tobacco mosaic virus and tomato spotted wilt virus. Sometimes you can find varieties that may be resistant to some of these diseases. Always dip your shears or knives in a powder milk solution between plants so you don't inadvertently spread any germs. Blossom end rot is common in plants that are stressed due to temperature fluctuations or irrigation cycle frequency.

Common pests include aphids, red spider mites, thrips, whiteflies, fungus gnats, broad mites and caterpillars. Many of these are hard to see due to their small size. Watch for dried leaves and use a magnifying glass to examine the plant for insects.

Harvesting and Storage hydroponics peppers

Harvest your peppers when they are at the peak of ripeness. This will give you the sweetest peppers. Don't leave them on the vine until you are hungry for them this signals the plant to stop producing. Green peppers will turn red after being stored for about three weeks. Store your harvest in a sealed container placed at the bottom of your refrigerator for up to two weeks. Canning and freezing are good methods of preserving your harvest for longer periods of time.

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