Root Feeding Peppers

[AlabamaJack]

I was thinking about watering my pepper plants this coming year. I have read that splashing water on the leaves increases the chance of soil borne disease getting on the plants.

If root-feeding is recommended for trees and shrubs, why wouldn’t it be good for pepper plants too?

Attached link has video with sound.....

http://rootfeed.com/index.html?gclid=CNKHlfHQuZACFQUolgodHEnxMg

What do you all think?

[willard3]

Root feeding is one of the reasons Hydro is more productive than dirt growing.

[stillmanz]

I never water the plant leaves I only ever water the roots...I guess it comes from growing tomatoes

[wordwiz]

I was thinking about watering my pepper plants this coming year. I have read that splashing water on the leaves increases the chance of soil borne disease getting on the plants.

What do you all think?

I left the plants in the garden out in rainstorms and it didn't seem to hurt them. :rolleyes: I also used Miracle Grow mix applied through a garden hose with success. Not just peppers but all the veggies seemed to thrive. Of course, once they started producing fruit, no more fertilizer.

Back on the farm, a popular way of giving plants a big boost was called side dressing. Once the plants got about a foot tall, we used a tractor with very narrow cultivators on it that would deliver nitrate to the roots (about four inches away on both sides of the plant) at a depth of about two inches. I've also sprinkled nitrate on the ground and plants (about 5 pounds ber 200 square feet) then immediately watered the garden until it was soaked. It would give the plants a huge boost. Again, this was done when they were still less than two feet tall.

Mike

[stillmanz]

lol yes the rain will wet there leaves.

I use potasium foliar srays etc but in my opinion every day watering dosn't have to be directed on the leaves, its worked for me so far.

[AlabamaJack]

OK then. If that is why Hydro works so well, root feeding in soil would work also...thanks all.

[POTAWIE]

For a cheap sollution, get yourself a good soaker hose, not the kind that sprays in the air but the ones that drip.

[AlabamaJack]

For a cheap sollution, get yourself a good soaker hose, not the kind that sprays in the air but the ones that drip.

Got one in my above ground bed. It is actually about an inch below the top of the soil and works well. Don't know how I would incorporate a soaker hose with all my containers. I probably will go with a drip irrigation system for my containers.

[POTAWIE]

I've got an irrigation system that I have never used yet but hope to try this next season. It's gravity fed and runs off a rainbarrel with low flow. You apparently use a lot less water too with less evaportation.

[stillmanz]

potawie do a google on "wet pot" oz take on a old system I'vebeen using it its interesting set up. using clay bulbs on a bleed line from a reseviour. I've had great success so far... I use it in soil and also experimenting in coco out door bed.

[POTAWIE]

This is what I'm planning on setting up either in my garden or maybe in the greenhouse. I got two of these kits last christmas.

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&p=49691&cat=2,2280,49657,49739&ap=1

[stillmanz]

Potawie I've used similiar as your set up, they are good...only complaint I had problems with blocked bleeders due to lack of pressure.

This is what I've been using. http://wetpots.com/
because the clay bleeds no blockage.

[POTAWIE]

The wetpots look great but can you use them easily in containers? I don't see how you'd get them into plants that are already heavily rooted without using a huge container.

[stillmanz]

they have pot design which is more tear dropped and smaller. They are good for tomatoes, chilli and perrenial type. There best in the ground I've found. I've experimented in containers with chillis and flowers with pretty good reults.
http://img108.mytextgraphics.com/photolava/2007/12/16/dscn3343-48umq8wt8.jpg
this line of prik kee nu thai chilli were grown in 12 inch pots with the wet pot system.

[cheezydemon]

Holy CRAP

I would have sworn that no container grown plant would do as well as one in the ground. That thing is a monster, and in a relatively small pot.

[stillmanz]

Can't take all the credit they are a naturally very big chilli plant and I dose it with a lot of hydro gear.