container Containers Affecting Growth

J

Jgregs

I have five or six peppers of various types growing in large five gallon buckets. The plants seemed to really take off once I got them into a bigger container but they all seem to want to grow tall and don't really fill out. My Habenero is really bushy but my Anaheim, Jalapeno, another Jalapeno which I think might actually be Serrano. Short and stuby little peppers) all grow up, not out. Is this normal? I try to prune back the new growth from time to time to promote growth that is lower. Should I just let them grow up however they want? Also, because it's in a container and the roots can only grow out so far, would this affect it as well?

Sorry, I am at work and can't post pictures
 
Anaheim, jalapeño, and most c. annums naturally don't grow as bushy as c. chinenses (habaneros, etc.), and grow taller and skinnier. Serranos are usually bushier than most annums. Hard to really say if yours are normal without pictures though.
 
hot lemon, bishop crown, dundicut are other examples of tree type peppers versus bush style. i think rocoto is another tree type. you should see how awkward they look in a hydroponic station.
 
Most plants, chiles included, have a clever mechanism for controlling their growth - the hormone responsible for rooting is produced in the leaves and the hormone responsible for growth is in the roots. because of that, the overall growth is directly related to how much space the roots have. furthermore, if the roots lack oxygen and/or space they will get in shock and stop take nutrients and eventually even water. there is a reasonable amount of space you need to provide for a healthy growth and with chiles any more space will only improve the end result.

As for type of growth, it does change from one species to another and even varieties in the same species. C. annuum chiles do have a more "conventional" chile-pepper-plant-look (at least if you're familiar with chile plants) and C. chinense for example are more miniature-tree-like.

Good luck. :)
 
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