Guide to Successful Hydroponic Peppers

Introduction

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on growing strawberries using hydroponic systems! In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best practices for preparing your plants, caring for their roots, and ensuring bountiful berry production. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced grower, our tips will help you achieve the best results.

Anatomy of a Pepper Plant

Understanding the anatomy of a Pepper plant is key to effective pruning and care:
 

Roots - These are pretty obvious. This is the "mouth" of the plant. Properly watering and draining is crucial to the health and growth of your plant. Keeping a proper water to air exchange allows your plant to prosper and more readily take up nutrients. This is aided by first, using high quality nutrients such as Veg+Bloom or VBX and which can be aided by surfactants like PHLO to condition your water and take care of your root health. 

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Node - Nodes are points along the stem where leaves, branches, or flowers originate. They are essential growth centers that support the development of these plant parts. Each node is a crucial junction that holds the genetic blueprint for future growth.

 

Internode - The internode is the segment of the plant stem between two nodes. Internodes play a role in height and distance between nodes, contributing to the plant's overall structure and growth pattern. The length of internodes can vary, affecting how compact or stretched out the plant appears.
 

Leaf - Leaves are the primary sites of photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy. They are typically broad and flat, maximizing surface area to capture sunlight. In pepper plants, leaves are usually green, indicating their active role in producing food for the plant.

Flower - Flowers are the reproductive organs of the pepper plant. They are usually small and white or pale green. Flowers contain both male and female structures, enabling pollination and the production of seeds. Successful pollination leads to the development of fruit.

Fruit - Fruits are the mature ovaries of the flower, containing seeds. In the case of pepper plants, the fruit is the pepper itself, which can vary in size, shape, color, and flavor. Fruits protect the seeds and aid in their dispersal once they mature. This is how the plant reproduces. For us, it is the delightful final step to enjoying "fruits of our labor." 

Pruing for Better Production

In most hydroponic systems you will want to prune your pepper plants for better production and better plant control. For example, it's generally preferred to have a plant be "bushier" than taller. So, to do this, you need to prune it.


Where to Prune

Prune just above a node (the point where leaves attach to the stem).  We usually prune above the 4th node to control height; however, you can experiment with your plants and prune earlier to obtain your desired shape and height for your grow system. Pruning just above the node will encourage the plant to grow two new branches from that point, promoting bushiness.

 

Lower Leaves 

Remove any leaves that touch the ground or are overcrowded to increase air circulation and reduce disease risk.

 

Suckers 

Yes, we said suckers. Pepper plants do develop these.  They are small shoots that appear in leaf axils that can be removed if they're not contributing to the overall structure of the plant, focusing energy on fruit-bearing branches. This is not usually a problem for smaller pepper plants because you want those extra growths, however, when growing larger peppers such as bells, removing these will help focus energy where it's needed. 


Top Pruning (Topping)

To prevent the plant from getting too tall, you can cut off the top of the main stem when it reaches a desirable height. This encourages lateral growth.
 

How to Prune

Use clean, sharp scissors or pruning shears to make clean cuts. We recommend sterilizing your shears in a hypochlorous acid solution. You can make your own with a Force of Nature device then simply spray on your tools or place items in the solution to soak. Though, hypochlorous acid only needs 1 minute of contact time to sanitize.  Keeping your tools and the environment around your system as clean as possible is crucial to your system's health and overall production. 

As the plant matures, continue pruning to remove any unhealthy or non-productive branches, focusing energy on fruit production.

How to Keep the Plants Producing

A continuous supply of peppers is the goal of any pepper grower. The same can be said about nearly every fruiting plant. However, how do we keep these plants producing? Fortunately, pepper plants are not merely one-time producers. Here are some steps to ensure they continue producing fruit.

 

 

  • Harvest Regularly: Pick peppers as soon as they reach the desired size; this signals the plant to produce more fruit. 
     
  • Nutrition:  Feed with a balanced fertilizer, such as Veg+Bloom or VBX and keep the EC level as consistent as possible. For that added production you can add Shine to the mix to push your flowering and fruiting production to the max. 
     
  • Watering: Proper watering is key. We recommend a 3/15 watering schedule but you will need to modify some systems to utilize this method. Reach out to the group to learn more. You want to make sure your roots are not sitting in water and maintain proper drainage. 
     
  • Temperature: Peppers thrive in warm conditions. However, in an indoor hydroponic system, it's not so much of an issue if you can keep your system in the 70-75 range.  Even if temps drop at night into the mid to high 60's your plants will be fine. The key factor to know is what the VPD is for your system.
     
  • Pest and Disease Management: If you follow our advice and utilize a grow tent, this should never be a problem. If you're not using a grow tent, regularly inspect for pests or signs of disease, using organic controls, when possible, to keep the plant healthy and productive.

Recommended Nutrients

For optimal growth and fruit production, we highly recommend using Veg+Bloom, a full-cycle plant food designed for all stages of the pepper plant's life cycle. This nutrient solution is specially formulated to provide balanced nutrition without the need for additional additives like Cal-Mag. Veg+Bloom's superior formula promotes robust growth, flowering, and fruiting, making it an ideal choice for hydroponic pepper cultivation.

If you're looking to push your pepper production to the max, you can add Shine to during the flowering phase. This will give nutrient boosts that promote more flowers and in-turn, more pepper production. 

Recommented Grow Medium

This will depend on the type of system you're growing your plants in. For our discussion, we will discuss growing hydroponically. So, with that in mind, here is what we recommend. 


Rockwool

There is nothing better for getting your hydroponic pepper plants started.  Rockwool is the go-to medium for most hydroponic systems and is used by professional and commercial growers across the country. It's superior water retention, aeration and stable pH environment makes it the ideal grow media. 

 

Clay Pepples 

While we generally don't recommend clay pebbles on their own, combining them with Rockwool will offer superior drainage and airflow while still retaining the benefits of the Rockwool. Alone, they can lead to inconsistent water availability, which can stress the plants and affect their growth. Additionally, clay pebbles can sometimes harbor pathogens if not cleaned thoroughly, which is not ideal for sensitive roots. They also tend to be bulky and can create uneven drainage in a system like the standard Gardyn yCube, leading to potential waterlogging or dry spots. This is why we recommend the combo method only. 

 

Root Riot Plugs

While in some circles you may hear these recommended but this is a mistake. DO NOT used root riot plugs in any closed recirculating system. These are known to break down over time, which can clog your hydroponic system and create an environment conducive to pathogen growth. Unlike Rockwool, Root Riot plugs do not provide the same level of consistent moisture and aeration. Their decomposition can also alter the pH balance of your nutrient solution, which is detrimental to most plants. Root Riot plugs are not suitable for systems that hold water, such as the Gardyn yCube, as they can become waterlogged and contribute to root rot. There are systems that these are okay to use with however, tower and similar growing systems are not one of them. 

 

By following these guidelines, you can ensure a healthy and productive hydroponic garden. Happy growing!

Conclusion

Cultivating peppers in a hydroponic system is a highly rewarding endeavor. Adhering to the steps outlined will ensure a plentiful harvest and continuous production of your plants. Experiment with different varieties and utilize them in various ways. Harvest fruits for seeds, clone your plants for quicker growth of new ones. The possibilities are limitless, and peppers are arguably the simplest fruiting plant to cultivate in a hydroponic system. We trust that this guide assists you in getting started and enhances any existing experience you may have. If you have any inquiries, please "Join the Discussion" and seek assistance from the group. We are here to support you.