Fertilizer for Pepper Plants: Here’s What You Need to Grow Lots of Chillies

If you’re new to growing chilies, fertilizing peppers can be confusing. When do you start feeding chilies? How often? And, what’s the best fertilizer for pepper plants? Get answers to all of these questions and more.

Growing chillies for over 10 years, I’ve done a lot of experimenting when it comes to fertilizer for peppers. Here I’ll share what I do to consistently grow healthy plants and start fertilizing peppers for maximum yield.

Before we begin, I want to mention that I use water-soluble fertilizers, and my fertilization methods are just one way to feed peppers. Other gardeners do it their own way. The key is to test and see what works best for your pepper plants.

Let’s continue!

Best Fertilizer For Pepper Plants

A high-quality fertilizer has the three primary macronutrients that pepper plants need to thrive: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen (N) supports green, leafy growth, phosphorus (P) encourages root development and flowering, while potassium (K) gives pepper plants the ability to fight off disease and stay healthy [source]. Fertilizers have an “NPK” rating, such as 5-10-10, which indicates how much of each nutrient it has.

Below, are examples of the best fertilizers for pepper plants, depending on the growth stage.

Pepper Seedlings

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Flowering & Fruiting Pepper Plants

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» Bottom Line: Use fish emulsion for 100% organic gardening or FoxFarm Nutrient Trio for solutions specifically designed for each growth stage.

Secondary Nutrients

Besides macronutrients, pepper plants also need trace minerals and micronutrients to continue growing and successfully complete their life cycle [source]. Soil and fertilizers may not have enough of these secondary nutrients.

You can supplement your pepper fertilizer regimen with minerals and nutrients before plants show signs of stress. Below, are common sources of secondary nutrients.

• Calcium and Magnesium (Cal-Mag)
• Epsom salt (Magnesium Sulfate)
• Compost (minerals & micronutrients)
• Compost Tea (foliar spray of minerals & micronutrients)

When To Start Fertilizing Pepper Seedlings

Pepper seeds have just enough energy to support the cotyledons, which are the embryonic leaves that first appear. After pepper seedlings grow their next set of leaves — known as true leaves — they need to be fertilized regularly so that they continue growing well.

» Jump To: Best Fertilizer for Seedlings

How To Start Fertilizing Peppers

After the first set of true leaves, you can start fertilizing pepper plants with a diluted amount of fish and seaweed fertilizer, or another water soluble fertilizer that supports leafy growth.

1. Check the instructions on the fertilizer container to figure out what the 1/4 strength measurement is.
2. Add the 1/4 amount of fertilizer to the right amount of water. (The fertilizer container will have this information.)
3. Pour the fertilizer mixture in a plant tray so that your seedlings soak up water from the bottom.
4. Wait for the top of the growing media to turn a darker color, which lets you know your seedlings are properly watered. Remove any leftover water in the tray.
5. Fertilize young pepper plants weekly using this process unless the packaging instructions say otherwise.

» Related: How to Care for Pepper Seedlings after Seeds Sprout

Foliar Feeding Epsom Salt

After your chilli plants have three or four sets of true leaves, you can spray magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) directly to the leaves and stem. This bonus application, known as foliar feeding, helps seedlings grow strong, green foliage and take in nutrients.

Epsom Salt Foliar Spray Recipe

1. Add 1 teaspoon of epsom salt to a gallon of water and shake it up well. (Don’t use epsom salt that has additions like scents or bath crystals.)
2. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spritz the leaves and stems with the solution until thoroughly covered. (Don’t spray plants if the grow light is on because it can dull the bulbs.)
3. Check your plants the next day to make sure they don’t show any signs of stress. If everything looks good, continue to the next step.
4. Give your plants a foliar feeding every other week.

​Fertilizing Potted Pepper Plants

As pepper seedlings grow and move to bigger containers, you can start giving them more fertilizer. Generally, pepper transplants can have 1/2 strength fertilizer when they’re potted outdoors.

Notes:

• Check the container instructions to determine the 1/2 dosage amount. Then, continue your chili plant fertilizer schedule as normal.
• If your potted peppers are flowering, switch to FoxFarm Tiger Bloom (if using). Alternately, you can continue using fish emulsion.

The 1/2 strength dosage refers to fertilizer for peppers in pots. If your peppers are in the ground, you can use the full dosage.

Everything up to this point has covered the basics of fertilizer for peppers. The next sections describe bonus supplements that you can use to make sure your chillies also get those important secondary nutrients.

Calcium For Peppers

Calcium is essential in plants like peppers because it helps build strong cell walls and membranes. With chilli plants, a common sign of pepper calcium deficiency is blossom end rot (BER) — this is where the walls start to rot and collapse.

You can prevent issues like BER and keep your chillies flowering and fruiting well by applying calcium. Sources of calcium include Cal-Mag and bonemeal.

Apply the Cal-Mag or bonemeal by following the instructions on the label. Cal-Mag is typically added to water and bonemeal is mixed into the top layer of soil. A monthly feeding of calcium is usually sufficient for peppers.

Pepper Plant Compost

Healthy pepper plants need quality soil, and adding compost enhances it even more. The decomposed organic material in compost helps soil retain moisture, which comes in handy to chili plants during hot weather. Compost also has lots of vitamins and minerals, such as manganese and zinc, that give plants the ability to fight off pests and diseases.

When transplanting peppers into the garden, mix 2 inches of compost into the top inches of soil. You can also layer 1/4 to 1/2 inch compost on top of the mix.

Compost Tea For Peppers

Another way to feed peppers is by using compost tea — a concentrated liquified form of compost. This tea is full of beneficial microbes and vitamins, and there are so many benefits: for example, better nutrient intake and more productive plants. You can apply compost tea as a foliar spray or water your pepper plants with it.

Making Compost Tea

If you have compost, you can “brew” a batch of tea. An easy method is to drop a handful of compost in a 5-gallon bucket filled with water and let it sit for 24 hours. Stir the mixture and use it right away so that it’s most effective.

If you don’t have compost, you can use ready-made compost tea bags. Steep a bag in 2 to 5 gallons of water for 8 to 12 hours, then use it immediately.

Using Compost Tea

Pour the compost tea in a watering can to apply it to the base of your plants. Otherwise, add the tea to a garden sprayer and in the early morning, use it as a foliar spray on the tops and undersides of leaves.

Feed your plants with compost tea once or twice a month.

Recap Of Fertilizers

All of the products mentioned throughout this post are listed below for your convenience.

Primary Fertilizers:

• FoxFarm Nutrient Trio (here’s the Fox Farm feeding schedule page for your reference)
• Neptune Fish & Seaweed Fertilizer

Secondary Nutrients:

• Cal-Mag
• Bonemeal
• Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate)
• Compost
• Compost Tea

Potting Mix with Organic Nutrients:

• Ocean Forest Potting Mix

Tools for Fertilizer Application:

• Spray bottle (Epsom salt sprayer for pepper seedlings)
• Garden sprayer (Foliar spray for larger pepper plants)
• Soil test kit for pH

» Related: Recommended Pepper Growing Supplies

FREE DOWNLOAD

As an email subscriber, you can download the fertilization cheat sheets​ that go with this article. You’ll get all of the steps in a printable, at-a-glance format + a sample feeding calendar.

Manure As Fertilizer

First, if you buy bagged potting mixes for containers, don’t use manure as fertilizer because the mix already has everything needed to support your pepper plants. Plus, manure has to be aged — whether planting in pots or the ground — so it doesn’t burn your plants.

Good animal manure sources include cow, rabbit, sheep, and chicken. (Speaking of the latter, here are some great chicken coop plans to create your own supply.)

You can use animal manure when planting in the ground if you prepare it in the fall. To do this, add fresh manure (about 2 to 3 inches) to the soil, and till so that the manure has enough time to age before spring planting.  

FAQs About Fertilizer For Peppers

What’s Next?

I hope this guide gives you a better understanding of fertilizer for pepper plants. Again, this is just an example of what I do, and you may prefer other chilli plant fertilizers as you continue growing peppers.

Coming up we are picking peppers! Yes!! This harvesting chillies guide explains when to pick peppers for fresh eating, seed saving and more.

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