Watering Chillies

[HotStuff]

How often does everyone water their Chillies? And how much? And from the top or into a saucer? I'm afraid of overwatering mine and when I do water them it's into the saucer, not from the top. But then I read somewhere about washing out accumulated salts so now I'm worried that I should be doing it from the top and more often. What works for you?

[zazen999]

I have a bath of water in the greenhouse, in an old darkroom tray. Each day I'll go through the pots and dunk all the dry ones for half an hour and then take them out.

They will also get a tomato feed dunk once they are flowering. ie once a week the water tray will have tomato food in it and they will get dunked into that.

[amandaandherveg]

I water the trays that my chilli pots sit in. I'm a real novice though and this is my first proper 'go' at trying to grow them. They're all still very small but healthy looking.

[Mchanen]

I would water into saucers if your chilli plants are seedlings- but if they are already big plants then watering from the top is fine- i only water them when the soil is dry rather then at set times in the week!

[teakdesk]

I water the trays that my chilli pots sit in.

Make sure you pour any excess water away after half an hour or the soil will become water-logged and rot the roots.

[rana]

If you use fresh rain water then accumulation of salts, limescale etc should not be a issue.

[smallblueplanet]

My chilli plants (of which there are numerous! ) are watered from the top when the compost looks dry & feels dry - pick up the pot the weight lets you know whether the compost is wet. Chillies prefer to be on the dry side, so if you see the plant wilt a little it'll be okay and then you know its time to water! I mix perlite into the compost to help drainage.

[Two_Sheds]

I have a bath of water in the greenhouse, in an old darkroom tray. Each day I'll go through the pots and dunk all the dry ones for half an hour and then take them out.

Exactly what I do. Though sometimes it's a 15 min dunk if I get bored.

[zazen999]

Exactly what I do. Though sometimes it's a 15 min dunk if I get bored.

Sometimes an hour if I get waylaid

[onefivenine]

Mine are in 3" pots in a window sill tray and it usually always has 1/4" of water in the bottom. I've started letting them absorb it all now and dry out and am trying to only put in enough for them to absorb in the course of a day.

Will that have been holding them back if the roots are too wet? They look healthy enough.

[amandaandherveg]

Sometimes I stand in the greenhouse for ages and just stare at them - like it's going to make them grow quicker.

[stupot]

Nothing like a plant-stare off my plants only get going when my backs turned though

[HotStuff]

Thanks for that everyone, lots of useful advice as usual

[Two_Sheds]

Will that have been holding them back if the roots are too wet?

Yes.
Plants need air round their roots, as well as sufficient water. Unless they are bog plants, of course.

Excess water will encourage fungal disease, moulds and fungus gnats too.

[gadgetman]

I was a novice last year, but managed quite a crop from 6 plants - all grown from seed. Got around 20 med-large chillies from each plant which I froze, and have kept me going over winter.

I litterally drowned mine and let the excess pour out the bottom (pots raised off ground), and only watered when very dry on top. I found every 2 days during dry spells or if in doors.

Water weekly with a very strong tomato feed mix, and if you can get some, top the pots (I used 5" pots) with 10-20mm of coffee grounds on the top to deter pests and helps with nitrogen etc.

I found by soaking, the plants didnt do as well (fuiting & flowering) as when drowned from the top. They just seemed happier.

HTH