#GrowWithMe Pepper Plant Progress!
The Pepper Plants are Thriving!
Grow light jungle, giant jalapeno pepper plants growing like weeds!
For the most part, I've got luscious new green growth, flowering on a few, and even some young hot peppers developing!
Beautiful little Black Pearl pepper plumping up.
I know these plants are looking forward to making a trip to the greenhouse, it will still be ag least a month before its warm enough for that to happen though. Peppers do not like the cold, and I don't blame them!
Table top pepper plants branching and leafing out
The biggest issue we've been having is APHIDS. These plants were outside last summer and picked them up then. As an organic gardener, I have tried neem oil spray, horticultural oil spray, added dishsoap to the oil mixes, added essential oils... The Aphids don't care. They get washed away but within a few days there are just as many. The pepper plants seem to be doing okay even with the aphids, though they are suffering from some deformed leaves and lots of blossom drop due to the aphids.
Pesky aphids suck the juices from the most tender leaves and flower buds, making it harder for the plants to produce.
When it is warm enough for the plants to go out to the greenhouse the aphids will hopefully meet their match with biological control in the form of LADYBUGS! Ladybugs and their larva can eat around 5000 aphids during their lifetime! Garden centers sell Ladybugs and you can even buy them online. I usually have many ladybugs in my rose bushes in the summer, but I haven't purchased them before so I am really looking forward to trying them out in larger numbers this year.
source
While we await warmer weather, I am going to sow some nasturtium seeds around the peppers as suggested by @karenfoster. Hopefully this will bait the aphids away from the pepper plants so that they can get focusing on producing some tasty fruits!
I chose a container variety of nasturtium called Night&Day, these beautiful cream and maroon colored flowers will be a lovely and compact bait plant.
That's all for the pepper progress! Have you used ladybugs to control aphids before? What was your experience like?
Take Care, @amymya
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those are big indoor peppers in a candian winter! way to go!
the aphis i have found too are more horrible indoors as house plants. i brought in some chinese 5 color peppers last fall and they had horrible aphid issues. luckily there was one resident ladybug. we gave one plant to my sister (who is not a gardener or outdoorsy person) and she and her husband thought the aphids were little spiders so they freaked out and put it in the garage (where it of course died).... and called me and said the pepper dropped 1000s of bugs/spiders into their house. LOL!
aphids! they'll go away eventually lol :)
Oh man, hahaha! Must have been very frightening for them, haha. Yes the aphids will get gone eventually, just have to keep the peps alive until they can go back outside, then they'll REALLY thrive :)
Ohhhhh your peppers look amazing! I'm so ready for spring. Aphids are the worst, I have had good luck with using DE aganist them as well as a Garlic Spray. The lady bug meme almost killed me btw...hilarious.
Isn't it funny?!!! HAHA.
Thanks for he other suggestions, I will try those out as well perhaps!
Love the lights, growth and explanation of the aphids. Gross! Kill em Amy kill !! Hahahahah
Beautiful job and care. When I’m ready for planting I know where to go! Woop
Sounds good, I'll be here!
Woo Hoo, sounds good to me too.
What happens if you use ladybugs indoors? Or does that get messy :)
I have not given that a go... I don't want a whole bunch of bugs in here hahaha
I'm super curious on how those flowers would grow. ^^ You've got a green thumb as they all say.
I try!
Biological pest control is the best! Love the funny ladybird pic lol. You're really knowledgeable about planting. I've heard of this somewhere that certain plants work as barriers to pests.
Great blog, Amy!
cheers
Anj xx
Yes lots of aromatic plants like marigold and cooking herbs repel bugs, but I find aphids really persistant. Drawing them to a sacrificial crop will have to do...
Sacrificial crop. Nice :D
spectacular your spicy ones! by the way very good the caricature of the ladybug hahahaha. success!
Thanks! Its hilarious isn't it? Hahaha!
Looking super beautiful, I'm jelly <3 <3 <3
I loved that cartoon of the lady bugs too lolololol!!
I love the comic, saw it long ago and just thought it was the best!
♡♡♡
The patient and commitment required to grow plants is just amazing. I've always wanted to do some indoor gardening!
I highly recommend it, its very fun :)
How cool is that! I wish I had the space to bring pepper plants inside for the winter! They look so healthy and hearty just before they are destroyed by the cold..breaks my heart! All I have space enough to save is one hanging geranium. Good for you! 😀
Thats so sad! Yeah I hate letting them die in the fall, I had a huge set up of plants downstairs and had to cut back drastically because of all the lights I would have needed...