Grow HUGE Peppers With Self-Watering Containers (How-To Guide)

Рет қаралды 27,663

Жыл бұрын

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In this video, I show you how to make a self watering container (sub irrigated planter). Turn a normal planter pot into a self-watering design with a few simple modifications. These containers can be used for many, many seasons, resulting in huge plants that require less frequent watering.
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Supplies (affiliate links):
Ups-a-daisy (various sizes):
amzn.to/3qltej3
Seed starter mix (for wicking material):
amzn.to/44O6TcZ
Happy frog soil:
amzn.to/3rQu33J
Perlite:
amzn.to/3YkNuxX
Bone meal:
amzn.to/3OoN0Cf
PVC pipe (3/4"):
tinyurl.com/2yc65rd5
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Timestamps:
0:00
1:00 How a self watering container works
4:13 How to make a self watering pot
8:54 10-week update
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Thanks for watching Pepper Geek!
#peppers #gardening #spicy

Пікірлер: 91

@GiantSleepy 11 ай бұрын

These types of videos that have months of separation between parts are probably a pain to do, but we very much appreciate your hard work. Will definitely try this next spring!

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for that, it is worth the extra effort and we're glad you enjoy it :)

@VinceArlia 11 ай бұрын

The next irrigation step can be achieved with a float valve & a raised water storage container. This allows the reservoir to be topped off with a gravity fed system.

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

That's clever!

@tammym110 11 ай бұрын

This is pure genius! You can’t argue with your results. I’ve tried other self watering systems but yours seems to be the best I’ve seen.

@Omegawerewolfx 11 ай бұрын

For me, I would use a sheet of newspaper to start on the base. Just to limit drop down debris. I'm using two 5 gallon buckets per plant and I have 5 stakes in mine. One in the middle and 4 on the rim. The peppers bush out, I need the rim stakes to help keep everything tied up. The bucket size allows me to move the plants around if I need to. I do the same with a bunch of tomato and tomatillo, as well a two ground cherries. I have flowers in each pot as well, plus mulch.

@lapk78 11 ай бұрын

I've made "EarthTainers" in the past with excellent results. They're self-watering containers made from larger Rubbermaid bins. They're really good.

@zombiedixon6652 11 ай бұрын

Outstanding! Been doing this with 2 five gallon buckets for a few yrs down here in FL. I've had great success but I've come to the conclusion I need more soil 😅 keep geeking on fellow geeks

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

There are ways to increase the water reservoir size by lifting up the top bucket. But yeah more soil might help, especially in hot Florida!

@desertfox3860 11 ай бұрын

Nicely done, thanks for sharing.

@ChiliPepperMadness 11 ай бұрын

Those are some big peppers!

@we_want_chilli_willy 11 ай бұрын

I love this method nice job guys. Beautiful pot color too.

@chrisz.9974 2 ай бұрын

So I did something similar I guess. I put mulch at the bottom of a container. About halfway high. Then filled the rest with soil. Then drilled a small hole a few inches up. I’ll water until it overflows.

@Sweetlady1916 11 ай бұрын

Wow, the peppers did well in the self watering container.

@Junzar56 11 ай бұрын

Perfect for Arizona!

@jc5066 11 ай бұрын

I am not as experienced as you in growing hot peppers, but my knowledge shows that letting hot peppers dry out between watering tends to yield hotter peppers and prevents blossom drop and blossom rot. A self-watering system seems counterintuitive to everything that I have learned.

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Consistency in moisture levels from day 1 allows the plant to adjust to the wetter conditions. I can't confirm one way or another whether hot peppers are hotter or less spicy this way, but even hydroponic ghost peppers are fiery!

@alltheworldswonders4926 11 ай бұрын

I know that peppers get hotter when they are more stressed

@bennielamb8911 2 ай бұрын

That's a pretty cool idea to think outside the box and make your own wicking tub, but actually one that looks nice. Good work!

@jimmyvgames3414 11 ай бұрын

very nice

@mssavedin92 9 ай бұрын

fantastic! Thank you.

@PreatorRaszagal 11 ай бұрын

Wow! Nice stem, and an awesome looking plant! A tip is to make an angled cut on the bottom of the fill tube. That way you won't have to drill holes in it and there's no chance it'll end up flush against the bottom of the pot. Either way, nice and informative video, and I had never heard about Ups-a-Daisy. They look like a perfect fit to turn any larger pot into a self-water container! 👍

@catalincioponea 11 ай бұрын

Can't wait to try this one next year!

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

You should! Hope you enjoy it

@an-alechianeathery770 11 ай бұрын

I seen upsy- daisy and had the same idea. Thanks for sharing. I might try one or try with on old pot that broken on bottom that little bit smaller then first pot. Thanks again.

@MK-cw4gw 11 ай бұрын

Kind of like a large "Krake" system, very cool.

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Similar yep, but no hydroponic nutrients, all the nutrients are in the soil while the water is purely for hydration

@andrepalomaro353 11 ай бұрын

Haha! I totally ended up doing this by accident! Bought some self watering containers, and poked sole drain holes! Works well! Soil and plant have to get used to it when poking holes in established pots :) like it wont immediately aerate your soil, it takes a week to a month if the plant has been in the pot for a while

@TanjaHermann 11 ай бұрын

I think the upsy-daisy disc could probably be made with a left-over bucket lid to save some cost.

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Yep, that’s not a bad idea. The ups a daisys come in a variety of sizes though so you do have a bit more flexibility in terms of pot size (I think they go as big as 16” diameter)

@LeaRama 11 ай бұрын

WOW!!!

@markpace-balzan8214 11 ай бұрын

Would it be the same if using a regular pot or bucket with drainage holes at the bottom filled with large pebbles for a few inches from the bottom then the potting mix, and sitting this in a deep saucer to hold water not higher than the pebbles ? Wondering what you think as it would be far easier to set up this way for me. Of course I'd also use a small container as a wick same as you did. Thanks for sharing your ideas !

@MiguelY22 11 ай бұрын

Awesome tree! Haha

@rustyshacklfort9508 11 ай бұрын

If I didn’t already have all my plants in ether bags, buckets or planter boxes I would have tried that this year, oh well I guess I’ll have to wait until next spring.

@huuffff 11 ай бұрын

Place carpet on the bottom and around the bottom chamber to act as a filter

@noora7773 11 ай бұрын

I've used similar ready made self watering pots on my balcony. Orthex Paulina with the diameter of 40cm. The water reservoir is 5 litres and you can put 26 litres of soil into it. They are durable and will last decades. It doesn't have the overflow hole on the side but it's easy to drill if you use them under the sky. It does have the water level indicator though. I've used them both indoors and in the balcony and they are really nice. I don't think they are crazy expensive but the 40cm pot is 30 euros. The smaller ones are great with indoor plants and more affordable than Elho inserts and pots... I don't think they are sold widely globally but I saw them in Ebay with more expensive prices than what they are sold in Finnish websites or stores.

@forrestberg591 11 ай бұрын

Really interesting! A smaller scale version would be useful for my Venus flytraps

@johnNJ4024 11 ай бұрын

Look at GroBucket inserts for 5 gallon buckets. I've used them for years with all kinds of vegetables, but I never thought about using them for venus flytraps. I have several types and when they start crowding each other too much I'm definitely potting some in a 5 gallon bucket with a GroBucket insert. Great idea!

@kinglowe6109 11 ай бұрын

Curious the cost of those orange ups a daisy ? Would a 5 gallon bucket lid work just as well at a much cheaper price point ?

@jonathanhao1640 11 ай бұрын

Hi, what product do you use to treat leaf fungal diseases? Thanks.

@jonathanCRoberts 11 ай бұрын

If you have access to a drip line, which method is more effective for plant growth?

@Felix-.-G 11 ай бұрын

i like it! impressive pepper plant. How did you fertilize? because you have to take dilution into account...

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Just what was shown - so happy frog and added bonemeal. For next year, planning to add slow release garden tone fertilizer and amending into the top 4-6 inches, no liquid nutrients (just added plain water to the tube)

@floras7826 2 ай бұрын

awesome video, why not feed it a very weak solution of hydroponic nutrients just to boost it from below extra?

@johnbooth001 11 ай бұрын

You need one for Rocotos too. They grow really well in them.

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Good idea, might have to make a scaled down version and try them again

@johnbooth001 11 ай бұрын

@@PepperGeek They are definitely worth growing if you can make it work in your hot climate.

@minime8048 11 ай бұрын

Only issue i see with these systems, is that water can stagnate, If the water sits for too long without aeration . Thus poisoning or killing the plant .. How ever you could do a water flush ever 3-5 days . Or install a fish tank aerator hose down the water filler pipe. Otherwise its a great idea 👍

@thekraden04 11 ай бұрын

Awesome video, would love to see what else you've done to get such a large plant (fertilizers, pinching flowers, and the like). Appreciate you guys!

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Thank you!! Maybe we can do an overview on growing the dorset naga later in the year after harvest. It's been an interesting challenge.

@thekraden04 11 ай бұрын

@@PepperGeek it's a great collaboration! I've been eager to see the progress from both channels! Good luck, and thanks again for sharing with us!

@JackGilbertJr 11 ай бұрын

what is that white pot in the middle made of? WHat kind of material?

@rafael.s 11 ай бұрын

You can buy pots that have this included, I have a few of these. I have noticed that some varieties really don't like this tough.

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Yes, they usually don’t have much of a reservoir capacity though, maybe 1-2” deep at most from what I’ve seen. This baby holds about 3 gallons or so of water. Also, the soil being light and well-aerated is important to make sure there is enough available oxygen in the root zone

@larrysowada9905 11 ай бұрын

So the large container could be something like a half of a wine wooden barrel or a smaller version or what would you recommend any suggestions would help, thanks

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

As long as it is water tight it should work, so a wine barrel could do well! Would look great too

@Randy_Smith 11 ай бұрын

this is my 3rd yr using self watering containers and I love the results. I make my containers out of two five gallon buckets and the plants in these containers always outperform all of my pepper that are in ground and in other containers that aren't self watering. The only issue I had this year was when it came to finding perlite in large bags. Here in Indiana the only perlite I could find was the small bags and it gets pretty pricey to fill up ten 5 gallon buckets when having to buy the small bags. Any suggestions on an alternative to perlite?

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Vermiculite is another similar material, great for wicking substrate. However, it’s hard to find too. I’d just buy in big bags, and reuse your soil every season!

@Randy_Smith 11 ай бұрын

@@PepperGeek It's the exact opposite here. I can get all the vermiculite I want in large bags. I thought vermiculite would hold a lot of water. I didn't realize it was similar to perlite. I do reuse the mix and freshen it up each year but every year I seem to have more containers than I had the previous year. Thanks for all the help. We made a few quarts of banana peppers this weekend and used your recipe again.

@westernartifact4163 11 ай бұрын

Wow it almost seems like this is a hybrid kratky hydroponic system. The roots will sip right from that water beyond the soil line.

@angelsuazo1978 11 ай бұрын

Can you give me advice my ghost pepper is not flowering or bearing fruit. I have it planted in a garden row. My habanero is doing well. But not my ghost pepper.

@danfortuna7648 11 ай бұрын

How have you been fertilizing the plant? Just add nutes to the resevoir?

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Nope, just what was shown in the video thus far

@r.awilliams9815 11 ай бұрын

Another way is to skip the interior tray and watering tube, fill the bottom of the container with chunky perlite up to the drain hole, then fill with a coco coir based potting soil and water normally. I use a mixture of bat and seabird guanos mixed into the potting soil and top dress as necessary, usually once a season. I like the coco coir based potting soils because you basically can't over water plants growing in it. I'm growing Roma tomatoes this year in 30 gallon smartpots filled with this mixture and they're just going nuts, collapsing under the weight of the tomatoes despite staking.

@dollyperry3020 11 ай бұрын

Would this work for perennials like roses? I live in a temperate climate.

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

I’m not so sure about that, given that the water will freeze and potentially kill some of the lower roots. We plan on using it for annuals only

@cake-face 11 ай бұрын

I've been using self watering containers (old litter buckets) for the last couple years. However it seems like the peppers I grow in them have a lot of issues with blossom and rot. I just came in from picking all the peppers off of one of my 3 plants in the self watering containers because they were all rotting. Any suggestions?

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Hm, I wonder if a lighter-weight soil media would do better. For better aeration, you can try to make your own soil with peat moss, vermiculite and perlite (plus fertilizer).

@JimFry 11 ай бұрын

Interesting sync. I have about thirty various varieties of peppers, most 18 to 24 inches tall and all in fabric pots, except two in a 5-gallon self-watering deal I fabbed. One plant has about ten peppers on it and two had to be removed due to significant rot. Not much sign of rot across any of the fabric bags the rest are in. Curiously, those in self-watering deal are the tallest (with all seedlings planted at the same time).

@sensenisok 11 ай бұрын

Does wick cup have holes

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Yes, same as the insert, lots of drilled holes to allow water through

@TerribleTim68 11 ай бұрын

It's amazing how bushy your plants are. Mine are very tall and skinny. 😕

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

A lot of that has to do with the variety in question - the dorset naga has a naturally bushy growth pattern. Many sweet peppers are naturally tall/slender instead

@TerribleTim68 11 ай бұрын

@@PepperGeek I grew jalapenos and poblanos this year. They are all (6 plants total) about 5 foot tall and very scrawny. Also, only got a single fruit so far. 😒

@marcelbergeron5345 7 күн бұрын

Nice big leafy plant. where's the fruit?

@PepperGeek 6 күн бұрын

It was loaded with fruits! But they were all green/unripe at time of filming

@marcelbergeron5345 6 күн бұрын

@@PepperGeek Good to hear. Including the harvest is an important part of any grow method video. Cheers.

@shiftstart Ай бұрын

The only issue with this is that you don’t know when the base water reserve drys out.

@IzzyEatz 11 ай бұрын

Does this work for tomatoes or blueberries??

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

I think it’s a good fit for either of those plants

@IzzyEatz 11 ай бұрын

@@PepperGeek I had good luck with my basil pots… tried a non draining bucket. One. Didn’t grow as well.

@jacobwhite953 11 ай бұрын

What’s the biggest container you’ve ever grown a pepper plant in?

@Ottawajames 11 ай бұрын

I never really understood how they can be called "self watering" when you still have to put water in them lol😂

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Haha, maybe it should be “less” watering, at least in terms of frequency. In theory, you could make the reservoir big enough to feed the soil water for the entire growing season without adding water once (it’d have to be pretty big though)

@mikejones1615 3 ай бұрын

Use an automated float valve.Don't need a deep reservoir, because water would not get low. If your mix is right it will not stay too wet, but moist. Always has worked for me.

@eclecto_patronum 11 ай бұрын

lol "very impressive main stem" ....i call my main stems "buff"😂😂😂😂😂

@h0tage299 11 ай бұрын

Someone knows an equivalent of this in europe ?

@johnytakdeep4839 3 ай бұрын

I dont get it.. why dont we just put a hole 4 side and that is it. Water it. only 10 cm soil below at the bottom will be always wet. No need pipe, no need that net

@james1795 11 ай бұрын

Basically.

@callikohl5698 11 ай бұрын

Would this work with jalapeños. Or does it only work for certain types?

@PepperGeek 11 ай бұрын

Any pepper should do well. Jalapeños would do great. I’d focus on varieties that grow big root systems to take full advantage of all the soil. But bells, cayenne, hatch, and any superhots are good choices