How to Grow and Care for Ornamental Peppers

How to Plant Ornamental Peppers

When to Plant

One of the most common mistakes in growing ornamental peppers is planting them outdoors too early. Plants are often sold in garden centers before the weather is ready for them to go in the ground.

Not only should the chance of all frost be passed, but nights should be warm too, with air temperatures at least 60°F and preferably higher. Soil temperatures should be at least 70°F before sowing seeds outdoors or planting nursery transplants.

Gardeners growing peppers from seeds generally find it advisable to start them indoors. Peppers can be temperamental to direct sow in the garden, especially in cooler climates with a short growing season.

Selecting a Planting Site

To flourish, ornamental peppers need six to eight hours of sunlight a day. Make sure the soil has good drainage. Because these plants are grown for ornamental value and are rather short, place them where you can enjoy the view—in the front of a border for around a patio, for example.

Spacing, Depth, and Support

Plant ornamental pepper seedlings with three to four true leaves (not the cotyledons) about 12 to 24 inches apart in the garden in holes about 3 to 4 inches deep. Ornamental pepper plants have an upright growth habit.

Most ornamental pepper plants have been bred so they do not need to be staked or caged, but if the plant is heavy with fruit, you may want to add a support.

Ornament Pepper Care

Light

Ornamental peppers need full sun to provide the energy for producing flowers and colorful fruit. If you grow these plants indoors, use supplemental artificial lighting for healthy plants and good fruiting.

Soil

Plant your ornamental peppers in rich, loamy soil that is slightly acidic (pH 6.0 to 6.8). Generous soil amendments of compost and well-rotted manure will both improve tilth and add trace nutrients for healthier plants.

If your soil is heavy clay, plant your peppers in raised beds or use containers for good drainage. If growing ornamental peppers in pots, any all-purpose potting mix will be sufficient.

Water

While ornamental peppers react badly to dry conditions, they do not like to be waterlogged, either. Water deeply whenever the soil’s surface feels dry, and aim for a moisture level like that of a wrung-out sponge.

About 1 inch of water per week is recommended. Check container-grown plants often for water, as they dry out more quickly than in-ground plants.

Temperature and Humidity

Like tomatoes, ornamental peppers are members of the Solanaceae family and enjoy full sun and hot weather. Temperatures of 75°F and up stimulate rapid growth. Planting peppers in cold soil may cause them to remain stunted for the entire growing season.

Humidity is a less important growth factor, as long as roots stay moist. However, temperatures above 90°F may cause blossom drop, but the plants will rebound once the temperatures cool.

Fertilizer

Ornamental peppers are moderate feeders and need a steady stream of nutrients to keep up with blooming and fruiting. A 5-10-10 fertilizer with more phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen will encourage fruit and bloom production without making plants too leafy.

Side-dress the plants with fertilizer when the fruits begin forming, then a second time about six weeks later.

Pollination

Like all peppers, ornamental peppers have perfect flowers, which means each plant has male and female reproductive organs. The flowers self-pollinate without requiring pollinating insects.

Types of Ornamental Peppers

When it comes to ornamental peppers, you can go bright and cheerful or dark and moody. Here are a few popular types of ornamental peppers.

• ‘Chilly Chili’: Long yellow and red peppers extend straight up from the tops of plants like fingers.
• ‘Black Pearl’: This variety has black foliage and clusters of black, pearl-like, shiny peppers. It is exceptionally heat-tolerant and grows into a handsome pyramid shape without pinching or grooming.
• ‘Prairie Fire‘: The compact ornamental pepper grows only 6 to 12 inches tall. The chilies grow upright on the plant and constantly change colors from yellow to orange, then red, and eventually purple as they mature.
• ‘Aurora’: The plant bears peppers that ripen from green to purple to orange and red, offering a rainbow of color on one plant.
• ‘Medusa’: It produces mild chilies with only 1 to 1,000 Scoville heat units (how spicy a pepper is based on its capsaicin amount), therefore it is considered a child-safe ornamental pepper to grow. The ivory, yellow, and bright orange peppers are narrow and twisted and look like the snake hair of Medusa in Greek mythology.
• ‘Joker’: A small ornamental pepper that can be grown as a houseplant and outdoors, this type reaches only 5 to 12 inches in height and width. It has showy upright-growing peppers in red, yellow, and ivory.
• ‘Bolivian Rainbow’: This pepper produces spicy fruits that look like colorful Christmas light bulbs.
• ‘Sangria’: Its trailing habit makes this pepper plant an attractive hanging basket specimen.
• ‘NuMex Easter’: This pepper produces pastel fruits and dark green leaves.

Ornamental Peppers vs. Vegetable Garden Peppers

Ornamental peppers and edible garden peppers belong to the same genus, so what’s the difference? Ornamental peppers usually have a dwarf growing habit compared to edible garden hot and mild peppers.

Edible garden peppers have many distinct flavor nuances. Ornamental peppers are either bland or extremely bitter without any smokiness or sweetness. However, some ornamental pepper varieties are used in recipes, such as NuMex Easter in salsa.

Finally, ornamental peppers produce fruits at the tops or tips of the plants where they can be seen. Edible garden peppers are often hidden in the foliage.

Harvesting Ornamental Peppers

Ornamental peppers are often used for cut or dried arrangements. Taller varieties with longer stems usually work best.

For dried arrangements, harvest them when almost all of the peppers on the stem are colored. Strip the leaves off the stems and hang them upside down in a dry, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight to prepare them for arrangements.

Growing Ornamental Peppers in Pots

Ornamental peppers of all types are great vegetable container plants. The root system of an ornamental pepper is small and shallow. A 6-inch container is big enough to hold a pepper plant but remember that small containers also dry out faster.

A larger container holding multiple plants will be more successful outdoors, while indoor pepper plants will tolerate smaller containers.

Pruning

Pruning ornamental peppers is unnecessary but helps them retain a smaller form. Pinch off the growing tips to create a bushier plant. When the stems reach about 4 to 6 inches, trim 1/2 an inch to encourage less leggy growth. However, do not trim flowering stems.

Propagating Ornamental Peppers

Propagating an ornamental pepper plant can be tricky. Starting from seed is the preferred method of propagation. Try stem cuttings if you live in a region with mild winters or want to grow them as houseplants. To propagate it from cuttings, follow these steps:

1. Choose a healthy stem and use a sharp, sterilized cutting tool to cut on the diagonal a 5-inch portion with at least two leaf nodes.
2. Strip the bottom 2 to 3 inches of leaves and dip that end in rooting hormone.
3. Prepare a small seedling pot with drainage holes and moistened, well-draining potting soil for the cutting.
4. Make a hole in the soil using a pencil and place the cutting in the hole about 1 inch down; firmly pack the soil around the cutting.
5. Place the pot in a warm location and keep the soil constantly moist but not soggy.
6. Transplant the cutting into a more permanent 6- or 8-inch pot, or in the ground, after about eight weeks when it has grown a few inches.

How to Grow Ornamental Peppers From Seeds

If you want to create a border edge of ornamental peppers, starting them from seed is an economical way to grow plants by the dozen.

Start the seeds indoors a full two months before the last spring frost. Seed germination to finished fruit production can take 12 to 22 weeks, depending on the variety, and it takes about six to eight weeks for seedlings to reach a good transplant size.

1. Start seeds in containers filled with seed-starter mix about eight weeks before the last frost, covering them with 1/4 inch of soil.
2. Use heat mats or soil warming cables to get soil temperature to 80°F.
3. Water regularly and make sure the soil starting mix does not dry out. It can take up to 20 days until germination.
4. After germination, give the seedlings at least 12 to 16 hours of bright light per day.
5. Pot the seedlings in a larger container filled with potting soil when the plant has two sets of true leaves.
6. Harden off plants for two weeks before planting in the garden when the soil has warmed to at least 70°F.

Potting and Repotting Ornamental Peppers

Ornamental peppers grown as annuals do not need repotting, as their life cycle ends in the fall. If you are growing them as potted outdoor perennials or houseplants, repot them every two years as the plant becomes root-bound.

You’ll also know it’s time to repot if you need to water the plants more than once a day because the water will seep out of the drain holes if there’s no soil to absorb the moisture.

When repotting, choose a pot the next size up of any material and with a large drainage hole. Take the plant out of its pot for repotting by holding the root ball together to ease the stress on the plant.

If the roots are tightly bound, rake them out gently with your hands and trim off shriveled or poor-looking parts. Water potted plants when the top inch of soil is dry. Give the plant enough water until moisture starts dripping from the bottom of the container.

Overwintering

Bring your potted ornamental peppers indoors during the winter. They need a temperature of 70°F to 80°F during the day and 55°F to 65°F at night. Place the plants in the sunniest possible window, or under grow lights or fluorescent lights for 14 hours a day.

Water only when the soil is dry to the touch. Use a sanitized, sharp tool to trim any leggy growth from the plants and move them outdoors again after the last frost of the spring.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

As with standard garden peppers, several insect pests can become problems with ornamental peppers. Especially look for aphids, spider mites, hornworms, and thrips.

Aphids and spider mites can be eradicated with an insecticidal soap or citrus oil. Thrips may require a chemical spray, which is acceptable for non-consumable ornamental peppers.

The most common diseases of ornamental peppers are fungal diseases such as botrytis (gray mold) and root rot. Both are more likely during wet conditions when airflow is poor and soil is soggy. In addition to correcting cultural practices, fungicidal sprays or powders can help control problems.