How to Transplant Peppers While Burying the Cotyledons

You may not think twice about sinking the root ball of a tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) well beneath the soil line so the plant can develop strong roots and stocky stems to support its growth, but a pepper can benefit from the same treatment. While a pepper (Capiscum annuum) won't develop extra roots, according to University of Florida research published in the October 1994 issue of the journal "HortScience," pepper seedlings planted deeper than the standard root-ball depth are sturdier, mature faster and have a higher yield. Peppers yielded better when either planted to the level of their cotyledons, the smooth seed leaves about 1 inch up from soil level, or to their first pair of true leaves, burying the cotyledons.

Compost
Shovel
Garden rake
10-10-10 granular fertilizer
Trowel

Instructions

- 1
  Clear an area of the garden in full sun that allows for 18 inches between plants and 12 inches between rows, depending on the number of peppers you plan to plant.
- 2
  Spread a 4- to 6-inch layer of compost over the planting area, and work it in to an 8-inch depth with a shovel. Add more based on how heavy your soil is -- more organic matter, the more clay is in your soil.
- 3
  Broadcast 2 to 3 pounds of granular fertilizer with a 10-10-10 nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium formulation for every 100 square feet of planting area if your soil has a lot of clay or 3 to 4 pounds of 10-10-10 over the same area of sandy soil. Work it into the top layer of the soil with a rake.
- 4
  Dig holes every 18 inches that are as deep as the length of the bottom of the root ball to just past the cotyledons or all the way up to just below the first pair of true leaves. In clay soil, plant just over the cotyledons, but deeper in sandy soil.
- 5
  Firm the soil around the stem with your gloved hands.
- 6
  Water in well, providing 1 inch of water per week.

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