How to Grow Black Pepper Plants Indoors

Blend 10 percent of compost into organic potting soil 2 to 3 weeks before planting. If the soil lacks or is short on perlite, mix in handfuls of perlite until the particles disperse evenly throughout the soil. Perlite in the soil is evidenced by tiny white chunks. You can determine that perlite content is inadequate if no white chunks or very few white chunks appear on the surface of the bag of soil or when you sift through the soil. Black pepper plants require nutrient-rich and well-drained soil.

Fill the cells of a seed starter tray with dampened soil and press seeds into the soil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Use only distilled or filtered water with pepper seeds and plants. Tamp the soil over the seeds only slightly.

Cover the seed tray with a plastic dome and place the seed tray in a humid location with partial light where the temperatures do not drop below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, use a grow lamp. Keep the soil lightly dampened throughout the germination period.

Transplant the young plants into larger pots with at least 3-gallon volumes when the plants grow between 3 and 5 inches tall. Use pots with trays and drainage holes and place a layer of crushed rock at the bottom of the pots to ensure adequate drainage. It is now possible to move the pots to a humid location with partial to full light and where the temperatures do not drop below 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Keep the soil slightly moist during the continued growth of the plant and add organic fertilizer at times with the foliage seems on the verge of failing health. Add fertilizer when the leaves start to lose their dark green color or when they start to droop or wilt around the edges.

Place tall stakes in the pot as the plant starts to droop over the sides of the pot. Tie the plant to the stake and continue to do so as it grows to assist the plant in climbing the stake.

Harvest peppercorn spikes when the fruits turn red. Fruits will take at least two years to appear. Leave the spikes overnight to ferment slightly then remove the peppercorns. Add fresh peppercorns to boiling water and boil them for 10 minutes. After boiling, dry the peppercorns in the sun or in a dehydrator for three to five days.