How to Grow Ornamental Peppers in Containers

Ornamental pepper plants produce colorful small fruits and deep green foliage. Grow them as indoor plants for winter color or outdoors in pots for a summer decorative accent. The color, size and shape of the peppers depend on the variety; colors range from pale yellow and light orange to deep red and nearly black. Ornamental pepper varieties have the same basic care requirements as garden peppers. The can't survive frost and require warm temperatures and plenty of sunlight to grow well.

Things You'll Need

Pot
Potting mixture

Slow-release fertilizer
Soluble fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a 1-gallon or 12-inch-diameter pot with a moistened potting mixture. Use a prefertilized mixture or add a balanced slow-release fertilizer to the soil, following the rate listed on the label for your pot size and fertilizer type.
- 2
  Plant the ornamental pepper seedling into the pot so it's at the same depth it was growing at previously in its seedling container. Plant one ornamental pepper per pot.
- 3
  Set the pot in a warm, 65 to 75 degree F location, either indoors or outdoors after frost danger is past. Choose an area that provides the pepper with at least six and preferably eight hours of daily direct sunlight.
- 4
  Water the peppers when the top half inch of soil in the pot feels dry. Indoor ornamental peppers may require irrigation as little as once weekly, while outdoor pots may require daily watering to remain moist.
- 5
  Pinch back the main stems of the pepper plant once the plant reaches 8 inches high. Pinch the stems back to the top bud. Pinching results in a fuller plant with more branches and buds. Continue to pinch the plant as it grows to maintain its shape and to further promote bushiness.
- 6
  Fertilize ornamental peppers with a soluble balanced fertilizer beginning six to eight weeks from planting. Apply the fertilizer once weekly following the label rate recommendations.

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