Bell peppers were one of the vegetables I wanted to learn to grow when I got into hydroponics. After learning to grow lettuce and tomatoes I thought it was time to give it shot. While not the easiest plant to grow using hydroponics, once you get the hang of growing hydroponic bell peppers it becomes well worth the time.
Recommended Bell Peppers Varieties for Hydroponics
I prefer California Wonders with a mix of green and red, but you can grow whatever variety of bell pepper suits your taste! All varieties of bell peppers grow great using hydroponics.
Getting Hydroponic Bell Peppers Started
Germinating seeds- I prefer to germinate my seeds in rapid rooter. Pepper seeds need warm temperatures for germination. They will need to be kept around 80 degrees, so I would recommend using a heat mat. Depending on the variety, you should see seedlings in about 7-14 days.
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Cloning Bell Peppers- Cloning plants using hydroponics is an easy process that guarantees you to get a plant with the same traits as the one being cloned. I’ve had great success cloning plants using only oxygenated water and rapid rooter cubes, but there are other methods as well.
Transplant plant from dirt- Another way to get your hydroponic bell pepper garden going is to transplant them from dirt. Though buying plants is the most costly option, it does save you the time of having to mess with seeds and seedlings. To find out more you can check out this article on how to transplant a plant from dirt to a hydroponics system.
What Hydroponic Systems Works Best For Bell Peppers?
There are a variety of different hydroponic methods and systems that work well for growing bell peppers. The main concern is the weight of the plant, especially when it’s producing many good size peppers. Make sure to provide support for the plant to prevent breaking and tipping. I would recommend growing bell peppers using 5-gallon hydroponic buckets or dutch bucket systems.
What Is The Best Temperature For Hydroponic Bell Peppers?
Bell peppers thrive in warm temperatures. Plants should be kept in the mid 65-75 degree range during the day or lights on period. At night it’s beneficial to drop the temperature about 10 degrees.
If bell peppers get too hot they may drop their flowers instead of fruiting.
Spacing Requirements For Hydroponic Bell Peppers
Hydroponic bell peppers need plenty of room to grow. I recommend spacing your bell pepper plants about 18-24 inches apart. You can space them closer but you may run into an issue where parts of plants are being blocked from light by the plants next to them, as shown below.
Pruning and pinching your bell peppers once they reach a certain size will keep them from growing too large. It will also promote new shoots, making your plant more full.
How Much Light Do Hydroponic Bell Peppers Need?
Bell peppers should receive 14-18 hours of light each day. LED and HID grow lights are preferred as fluorescents tend to not be intense enough light. Bell peppers are day-neutral, so the length of light they receive doesn’t have an effect on flowering or fruiting.
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Recommended pH For Hydroponic Bell Peppers
The recommended pH level for hydroponic bell pepper plants is between 5.5–6.5.
Hydroponic Bell Peppers Nutrient Requirements
Bell Pepper plants should start off being grown with a nutrient regimen geared toward vegetative growth. A simple one-part nutrient solution like Dyna Gro Grow works well up until you’re bell peppers are ready for flowering.
For the flowering stage, you should switch to a nutrient regimen with less nitrogen and more phosphorus and potassium for flower and fruit production. A 1 part nutrient like Dyna-Gro Liquid Bloom is easy to use for the flower and fruiting stage of growth. I also use Dyna-Gro’s Pro Tekt throughout the growth cycle.
One part nutrient regimens are easy to use but don’t allow you the flexibility to tailor your nutrients to the specific crop.
When you start to understand the nutrient needs of the plant you’re growing, you may look to a more advanced nutrient regimen like General Hydroponics Flora Series. Plants can also benefit from various supplements that go by different names depending on the nutrient regimen you’re using.
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Pollinating Bell Peppers Grown Indoors
Bell peppers grown outdoors have help from nature when it comes to pollinating their flowers. When grown indoors they are going to need some assistance.
Bell peppers are hermaphrodite plants. The plants have flowers with both male and female parts. This means that you can pollinate the flowers pretty easily. For pollinating indoor bell pepper plants, use a q tip or small paintbrush and gently rub the flower to assist with pollen transfer.
I recommend coming back and repeating the process a couple of times over a few days to make sure the flowers are well pollinated. For more information on hand pollination, check out this article detailing 3 methods of hand pollination.
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Harvesting Hydroponic Bell Peppers
Bell peppers should be ready for harvest 50 to 80 days after sprouting, depending on the variety. Though you can really harvest the bell peppers at any time, typically the longer they are left on the plant the sweeter they are. Many bell peppers go through stages where they are initially green but eventually change colors to red, orange, and yellow, some even turning purple.
Conclusion
I hope you have found this article helpful! If so, please take a second to show us some social media sharing love. I’ve also put together a pretty nifty infographic you can check out below.
October 18, 2018 at 9:25 am
What company in Canada is the largest that grows hydronic peppers?
Thanks
October 19, 2018 at 9:10 pm
Hey Michael! I know there are many hydroponic greenhouses in Canada but I’m not quite sure which is the largest bell pepper producer.
April 7, 2020 at 2:22 pm
How long does it take the bell peppers to grow once the flowering has started. The flowering on mine have started but I don’t see the peppers show up yet.
April 9, 2020 at 12:13 pm
Great question. I haven’t paid to much attention to the exact time it takes for a flower and fruit. I would guess in a little over a week after pollination you should see the flower start turning to fruit. The petals will brown first, then fall off revealing the butt of the pepper.
September 28, 2020 at 2:26 am
it helps me a lot thankx