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| I just bought 2, 75 cent apiece green bell pepper plants that are about 6" tall. They were on clearance at the local grocery store, so I bought them. But they have bent stems at the bottoms of the plants. One has its bottom 1.5" coming out of the ground at a diagonal bent angle, then it straightens out, the other plant has its bottom 2.5" bent, then it straightens out.
Other than that, the plants are thick, have dark green leaves, and look healthy. However, I planted them in 12" diameter pots today in a mix of new peat moss and 20% aged mushroom compost mix, and I buried the bent areas of the bottom of the stems, I watered them, then I put them in the open sun, and 3 hours later the leaves are wilting to the ground. So I unburied the bent areas of the stems for the time being, but I dont know if thats what is causing them to wilt, or if its just that they have not been in open sun for a while, and the heat and sun are causing them to wilt...
What do you think? Can the bottoms of the stems be buried? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I doubt the bent stems are affecting the plants. If I have a 'too tall' pepper plant, I will remove the lower leaves and plant it deep like I do with tomatoes. Most plants will go through some degree of transplant shock and look wilty for a while, but you may need to shade those newly planted ones until they perk up a bit, since you say that they haven't been in the sun for a while. I guess you could call it "in situ" hardening off. |
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| agreed with noinwi, remove the lower leaves a few hours or a day ahead of time, then plant the stems in deeper. |
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| Tomatoes are planted deeper because the little hairs along the stem turn into roots and can help the plant. I haven't seen any of those hairs on pepper plants. Although most any plant can grow a root anytime it has a joint in contact with the moist soil. I have wondered the same thing for a long time. Anyone witness a pepper growing a root from a joint near the moisture? |
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| Farnell, Yes, but the pepper plant must be young with a stem that hasn't significantly lignified yet. This i have seen with my own eyes. Burying a lignified stem too deep is actually bad for a pepper plant now that i remember. It starts to rot from within, and the outer "skin" of the stem separates from the inner core. |
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- Posted by smokemaster_2007 (My Page) on Mon, Jul 4, 11 at 23:57
| I think in general it depends on how moist your soil stays. I get a few Non bell sprouts that grow roots up to their seed leaf from the start.I read that people call them air roots... If I get a leggy plant I'll plant it deep and watch the water for a week or so or it might rot. Another option is to bend the plant down,above ground and force it to grow branches earlier.Once new branches start stake the plant straight up. As far as Bells go,I'd put them about 3 ft. under in a compost pile. There are a lot of better tasting,more productive,easier to grow non bell peppers that you can grow. The wilting in the sun was probably caused by either shock at being in the sun(not hardened off yet) and the roots couldn't suck up water fast enough to supply the plant yet- not big enough to support the plant yet. The price you paid ,I agree would be hard to pass up. I just have a dislike for bells after growing a lot of easier to grow non bell peppers. |
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- Posted by ri_vintner (My Page) on Tue, Jul 5, 11 at 8:53
I've rooted some Bhuts that I had broken the ends off while transplanting.  |
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