When to start fertilizing?

When to start fertilising chilli plants grown from seed?

When to start fertilizing the chilli pepper seedlings depends on the soil you used to grow them and when and how often you repot them. After all, with each repotting the plant receives new soil and new nutrients.

Important: Which substrate has been used?

We generally recommend fine-grained, low-nutrient growing soil for growing chilli seeds. Seeds do not need any additional nutrients in the first two weeks, as they already have everything they need. An excess of nutrients can even be harmful and damage the seedlings, for example, they will grow too quickly and may develop legginess.

Special growing soil for seeds is low in nutrients, and coconut soil also has little or no nutrients. With both, start with a small amount of fertiliser after about 2 weeks, after the first seedlings appear.

It is essential to use propagation soil for germination; conventional plant or tomato soil is not suitable for growing from seeds.
After repotting the seedlings or pricking them out in potting or tomato soil, the pre-fertilization is often sufficient for several weeks (approx. 5-6).
Important: Potting soil is not suitable for food, but only for flowers.

Granules or liquid fertilizer?

Always use organic fertilizer with plants from which you want to eat the fruit later.
Liquid fertiliser has the advantage that its nutrients are immediately available to the plant. However, it is usually highly concentrated and must be diluted in the irrigation water.
Granules, horn grit or plant pellets are suitable as a pre-fertilizer when repotting or planting out in the garden. They have the advantage of a long-term effect by gradually releasing the nutrients into the soil.

When and how often to fertilise?

If you have grown the seeds in nutrient-poor growing soil or coco soil, you can start with a small dose of liquid fertiliser after two weeks.
If you have repotted the small plants (from approx. 5 cm in size, with the first true pair of leaves after the cotyledons) in good nutrient-rich plant or tomato soil, you do not usually need to start fertilising until after four weeks. This applies to every repotting, as new nutrient-rich soil is then always added.
When the approx. 25 cm tall plants finally move into their large pot, it is a good idea to mix a handful of horn meal or plant pellets into the soil. Even then, fertilise only after another four to six weeks.

Which fertiliser is best to use?

Chilli and pepper plants are solanaceous plants and heavy feeders like tomatoes. For fertilisation, a special chilli liquid fertiliser or a tomato fertiliser is suitable.
It is best to fertilise the small plants with liquid fertiliser every two weeks. Start with a quarter dose and then increase the dose to half. When the plants have reached a size of about 25 cm use the full dose. When applying liquid fertiliser, it is important to dilute it with water, otherwise the high concentration of nutrients can damage the fine roots.
You should not use depot or slow-release fertiliser until the plants have been repotted in the final pot.

Horn meal can then be worked into the soil of the final pot. Horn meal is a pure nitrogen (N) fertiliser, which primarily ensures the size growth of the plants and good leaf development.
Plant pellets are an NPK fertiliser that also provides phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). P and K are important for healthy fruit development.
In the large pot, you then fertilise 2-weekly with liquid fertiliser, as soon as the first fruits appear, even weekly.

At a glance: When to fertilize and how much?

More info about how to fertilize chilli pepper plants correctly you`ll find here:" How to fertilise Chillies "