What Do Jalapenos Need to Grow?

Climate

• Jalapeno peppers need full sun. They’re a warm-season crop that prefers daytime temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and night temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees. If temperatures fall below 60 degrees or rise above 90 degrees, blossoms may not set. Very high temperatures result in smaller fruits. Transplant seedlings when there’s no danger of frost. Cool soil temperatures result in slower growth.

Soil/Fertilizer

• Plant jalapeno peppers in well-drained loam or sandy loan to which well-rotted manure or compost has been added. Manure or compost adds micronutrients, increases the ability of the soil to hold water and improves drainage of clay soils. Peppers do best with a pH between 5.5 and 7.5 Pepper plants need a moderate amount of fertilizer. Test your soil to determine what nutrients need to be added. Adding too much nitrogen can result in less fruit because nitrogen stimulates leaf growth.

Water

• Jalapeno peppers need uniform soil moisture for the best growth. Over and under watering your peppers can result in root rots, blossom-end rots and smaller-sized fruit. Peppers have shallow roots near the surface of the soil, as well as moderately deep roots. Water weekly, providing enough water, when irrigating, to moisten the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches. Using a mulch helps conserve moisture.

Weeding/Mulching

• Weeds steal nutrients and water from your jalapeno pepper plants. Control them by cultivating your peppers with a garden hoe, but be careful you don’t cultivate too deeply, because it’s easy to injure your plants. Mulches can keep weeds from sprouting, and they help stabilize the temperature of the soil. Inorganic mulches, like black plastic, encourage early growth because they increase soil temperature. Organic mulches like straw, leaves and dried grass clippings can be used once the soil reaches a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees. Mulch to a depth of 3 or 4 inches.