3 Things Your Pepper Plants Need In July To Keep Producing All Summer

When you put a lot of time and effort into summer gardening, it's disappointing if your plants don't grow as many peppers as you expect. If you want plants that produce more of the refreshing, savory fruit for a longer period of time, there are a few essential pepper plant tips for July. This month is when summer really starts to amp up, and in many areas July is when you need to pay more attention to pepper plant care. As the weather gets hotter and your pepper plants start producing fruit, July is a time for harvesting, deep watering, and supplemental fertilization. By ensuring your plants receive these three crucial elements of care at this time, you'll help them to yield more peppers this season.

Whether you have a preference for sweet or hot varieties, learning how to grow peppers can take a little trial and error. However, there are easy ways to keep your plants happy during the hot, sunny weather of July. Peppers tend to love warmer or even hot temperatures, suffering when it's colder outside, and require an abundance of sunlight to thrive. Because of this, July is a month when peppers can really perform well, growing and ripening fruits on the stems. This makes the plants heavier, so in addition to these care instructions you may need to add supports like a trellis system or stakes to keep your peppers upright and growing. Care in July can also vary a bit by your climate and location.

Picking fruit off your precious pepper plants right as it starts to grow may seem counterintuitive, but it's a vital step. A lot of times, pepper plants are ready to start harvesting in July, and picking the first fruits helps the plant to produce more of them later. Once you start picking peppers from your garden, continuing to do so will encourage the plant to produce more flowers and fruit. Check on your pepper plants often, harvesting ones that are ready (or that you're ready to eat). Even with varieties that are designed to ripen and color, you can eat the younger green peppers early. This allows you to regularly pull off fruit, even if it's not mature, to keep the plant growing more peppers.

Though flowering will likely occur before July, when plants sprout their first flower, remove this from pepper plants early for maximum growth. Pruning these initial blooms help your plants to grow stronger and grow more peppers in the long run. Fruits that are ready to be harvested will be easily plucked right off the stem, but this could damage the plant. Instead, prune or cut your fruit from the base of the stems to prevent them from ripping. In some cases, you may want to check your plants daily and remove a pepper or two, depending on the type. Otherwise, you may get a couple of delicious peppers every week throughout summer and fall.

With the hot temperatures of midsummer and the vibrant sunlight peppers need, steady watering in July is crucial. The soil dries out quickly in these conditions, so it's important to monitor when your plants need a drink. These plants require regular, consistent watering in order to grow properly. In July and probably August as well, you'll likely need to water your peppers every day. When water is not steadily available to the plant, it can suffer from blossom-end rot. This causes the ends of the fruit to turn black and mushy. For your plant to grow the best and most peppers, consistent watering is key throughout the summer months. Water heavily each time you give your peppers a drink, soaking the soil. Light waterings may result in poorer peppers and shallow roots.

Besides water, nutrients are also important to help pepper plants thrive. Once you've started to see peppers hanging from your plants, there's a good chance they may need some food. Fertilizing in the middle or end of July can also help your plants to keep growing peppers until the season is over. Side dressing with fertilizer can be a great way to support peppers in July and possibly help grow bigger peppers. Try using a 12-12-12 fertilizer or one that's high in nitrogen. Even when peppers are over fertilized, they typically still grow a bunch of fruit. However, excess nitrogen may cause bushy leaves while hindering pepper growth.