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Gardening Tip of the Day
Peppers like a slightly acidic soil. An old-time secret garden hint provides the perfect pH for peppers.
Bell peppers, in particular, prefer a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.8. This acidic level will produce pepper plants with the proper nutrition to grow healthy, large peppers with just the right amount of heat.
The old -time remedy is to place matches in the soil when planting pepper plants. Matches contain phosphorous and phosphorous sesquisulfide. These components help the pepper plants produce fruit, but are not replenished in the soil. The sulphur in the match head is what lowers the pH to the level that peppers prefer. Simply bury a matchbook a couple of inches from the pepper when planting. Alternatively, place up to 10 matchsticks in the soil around the plant.
Some gardeners have had success using lemon juice or vinegar as a soil acidifier. Suggestions are 1 tablespoon up to 1 full cup of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 gallon of water.
Other ways to produce acidic soil is to add sulphur, compost, pine needles, cottonseed meal, and coffee grounds. Coffee grounds also provide nitrogen for the plants.
Author Marilyn Pokorney
Copyright Marilyn Pokorney 2022
