I usually will go from a germination cup to an interim pot or cup. I will use a large disposable drinking cup (16 or 20 ounces) or a 1-gallon pot. I will usually make this change when the seedling is about 1.5 inches tall.

After living in the interim pot for 3 to 4 weeks, I then transplant them into the pot in which they will finally live.

Hope this helps!

Gail

That’s a big plant for a 3-gallon container, so you’ll need to give it a little more frequent fertilizer — diluted, but more often. Meanwhile, you don’t say what part of the country you live in (I am assuming USA), but lots of plants are going a bit dormant this time of year. So, it may be a matter of waiting. I would say that once you see the new growth starting in earnest, make sure to use a fertilizer with a high percentage of phosporus (compared to nitrogen) to encourage blossoms.

Best wishes for lots of hotter-than-hot hobaneros!

Gail

It’s not unusual for peppers to get smaller in size as the season continues. This can partially be fixed by pinching off most of the new flowers that form, letting the plant direct more energy to grow the peppers it has.

As to the black at the joints, do you water from above? I sometimes see that when watering from above later on in the season. As long as the branches themselves seem to be doing well, it’s not really a problem. If the branches start wilting and dying off, then it’s probably a mold. You could nurse the plant back to health, but as late in the season as it is, I personally wouldn’t bother.

Best wishes with your jalapeno!

Gail

Thanks for stopping by! I don’t grow a lot of the NM varieties, mainly because I like my hot peppers in the super-hot range. But I have grown NM Big Jim. Mine didn’t turn out very glossy either, but that wasn’t a big deal to me seeing as many of my hot peppers act that way. So I’d say that if your plants are healthy and your peppers look nice otherwise — enjoy!

Gail

It’s a bit unusual for all the plants to come out hot/spicy, but here are some thoughts. If you planted the hot peppers near to the other plants, oils from skins of the jalapenos could have gotten onto the others, making them seem spicy. For the banana peppers, there are spicy varieties, and there have been times where I have gotten either mixed seeds or someone switched labels on a plant from a garden center.

The bells are something a bit different, in that there are no real hot true bell peppers, and very few hot peppers that look anything like bells, so for those I am guessing it’s just oils from the jalapenos.

However, if you are growing your own plants from seeds that you have gathered from your own plants, it’s entirely possible that you have some crosses between the plants, especially if you grow different varieties within 15 feet of each other. Because yes, peppers can easily crossbreed.

Best wishes with your truck farm (and peppers, of course).

Gail