Why aren't the plants growing?

Browsing the internet I realized that this question is very common for those who are at the forefront of chilli cultivation. I put into practice my experience as a direct cultivator to shed light on this mystery: there are those who claim that this problem is due to the color of the light (Indoor), who claim that the light is poor, or even that the soil is watered too often, and so on.

If the growth of your plants has stalled, the culprits may be the following:

• Light

• Temperature

• Moisture

• Soil

• Time

• Water

• Transplanting

• Calcium nitrate

Light:

This is the basic element for chlorophyll photosynthesis. If the plant does not receive enough light, it grows much more slowly than normal; if it is insufficient, it does not grow at all or, if it has just been planted, it goes in search of light. If that is the case, it means it is growing too upward in search of light, drastically weakening the plant. If you do not intervene immediately there is the risk that the plant may die. We ought to remember that the perfect light for growth is cold light because the leaves are able to better absorb this range of colors. The perfect gradation is 6400K °, nothing hard to find or sophisticated, it is luckily the classic cold light. To be sure, read the gradation of light expressed in K ° printed on the bulb or on the packaging.  40% of growth problems are derived from light, but another factor behind growth problems is unsuitable temperature. To solve this problem, we can increase the number of light bulbs or buy one with more watts. I always recommend the purchase of energy-saving light bulbs, more lumens develop and your plants will grow lusher. More info is available in the following article: indoor lighting for chillies

Temperature: 

Unlike the problem of lack of light where the plants grow upwards or, in the worst case, growth stops, the cold could kill them all in just one night if they are small and the height is less than 20 cm. The ideal temperature varies from 19 to 27 C ° for young plants, while adult plants can better withstand temperature changes because they develop a more solid and resistant structure. When seedlings are left at a temperature around 13-14C ° photosynthesis slows down drastically and they will have difficulty growing, but by just raising the temperature everything will be resolved and the seedlings will suffer no harm. If the temperatures go down further than that, your plants are in danger. Under 5 ° C and the leaves could turn yellow the more they are exposed to the cold. At this point, it is necessary to urgently bring the plants to heat. If we keep them in the cold, all the leaves turn yellow and wither within a short time. If the plants were born recently, that is, they are very young and fragile, they wither and then dry up in little time. One chilli variety that made my jaw drop for its great resistance to the cold is Rocoto Red (in Italian called Cherry Peppers or Kisses of Satan, the classic chillies in oil stuffed with tuna and anchovies you see in which I highly recommend if you haven't yet tasted them). If you live in the mountains or you are growers who do not mind the excessive cold, I recommend trying the rocoto red chilli.

Moisture:

For germination I always recommend storing them in a humid environment, while for plant growth, also known as the vegetative phase, I recommend finding a place with little humidity, but so far I have never seen a seedling not grow due to the humidity factor, so you can go easy, it is much more likely that your problem is light or an unsuitable temperature. In this article we address the topic in more depth for those who are interested: Temperature for chillies

Soil: 

The importance of the soil is not to be underestimated. I always recommend buying high-quality soil. In fact, with a lack of nutrients, plants have difficulty growing and it is easy to recognize that they are poorly fed, pale, and weak. In this case, you have time to intervene by feeding the plant, while with the issue of low temperature it takes just a few nights to say goodbye to your beloved pepper plants. When the soil is full of nutrients, the leaves are immediately bright green, strong, sturdy, and resistant. A useful guide on this topic: Soil for chillies 

Time: 

Remember that patience is a virtue. Do not be surprised if in a week the plants haven't grown much. Sometimes, especially in the initial state, their growth is slow, but it can speed up after the second layer of leaves has grown. Alternatively, you can speed up the growth by installing a lamp with more lumens (not valid for crops outside the house, also called outdoor). The time factor doesn't seem worth mentioning, but I assure you that many friends wondered why their plants did not grow.

Water:

Fortunately, chilli plants need little water, but be careful when they are small to keep the earth moist but not too moist. Let's say that you should water moderately on the same day that you notice the soil becoming dry. Do not water too much to avoid stagnation. Growth rarely stops if they are dry because they lose strength quickly and die if no action is taken promptly. However, if the plant has exceeded 2030cm we don't need to worry as much.

Transplanting:

A classic beginner mistake is to plant many chili seeds in a narrow or small area such as in a cup. Transplanting is a critical moment for the plant. They undergo a lot of stress especially if the roots intertwine because we planted a lot of seeds in a small space. To avoid this, you need to get used to the idea that only one seed should be placed in each small container. When this happens, we moisten the soil and separate the roots with the utmost delicacy, trying to maintain the lump of soil that remains attached to the roots and then transplanting them.

This guide is mainly in regard to plants ranging from 1 to 3 months of life. You need to take many precautions even if they don't seem too demanding. In the end, one check-up a day is enough to understand the plants' health and act promptly in case of problems. 

Calcium nitrate for recovery

After we've understood and resolved the problem by examining the various parameters such as light, mositure, soil, etc... 

We can administer a dose of calcium nitrate which helps damaged plants to recover and increases the speed of the plant's growth helping it recover from damage.P

Are you interested in purchasing calcium nitrate? We have some single-dose packets available for the price of 0.99 in the fertilizer category on our website.

Otherwise, you can find the item clicking this link below: single-dose packet of calcium nitrate

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