How to Care for a Cayenne Plant

Growing your own cayenne pepper plants allows you to enjoy your favorite type of pepper without making a trip to the grocery store. Cayenne plants thrive in the heat and won't grow as well in cold soil. If temperatures drop below 50 degrees F at night, leaves may become yellow and flowers might drop off, according to the University of Illinois Extension. With just a little extra care, your plants will thrive and produce peppers throughout the growing season.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fertilizer
• Pots
• Mulch

1. Plant cayenne pepper plants after the danger of frost has passed in the spring. Place plants 18 inches apart in rows that are 2 feet apart. Buy plants at garden and home improvement stores or start them from seed. Start seeds indoors, and the plants must be hardened off before you plant them in a garden. Hardening off is accomplished by placing plants outdoors for several hours during the day.

2. Choose an area of your garden or patio that will allow the plants to grow with full sun exposure. Cayenne pepper plants are tropical plants that need heat and sun to thrive.

3. Water plants on a regular schedule. Cayenne pepper plants grow best in moist soil and will not tolerate drought conditions. Plants placed in pots or other containers will dry out more rapidly than plants grown in the garden and will need to be watered more frequently.

4. Apply a water soluble liquid fertilizer to plants every month. Avoid fertilizers with a high concentration of nitrogen, as nitrogen can cause the formation of abundant leaves but not many flowers. After peppers appear, fertilize every 2 weeks with diluted fertilizer.

5. Check under leaves for pests. Aphids, whiteflies and spider mites can infest cayenne pepper plants planted inside or outside. If you see these pests, remove them by washing the leaves with soapy water, followed by a clear water rinse.

6. Continue picking peppers though the summer to encourage the growth of new peppers. Remove peppers from the plant by cutting the stem with a knife or breaking it.

Tips & Warnings

• Pull weeds weekly to encourage maximum plant growth.
• Mulching plants will help the soil retain moisture. Soil should be moist, but not overly wet.
• Choose large pots if you grow peppers in containers. Larger pots allow for more extensive root growth and large plant sizes. Cayenne pepper pots don't have to be grown in pots, but can also be grown in window boxes, hanging baskets or any container that has a hole in the bottom for water drainage.

References

• University of Illinois Extension
• Cordite County Show Notes
• Plant Care