Staking/Caging Necessary/Beneficial?

[kimpossible]

I just finished reading the "Fish" thread & was going to ask this question there, but thought it would be better on it's own...

Craig said he "stakes & ties" or uses small cages for peppers. I have never given my peppers any support.

Should I?

What does everyone do?

[feldon30]

I planted my peppers at the usual height and when they started to get tall, they leaned over. I had to mound up more soil around the base of each. I did end up staking one. My first year growing peppers.

[Suze]

I think it depends on the pepper -- but in general, I like to give them all at least a 3-4 ft stake minimum, so that later, I can tie them to the stake with the green stretchy tape if needed.

More often than not, just about any pepper I grow gets attached at least once to the stake.

[shelleybean]

I agree it depends on the variety. Some are short and some are taller. I use a short support for all of mine. Those cheap cone shaped cages they sell at hardware stores are useless for tomatoes but they work pretty well for peppers and eggplants.

[Adenn1]

My bell peppers get pretty big...3-4'. This year I am using the cheap tomato rings I had left over for cages...this will help keep them from crashing during storms/high winds.

[Love2Troll]

Pepper plants are amazingly sturdy and if not for wind and storms I probably wouldn't bother for most first year plants. Older plants (especially C. pubescens) often need support unless pruned back in the spring.

http://www.fototime.com/A9752A853E4D7F7/orig.jpg

One rocoto I let grow measured 20 feet from tip of one branch to tip of another.

[kimpossible]

Thanks for your replies. I noticed that most are from warmer climates with longer growing seasons, where the plants get much larger (I plant out about June 1st & am lucky if the weather holds out beyond mid to late Sept.)

I know you can also over-winter peppers; here that would mean bringing them in the house, and start with a much larger plant next season. Those would obviously need support. Hopefully I'll try that this year.

[coronabarb]

Another vote for the useless *tomato* cages...they work very well for my peppers. I'd rather keep things up as much as possible to eliminate slugs, etc.

[barkeater]

I've never needed to stake a pepper plant. But I do grow them in a raised bed with weedblock, so they don't tpouch soil. I have mulched with straw though for some of the viney bell types - like California Wonder.

[Suze]

I stake and/or use the cheapie cages as a precaution because it's not uncommon here to get 40-60 mph winds. I get these sort of winds (or worse) at least 1x a year and usually when the plants are loaded up. And I have actually lost fruits/branches before because of it. But for many gardeners, it may not be necessary.

[kimpossible]

Well, what the heck. I have 10 different varieties of peppers - 89 plants. Two of those are very small, ornamental types (about a dozen plants). So I have 8 other varieties - about 77 plants:

King of the North
Buran
Black Hungarian
Purple Beauty
Orange Bell
Alma Paprika
Sheepnose Pimiento
Fish

I have decided I will just use those small tomato cages for all of them - it can't hurt!

Although my husband is starting to question my sanity right about now...

[LoreD]

I have found that sometimes when I have large bells when I harvest one it tends to lean when all the weight is on one side. This year I found a method in the NGA member book that recommended planting two pepper plants that are the same kind in the same hole. It was said that pollination would be better and the two plants together would hold each other up.

I did it this year and I did find that they were more productive and I found that they did support each other. Each plant provided a "stake" for the other.

It sounded crazy, but it worked.

LoreD

[spyfferoni]

I have also had good luck planting two pepper plants of the same kind close together. My peppers seemed crowded compared to my neihbors, but they produced as good or better. I have never staked any plants, and it can get pretty windy at times. I've thought about it though. I guess it would depend more on the variety than anything else. I have only grown a few different kinds of bells, frying types, and a few different hot peppers. My neighbor has a couple of aji amarillo, her mother-in-law sent seeds from Peru, and they are huge. It will be interesting to see how the plants hold up when they begin to set fruit, and if she will need to add any kind of support.

Tyffanie