Why is container size so important when planting on my chillies?

Think of the plants roots as their feet and the container as shoes. When plants grow directly in soil, it is their natural environment. Plants and roots can grow at will without restrictions. As big or little as the plant feels necessary. Their access to moisture and nutrients is pretty much infinite. But when we decide to put plants into containers, we are putting them into a controlled environment. This pretty much changes everything.

Firstly, we have to use medium in containers. Not soil. Soil compacts in containers – so, we substitute soil with a man made medium that does not compact in containers. A substitute for soil. While the medium we make up will work, it is no match for what mother nature has provided for millennia.

Soil is infinite. Nutrients, microbial activity, airflow, moisture are all ongoing. In a container with medium, we control water and nutrients. These are limited resources in containers. As such we provide more water and nutrients when the time comes. In soil, these resources are infinite as there are no bounds to the plants environment.

Choosing the right container for your plant is critical. Putting a large plant into a container that is too small is like wearing shoes that are too small. Firstly, the root zone will not be able to grow as the plant requires – plants can become root bound and this means plant growth will also be stunted.

Secondly, the roots access to resources will be severely limited. Water – a plant will not be able to access sufficient water. This means parched plants that will be exposed to stress. Stressed plants get sickly. You will struggle to maintain steady moisture in the medium. Watering and moisture control will be erratic. You will need to water more frequently, which means nutrients will also be flushed away from the root zone due to the constant watering. This will result in nutrient issues. Your plant will struggle availing itself of nutrients and ultimately stress and become sickly.

So, choosing the right size pot is critical!

But how will you know the right pot size? If you are not familiar with a new cultivar, how would you know how big it gets? And ultimately how big a pot you will require.

We indicate the estimated plant/pot size on the product page.

In the “Growing Instructions” tab on every product page you will find a key that indicates the estimated volume of the container required.