Growing Bell Peppers in High Tunnels, 2015

transcript

GROWING BELL PEPPERS IN HIGH TUNNELS

Steve Bogash

Horticulture Educator / Researcher

Bell peppers Quality flip between greens and ripe when you go

under plastic.

In field, only about 10-20% can ripen successfully.

In HT, we generally pack 90% fully colored.

Planted like field:

18’ apart in rows on double diagonal row.

Stakes must be at least 60”

IR and diffusion plastics really push growth.

FL weave first string, then box string remainders.

One strategy for early to market Plant as early as possible with 20-30F supplemental

Harvest some percentage of plants green leaving some % to fully ripen.

Market greens until field season for greens begin, then only grow HT peppers to full color until fall.

Now you’ve got the earliest of both.

Coast into last harvests 10/31 – 11/20 +/-

High Tunnel Colored Bell Peppers2012

• Planted – May 15

• 19 Varieties – 4 reps of 6 plants

• 18 single ‘observation’ plots

• Field and greenhouse/tunnel varieties

High Tunnel Colored Bell Peppers 2011

• Planted – June 1

• Completed tunnel over July 19

• 20 Varieties – 3 reps of 6 plants

• 16 single ‘observation’ plots

• Field and greenhouse/tunnel varieties

HT Red Bell Peppers - 2012#Mktl WtMkt Avg Ft Wt

PS 1819 39.8 bcd 26.4 0.67 ab

Red Knight 48.5 ab 25.4 0.52 de

Tomcat 44.2 bc 24.6 0.56 cde

Chesapeake 60.2 a 24.1 0.40 f

Karisma 34.8 cd 23.7 0.68 ab

Hunter 39.3 bcd 23.4 0.60 bcd

HT Red Bell Peppers - 2011Yield #1 Wt. #1 Avg Ft Wt

Hunter 30.0 ab 16.1 a 0.54 abc

Tomcat 25.0 abc 14.4 ab 0.56 ab

PS 1819 21.0 abc 12.5 ab 0.61 ab

Edison 31.7 a 12.3 ab 0.39 e

Snapper 19.0 bc 11.2 ab 0.59 ab

Vanguard 16.7 c 11.0 ab 0.66 a

HT Red Bell Peppers - 2012#Mktl WtMkt Avg Ft Wt

Godzilla 36.3 bcd 23.2 0.64 abc

Triple 4 49.2 ab 23.2 0.47 ef

Socrates 39.8 bcd 22.7 0.57 cde

King Author 35.8 bcd 22.1 0.62 bcd

Islamadora 34.2 cd 21.8 0.64 abc

Vanguard 27.8 d 20.1 0.72 a

HT Red Bell Peppers - 2012

PS 0994-1819

Red Knight

Tomcat

Chesapeake

Hunter

Godzilla

Triple 4

Socrates

Snapper

Crusader

Islamadora

Plants got very tall

Vanguard

Legionnaire

Red Delicious

HT Yellow Bell Peppers - 2012

#Mktl WtMkt Avg Ft Wt

Catriona 48.8 ab 21.7 0.44 b

Flavorburst 66.7 a 27.6 0.41 b

Lafayette 43.0 b 26.4 0.60 a

Moonset 41.5 b 20.4 0.49 b

Yield #1 Wt. #1 Avg Ft Wt

Catriona 30.0 10.8 0.34 c

Flavorburst 30.0 12.0 0.40 bc

Lafayette 16.0 9.6 0.60 a

Moonset 23.3 10.7 0.48 b

Lafayette

Flavorburst

Catriona

Moonset

HT Orange Bell Peppers - 2012

#Mktl WtMkt Avg Ft Wt

Delerio 42.8 b 18.7 b 0.44

Magno 41.5 b 18.3 b 0.44

Milena 55.3 a 24.8 a 0.45

Yield #1 Wt. #1 Avg Ft Wt

Delerio 32.3 12.1 0.37

Magno 29.7 13.1 0.44

Milena 25.0 10.0 0.40

Milena

Delirio

Valencia

Fertility program• Plow down based on soil tests

– Use highest Knotts’ Handbook levels for P and K

• Add #10 kelp meal / 1,000ft2

• Add #20 Green Potash / 1,000ft2 (0-0-15)

• Add #10-20 Aragonite / 1,000ft2

• Add #5-15 MgSO4 / 1,000ft2

• Fertigate 2-3x/week with N at #.5/acre/day

Fertigation• #.5/acre/week based until flowering

• Our high tunnel is 30’ x 96’

– 6 rows of peppers on 18” double diagonal rows

– 90’ / .75’ =120 plants / row = 720 plants

– 720 / 9,680 (plants/ acre) = .075A

• #.5 x .075 = #.0875N/ tunnel / day

• .0875 / .20 (20-10-20) = #.44 / day

• At flowering .0875 / .09 = #.97 of 9-15-30

• Watch for P, K, Ca and Mg crashes

Aphid damage on late fall peppers

Aphid remains

Primary HT pepper challenges• Aphids

• Western Flower Thrips

• Spider mites

• Broad mites

• European pepper moth

• Bacterial canker diseases

Broad mites on peppers

European Pepper Moth

Girdling often associated with webbing

On EPM• Monitor with Delta Traps and specific

pheromone: Biobest has one.

• Base directed sprays using Bt or a lep. specific material (we used Vetica)

• Overwinters in tunnel litter and edges.

• Major pest of many solanaceous plants.

Bioline sachet and damaged pepper

Biobest ABS sachet (Amblyseius-Breeding-System)

Amblyseius cucumeris

Biological pest control: macro predators

Orius, Minute Pirate Bug

HT pepper tunnel pest control 2014• Planted on 4/15/14.

• Started losing plants to EPM on 5/7/14 +/-

– We thought it was from Sclerotinia rolfsiireturning

• Replanted on 5/20/14

– Started EPM management at planting with Veticadirected at plant bases

– Rotated Vetica and DiPel every 7-10 days for 4 weeks.

More HT pest control 2014• Installed Biobest Delta traps with lure on 6/1/14.

• Nothing caught ever.

• Focus on broad mite, aphid, WFT and spider mites.

– Portal at first blossom, then again as first fruit are sizing up. (Oberon another option).

– Grandevo alternated with Met52 every 7-10

– Fulfill 1x as aphids came on strong once.

• Could not find any Orius on banker plants

– Will purchase next time.

Pepper bacterial disease• Xanthomonas campestris pv. Vesicatoria

• Bacterial spot

• Badge SC or Kocide 3000, fixed copper

Preventative disease program• Regalia + Badge SC every 10-14 days

• Actinovate AG at day 7-10 after 8/15

– Other options for PM

• Cease, Companion, Serenade

• Double Nickel?

-DO PEPPERS PAY?-CAN YOU DO 4 ROWS OF TOMATOES AND 2 OF PEPPERS (OUTER) AND MAKE IT PAY?-DOES THE GREEN / RED MIX PAY?

The really big questions:

THANK YOU!QUESTIONS, COMMENTS AND REBUTTALS, PLEASE!

Steve Bogash

Horticulture Educator / Researcher

smb13@psu.edu

717-240-6500 ext. 6507

Coloso from 2012

Growing Bell Peppers in High Tunnels, 2015

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