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GROWING BELL PEPPERS IN HIGH TUNNELS Steve Bogash Horticulture Educator / Researcher
| Date post: | 15-Jul-2015 |
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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
heat.
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
HT Red Bell Peppers - 2012
Tomcat
Chesapeake
HT Red Bell Peppers - 2012
Hunter
HT Red Bell Peppers - 2012
Godzilla
Triple 4
HT Red Bell Peppers - 2012
Socrates
Snapper
Crusader
HT Red Bell Peppers - 2012
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
HT Yellow Bell Peppers - 2011
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
HT Yellow Bell Peppers - 2012
Lafayette
Flavorburst
HT Yellow Bell Peppers - 2012
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
HT Orange Bell Peppers - 2011
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
HT Orange Bell Peppers - 2012
Milena
Magno
HT Orange Bell Peppers - 2012
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
717-240-6500 ext. 6507
Coloso from 2012
