Pepper Container Soil Mix
Capsicum spp.
Research-backed container soil mix for peppers (Capsicum spp.) — vermicompost-forward with charged biochar for CEC and BER-preventing calcium amendments.
- Container:
- 5-gallon fabric or plastic
- pH:
- 6–6.8
- EC:
- 1.5–2.5 mS/cm
- Sun:
- 6–8 hr
Components
Percentages by volume. Quantities scaled for a 5-gallon container (US units).
| Component | % | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Quality potting mix Base structure, initial nutrients | 30% | 6 qt |
| Coco coir (low-EC, buffered) CEC, moisture buffering | 25% | 5 qt |
| Pumice Drainage, aeration (lower water requirement)
Alternates: Perlite | 15% | 3 qt |
| Vermicompost / Worm castings Nutrients, microbes, growth hormones | 12% | 2.5 qt |
| Charged biochar Long-term CEC, nutrient retention | 8% | 1.5 qt |
| Aged compost Microbial diversity | 5% | 1 qt |
| Zeolite (clinoptilolite) N retention, slow Ca release | 5% | 1 qt |
Per-container amendments
Scaled linearly to your container size. Apply at transplant or as side-dress per the notes on each line.
- Balanced organic fertilizer (4-4-4 / 5-5-5) 1/3 cup0.3 cup
- Gypsum Calcium without pH shift. Add +1 tbsp for large-fruited varieties to prevent BER.2 tbsp
- Basalt rock dust or azomite2 tbsp
- Epsom salt Magnesium.1 tbsp
- Mycorrhizae inoculant At root zone during transplant.1–2 tbsp
Growing notes
- Charge biochar 24-72 hours in compost tea or used hydro solution before adding.
- In fabric pots, bump perlite/pumice to 20%.
- For large-fruited varieties: +1 tbsp gypsum to prevent BER.
- Top-dress with vermicompost every 4-6 weeks.
Want to scale this to a different container size, save it to a plot plant, or track applied dates? Open it in the interactive calculator.
References
- California Wonder pepper: 1.25:0.75:0.5:0.5 soil:sand:FYM:vermicompost best yield — Brunda & Singh (2023)