- 1). Plant cayenne pepper plants after the danger of frost has passed in the spring. Place plants 18 inches apart in rows that are 2 feet apart. Buy plants at garden and home improvement stores or start them from seed. Start seeds indoors, and the plants must be hardened off before you plant them in a garden. Hardening off is accomplished by placing plants outdoors for several hours during the day.
- 2). Choose an area of your garden or patio that will allow the plants to grow with full sun exposure. Cayenne pepper plants are tropical plants that need heat and sun to thrive.
- 3). Water plants on a regular schedule. Cayenne pepper plants grow best in moist soil and will not tolerate drought conditions. Plants placed in pots or other containers will dry out more rapidly than plants grown in the garden and will need to be watered more frequently.
- 4). Apply a water soluble liquid fertilizer to plants every month. Avoid fertilizers with a high concentration of nitrogen, as nitrogen can cause the formation of abundant leaves but not many flowers. After peppers appear, fertilize every 2 weeks with diluted fertilizer.
- 5). Check under leaves for pests. Aphids, whiteflies and spider mites can infest cayenne pepper plants planted inside or outside. If you see these pests, remove them by washing the leaves with soapy water, followed by a clear water rinse.
- 6). Continue picking peppers though the summer to encourage the growth of new peppers. Remove peppers from the plant by cutting the stem with a knife or breaking it.
SHARE
