If you’re looking to increase pepper production, grow larger plants, and build a strong root system, proper fertilization is key. While healthy soil is essential, soil alone often doesn’t provide all the nutrients pepper plants need to reach their full potential.
Knowing how and when to fertilize pepper plants and choosing the right product for each stage of growth can make the difference between weak plants and heavy harvests.
In this guide, we’ll break down common pepper plant problems like yellow leaves, blossom drop, poor flowering, and slow growth, and show you which fertilizers to use, when to apply them, and why they work, so you can stop guessing and start growing healthier, more productive pepper plants.
Epsom Salt for Pepper Plants: When and How to Use It
Problem:
Yellowing leaves, slow growth, poor nutrient uptake, or early signs of blossom-end rot.
Why It Happens:
Magnesium is essential for chlorophyll production and helps pepper plants absorb nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. When magnesium is deficient, leaves may turn yellow or brown, and overall plant growth can suffer.
Solution: Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate)
Epsom salt provides a fast, effective boost of magnesium when applied correctly. It’s especially helpful as a foliar spray for quick absorption.
How to Apply Epsom Salt:
-
-
Mix 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt into a standard spray bottle filled with water
-
Shake thoroughly until dissolved
-
Spray leaves and the base of the plant every 2 weeks
-
Apply during cooler parts of the day (early morning or evening)
-
Important Note:
Epsom salt should be used only when magnesium deficiency is suspected. It is not a replacement for a complete fertilizer but works best as a targeted supplement.
Using Epsom salt correctly can help increase pepper production and reduce blossom-related issues when magnesium is lacking.
Calcium Deficiency and Blossom-End Rot in Pepper Plants
Problem:
Peppers developing dark, sunken spots on the bottom of the fruit (blossom-end rot), weak cell structure, or fruit that drops before maturing.
Why It Happens:
Blossom-end rot is most commonly caused by a calcium deficiency, often made worse by inconsistent watering or poor nutrient uptake. Even if calcium exists in the soil, pepper plants may struggle to absorb it without proper soil health and root support.
Solution: Kelp Blast
Kelp Blast is a sustainably harvested kelp extract that delivers essential trace minerals, plant hormones, and nutrients that help improve calcium uptake and overall plant resilience. While it isn’t a calcium supplement by itself, it helps plants use available calcium more effectively, which is key to preventing blossom-end rot.
Why Kelp Blast Works:
-
-
Improves nutrient uptake efficiency
-
Strengthens cell walls for healthier fruit development
-
Supports stress tolerance during flowering and fruiting
-
Conditions soil for long-term plant health
-
How to Apply Kelp Blast:
-
-
Dilute Kelp Blast powder in water
-
Combine with Soil Blast or Super Myco Tea for best results
-
Apply once per week or during regular nutrient feedings
-
Consistent application during flowering and fruit development helps reduce blossom-end rot and supports stronger, healthier pepper pods.
Helpful Tip:
Always pair calcium-supporting products with consistent watering, as calcium uptake depends heavily on steady soil moisture.
Pepper Plants Dropping Blossoms? Here’s Why It Happens
Problem:
Your pepper plants look healthy and leafy, but flower buds keep dropping before setting fruit.
Why It Happens:
This issue is commonly caused by too much nitrogen in the soil, often referred to as nitrogen burn. While nitrogen is essential for leafy growth, excess nitrogen pushes the plant to focus on foliage instead of flowers and fruit. The result? Beautiful green plants… and very few peppers.
Blossom drop can also be made worse by:
-
-
Heat stress
-
Inconsistent watering
-
Poor soil biology
-
But nitrogen imbalance is one of the most common culprits.
Solution: Restore Balance with Soil Blast
Soil Blast Fertilizer helps correct nutrient imbalances by improving soil biology rather than force-feeding plants with excess nutrients. It introduces billions of beneficial soil microbes that make existing nutrients more available and usable by pepper plants.
Why Soil Blast Works:
-
-
Helps rebalance nitrogen-heavy soil
-
Improves nutrient availability without burning plants
-
Encourages healthy flowering and fruit set
-
Strengthens overall plant vigor
-
Growers often notice:
-
-
Deeper, vibrant green foliage
-
Improved flowering
-
Stronger, more resilient plants
-
In many cases, visible improvements occur within 48–72 hours after application.
How to Apply Soil Blast
-
-
Dilute Soil Blast powder thoroughly in water
-
Apply once per week during the vegetative growth stage
-
Once mixed, use the solution within 24 hours
-
Tip: If your peppers are lush but not producing, pause high-nitrogen fertilizers and focus on restoring soil balance instead.
Key Takeaway
If your pepper plants are growing leaves but dropping flowers, the solution isn’t more fertilizer, it’s better-balanced soil.
Pepper Plants Wilting or Turning Yellow?
Problem:
Your pepper plants look droopy, sluggish, or yellowing even though you’re watering regularly.
Why It Happens:
This is often a sign of weak or underdeveloped root systems. When roots can’t efficiently absorb water and nutrients, the plant struggles above the soil. Poor drainage, transplant stress, and depleted soil biology can all contribute to weak roots.
In many cases, the issue isn’t the leaves, it’s what’s happening below the surface.
Solution: Strengthen Roots with Myco Blast
Myco Blast is designed to rebuild and strengthen root systems by introducing beneficial fungi and bacteria that work symbiotically with your pepper plants.
How Myco Blast Helps:
-
-
Promotes thick, fuzzy root growth
-
Improves nutrient and water uptake
-
Strengthens plants against stress and disease
-
Enhances long-term soil health
-
Once established, these beneficial microbes continue working for the life of the plant.
Application Instructions
-
-
Dilute and mix Myco Blast powder thoroughly in water
-
Apply by evenly saturating the root zone
-
Use once on:
-
Seedlings
-
Rooted clones
-
Young plants
-
After each transplant
-
-
Important: Once mixed, use within 24 hours for best results.
Drainage Still Matters
If your plant is wilting despite moist soil, poor drainage may also be contributing to root stress. Roots need oxygen just as much as they need water, avoid letting plants sit in soggy soil.
Key Takeaway
Yellowing leaves and wilting plants often point to root health issues, not watering mistakes. Strengthening roots early sets your pepper plants up for faster growth, higher yields, and better stress resistance.
Want to Break Down Organic Debris Into Usable Soil Nutrients?
Problem:
Even if you’re fertilizing, your pepper plants may still struggle if nutrients in the soil aren’t readily available. Organic matter, old roots, and undecomposed material can lock nutrients away, making them inaccessible to your plants.
Why It Happens:
Soil without active microbial life can’t efficiently convert organic debris into usable nutrients. Over time, this leads to compacted soil, slower growth, and reduced yields.
Solution: Super Myco Tea (Formerly Sweet Myco Tea)
Super Myco Tea is a molasses-based compost tea alternative that jumpstarts microbial activity in your soil. Instead of adding bulk compost, it feeds beneficial microbes that naturally break down debris and convert it into plant-ready nutrients.
Benefits of Super Myco Tea:
-
-
Accelerates decomposition of organic matter
-
Improves soil structure and nutrient availability
-
Enhances root-zone microbial activity
-
Supports steady, healthy plant growth
-
Works well between regular fertilizer feedings
-
This makes it especially useful during the vegetative and early flowering stages, when plants need consistent nutrient access.
Application Instructions
-
-
Dilute and mix Super Myco Tea powder thoroughly in water
-
Apply once per week, ideally between nutrient feedings
-
Use within 24 hours after mixing for best results
-
Super Myco Tea pairs well with other fertilizers by improving how efficiently plants can absorb what you’re already feeding them.
When to Use Super Myco Tea
-
-
Soil feels compacted or depleted
-
Plants appear healthy but growth is slow
-
You want to boost soil biology naturally
-
You’re transitioning between growth stages
-
Key Takeaway
Healthy soil grows healthy pepper plants. By improving microbial activity, Super Myco Tea helps turn existing soil content into usable fuel for stronger roots, greener growth, and better yields.
Final Thoughts: Feeding Peppers the Right Way at the Right Time
Fertilizing pepper plants isn’t about using more products it’s about using the right nutrients at the right stage of growth. From building strong roots and healthy foliage to encouraging flowering and preventing blossom drop, understanding what your plants need makes all the difference.
By pairing proper fertilization with good watering habits, drainage, and soil health, you set your pepper plants up for:
-
-
Stronger root systems
-
Healthier, greener growth
-
More flowers and higher fruit yields
-
Fewer common issues like yellowing leaves or blossom drop
-
Every garden is different, but paying attention to your plants’ signals and adjusting nutrients accordingly is the key to long-term success.
Whether you’re growing mild bell peppers or face-melting super hots, the right fertilizer can take your harvest to the next level.
Explore our trusted pepper fertilizers, soil enhancers, and microbial blends to support your plants at every stage, from seedling to harvest.