How Often to Water Pepper Plants

How Often to Water Pepper Plants

No matter what variety you have, it’s helpful to know how often to water pepper plants. Proper watering encourages the plants to grow better and may increase their yield.

Here is a quick overview, followed by detailed directions based on the pepper’s stage of growth and living space (pot, garden, indoor vs. outdoor, etc.) for more guidance. You’ll also learn how much water they need and how much to give them in one sitting. Let’s dig in: 

How Often to Water Pepper Plants: The Basics

There’s no set schedule for how often you should water peppers – the best way to tell when they need water is to use the finger test. Stick your finger 1 inch into the soil to test how dry it is. If the soil is damp, leave the plants longer. If it’s dry, go ahead and water directly on each plant’s root zone. 

As a general rule, this works out to around once or twice a week during summer in most areas of the northeast, but it can vary greatly based on the time of year and the pepper’s growing conditions.

Peppers need around 1-2 inches of water per week to grow and produce their best. The amount you’ll need to provide varies based on how much rain you get, how hot it is, whether it’s grown in a pot or garden, and more.

How Often to Water Pepper Seeds

After planting pepper seeds, you should spritz the soil with water to begin their germination. Pepper seeds generally don’t need as much water if they’re kept covered. If they aren’t covered, you should water them whenever the top of the soil appears dry, which could be a couple of times a day. (Note that not covering them will also slow their sprouting, since they won’t be kept as warm). 

If they do have a cover, water lightly every couple of days. You won’t need to water quite as frequently since the cover retains the water that would normally be lost to evaporation. 

When watering pepper seeds, use a regular spray bottle that hasn’t held any liquid other than water (those $1 ones from Dollar Tree work perfectly!) and spritz the surface of the soil until the whole surface has become dark and damp. 

Here’s a complete guide to starting peppers from seed.

Watering Pepper Seedlings

Once the little peppers have sprouted and their cotyledons are showing (those pointy little starter leaves they get), water the seedlings whenever the soil surface appears dry. Keep using the spray bottle while they’re small, or they’ll get bowled over. As they get closer to transplanting size, you can begin watering them with a cup or small watering can to start toughening them up. 

Young pepper plants need water, but they prefer to be slightly underwatered than overwatered, especially in one sitting. Just like before they sprout, spray them until the whole surface becomes dark and damp, but stop as soon as it does. They don’t need deep, thorough waterings at this stage, as too much water will kill them.

Watering Mature Pepper Plants

Once they’ve matured, your peppers will need 1-2 inches of water per week. It’s ideal to give this in a couple of deep waterings rather than a small amount of water each day, but either can work if it’s easier for you. And remember, outdoor pepper plants get some of their water from rain!

If you have an extra hot day, give the plants more water than usual or consider checking the soil even if it isn’t a day you’d regularly expect to water them.

How Often to Water Pepper Plants in the Garden

Pepper plants grown in a vegetable garden or raised bed often don’t need to be watered as frequently, since the excess water will soak deeply into any well-draining garden soil.

Do your best to water your peppers at the base of the plant if at all possible. While they won’t melt if they get a little water on their leaves, it can increase their risk of fungal diseases and ends up wasting water, since they need the water only by their roots.

How Often to Water Pepper Plants in Pots

Pepper plants grown in pots generally need to be watered much more frequently, since their soil dries more quickly from heat and air exposure than their in-ground counterparts. The amount of direct sunlight they get will also affect the evaporation rate.

When watering peppers in containers, test the soil to an inch depth as usual, then water the plant until water begins draining out the bottom. Leave it alone until the top inch of soil is dry again.

In addition to the soil test, you can lift small pots to see if they’re unusually light. A light pot means a dry plant. Heavy pots usually mean there’s enough water.

Peppers should always be kept in well-draining soil conditions, and they require drainage holes in any pot they’re kept in. Making sure your pot has good drainage can be the difference between a thriving and dead plant. (Here’s what else you’ll need to know about growing peppers in containers.)

Outdoors

Peppers kept in outdoor pots often need more water than indoor peppers, since the sun and wind can get to them directly. They will likely need the most frequent watering of all mature peppers. You may want to test their soil twice a day during the hottest days, especially if they’re in an area that collects extra heat like a deck or patio. Water them whenever they dry out.

Indoors

Indoor pepper plants generally don’t need water as frequently, unless you’re growing them in the middle of a dry house in winter under a grow light. All the regular rules apply – test the soil, water at the base as needed.

How to Make Pepper Watering Easier

There are a few ways you can maximize water storage around your pepper plant’s roots. One good idea is to use mulch, which helps keep the water from evaporating as quickly. Some of the best pepper companion plants act as a living mulch around the base of the peppers, helping retain moisture. Spacing your peppers properly also helps retain moist soil. 

If you plan to grow your pepper in a container, choose a white plastic pot over terracotta or black plastic to help retain moisture. 

For the times when the plants do need watering, you can make your job easier by installing drip watering devices (you can make your own with plastic bottles!), using soaker hoses for drip irrigation (manually or on a timer), and, of course, maximizing rain water.

The best time to water is in the early evening and early morning, since that gives the soil the most time to take in water without the heat of the full sun and hot weather immediately evaporating it.

FAQs About How Often to Water Pepper Plants

Do peppers like a lot of water?

Not really – they will wilt if underwatered, but they are extremely heat tolerant plants that can withstand low amounts of moisture if need be.

What do pepper plants look like when they get too much water?

Pepper plants may develop yellow leaves and other signs of root rot when they receive too much water.

How many times a day should you water pepper plants?

Pepper seeds may need to be watered twice a day if they dry out, but mature pepper plants generally won’t need to be watered more than once a day, and even then only in extremely warm temperatures. 

Should I water my peppers every day?

While pepper seeds and young plants may require daily watering, it generally isn’t necessary to water a mature pepper plant every day except for days with excessively dry and hot daytime temperatures. It’s usually only necessary to water them once every few days if it hasn’t rained. 

How do I know if my pepper plant needs water?

The easiest way to tell if a pepper plant needs water is to test the soil. Stick your finger to about a 1 inch depth, and water the plant only if the soil is dry. If you’ve waited too long to water, the plant will begin wilting, and you’ll need to water right away to save it.

Do hot peppers need more or less water than sweet peppers?

They both grow best with about the same amount of water. That said, hot pepper varieties often have deeper roots that allow them to go longer without water in demanding environments, so they will be more forgiving. Erring on slightly underwatering hot peppers may also increase their spiciness.

Do peppers like dry soil?

They like soil with good drainage, but that doesn’t mean bone dry. However, they prefer slightly dry soil to waterlogged soils. 

What is the best way to water pepper plants?

The best way to water plants is an infrequent but thorough dousing near the base of the plant.

Can peppers be over watered?

Yes, you can overwater pepper plants. They’ll tell you they’re upset with yellow leaves and faltering production.

How much water do bell peppers like?

​Bell pepper plants like around an inch of water per week. 

Happy Pepper Growing!

With these tips, you should now be able to figure out how often to water pepper plants whether they’re young, mature, indoors, outdoors, in pots, or in the garden. Remember, keep testing the soil with your finger!

Have you ever wanted to try overwintering your best pepper plants? Here’s how to do it.