May - Root Development

May has been a ‘period of consolidation’ for my little chile seedlings. Although nothing appears to be happening on the surface with many of my seedlings developing slowly, I know that most of the action is taking place where the eye cannot see. The size and vigour of your plants will be determined by the health of the root system. Good root development in young plants can be encouraged by using a weak fertiliser solution rich in phosphorus, the ‘P’ of the NPK ratings on the back of fertiliser packets. Although not essential, a weekly light watering with a 10-20-10 solution or a light sprinkling of ammonium sulphate solution will help young plants get off to a good start. However a word of caution, only consider fertilising young plants that have at least half a dozen sets of good sized leaves and don’t use the same watering can that your filled with weed killer last year! Don’t over fertilise plants otherwise you will end up with glorious bushy plants that will not set fruit. Seedlings don’t need fertilising, as there are more than enough nutrients in the seed compost. Applying fertiliser at this critical growth stage is more like to scorch young tender roots rather than stimulate them.