The average hydroponic bell pepper yield per plant can be significantly higher than a soil-grown pepper plant. A hydroponic bell pepper plant can produce a yield of 40 to 100 pounds of peppers per plant. While the average pepper plant grown in soil will only yield around 3 to 5 pounds per plant.
The average yield of hydroponic bell peppers depends on a number of factors such as the pepper variety, nutrient levels, and the type of hydroponic system that they were grown in.
You can learn more about hydroponic pepper plant yields for each sweet pepper variety in the following article.
The Average Yield of Sweet Peppers
The average yield of peppers grown in soil is around 3.6 pounds per plant according to the California Cooperative Extension. While a hydroponically grown pepper can yield 10 to 30 times more per plant depending on growing conditions and the variety of pepper plants.
Standard Bell Pepper
Hydroponic Yield: 40 to 100 pounds (18 to 45 kg)
Soil Yield: 3.6 to 9 pounds (1.6 to 4 kg)
Banana Bell Peppers
Hydroponic Yield: 18 to 44 pounds (8 to 20 kg)
Soil Yield: 1.6 to 4 pounds (.75 to 1.8 kg)
Miniature Bell Peppers
Hydroponic Yield: 13 to 34 pounds (5.8 to 15.4 kg)
Soil Yield: 1 to 3 pounds (.5 to 1.4 kg)
How Many Peppers Per Plant
The average yield of a pepper plant is highly dependent on the size of the fruit, and the number of peppers that develop on each plant. Also, environmental conditions such as pests, wind, disease, and access to water can affect the yield and number of peppers on each plant.
Hydroponic peppers are less prone to water stress and disease. And pest problems are much easier to control when you grow hydroponic peppers especially if you grow peppers in a greenhouse (Buy Online)
For a quick reference, you can see how many fruit pods will develop on each type of sweet pepper plant in the following sections.
How Many Bell Peppers Per Plant
Bell Peppers (Buy Online) have fruits that generally measure between 3 and 4-inches wide and 6-inches long. On average, each bell pepper plant will yield 6 to 8 large bell peppers per plant.
How Many Banana Peppers Per Plant
Banana Peppers (Buy Online) produce a long slender shaped pepper that measures between 2 and 3 inches wide and 6 to 12 inches long. Each banana pepper plant will set between 25 to 30 peppers per plant.
How Many Miniature Bell Peppers Per Plant
Miniature Bell Peppers (Buy Online) are small bite-sized peppers that usually measure 3-inches wide by 3-inches long. A miniature bell pepper plant will usually set 10 to 15 fruit pods on each plant, and they can set more fruit pods later in the season in favorable conditions.
Growing Conditions
There are a number of factors that can influence the average yield of a bell pepper plant. When you grow plants hydroponically you can avoid soil-borne disease and most insect pests.
The main factors that control pepper plant yield in a hydroponic system are plant spacing, nutrients, and temperature.
Plant Spacing
Bell pepper plants should be spaced 14 to 24-inches apart (35.5 to 45.72 cm) at a minimum. When pepper plants are grown in soil they generally are planted with a 24-inch (60cm) row spacing. In a hydroponic system, you won’t have to worry about row spacing, but you still want to give each plant 2 sq ft (.19 sq m) of space.
Proper bell pepper plant spacing will ensure that each plant gets adequate exposure to light. Optimal plant spacing will also help increase airflow around the plants, which can help stave off bacterial and fungal pathogens.
Nutrients
Hydroponic Nutrients (Buy Online) play a very important role in the final yield of a bell pepper plant. You should use a fertilizer with a 5-10-10 NPK ratio on bell pepper plants.
The higher potassium and phosphorus levels in a 5-10-10 fertilizer will encourage the pepper plants to spend less energy on growing new leaves and instead focus that energy on fruit production instead.
Temperature
Peppers are a heat-loving plant that need to be kept between 65 to 80 Fahrenheit (18-26 Celsius) to perform their best. In areas where the temperature isn’t that warm for at least 4 months out of the year, you might want to consider growing peppers indoors or in a greenhouse.
Types of Hydroponic Systems for Bell Peppers
Ebb and Flow Hydroponic Systems
Ebb and Flow Hydroponic Systems (Buy Online) are a good choice for growing bell peppers. They can easily accommodate the large root system of a pepper plant, and they are easily converted over to growing large top-heavy plants.
Hydroponic Bubbler DWC
A Hydroponic Bubbler System (Buy Online) is an easy way for beginners to grow hydroponic bell pepper plants. Deepwater culture systems allow you to immerse a plant’s roots in a highly oxygenated nutrient solution, which will ensure high pepper fruit yields and rapid plant development.
Aquaponics
Aquaponic Systems (Buy Online) let you produce vegetables, fruits, grains, and fish in a self-contained ecosystem. With an aquaponics system, you can easily grow pepper plants using the nutrients that are released in fish waste. Then when you’re ready to harvest your pepper plants you can catch a fish and eat a complete homegrown meal that you grew and prepared yourself.
