When you’re planning a garden, it’s crucial to consider the amount of sunlight that your plants will be getting. While some plants don’t need much sun at all, others will be seriously stunted by a lack of sun- and unfortunately, poblanos are one of them!
Poblano pepper plants need at least 6-8 hours of full sun each day, but they do best with upwards of 10 hours a day. Poblanos need so much sun because they require a lot of energy since they’re such heavy producers. Sunlight provides the energy for photosynthesis, which creates the food that poblano peppers need to survive.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about how much sun poblano peppers need to grow!
How much sun does a poblano plant need?
We all know how important sunlight is for gardening.
A poblano pepper plant needs at least 6-8 hours of full sun each day but does best with up to 10 hours. Sunlight is the driving force of energy behind photosynthesis, which is how plants produce their food. Since poblano pepper plants can grow to be so massive and are such prolific producers, they need a lot of energy to support themselves!
Peppers need a minimum of 6-8 hours of full sun per day.
Sunlight is the leading energy source behind photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process that plants undergo when they turn CO2 and water into oxygen and sugar by capturing the energy of the sun.
Poblano peppers can grow to be up to 5 feet tall with extensive root systems. They’re also heavy producers – poblanos can grow about 8 peppers at a time under the right conditions!
Clearly, poblanos need a lot of energy to keep up with all of their production. And this energy comes from the sun!
How to know if my poblano pepper plant isn’t getting enough sun?
Luckily, there are some tell-tale signs to let you know if your poblano pepper plant needs more sun.
If your poblano pepper plant isn’t getting enough sun, the leaves can turn pale and drop. The stems may also grow to be leggy and there will also be low flower production.
There are many signs to look out for that indicate that your poblano pepper plant isn’t getting enough sun.
Some of these signs include:
- Turning pale due to a lack of chlorophyll
- Growing leggy stems
- Excessive space between leaf nodes
- Dropping leaves
- Low flower production
Tips on providing enough sun for your poblano pepper plant
We now know that poblano peppers need at least 6 hours of sunlight every day, but it can be difficult if you don’t have the absolute perfect conditions for growing peppers.
There are a couple different ways you can grow your poblano peppers:
- Outdoors
- Indoors
- In a greenhouse
- Hydroponically
Let’s talk about getting the right amount of light for each of these options!
Outdoors
While you’re a bit limited, there are still some ways to optimize sunlight in your backyard.
To make sure your poblano pepper plants get enough sunlight when growing outdoors, plant your garden in full sun. If full sun isn’t an option, choose the next best spot.
Plant your garden where your yard gets the most sun! You can use one of your days off to track where the shadows and sunlight fall in your yard to get the best idea of where to place your poblanos.
If you’re growing in pots or grow bags and notice that your poblanos aren’t getting enough sun, try moving them somewhere else in your yard.
Indoors
Growing indoors gives you the option of using both sunlight and artificial lights.
To make sure your poblano pepper gets enough sunlight when growing indoors, place your poblano pepper by a sunny window. Supplement this with grow lights. If you don’t have a sunny window, you can rely fully on artificial light. Keep the lights on for 10-12 hours each day.
Poblano peppers need 10-12 hours of light indoors using artificial grow lights. You can also grow next to a sunny window and supplement that with grow lights.
In a greenhouse
Placing your greenhouse strategically will make all the difference.
To make sure poblano peppers get enough sunlight when growing in a greenhouse, place your greenhouse from north to south to optimize how much light your peppers will receive.
Placing your greenhouse in a north-to-south position optimizes the amount of light that your peppers receive.
Hydroponically
One of the main parts of a hydroponic setup is the grow lights!
To make sure your poblano peppers get enough light when growing them hydroponically, use artificial grow lights for 10-12 hours each day.
Use artificial grow lights to provide 10-12 hours of light. HID lights are a good idea because they’re so strong compared to other options.
