Pepper soil jobs are drainage, even moisture, and nitrogen that does not run away with the plant. UF/IFAS Peppers and Hot Peppers write the failure modes by name. This page does not invent a fertilizer brand schedule.
Overwatering
UF/IFAS Peppers: keep soil moist but not wet; mulch as temperatures rise. UF/IFAS Hot Peppers calls hot peppers relatively drought tolerant, then says to water regularly to keep them productive. Those two sentences sit together. A soggy pot in August rain is the usual miss. Drainage, not a daily flood.
Excess nitrogen
UF/IFAS Peppers: fertilize at planting and again two to three times, or use controlled-release. Once plants begin to fruit, reduce nitrogen. Too much nitrogen can mean fewer fruits. Leafy plants with empty nodes are that page, not a mystery.
Root-knot nematodes
Ask IFAS NG005 describes root-knot nematodes in the home garden: galls on roots, plants that wilt in heat even when the pot looks watered. Sandy Central Florida soils are the setting that bulletin assumes. Confirm by lifting a doomed plant. Rotation and resistant stock are what that page discusses. This page does not invent a gall count.
August rain: read FAWN for the nearest station. No inch total is printed here. Pitfalls in a shorter pass: overwater, nitrogen, nematodes. Updated 2026-08-31.