Cubanelle
Capsicum annuum
Also known as: Italian frying pepper, Cuban pepper, Aji cubanela
Quick facts
- Category
- fruiting
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Days to harvest
- 65 to 80 days
- Harvest type
- continuous production over weeks or months
- Spacing
- 50 cm between plants
Environment
- Temperature
- 18–30°C
- pH
- 6 to 6.8
- EC (hydroponic)
- 1.8 to 2.6 mS/cm
- Daily light
- 20 to 28 mol/m²/day (strict, will fail outside this range)
Climate and zones
- USDA zones
- 4 to 12 (winter low around -34°C or warmer)
- Frost tolerance
- frost sensitive (dies at first frost)
- Season
- warm (summer crops, frost-sensitive)
Viable growing environments:
- outdoor in growing season (annual)
- unheated greenhouse / hoop house
- heated greenhouse
- indoor (heated home)
- indoor hydroponics under grow lights
USDA zone bounds reflect outdoor year-round survival. Anywhere outside the bounded zone range, this crop still grows as an annual in the warm months (outdoor_seasonal), under cover (greenhouse), or indoors under lights.
Growing systems
Cubanelle works in:
- drip / Dutch buckets
- media bed (ebb and flow)
- soil bed
Growing media
The substrate the roots sit in. Choice depends on the system (clay pebbles don't fit NFT channels; rockwool isn't used in media beds) and the crop (cubanelle works in the media listed below).
| Medium | pH effect | Water retention | Bacterial surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expanded clay pebbles (LECA) | neutral / inert | low | high |
| Coco coir (Coconut coir) | slightly acidic | high | moderate |
| Perlite (Expanded volcanic glass) | neutral / inert | very low | low |
| Rockwool (Mineral wool) | alkaline until pre-soaked | very high | low |
| Soil-based mix (Potting soil) | varies by source | high | high |
Bacterial surface area matters for aquaponics: clay pebbles, lava rock, and pumice double as biofilter substrate. Low-surface media (rockwool, perlite, pea gravel) work in hydroponics but need a separate biofilter in aquaponics.
Nutrient demand by stage
NPK ratios are relative weights at each growth stage; the nutrient mix calculator scales them to absolute grams or ml. EC targets shift through the plant's life: seedlings need a much lighter solution than fruiting adults.
| Stage | N | P | K | EC target (mS/cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seedling | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.2 |
| vegetative | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1.8 |
| flowering | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2.2 |
| fruiting | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2.4 |
Companion-growing notes
- Heavy uptake of potassium, calcium. Co-grown crops with the same demand will end up deficient even at "correct" EC. Plan around this in shared reservoirs.
Aquaponics suitability
Compatible with typical aquaponics nutrient profiles. Fish waste provides enough nitrogen for healthy growth; supplemental potassium, calcium, and iron may still be needed depending on fish stocking density.
Care notes
A productive hydroponic pepper for growers who cook Italian or Caribbean food. EC 2.0-2.8 mS/cm. pH 5.8-6.5. Temperature: 20–28°C. Moderate to high light (DLI 18-25 mol/m2/day). Plants are medium-sized (50–70 cm) and produce prolifically without the space requirements of larger pepper varieties. From transplant to first harvest: 60-70 days (green stage). Each plant yields 15-25 peppers over a season. The thin walls mean the peppers don't store as long as thick-walled bells, so plan to use or cook them within a week of harvest. For the classic fried pepper preparation: halve or slice, remove seeds, and fry in olive oil with garlic until softened and slightly charred. The sweetness intensifies with cooking. Calcium supplementation during fruiting prevents blossom end rot, though cubanelles are less prone to BER than thick-walled types. DWC, Dutch bucket, or drip systems all work well. A practical, high-yield pepper for cooks who use frying peppers regularly.
Verified against: u-florida-ifas, rhs-uk, rutgers-cooperative-extension. Last reviewed 2026-05-15.