For those who aren't familiar with the practice, foliar feeding is the act of spraying diluted fertilizer directly onto the leaves of a plant. Now, while this is a legitimate thing to do under certain circumstances (which I will explain below), for the most part this is a waste of your time and money.
Let me say that again:
Foliar feeding is a waste of your time and money!
Okay, lets get into why this is true.
The belief is that a plant will only absorb so much nutrients through it's roots, and that by spraying extra on the leaves you will supercharge the plant for even better results. It is true that peppers and most other leafy plants are capable of absorbing both water and nutrients through their leaves. However, the leaves were not "designed" for this, its more of an accident that it works at all than it is any intended function of the plant.
Like people, a plant has a limited set of needs for food and water. Once met, no additional amount of food will make a difference. Adding fertilizers to soil is good up until the point you reach the amount required by the plant, the amount that lets it get maximized growth. Everything beyond that is wasted, the roots won't take it up because the plant doesn't need it. Its much like with people, I don't care how hungry you are, you couldn't actually eat an entire grocery store full of food in one sitting if you tried.
Yet people think that by bypassing the roots, they can force a plant to take up more nutrients than it needs, and that this will somehow make it healthier. Again, it is possible for a pepper (or any leafy vegetable) to absorb some nutrients through it's leaves. Just like its possible for a human to absorb alcohol through their skin. Doesn't mean everybody should run out and get martini patches. A healthy root system will take up those nutrients faster and more efficiently than the leaves ever could, and will direct those nutrients directly to where they are needed by the plant.
So what are the circumstances when foliar feeding isn't a waste of your time?
You should foliar feed whenever a plant does not have a healthy root system and is hence incapable of absorbing water and nutrients through it's roots. This would include when you're trying to make a cuttings, or when your plant has extensive root rot and you are trying to make a last ditch effort to save it.
Thats it.
In absolutely any scenario where the roots are healthy, foliar feeding is not necessary, and may actually end up hurting your plant if you do it wrong (there are diseases and molds/fungus that thrive on constantly damp leaves).
So why can you find foliar feed sprays at the store these days? Well simply put, Miracle Grow smelled money. This started up as a fad a while back, and the fertilizer companies realized that they could repackage what they already make in a watered down form, and sell it to people at full price. Kind of like how Coca Cola sells you bottled water that is the same stuff they put in the soda, minus the expensive syrup, and sells it to you for as much if not more than a bottle of coke. They saw a market, and instead of saying "this isn't actually something you need to do", they only saw "this is something you will pay for" and went for it.
Do not waste your money buying foliar sprays. Do not waste your time making your own. Do not waste your time spraying dilute fertilizer on your plants' leaves. Just pour it in the soil. If your plant needs the extra food, it will take it up naturally. If it doesn't need the extra food, then you shouldn't be fertilizing it to start with.
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