Jalapenos not hot :(

[William71]

I've got lots of jalapenos on my plants that are around 3 inches in size. I'm assuming they're ripe since several of them have turned red. I've cut a few off, including both green and red, and tasted them. They have no heat whatsoever. Very bland, like a bell pepper with no sweetness. What gives? Can this be caused by some nutrient deficiency or watering issue? Could it be a case of mistaken identity -- is there another pepper that looks just like a jalapeno? I'm rather disappointed, since these plants have been the healthiest looking things in my garden.

[Shoontok]

with my experience, i noticed that when picking hot peppers they are much hotter when going through a dry spell and are slightly stressed.

Ive picked Cayennes that had no heat whatsoever. I also picked from that same plant after not watering for 2 days. Wowzer, they were hot.

[Gary350]

There are so many hybids these days sometimes I thinkthey make mistakes. Usually the green peppers are hotter than the red ones.

[731greener101]

This has been discussed in other threads and I believe the general consensus was low sulfur content is to blame.Test your soil.Greener

[garden5]

I've heard that, too. People plant hot peppers, taste them, and no heat. I've also heard of the sulfur explanation, though I've never seen any authoritative proof of what actually causes this.

[Richee]

They have one called "Fooled You Jalapeno"

It looks just like a Jalapeno, but with no heat at all.

[stella1751]

I had that happen one year with a bunch of hot peppers I was growing in containers. It was very embarrassing because I had grown them for my cousin. I later found out that I was probably over-watering. Peppers like a challenge, soil-wise and water-wise

[soil]

did you grow these from seed or from starts at a nursery or garden center?

i have found that when growing them from seed there is some variation and some will not be hot. while others will be off the charts for a jalapeno. 2 years ago i had a jalapeno that i swear was hotter than my habaneros. but it was one plant out of 20. the rest were normal to hot.

low water stress and heat also makes them hotter imo.

[William71]

did you grow these from seed or from starts at a nursery or garden center?

They were starts from a garden center, bought when they were around 5-6 inches tall.

I've been a pretty frequent waterer, so maybe that's to blame. If I try them next year, I'll try to give them a little less love, let them struggle a bit.

And I'll cease watering the current ones, and give them another taste in several days or a week. Probably too late though, huh?

[Richee]

I bought some from a garden center a few years back, they were the Bonnie Farms brand.

They were almost 2 feet tall, and not a single Jalapeno was hot.

From that time on, i've been growing my own from seed, and they've been very hot!