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Hey all!

I'm new around here, but really excited to get into pepper gardening. This year I started with 3 pepper plants, and they absolutely took off. All three have grow quite well, and are producing blooms left and right, but not a single pepper has emerged, and the blooms keep dying and falling off. I assumed they just weren't being pollinated, and so I tried "self pollinating" (which apparently is just flicking the blooms when its the right temperature?), but that most recent crop of blooms has now died as well.

I'm in central virginia, and the weather has been 60s at the low and upper 80s on the high. Good amount of water, but not too much. Any ideas?

Here's a picture of the dying blooms:

There really is a difference between using electric (ultrasonic) toothbrush vs. finger flicking. So you might invest in one for about $10 (I like the Colgate single unit one). But either method, do it when morning dew has dried, and just so you can see, hold a black plastic spoon or any dark piece -- could be sunglasses -- under the blossom when you do. You should see a good amount of pollen fall out.

So in your estimation it's pretty well for sure a lack of pollination?

I think the peppers should do o.k. on their own. Just have patience. 60's at night is still a little cold for peppers but shouldn't stop them from making fruit.

Blossom drop in peppers is often due to cool temps - night time temps below 60. It could be due to poor pollination, in which case the electric toothbrush thing would help, but also planting to entice pollinators like bees and butterflies (https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden- ... garden.htm). Poor air circulation, such as if your plants are really crowded, can also contribute to lack of pollination and blossom drop.

Hmm, they are a little crowded, huge tomato to the left and big cucumber vine on the right. Maybe I'll give the electric tooth brush a try. How do you use it exactly, just but the head of the toothbrush behind the blossom?

Isn't that a little pepper nubbin right smack dab in the middle, just to the left of the withering bloom? I don't see anything particularly wrong with that picture, but maybe that's just me.

I'm in Northern VA - I'm getting plenty of jalapenos, and my Anaheims and habaneros are budding out now. I'm actualy surprised at how quickly I've gotten young peppers and buds on my plants, as I usually have to wait until July to really start getting them (especially the habaneros). I go around the garden when I get home from work and use my finger to help with pollination - seems to work OK for me.

Good luck...

Mattie,

I thought it was too, but its been exactly like you see it there for about 2 weeks, so I have to assume there's something wrong with it right?

man4mac wrote:Mattie,

I thought it was too, but its been exactly like you see it there for about 2 weeks, so I have to assume there's something wrong with it right?

The two on the bottom will fall off. That's not a real worry - it happens. But that one in the middle there...it looks pretty healthy. Then agin, it might fall off, too. In my experience, the vast majority of pepper flowers won't mature, especially bell peppers.

I'm not an expert, but I wouldn't be alarmed just yet if most of your flowers fall off without turning into peppers. Do what you can to help with pollination and have a bit of patience...

I guess I'm lucky, I just wait and the peppers come. I don't artificially pollinate and trade winds provide enough wind pollination and I have bees.

It seems like we've been 2 to 3 weeks behind "normal" in NE Oklahoma. My peppers are just now trying to set after a very late bloom. There are a few things in the garden I was about ready to give up on when they finally started to look a little more lively.