Mouse98
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Jalapeno plant flowers turning brown

I have a question about my jalapeno plant, so my plant has white flowers on them but it seems they are turning brown and dying and I don't know why. Also, the leaves seem to have holes in them and some of the leaves seem to be rotting. I have been getting lazy with the waterings and when I do water I may be overwatering. The leaves have been like that for awhile now. The plant has 2 jalapenos on them right now. Can you guys please help me on why the flowers are like this and the leaves, thanks! Here are some pictures:
CAM00028.jpg
CAM00029.jpg
CAM00030.jpg

imafan26
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The flower looks normal. If it was pollinated then the fruit will set, if not then the fruit will drop. The leaves look like something is chewing on them. My guess is slugs. The small holes could be slugs or something else. If the peppers do set look out for holes near the cap of the pepper. A pepper ripening early and black seeds inside. Pepper weevils are out and about right around this time of the year.

Mouse98
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Thanks for the response! So what do you mean if the flower is pollinated then the fruit will set and if not it'll drop? Thanks!

Mouse98
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I put the plant outside during the day and its pretty windy out but at night I bring it in.

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applestar
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Yeah I was going to say the middle photo could be due to wind whipping the leaf against something and tearing.

I agree the browning flower petals are likely normal course. The way pepper blossoms are pollinated is that when mature, pollen falls from the anther cone (conical central petals-looking structure) onto the stigma -- filamentous central protrusion with a bump on the end. So pepper blossom can and does pollinate itself without help from insects, although if a bee lands on the blossom and buzzes it, more pollen is produced and/loosed. You can emulate the bees by touching the floral truss stem with an electric toothbrush. If pollinated, the fruit will grow, if not the blossom has failed and drops.

Don't bring it inside at night unless you have overriding reason to. It's better for the plant to experience the full weather and temperature cycle.

Full drink is better than insufficient watering. But clay pot will dry out faster, especially if windy. Heft the container after watering to learn how heavy it should feel, then in the future you can test if it needs to be watered simply by hefting it -- and if lighter, water more.

imafan26
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Wind damage is possible. Anything that is causing mechanical damage, it could be environmental like wind or from chewing insects. Curious it is only on that one part. The holes in the middle of the leaf are not likely to be wind.
Pepper flowers have a small fruit behind it (the ovary). The flowers contain pollen that needs to be shaken to fall on the female parts of the flower. It usually is done naturally by the wind. Indoors there isn't enough air circulating strong enough so you have to shake the pollen off with the tooth brush or in the green house I just give the plants a good shake.
Peppers will only set within a narrow temperature range. They like to be at least 68 degrees and not much higher than 85 degrees. If it is too cold or too hot the flowers will either not appear or will drop before they can set. Hot peppers are less fussy than bell peppers, they still like the warmth to germinate and grow but they can produce in temperatures that are a little warmer depending on the variety.

If the weather is within that range it is best that they be acclimated outdoors. Peppers are not frost tolerant but I can get down to 49 degrees and the plants do fine. Peppers won't put on new flowers or fruit but what is on the plant will continue to ripen on cooler shorter days. Everything stays out in my yard year round.

Jalapenos are not my favorite pepper. I have had some issues with unstable hybrids and inconsistent heat. Jalapeno M is supposed to be hot but only 1 in 5 peppers on the same plant was hot, the others had no heat at all. I have switched to a local jalapeno cultivar called Wailua pepper. The variety is over 20 years old and is stable. I prefer serrano and fresno peppers instead. They make good salsa, are more productive, a lttle hotter, and they are stronger plants. I have been able to keep the local Wailua pepper alive for a couple of years but, it is not very productive after the first year. I prefer the Hawaiian chili since it is much hotter (similar to tabasco pepper) and a tree can live 8-10 years and be productive for most of that time.

Jalapeno 0-5000 SHU
Fresno 2500-10000 SHU
Serrano 10-25K SHU
Tabasco 30-50K SHU
Super Chili 40-50K SHU (similar to Hawaiian pepper)
tepin (bird pepper) 50-150K SHU
Ghost 800,000-1041427 SHU former world's hottest pepper
Carolina Reaper 1,569,383-2,200,000 current hottest pepper in the world. Crazy hot.

Mouse98
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Thanks everyone for the replies! I thought peppers were self pollinated? Also, is the white flower dying normal? I noticed that the flower turns white and then dies but when it dies and falls off the end of a jalapeno is there, so I'm guessing thats normal. Thanks

imafan26
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The peppers contain male and female parts in the same flower, it can be self pollinating, but can also be pollinated by another flower on a different plant if the pollen is transferred by something like a bee or a brush. It is normal for the flower to close, brown, and fall off in a few days.



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