jdz121290
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Need pepper help

Hello everyone! I will start by saying I have several variety's of peppers growing all spicy ones I bought a bag of mixed seeds and planted them so I know there's habaneros, jalapenos, and chilis. I will also preface my questions by saying this is the first time I've ever grown anything in my life I'm not a master Gardner by any means so this is all new to me. I started my plants indoors for several weeks till they were about 1-2 inches tall that was what the seeding tray told me to do. I transplanted them outdoors into bigger spaces and they took off. They started growing like crazy. I did not prune them or anything else I just let them grow and watered when the top few inches of soil was dry. For 2 months they grew and were perfect. Here recently the last 2 weeks I would say some of them started blooming flowers some a few and others many and some none at all. I have a few questions for anyone with advice as to what's going on with them currently.

1. Why did some grow tons of flowers some only a couple and some none at all? They all received the same care same sun same water schedule same everything but still half of them turned out to be duds as of yet. Will that fix itself or can I intervene and help?
2. I am having some blossom drop. The flowers bloom get big and beautiful than just fall off and fruit never sets. I read up on this and tried all the things they suggested. They have plenty of sun and the temperatures are within the acceptable range I've seen posted ( mid 80s during the day and mid 70s at night) I have made sure not to over or under water them and I've tried to maintain the nitrogen levels as best I could but again I'm not pro so I could have messed that up. There is usually a breeze to help pollinate and when there isn't ill give them all some gentle shakes to help spread the pollen. I read that humidity also plays a part and that's what scares me. I live in GA and the humidity every day is 95-100 percent and nothing I can do will fix that.
3. What can I do to try and get my plants to set fruit? Am I over reacting and the flowers falling off is ok? How long after the blossom should I expect to see the fruit am I not waiting long enough and just being impatient?

jdz121290
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I have attached pictures of what I’m working with it’s tough living in a apartment
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pepperhead212
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Just looking at those plants, they look very leggy, meaning that they are probably in an area where there isn't enough light, and they are reaching for it. I never had blossom drop on peppers, but maybe it's on some varieties that like cooler weather; the varieties I grow - pretty much hot peppers from the tropical areas - love heat! That's one problem of buying mixes - you don't know what's in them!

As for some of your plants having a lot of flowers, some not many, and some not any, this is probably due to the varieties. The smaller peppers, like Thai peppers and serranos, grow a lot at a time, and larger peppers grow fewer at a time. Also, peppers, though not really listed this way, grow somewhat like tomatoes, some determinate, and some indeterminate. The smaller Thai peppers I grow get a large number of flowers all at once, then these set fruits pretty much at the same time, then they stop flowering almost entirely. The peppers grow to full size, start to ripen a lot at the same time, and after most have been pulled, there is another "flush" of blossoms - usually about 3 per season. The chocolate habaneros are the indeterminate type, flowering a few at a time, with them producing constantly, and ripening in about the order they are formed. But other habaneros I've had were determinate, so again, it depends on the varieties.

As for those with nothing on them, they are some sort of late variety. Habaneros used to be all late varieties - like 120 days - but eventually they reduced that considerably, speeding things up for the commercial growers. I actually had a variety many years ago that I started on 4-1, and planted outside on 5-20, and I had to dig it up in early November, to bring indoors, and finally got flowers around Thanksgiving! Of course, I never grew that variety again! But, that's how we learn.

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Gary350
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Potassium fertilizer promotes the growth of blossoms. Blossoms turn into peppers. The more blossoms your plants have the more peppers you will have. I am in TN your weather may be a bit hotter in GA. Buy a 50 lb bag of 15-15-15 fertilizer at a farm supply store about $20 per bag this cost 90% less than those 5 lb bags at Lowe's, Walmart, Home Depot. Put 1 lb of fertilizer in 5 gallons of water stir well wait an hour then stir again then give each plant 1 pint of water every day. My pepper plants grow good in cool weather but not in 90 to 100 degree heat. Hot weather makes plants slow down and not grow many peppers until late Sept when it gets cool again then you get a pepper explosion 100 peppers on every plant. If plant leaves sag & look dead in the hot sun they will recover and be good by midnight. I like to plant peppers on the east side of a tall shade tree so they get cool early morning full sun then full shade after lunch the hottest part of the day plants grow much better. My solar 12 noon is 12:54 by the clock. If you spray plants with cool water at sun down to cool them off those sagging leaves come back to life in 10 minutes. My jalapeno & bell peppers plants grow 5 to 6 ft tall. Some of the very hot peppers are shorter 3 ft tall. I also plant my peppers in the garden 18" apart in rows in tomato cages. Your photo looks like 2nd floor of an apartment your pots need to be 5 gallon buckets.

jdz121290
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Gary350 wrote:
Mon Jun 01, 2020 9:24 pm
Potassium fertilizer promotes the growth of blossoms. Blossoms turn into peppers. The more blossoms your plants have the more peppers you will have. I am in TN your weather may be a bit hotter in GA. Buy a 50 lb bag of 15-15-15 fertilizer at a farm supply store about $20 per bag this cost 90% less than those 5 lb bags at Lowe's, Walmart, Home Depot. Put 1 lb of fertilizer in 5 gallons of water stir well wait an hour then stir again then give each plant 1 pint of water every day. My pepper plants grow good in cool weather but not in 90 to 100 degree heat. Hot weather makes plants slow down and not grow many peppers until late Sept when it gets cool again then you get a pepper explosion 100 peppers on every plant. If plant leaves sag & look dead in the hot sun they will recover and be good by midnight. I like to plant peppers on the east side of a tall shade tree so they get cool early morning full sun then full shade after lunch the hottest part of the day plants grow much better. My solar 12 noon is 12:54 by the clock. If you spray plants with cool water at sun down to cool them off those sagging leaves come back to life in 10 minutes. My jalapeno & bell peppers plants grow 5 to 6 ft tall. Some of the very hot peppers are shorter 3 ft tall. I also plant my peppers in the garden 18" apart in rows in tomato cages. Your photo looks like 2nd floor of an apartment your pots need to be 5 gallon buckets.
You are correct it is a second floor apartment. I never knew they got to be so tall when I started growing them lol but like I said its my first time ever so you learn something new every day. Is it to late to transplant them into 5 gallon buckets? I don't want to shock them or kill them.

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TNCatHerder
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Like they said, more sun, bigger pots.

What direction is your deck/porch facing?

No it's not too late to transplant.

I would also prune them.

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applestar
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I’m just catching up in this thread — all great comments and advices :D

I will add that although peppers are more tolerant of smaller containers, they still need enough root space to accommodate their upper growths. At *minimum* they should have a container that is equivalent to about 1/3 of volume/space occupied by the above-ground plant. Otherwise, they will be stressed and prone to drying out as well as to infestations by pests and Infections from diseases.

Although there are exceptions, assume that most any plant will want to grow roots at least as widespread as where the tip of the leaves reach. Peppers actually grow much longer exploratory roots that enable them to find nutrients and moisture, as well as tightly clustered roots within this zone.

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TomatoNut95
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In my opinion, vegetables just don't do good indoors, it causes them to get leggy. No, not too late to transplant. And humidity causes blossom drop. Weather has to be practiaclly perfect to ensure pollination.

jdz121290
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TNCatHerder wrote:
Tue Jun 02, 2020 10:33 am
Like they said, more sun, bigger pots.

What direction is your deck/porch facing?

No it's not too late to transplant.

I would also prune them.
To be 100 percent honest I have no idea which way it faces lol, but I took everyone's advice (the general consensus seemed to be they just weren't getting enough sun) and moved them today to my in-laws house where they have plenty of yard and non stop sun all day. I will transplant them into 5 gallon buckets ( any advice as to that? Should I just stick all the soil from the smaller bucket into the 5 gallon and add to it as to not disrupt the root system?) instead of the ground simply cause they have a very curious dog and being as how its not my house I cant go over there putting up chicken wire and what not. I greatly appreciate everyone's advice and input this was a impulse buy one day at Walmart that turned into quite a enjoyable and peaceful hobby for me so thank you to everyone!

Vanisle_BC
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jdz; If those peppers haven't been getting a lot of hot sun up till now, it would be best to introduce them to it gradually. Seeing as they are, or will be, in pots & tubs that should be feasible?

Glad you're enjoying your new hobby.

Genia
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:( I am new to this and my Jalapeño plant is dying 😔I'm trying different things like I've added bone meal and organic lime to my soil and I've sprayed it with Epsom salt and water. I thought I was overwatering and just left it in the sun and now this.... 😢 I don't know what else to do
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applestar
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Oh no! You plants are looking pretty critical — not sure if you can save, but first thing to do is put it in partial shade — it’s stressed and won’t be able to handle full sun. Either dappled shade under a tree or overhead shade cloth/umbrella covering Or just direct sun in the morning until maybe 11 am.

The potting mix looks dry and the stem looks shriveled so right now it needs more water — when watering thoroughly water — at least 1 quart if I’m not mistaken — post the diameter of this pot just to be sure.

Those leaves won’t recover, so clip them off with scissors - don’t pull. Hopefully if able to recover, they will grow new side shoots from where the leaves were attached so don’t damage.

Right now treat them as sick patients and protect from strong sun and heat, only water — preferably not chlorinated (rainwater). Don’t try to feed, etc. until it starts to show signs of recovering, or treat for anything until we see evidence of pest or disease.

imafan26
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I grow a lot of peppers. There are five types of peppers. Capsicum anuum, completes its life cycle in a year or less. These would include things like bell peppers and some hot peppers like Jalapeno. Capsicum chinense = habaneros. Capsicum frutescens = Tabasco, Hanoi peppers. Capsicum baccatum = are "berry like" from Peru and have a unique appearance among peppers. Aji, peppadew, and starfish are examples. Capsicum pubescens = have hairy stems. Many of the wild bird peppers belong to this family. They are native to the higher elevations of Central and South America and like cooler temperatures.

https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/freq ... /capsicum/

Caspsicum anuum is the most common, c. baccatum and c. pubescens, I hardly ever see.
The different species is what makes peppers interesting, but also why they grow so differently. Some as you noticed take longer to fruit. Some plants are compact and other can be like small trees. The leaves look different too. Bell peppers have wide leaves and super chili and tabasco leaves are smaller and narrow. Pubescens is easy to identify because of the hairy stems. Some chili species like the baccatum grow better in higher and cooler conditions and others like Bhut Jolokia don't even think about sprouting seeds until the temperature is close to 80 degrees.

The other thing to consider is pepper load. A tabasco chili has a peppers load of about 200 peppers. Habanero has a pepper load of about 20. That is all that the plant can support.

Peppers were designed by nature to go through a birds' gut and some peppers do germinate better after being treated with potassium nitrate. Most peppers will germinate around 70 degrees, but some that come from India and hotter countries like it closer to 80 degrees for better germination.

Most peppers do like 6-8 hours of full sun, especially if they have high pepper loads. Broader leaved peppers like bell peppers and peppers native to higher elevations can tolerate some shade in warmer climates.

Some peppers like the super chilies and tabasco can live for 8-10 years in the ground, but only about 4 years in a pot. A five gallon bucket is the smallest I would use for a chili in a pot, but for super chilies which can get tall and wide, I have used my largest 18 gallon pots.

Peppers are heavy feeders especially when they are in fruit. Potted peppers usually need a regular complete fertilizer and they will try to escape. I have quite a few escapees and volunteer peppers. P.S. birds will eat all your peppers if they are the right size.
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imafan26
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Genia, I agree with Applestar. The plant is already shriveling in the stem so it will be very hard to save.

Vanisle_BC
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Genia: While I was scribbling this, some others were posting good information & comments but I'll post mine anyway ....

What to do now? I'd say for the plant in your photo there's not much to be done. It looks like it couldn't recover. It may have succumbed to a combination of shock from transplanting and sudden exposure to a lot of hot bright sun, maybe drying out too. I doubt the makeup of your soil or feeding would do this unless you used a very strong chemical on the plant. Is it possible there was some herbicide spraying in the area?

Do you have other plants left? I hope you don't give up on the idea of your new hobby. In the photo it looks like quite a shallow container. That could have contributed to drying out. I don't know what level of heat pepper roots will tolerate. If you try again I would use something deeper but above all try to avoid shocking the plant. Don't give it any sudden drastic changes in conditions all at once.

If you still have plants from your first photo, her'es what I would do. I would try first putting them (one of them?) in a spot with brighter/longer but not fierce light, in a bigger and deeper pot. (Edit - maybe don't move till it's happy in the new pot.) Take care to transfer as much as poss. of the original soil along with the plant roots into the new container. It's ok to bury some of the stem. That will give it more support but also encourage more roots to form. I know that works with tomatoes and I think it works with peppers too. Next I wouldn't move it again till it's looking happy - and introduce it only gradually to full sun & heat.

You could do a little online research about 'hardening off.' Good luck & don't give up!



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