Problem with peppers

[silverbeetle]

I have lots of pepper plants in my greenhouse which seem to be growing well - approx 50cm tall. Small flower buds are forming - at last, but some of them have gone brown and fallen off. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong.

This is the first time I have grown anything. My tomatoes are doing really well and have lots of fruits

Many thanks for any help or tips with peppers

[PAULW]

The buds that are not fertile will drop off, no point in the plant keeping something that is of no use to it

[pjh75]

Hi silverbeetle, welcome to the vine. I have similar problems with my peppers... I actually had some fruit, but they don't get very big before they seem to rot and fall off. Only affects my sweet peppers... the chillis are doing really well. Hopefully an experienced grape will be along to help us both out.

[Alice]

Silverbeetle, you're probably not doing anything wrong. Now that you've got your peppers flowering they will get on with the job. They always loose some flowers - male flowers or unfertilised flowers but once they start they go wild.
Tips - peppers don't really like it TOO hot - like above 30 degrees they just wilt.
The flowers don't like to be in bright direct light - they scorch and burn brown.
Keep your peppers well watered and shade the flowers if it is too hot and you will have plenty of peppers. Look tomorrow - I bet they're there.

[silverbeetle]

Many thanks for your advice

I think I have been letting the greenhouse get too hot - I assumed they would like hot conditions. Will try keeping them a bit cooler and see what happens - hopefully lots of lovely peppers!!

As this is my first try at growing anything it is a bit of an experiment to see what will grow (I am growing everything in containers). I have had lots of courgettes, french beans and salad leaves, and have learnt alot already.

Think I have got the gardening bug as I am planning what to grow next year already!

[Kristen]

"I think I have been letting the greenhouse get too hot - I assumed they would like hot conditions."

Not sure what style of greenhouse you have, but:

If you can open the vents at the top of the greenhouse, and have the door open a crack, the hot air will rise in the greenhouse and exit through the vent, and cooler air will be drawn in through the door (a floor-level louvre vent is better still). You will probably need to open all vents fairly wide on clear sunny days, but on overcast days you can just open the vents (ideally just the ones away from the wind direction) one or two notches. If you are not at home during the day you'll have to err on the side of opening the vents wider in case the sun comes out full blast! (if you are not at home day time them automatic vents are best)

If you have a "breeze" blowing through the greenhouse it will be more inclined to dry the plants out, which will stress them more. Hence trying to get rising-air ventilation instead.

But either way, don't let it get too hot - 80F to 90F is plenty.

[fwuffydragon]

My peppers are in big pots in those little zip-up greenhouses with the fronts open, outside the front of my house.

They get full sun for most of the afternoon, and appear to be loving it!

As prev posters have said, sometimes the flowers fall off if not fertilised. If you have them shut in the greenhouse, it's possible that the insects can't get in to pollinate ...

I'll be rolling down the fronts when it starts to get colder.

[Cronnie]

Does anybody know when to pick my pointy red peppers. They are rather large but still green.

[Sally]

Make sure your peppers have plenty to drink aswell!

Can anyone tell me if I leave my lovely big green peppers on the plant - will they go red or yellow or what???????

[miss_corerupted]

i still have no peppers on my plant although little flowerbuds are there but not opened. do you think it's to late to get peppers now???

[bluemoon]

I asked this question a week or two ago. I was told that peppers always lose a few flowers at first. I've grown them lots of times, but never noticed this before. Anyway, my peppers now have plenty of fruit. So don't panic and soon you'll see the beginnings of your crop.

[miss_corerupted]

cool thanks. this will be the first thing i've grown properly. i have a terrible tendancy to plant seeds and get bored and forget about them

[steelsy]

we've just got some peppers on our gialo peppers that we oplanted - all very excited - waiting for the rest now!!!

[miss_corerupted]

buds are getting slightly bigger. i'm so impatient i'm checking them every hour to see if they changed lol