What took so long?

[bills]

I was really beginning to wonder. :/

Any pepper experts out there that might have an explanation?

My red bell peppers planted in the greenhouse, although very robust, and healthy looking, were not flowering. Yesterday, I finally saw some open blossoms, and several more ready to open. A couple of the plants have no open blossoms yet.

I can't understand why it took so long for this to happen, even though you would think they would be in ideal growing conditions. These were plants I started indoors back in April. They are approx 36" tall, with good leaf growth. A neighbor has some peppers that she planted in the garden in late spring, and although smaller, they already have large fruit on them.

I fertilized them occasionally with Alaska fish fertilizer, and top dressed them with Sea Soil, to prevent rapid drying. Could the late blossoming be because of to much nitrogen, so the plant worked on leaf growth instead of buds? How tall do they normally get before flowering?

I used the same type, and schedule of fertilizing, for my English cukes, and tomato's, and they have done wonderfully. Loads of fruit on them, and I have been eating cukes for a few weeks now, as well as cherry tomato's and the larger tomatos are in the process of ripening.

These peppers were gown from seeds saved from outdoor plants I grew last year, (that produced very well), although I don't know if that has any bearing on it or not.

Is there some trick to peppers that I am missing, or are they just slow to produce by nature?

Thanks, Bill

 

[Grow 4 Food]

Pepper do not like nitro very much at all. This will cause large problems with your blooms. They are looking for a little poorer soil. Try adding a little epson salt around the bottom of the plant about at the drip line. This should help blooms along.

 

[bills]

Thanks for the response Grow 4 Food! I was beginning to wonder with 28 views and no response to this thread. I have epson salt on hand and will give it a try.

I did some further research via google this am, to see what I could learn, and was surprised to see that heat can play a role in fruit not setting, perhaps more than the nitrogen factor. And here I thought heat was sooo important to peppers.:/ Maybe this is why my greenhouse plants are not setting fruit, while my neighbors outdoor plants are producing a bounty. I have thought that perhaps I should move the plants outdoors, but am afraid of shocking them, due to the cooler nights. I just don't know what to try, perhaps I'll move half of them out, and leave half of them in. Sometimes gardening is trial and error...

University of Illinois

Q. Why do my pepper plants grow large but not develop fruits? They are dark green and do not appear to be diseased.

A. Several weather conditions can reduce fruit set of peppers. Early in the season, extreme cold may prevent fruit set. The most common problems later in the season are hot, dry winds and warm nights (above 70F). Periods of extreme heat, with or without wind, may prevent fruit set, especially in some varieties. Although overfertilization, especially with nitrogen, is often suspected in these cases because the growth is luxuriant, peppers can actually produce fruit quite well under almost ridiculously high fertility programs. Pepper plants that have no developing fruit attached normally maintain a greener, healthier appearance because all the nutrients can go into producing leaves and stems instead of fruit.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

I have always been a guilty one to throw the miracle grow to things. I also learned the hard way that the pepper plants don't like good sweet soil. You will get a nice tall pretty plant that doesn't give you any peppers. My DW's GF and good ole country boy that always gardened to feed the family showed me how to cure that problem. He mixed a tablespoon of espon salt with a gallon of water and mist sprayed the plant once a day for 3-4 days and the blooms started setting. He also said you could just water the plant with it and get the same outcome. Careful though, you might get what you asked for! (stuffed bell peppers freeze nicely though, lol)

 

[Beekissed]

I've also heard that one could distress pepper plants and they will produce better. That certainly happened to mine this year with the dogs laying on, digging around, breaking off limbs. They started out kind of pale, didn't grow fast, flowered but didn't set fruit.....now they are thigh high with the biggest peppers I've ever grown! Well, what plants I have left... ##@@$$&&** dogs!

I had tried the epsom salts early on in the growing cycle and it didn't show any results at all. Tried more manure, no difference either way. Sometimes I just think they take their own sweet time, no matter what we do!

 

[bills]

Maybe I should let my hens at them for an hour or so, and see how they do... They can certainly distress a plant, in no time at all....

I noticed a few more blooms this am, which I touched up with a paintbrush to ensure pollination. I guess they are just now coming to maturity. I really am looking forward to eating some!