Re: [CH] Chiles dropping flowers
Mary McGee Wood (mary@cs.man.ac.uk)
Thu, 25 Jun 1998 13:54:43 +0100 (BST)
> Can anybody help me with this one? I am a first time chile grower and
> I am growing a couple of varieties of chile (Hot Banana & Ancho 101)
> in my south facing office in the north of England.
>
> The plants are thriving in all respects bar one, which is that the
> flowers and their supporting little stalks are dropping off before the
> fruits begin to form. The base of the stalk becomes very narrow and
> then the whole thing drops off.
>
> Looking in "The Pepper Garden" and at other information, the only
> suggested cause I can find is high temperatures. It doesn't get that
> hot in here during the day (approx 75-80F) but the temperature is more
> or less uniform and doesn't drop at night. Could it be these high
> night-time temperatures which are causing the problem?
>
> I enclose a uuencoded picture of one of the dropped flowers
> but I have also put it on the web in case that is easier:
> http://www.cs.york.ac.uk/~nam/deadFlower.jpg
>
> Many thanks in anticipation,
>
> Nick
>
Hi Nick - from one north of England CS department south facing
windowsill to another! How did you get hold of your seeds, by
the way?
I did well with cayennes on a south facing windowsill at home last
summer, except that they weren't particularly hot - this year have
started jalapenos (from Fothergills I think) and Scotch Bonnets
(seeds saved from a fruit bought from an Indian grocer, trusting
their suppliers don't grow from hybrid seed) - at the moment have
fine sturdy little plants but a long way from flowering. It may just
be too early - last year's kicked in very late, I remember (and then
went on fruiting into November).
It is common in fruiting plants that the blossom will drop rather
than setting if for some reason the plant "thinks" it will not be
able to sustain the strain of developing the maturing fruit - often
because the plant is too young, sometimes because of weather or soil
conditions. In some cases, such as most beans, you can persuade them
to set by misting the blossoms with a fine water spray. But on this
one I'd be inclined to keep them well watered, feed lightly with
tomato fertilizer, and be patient.
best,
Mary
(in Manchester)
ps I'm cross-posting this to the UK veggie growers list, they may well
come up with something.