[ryetek]

It's our first year growing peppers (several varieties both sweet and hot) and after a slow start they now appear to be coming along very well. There are loads of flowers on the plants and they have some reasonably large peppers on there already 

Last night I noticed that the California Wonder peppers (both plants) have started to drop some of the flower stalks (the entire stalk a bit like when tomatoes drop their blossom). I'm not unduly worried because there's some quite large fruit on them already and they still have other flowers that have not yet set.

I am however curious as to what may be causing this and would like your thoughts. Could it be that they only support a certain amount of peppers and are shedding the excess flowers? Or could it be the heat that's causing the flowers not to set (so the plant is shedding them)? Or something else?

Thanks in advance.

[JayG]

Are they indoors or out?

If indoors, as with tomatoes they might just need the occasional "stem-wiggle" to help the flowers set.

[BabbyAnn]

I've had a few blossom drop off too - as Jay says, could be pollination was poor, but I'm inclined to also look at the heat situation too.  Despite vents and doors open, the polytunnel and greenhouse temperatures are absolutely soaring during the day - high temperatures affect enzyme activity so pollen production and pollination could well be affected.

[mumofstig]

I think they can only support a certain number at a time, if you pick them green you get a lot more fruit than if you leave them to ripen to red 

[ryetek]

Thank you all for your replies.

JayG, they are in a greenhouse. I have been giving the plants a little wobble each day as I do with the tomatoes. Furthermore I mist them lightly once per day as I read that they like the humidity and that would help flowers to set. Never-the-less thank you for the suggestion. Do you think the misting advice will help or hinder? 

BabbyAnn, the heat reaches about 40c everyday now even though the door and vents are fully opened so you may well be right.

MoS, we haven't harvested any peppers as yet but they really do have a lot of flowers on there. If the flowers were to all become peppers I cannot see the plant supporting them all. Do you think it's best to take them when they're green or red or is that just a personal choice? What harvesting regime is best for the plants vs maximum production? 

[JayG]

Chillies are said to benefit from a daily misting which helps raise the humidity and fruit set, but I must admit I never bother (mine are in their 3rd year on a sunny bedroom windowsill.) It's quite likely that they will drop flowers when they "think" they have over-reached themselves, and any sort of stress in their growing conditions will contribute to that.

I now only grow cayenne peppers because I'm not a chilli-holic although I do enjoy my home-made cayenne pepper powder.

The fruits certainly do come in "flushes", although unlike plants like runner beans they don't stop when the fruit are ripe and picked, they just start flowering again to produce the next flush (I even get some in the depths of winter!)

Removing the fruit whilst unripe would probably bring forward the next flush, but I don't want green chilli powder so I don't do that.

[Daamoot]

I noticed the same with my hananero plants and it appeared to happen when two flowers were growing from the same point and one would shrivel up and drop off.  I'm no botanist but I was wondering, could it be that one flower is male and the other female so one would pollinate the other then drop off?  Don't laugh too loud if I'm totally off track, I'm still a newbie 

[JayG]

Peppers have "perfect" flowers (aka "bisexual"  ) which basically means each flower has male and female parts and can pollinate themselves, which they do quite easily (unlike, for instance, runner beans which also have perfect flowers but need insects to "trip" the flower for pollen transfer to occur.)

[BabbyAnn]

Furthermore I mist them lightly once per day as I read that they like the humidity and that would help flowers to set.

I read up on that too.  Now and again I add a little magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts) to the spray bottle as magnesium apparently helps fruit to set.  I was having big problems getting my greenhouse tomatoes to set fruit and I put it down to this year's poor quality compost and have been giving all the plants a little mag sulphate either as a foliar or liquid feed.  Thereafter the toms picked up - could have been the magnesium, or it could have been the weather I'll never know.

Also, spraying the leaves on pepper plants is one way to prevent red spider mite infestation - they prefer it hot and dry.

[ryetek]

Furthermore I mist them lightly once per day as I read that they like the humidity and that would help flowers to set.

I read up on that too.  Now and again I add a little magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts) to the spray bottle as magnesium apparently helps fruit to set.

I've been adding Epsom salts (occasionally) in to the spray bottle too. We must have read the same article