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Can't fix blossom drop!

P

plantsonfire

I have a jalapeño, cayenne, and anaheim that I moved from outside to my basement for the winter under a 600watt halide. the plants were doing great at first and all the peppers were growing really fast and rippining within a day or two. after a little while I noticed a fungus on the leaves which I discovered to be Edema. I did some reading and decided I should try to water way less and get a dehumidifier going so the leaves could breathe better. I trimmed off all the affected leaves and got a humidity gauge to observe the difference. at first the humidity was at 60% and now with the dehumidifier it is at 30%. It seems to have made a big difference and the problem hasn't showed signs of starting again. however now my plants are flowering like crazy but they ALL are dropping!!! I pollinate my self using a small paint brush and as soon as the flowers go dead and ready for a pepper to start the whole thing drops off. I'm fertilizing the same as I was outdoors all summer with Age Old Organics Bloom but there must be something else causing blossom drop. I'm going to vent my light out of the room tonight because the temperatures are hitting 90degrees in the day and thru the night they only fall to 75. Not sure if that extreme indoor heat could be causing the problem since all summer here in MI it has been a steady 70 - 80 degrees. Any ideas or things I should try to get them to hold on to the flowers?
 
The leaves are curling a tiny bit too and looking a little rough in the center. I'm going to try some epsom salt foliage spray to see if that could also help.
 
Did you refresh the soil or are they still in the same pots? If so, try adding a little bit of calcium. Also, 30% is quite a low humidity.. My peppers usually have the least flower drop around 40-60% (except for baccatums). Overfeeding can also be an issue, so is overwatering and low light levels (daylight covers the whole plant, improper spacing of the plants might only cause the canopy of the plants to be illuminated under a lamp - giving you about 50% less effective light).
 
If you get a chance, post a pic. Usually makes it a lot easier to diagnose. Could be any of the things previously mentioned, or some combination of factors. The high temperatures definitely don't help, but you may need some Calmag. Doesn't sound as if overwatering is the culprit. When was the last time you applied your fertilizer?
 
The light is on 13hrs. I have kept the plants well trimmed all summer so they are not over crowded and the canopy is opened enough for 80% of the leaves to be in direct light. I have not re potted them with fresh soil. The mix is 30%perlite 40%peat and 30%organic garden soil. I have only fed with Age Old Bloom every 2 - 3 weeks at the recomended 1oz dose. So i would say i am actually under fertilizing a little bit... last feeding was just this last sunday and i added in a little Age Old Organic fish and seaweed just to put something new in the dirt. Ill try to upload some pics tonight
 
Id cut down the light cycles to around 8hrs. Like I also said try to bring the temps down. Also i wouldnt run the light/s at full strength if they are 600w mh.Id run it at around 50% for most of the light cycle. That will really help to drop the temps.
 
Here's the list from Willard:
 

willard3 said:
Flower drop probable causes:
 
1. Day temp too high >95F
2. Night temp too low <50F
3. Too much nitrogen fertilizer
4. Too much water
5. Low light levels (reduces fertility).
6. Very low humidity (reduces fertility)
7. Poor air circulation (air circulation contributes to pollination).
8. Lack of pollinating insects.
9. Size of pot
10. Too much mineral in feedwater.
11. Too much grower attention/anxiety.
Click to expand...
 
Peak might be a tad hot, and probably too dry.
Peppers are tropical plants, they like it wet and warm.
Give them less water + turn on a fan, instead of using a dehumidifier to treat for edema (you didn't need to chop off those leaves btw, if it was edema instead of a fungal infection).
 
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