• If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.

sun Dropping during direct sunlight

Hello all!
New here, was looking for a forum like this one,
Got issues with my pepper plants,
I got abanana pepper growing got it from Home Depot cuz I started kinda late in the season, it was bout foot and half big, transplanted it to some premium miracle grow mix, I know miracle grow is bad, Nd I really like putting in my own nutes, but didnt think it through‍♂

They seem to really like it doe...
ok so the issue...
My banana pepper droops bad during direct sun hours early morning, starts about 9am ends 2-3pm then its shade on my porch, idk if Im overwatering, under-watering... I want these plants to thrive, they are my first pepper plants , it happens mostly everyday, the plant came loaded with nitrogen from Home Depot, it still looks dark green, and when it droops it looks like the leaves get darker, litterly just plucked one that was super soft, silky, blackish green... Nd evrytime ir droops its like if the leafs turned darker...
I let the soil dry really good, thought I was overwatering, still came back.. oh yea and since I got it it at least dropped like 8-9 pods, just waiting for it to stop dropping its dam fruits, I want some!!! Lol



My pepporncini is doing a lot better, I started it off from seed, she just started putting out a lot! Of pods, excited but I think the banana pepper problem is transferring to her, she was drooping today preaty bad like the other, but I some water and shes back, I was reading another forum, about this similar issue and said to try and put water, I did it helped my peperoncini, put some also for the banana, soil was still fairly moist... it did help but she still dropping but less... idk...
I put it on the shade it helps them perk back up, I know its cuz of the heat most likely... but I thought after a few weeks she would overcome it Nd build like a tolerance to the sun?
My pepperoncini I started from seed is a lot more tolerable.

The banana is the one that is dark green, and my pepperoncini is the lighter green fatter leafs one. Took the pic of my pepporncini while she was peeking back up with water, banana didnt really care for it to much.
Oh and why still wrinkly leafs on my pepporncini, I put two 3 ml feedings of cal mag, and even foiler sprayed once, the new leafs at the bottom are find but still looks like shes putting out wrinkly new leafs at the top.

Banana is putting out lots of new pods, she was already but its like shes in full blast now sending pods evrywhere.
Pepporncini just started week ago, she has like 15 new pods u cant see cuz they are still small
Excited but want this issue figured out
Got my banana pepper While my pepperoncini was still germinating lol now shes almost bigger than banana


Sorry if I wrote to much
 

Attachments

  • C9C8F903-030B-4B92-A72B-2510AB450299.jpeg
    C9C8F903-030B-4B92-A72B-2510AB450299.jpeg
    163.3 KB · Views: 121
  • B85E2320-F0C2-45F4-9465-0453DA7B4BD7.jpeg
    B85E2320-F0C2-45F4-9465-0453DA7B4BD7.jpeg
    140.4 KB · Views: 106
you're in Georgia, it's summer time, it's hot, it's natural for them to wilt a bit during the heat of the day in direct sun.  They would benefit from a shade cloth but otherwise will be fine.  The only people that hate MG are the purist, there's a reason it's the best selling brand of potting soil, stuff straight up works.
 
What about the dropping of the fruit doe, I still have yet to have one that wont turn yellow and drop... on my banana, Idk if my pepperoncini will have the same issue, her first flower just opened up, I dont think it will it thicker than the bananas pods
 
Stef0420 said:
What about the dropping of the fruit doe, I still have yet to have one that wont turn yellow and drop... on my banana, Idk if my pepperoncini will have the same issue, her first flower just opened up, I dont think it will it thicker than the bananas pods
Peppers are always going to drop, that's just part of it.  If nothing is setting, you should try a shade cloth.  I wouldn't fertilize at all, MG has plenty in the soil, adding more is too much within the first few months.
 
Thx guess I just wait some more‍♂, she was producing pods, but now that I actually see, she is actually producing pods now, I see like 20 new ones, I got a feeling shes ready now I hope lol, I dont think shes gonna drop all those pods ‍♂
 
Doelman said:
The only people that hate MG are the purist, there's a reason it's the best selling brand of potting soil, stuff straight up works.
 
It's the best selling brand because it's mass produced, and cheaper than the *better* options. (and let's face it, it's really not that hard to grow most plants)  It all boils down to the fertilizer that they put in it.  The ingredients in most potting mixes are exactly the same, maybe or maybe not different quantities.  You pay not for the mix, but everything else in it.  Or, worst case, the price of the mix will be based on the cost of resources where it's *regionally* produced.
.
That being said, I dispute your claim.  I hate MG because it's far too water retentive for many places.  For many of us who receive higher amounts of rainfall, it's not the right mix.  But, that's the price for marketing a "general purpose" product.  It's just a "generally acceptable" product.  If it were a stellar product, I'd probably use it, at that price point.
.
But this is not an MG debate.  I'm just sayin'.  ;)
 
I am in N. Florida, and my plants that are getting virtually full sun look to wilt even when I have watered them the night before.  Partial shade is a help, if you can put them somewhere so afternoons are in shade.  I have plants doing much better in that environment.
 
solid7 said:
 
It's the best selling brand because it's mass produced, and cheaper than the *better* options. (and let's face it, it's really not that hard to grow most plants)  It all boils down to the fertilizer that they put in it.  The ingredients in most potting mixes are exactly the same, maybe or maybe not different quantities.  You pay not for the mix, but everything else in it.  Or, worst case, the price of the mix will be based on the cost of resources where it's *regionally* produced.
.
That being said, I dispute your claim.  I hate MG because it's far too water retentive for many places.  For many of us who receive higher amounts of rainfall, it's not the right mix.  But, that's the price for marketing a "general purpose" product.  It's just a "generally acceptable" product.  If it were a stellar product, I'd probably use it, at that price point.
.
But this is not an MG debate.  I'm just sayin'.  ;)
I definitely get higher amounts of rain where I live and have never had a problem with it holding too much water.  I've used a few different kinds and made my own as well.  Heck, this time I year I wish it would hold water even better!
 
Right now, my non-shaded plants look like they're melting.  Those in shade look almost like they're being grown indoors. 
 
Doelman said:
I definitely get higher amounts of rain where I live and have never had a problem with it holding too much water.  I've used a few different kinds and made my own as well.  Heck, this time I year I wish it would hold water even better!
 
Where I live, almost everything holds too much water.  1" of rain in 20 minutes is almost the norm here in the summer.
.
Don't get me wrong...  I'm agreeing with the part of your assessment that the potting mix isn't the limiting factor.  
 
So here are examples of a plant that was watered yesterday, but today is a dry, hot (100 degrees F).  If we (will) have an evening thunderstorm, it helps, but I don't see that happening today.  The peppers I just pulled 5 min. ago were completely green this morning.  The dry heat pushes ripening.  In my case, just harvested a bunch of everything, but now there is a second wave coming, with several plants loaded with green pods.  Crazy and wonderful
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1881.jpg
    IMG_1881.jpg
    239.3 KB · Views: 111
  • IMG_1882.jpg
    IMG_1882.jpg
    50.3 KB · Views: 101
Wow thanks for the fast replies, this is a pretty big forum,
So I shouldnt be too worried?
Im kinda late this season, next season I will have lots of new varieties I want to grow, and breed, hope I get an indoor setup before winter.
 
I do find this mg retains water for quit a bit even with this heat..
I always used my own nutes and soil, idk why I decided to buy mg ‍♂️ See how it does.
 
It's just hot, and we're in the Southeast.  If you have an option to put your plants in a location where they are in shade in the afternoon, I think that will help.  I have plants staged in different localities, and the ones that get morning/partial sun are doing much better in the realm of production and plant health.
 
Ok thx, bannana pepper wilts more than the other. Looking happy now after the direct sun haha
 

Attachments

  • 704CEEED-4B29-41F0-821D-9685AD460CC9.jpeg
    704CEEED-4B29-41F0-821D-9685AD460CC9.jpeg
    180 KB · Views: 100
transpiration: plants suck up water from the roots and emit (breath) it out through the leaves.  This is part of photosynthesis process. 
 
A plant in full sun is doing maximum photosynthesis increasing transpiration.
As the plant gets hotter it transpires more to cool down via evaporative cooling.
 
If the plant is transpiring more water than it is drinking from the roots it will start wilting. it is a simple imbalance of using more water than it has.
The plant cells start collapsing shutting down transpiration in leaves. this lowers the overall transpiration rate so the plant can still provide water to it's most necessary areas (stems). 
 
at night time when transpiration is low, the roots suck up more water than necessary so they create water pressure rehydrating the wilted areas.
 
If the wilting / cell collapse is too severe the water pressure can push the water around the affected area. If too severe and water pressure is too low though it cannot and that part of the plant is dead.
Severe wilting will do this to the main stem, stopping the flow of water to the rest of the plant, so it dies.
---
 
Plants death from wilting is pretty uncommon. as most plants will still have some source of water to keep the stem alive then recover at night.
 
Wilting is a natural process and you shouldn't be too concerned if you know you are keeping your medium watered. Eventually it will balance itself out.
 
Wilting is especially prevalent in newer plants. The root system isn't fully established. so although you are watering the soil a bunch. the plant simply can't drink enough water fast enough. 
 
Also note wilting can cause issues with nutrient availability. it is a big cause of blossom end rot. Fruit's supply of water and nutrients will get shut off by the wilting process.
 
---
 
Since this is an imbalance you can fix it on the supply or demand side. or both. 
 
water supply: 
1. increase root volume, larger pots, takes time for plant to grow roots.
2. increasing root spread, aka don't let them get root bound. 
3. water your plant if soil is dry, duh lol
4. watering your medium thoroughly instead of in a single area. so all roots can absorb water optimally, instead of just the top layer or a specific side.
5. fix any pest problems hurting your roots.
 
water demand:
1. shade cloth reduces photosynthesis by decreasing available light. Also it cools air and surface temperature further lowering transpiration rate.
2. pruning / topping / trimming. By decreasing the amount of foliage the plant has it transpires less. This can be good for new plants as it lets root growth catch back up with foliage growth.
 
In addition to agreeing with what others said above (wilting is normal), I'm going to say that extreme high temps will cause flowers and fruit to drop. I'm in NJ but we've been well into the 90s°F and most my flowers from the top layers of the canopy have been dropping, as well as some fruit from higher branches. Meanwhile, the plants are still growing and flowers in the lower strata are setting up as pods, and fruit down there is holding, too. Presumably bc it's sheltered by the leaf cover.

You'll likely be fine
 
Stef0420 said:
Ok thx, bannana pepper wilts more than the other. Looking happy now after the direct sun haha
make sure they're still getting some direct sun, you don't want them in full shade either.  
 
I took some plants to work to put on my window sill.  They get morning sun, and afternoon shade, and are not a stressed as those at home getting full sun.  Both are producing nicely.
 
Chorizo857_62J said:
So here are examples of a plant that was watered yesterday, but today is a dry, hot (100 degrees F).  If we (will) have an evening thunderstorm, it helps, but I don't see that happening today.  The peppers I just pulled 5 min. ago were completely green this morning.  The dry heat pushes ripening.  In my case, just harvested a bunch of everything, but now there is a second wave coming, with several plants loaded with green pods.  Crazy and wonderful
 
I heard that decreasing their water and sun occasionally adds to the heat of the pepper. So, this would be a good thing that's happening in your picture yes? Do you agree with that assessment? 
 
Back
Top