Banana Cream pepper too big?

[JDMDingo]

This is my first season growing, I'm growing in pots on a balcony. They get afternoon sun for about 3-4 hours...I am growing moruga, habanero, tabasco, peter pepper, purple jalapeno, grande jalapeno, reg jalapeno and Banana Cream. My plants are doing well but I realized my pots were too small and shared with another plant. I transplanted them last week, which I understand could kill them as they are already a good size. about 2 weeks before transplanting I had 1 pod growing out the middle and about 20 buds forming on my Banana pepper. The 1 pod has gotten really big ~10", I have had to make a small hole in the soil so it's not touching....I was pollinating a flower and it fell off, as did the next one so I stopped. over the next few days all the blossoms dropped, some as just little buds, as did the small leaves around them. I started the seedlings in soil mixed with a bit of tomato tone, but now I don't fertilize as all my other plants are doing fine. I realize now I should have pinched it off but I was excited a pod grew, now I am just waiting for it to ripen which I think will be soon since the top of the pepper is starting to flatten out. Do you guys believe the plant is just pouring too much energy into that pod? Will it ripen on it's own if I cut it off? thanks for the help.....btw way this picture was about 3 days ago, it has lightened up a shade.

 

[Ferby]

I would snap it off so the plant can move on.

I'm not shure how easy the fruit will mature off the plant. It depends on how far it is in the ripening process. Eat it as it is or put it in a bag with some ripe apples or bananas. Ripe fruit produces ethylene gas which ripen immature fruit. It works on hard avocados too

 

[ms1476]

Ferby got it right, harvest that one energy-sucking pod. If it does not ripen off the plant after several days, eat it as is. Keep in mind that how it tastes is not necessarily how other pods from that plant will taste. Transplanting and not spending energy on that one pod will allow more opportunity for future pods. Sometimes you gotta sacrifice a few for the good of many.

 

[Jetchuka]

Agreed with above, especially about taste. The first pod that pops out of that first split often doesn't taste right.

Worst case scenario you can let it mature for an extra day or two, maybe it won't taste as grassy when you harvest it.

 

[koskorgul]

I would pull it off now. If it started to lighten up that means that it is starting to ripen. I had the same plant last year and as soon as the pods started to turn lighter (yellow) I would pull them and let em ripen off the plant. That way the plant could devote more energy to producing more pods.
I did have some that did not ripen but were still tasty but had no heat at all

 

[JDMDingo]

Thanks for the advice....I was guessing the big pod and small pot was not good and I transplanted too late for it to make a difference. I had never heard of a Banana Cream pepper and google pulled up nothing, I figured it was just a Japanese name for the basic banana pepper. koskorgul, you said you grew the same plant....does it have a different flavor or the same? Thanks

 

[JDMDingo]

Try to let it ripen, got a bit softer so I cut it up and it tasted like a green bean....hopefully the plant comes back to life.

 

[koskorgul]

There was a big diff in taste between the ripe and unripe pods for me. It has no heat when unripe and only a bit when it is ripe. I enjoyed the flavor of the pod but it wasnt my favorite.

 

[Jetchuka]

Any pods low on flavor can be spruced up by frying, grilling over charcoal, stuffing+baking, pickling, or with dressing in a salad. So there shouldn't be any waste.

Also, as mentioned prior, i wouldn't go by the flavor of the first pod.

 

[smileyguy697]

Ripe pods ALWAYS taste better!