• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

Carolina Reaper Flowering But No Peppers

GA Growhead said:
I have some cuttings inside, 7 pot bbg7, that started flowering like crazy, but would not set. They dropped repeatedly. I started paint brush pollinating them and still nothing. I final had another plant start opening flowers and took their pollen with a paint brush and flowers started setting.
Some plants will not produce fertile pollen or allow flower set until they are ready.
I take my phone and put it under the flowers and tap the stamen to collect pollen. Once I have a good bit of pollen I will get the tip of the brush full and lightly brush the stigma, being careful not to damage the pistil itself.
Collecting the pollen on the phone's glass makes it easy to see, being black when the screen is off.
I was able to use another plant's pollen to get flower set, which will result in a cross, but this has given me pod formation. It doesn't sound like that is an option for you, so just keep trying at different times of the day, going by your lighting schedule.
Also just thought about pollen becoming sterile if temps become to high. Not sure the exact temp, but thinking above 85°F is where it starts.
That could be the issue if you temperatures are high.
Good luck and just keep trying. Even out side, plants drop many flowers sometimes in the beginning and though out there growth.
Also see the site if you haven't already. Same concept but you won't be using multiple plants.
http://fatalii.net/Growing_chile_peppers/Breeding
Click to expand...
Best comment ever! 
 
Pepper-Guru said:
Best comment ever!
Click to expand...
He did say something about pollen being sterile somewhere starting around 85 degrees. I don't live in the hottest of places. (although it's pretty damned humid) We spend about 6 months of the year, at or above, 85 degrees. I've NEVER seen an issue with pollination at those temps. In fact, even at 95 degrees and with 70-90% humidity, the peppers do just fine. So I've always been a huge skeptic of that number.
 
solid7 said:
He did say something about pollen being sterile somewhere starting around 85 degrees. I don't live in the hottest of places. (although it's pretty damned humid) We spend about 6 months of the year, at or above, 85 degrees. I've NEVER seen an issue with pollination at those temps. In fact, even at 95 degrees and with 70-90% humidity, the peppers do just fine. So I've always been a huge skeptic of that number.
Click to expand...
You should be, I'd never have a season in DE if 85 was a hard true number. If they mean starting as in 1% less effective then sure but all sterile horse poo :) 
 
GA Growhead said:
I have some cuttings inside, 7 pot bbg7, that started flowering like crazy, but would not set. They dropped repeatedly. I started paint brush pollinating them and still nothing. I final had another plant start opening flowers and took their pollen with a paint brush and flowers started setting.
Some plants will not produce fertile pollen or allow flower set until they are ready.
I take my phone and put it under the flowers and tap the stamen to collect pollen. Once I have a good bit of pollen I will get the tip of the brush full and lightly brush the stigma, being careful not to damage the pistil itself.
Collecting the pollen on the phone's glass makes it easy to see, being black when the screen is off.
I was able to use another plant's pollen to get flower set, which will result in a cross, but this has given me pod formation. It doesn't sound like that is an option for you, so just keep trying at different times of the day, going by your lighting schedule.
Also just thought about pollen becoming sterile if temps become to high. Not sure the exact temp, but thinking above 85°F is where it starts.
That could be the issue if you temperatures are high.
Good luck and just keep trying. Even out side, plants drop many flowers sometimes in the beginning and though out there growth.
Also see the site if you haven't already. Same concept but you won't be using multiple plants.
http://fatalii.net/Growing_chile_peppers/Breeding
Click to expand...
 
I have had problems with flower drop for a couple months now and the first time I tried your "phone pollination method" it worked!!! I have an aji amarillo that is setting pods nicely so I harvested pollen from it and dusted my chocolate habanero and I have my first pod on that plant. Thank you so much for the tip!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top