Carolina Reaper Flowering But No Peppers

for soiless growing hydro / aero the ph is recommended around 5.5-6, soil is 6-7. So you might want to lower it a little, they sell ph down which  does that.

(soil ph, hydro ph) (sorry my network blocks all the images from canabis websites)
absorption-ph.gif
 
 Sometimes you just have to be patient. Most of my plants drop countless flowers until they figure out what to do  :party: I don't think ph will affect pollination :rolleyes:  
 
OKGrowin said:
for soiless growing hydro / aero the ph is recommended around 5.5-6, soil is 6-7. So you might want to lower it a little, they sell ph down which  does that.

(soil ph, hydro ph) (sorry my network blocks all the images from canabis websites)
absorption-ph.gif
 
 
Just use vinegar to lower pH. Cheaper and just as effective.
romy6 said:
 Sometimes you just have to be patient. Most of my plants drop countless flowers until they figure out what to do  :party: I don't think ph will affect pollination :rolleyes:  
Interesting. 
 
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
 
Mojorizen said:
Just use vinegar to lower pH. Cheaper and just as effective.
 
Hehehe, this is going to sound rude, but using something that works ie. ph down, is going to be much more effective and will keep a stable pH. I do use vinegar (with the mother), but as a source of micros. Nitric and phosphoric acid are much more stable and dependable.
 
OKGrowin said:
for soiless growing hydro / aero the ph is recommended around 5.5-6, soil is 6-7. So you might want to lower it a little, they sell ph down which  does that.

(soil ph, hydro ph) (sorry my network blocks all the images from canabis websites)
 
Well that sucks :D There is a wealth of information on Canna websites, the cost of the crop turns most people into OCD pricks, though there are just as many "measure and mix" style growers.
 
Allowing the plant to grow into the light is probably stressing it, and the penetration through the canopy looks weak. May be unrelated to the flower problem, but something I would try to correct with training/deleafing.
 
Vinegar is not good to control Ph in hydro because it works for about 30 min.

Try phosphoric acid in commercial Ph down, it's much more stable
 
willard3 said:
Vinegar is not good to control Ph in hydro because it works for about 30 min. Try phosphoric acid in commercial Ph down, it's much more stable
 
Dang I had no idea. Possibly explains so of my own troubles! Thanks for the info.
 
Im having a similar problem with lots of unfertilized flowers dropping on my indoor grow.
 
I was q-tipping which kinda worked but took forever...then tried a fan + shaking which did not...so now I've just started with the electric toothbrush method.
 
Will know in 3-4 days if it worked.
 
Good luck.
 
Dreamweaver said:
Im having a similar problem with lots of unfertilized flowers dropping on my indoor grow.
 
I was q-tipping which kinda worked but took forever...then tried a fan + shaking which did not...so now I've just started with the electric toothbrush method.
 
Will know in 3-4 days if it worked.
 
Good luck.
I've Q-tipped every flower I've ever harvested a pod from. Use your thumb and index finger to fluff the Q tip and only use the very end to stir the pollen around. You should see little yellow clouds near the flower. The cotton traps most of the pollen so you only want to use a very very small part of the Q-tip so that as much as possible goes back into the flower.
 
Patience is a virtue in growing chiles. Fruit does not appear when you want it, it appears when the plant is ready
Agreed!!! Tell the plant you are going to throw it away and then dont pay attention to it for a bit. My fatalli dropped countless flowers and I was gonna chunk it. Just the other day I just happened to look at it and found about 10 pods!
 
Things that have an effect to fruitset with hydroponics are:
  • amount of light (is there a min?)
  • the space for roots.
  • watering (not an issue with hydro)
  • temperature (swing 10-30*, max 90, min 60)
  • nutrient solution ratios (too much Nitrogen)
  • pollinating (bees, or by human by shaking the plants)
  • strength of the plant (use fan if growing indoors / greenhouse)
My comments in red.
 
http://fatalii.net/Growing_chile_peppers/Hydroponics
 
GA Growhead said:
"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.
"
 
Well, this is good to know, as it might explain all the flower drop I had last Summer when temps exceed 90F.  My grow is, obviously, outdoors.  By the time temps dropped enough for pods to form, the season ended, and I was left with a lot of green pods.  Having said all this, some of my plants still produced pods, ripe pods.
 
Dreamweaver said:
Im having a similar problem with lots of unfertilized flowers dropping on my indoor grow.
 
I was q-tipping which kinda worked but took forever...then tried a fan + shaking which did not...so now I've just started with the electric toothbrush method.
 
Will know in 3-4 days if it worked.
 
Good luck.
Try a spray bottle and make sure you mist into the open flowers. Extremely effective and quick to boot. Put a tsp of epsom in a litre of water and you can feed while you pollinate. I do this once a week (when I remember).

Neil
 
Blister said:
Try a spray bottle and make sure you mist into the open flowers. Extremely effective and quick to boot. Put a tsp of epsom in a litre of water and you can feed while you pollinate. I do this once a week (when I remember).

Neil
Sounds cool...to avoid leaf burn any particular time of day?...
 
First thing in the morning. Keep in mind that this is only a light misting. You don't want to spray it to the point where it's dripping off the plant. In terms of getting the most out of the epsom, make sure you get the top and bottoms of the leaves. It'll really help with greening up the plants.

Some folks do it in the evening/night. Dad has always told me to avoid it then because you're inviting mildew etc. I don't know if that's true or not, but if you do it in the morning the plants have the time to soak it up and dry out during the day.

Neil
 
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