Does my ghost need pollination since its not producing pods while it has a ton of flowers and they keep on dropping. Im pretty sure I need to help assist pollination
if outdoor i wouldn't really worry about it, but since it's only one plant, it wouldn't be a lot of work to just go around and hit the flowers with a cotton swab.
i sort of think it's not lack of pollinators that's causing flower drop, but still can't hurt to pollinate it a bit yourself. i don't know if it's true, but i read somewhere that pollen production peaks in the afternoon, so maybe you could try then.
Well then, i do live in the cold Finland and not in India or Texas. In 2014 i had a caramel bhut jolokia plant full of pods, so surely you have better growing place than i do.
Think, unpredictable weather. Last year was all rain really cold weather, now it is mostly all sunny hot weather with very little rain and the Naga morich plants seems to like it because there are now lot of pods coming.
WHat's the weather like where you are at ?? -- in temps above 90 - 100 F many of the flowers will be infertile (no pollen) due to the heat when forming o flower drop is pretty normal best bet is to just keep the plant healthy and once you get a stretch of cooler weather it will set pods.
Are you using shade cloth yet? It's been over 100 regularly here lately and my plants are setting pods. My chinense are a little late to the game but I think thats just cuz they're chinense. The plants I have kinda around the edge of the cloth that get more direct sun are doing ok but the ones that get constant cover are doing amazing so I know the shade cloth works really well.
Who told you that bhuts are only partially fertile? In my experience, they are as fertile as any other Chinense. Yes, they carry a few Frutescens genetic markers that proves that they crossed at some point in their past. But their genetic makeup is strongly Chinense. They are far from being a partially infertile hybrid.
As others have said, it is probably the summer heat causing the flower drop.
I used a Q-tip to "help", but eventually the flowers will stop dropping, and later in the fall you should see more pods take. Your weather conditions may be different.