Mold inside peppers

[Jeffcontonio]

I'm finding mold inside some of my peppers.
I've searched the web and have not found anything that explains why this is happening. It's always the seeds that are moldy.

I harvest my peppers as soon as they are nearly ripe, most with just a tinge of green still on them, so it's not because they are over ripened. I've noticed that it's usually the smallest pods on the plant and the first to start to ripen. They appear fine on the outside without any noticeable holes or damage.

What's going on and how do I prevent it?


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[midwestchilehead]

I have the same problem, but it is usually just on the early pods. I think it has something to do with the cooler air conditions during pod development. Once we heat the heat of summer in July and August, I rarely get any moldy pods.

 

[charlesquik]

well its all about humidity. When the air is colder the dew point is lower so there is dew forming on the pod.

You can check it out.

http://www.dpcalc.org/

 

[Jeffcontonio]

That makes sense. I did bring these plants out very early while temps were less than optimal.


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[Bicycle808]

This all makes sense but I wanted to add that this happened on only my earlier pods and, in addition to the other factors already mentioned above, the early ones took forever to turn. They were hanging green far longer than the later pods. I think that may have allowed mold to grow as well.

 

[Jeffcontonio]

With this info, I think it might be a good idea if I pinch off the early pods next season.


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[moruga welder]

Don't sweat it my friend , I get a few also when its rainy and the humidity is up , but it balances out ,  end up with boatloads of pods when its said and done ,    

 

[Biggy]

It's called Alternaria. I get it bad every year because I grow in the dirt. It's a fungus/mold that get's onto the flower and the pod grows around it. That's why it's in there with no signs of other damage. You can usually tell what pods it's in by looking at the bottom of your pods. Sunken in with a innie instead of a tail and when you squeeze the pod it will feel noticeably softer.

 

[Jeffcontonio]

So I googled alternaria, and that sounds exactly what I have.

We went through a period of heavy rain for nearly a month. It seemed to rain every other day. Could this have contributed to this problem?

So is there anything I can do to prevent this? Or is the change in weather enough?


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[Biggy]

My experience is it happens when it gets very windy with rain. It blows the soil around. If you can grow away from loose soil prone to blowing you will be better off. I make beds the with of my skidloader wheelbase and cover them with woven landscape fabric. It helps a lot compared to open dirt. My problem is my main garden is 30' away. 4 acres of open dirt gardens. Going to move my patch next year to get away from the loose dirt.