Root Bound = Flower Drop?

My over wintered Butch T (2nd season) is in a 10 gallon nursery pot.  Two weeks ago it was loaded with flowers.  Today, two remain.  If the plants is root bound, but is receiving enough water and nutes, will flowers still drop in this extreme?
 
How bound up are we talking? No soil left and all root,or in need up a repot? Are you shading the sides of the container from the sun? My first year Butch T took forever to set pods,it grew a huge frame first. I overwintered it and it was better this year,but still took a bit. Chinense in general are pricks about aborting flowers.
 
armac said:
depends how hot it is, heat is usally associated with flower drop......no pollen produce
yeah, i think in my case it's just not gonna make the difference. it was 40c in Tokyo the other day, we are having a record heat wave.
doesn't drop much below 30 at night and thats only if it rains
 
it is over 100 here everday, i have my plants partially shaded, they still produce a few pods, will pick up as the temps fall
 
 I do not think flower drop had anything to do with it being  root bound. I have plants that are 3 years old and have been rootbound for almost that constantly producing pods. Now extreme heat too cold,   or stressed from too much ferts and or bugs;that will cause flower drop every time. 
 
 Just my 1 cents. 
 
Flower drop probable causes:
 
1. Day temp too high >95F
2. Night temp too low <65F or too high >85F
3. Too much nitrogen fertilizer
4. Too much water
5. Low light levels (reduces fertility).
6. Very low humidity (reduces fertility)
7. Poor air circulation (air circulation contributes to pollination).
8. Lack of pollinating insects.
9. Size of pot 
10. Too much mineral in feedwater.
11. Too much grower attention/anxiety.
 
armac said:
it is over 100 here everday, i have my plants partially shaded, they still produce a few pods, will pick up as the temps fall
the humidity in Tokyo means that shade nets don't make all that much difference.. the sunlight isn't all that intense anyway cause of the humidity, but next year i'm gonna use shade nets anyway. just can't do it with my current set up
 
Thanks for all the advice.  My day temps are in the high 80s-low 90s; high 50s at night.  Fertilizing every 2-3 weeks with fish emulsion (5-1-1), 1/3 strength morebloom (0-10-10), and kelp extract.
 
Greenman, any science behind the epsom salt "lore"? 
 
Anyone have any experience spraying the flowers with epsom salt, or anything else to encourage pod set?
 
epsom salt is only good if your plant isnt picking up nutrients from the soil, it just encourages it.. maybe you need calcium like cal-mag or if you want to go cheaper and quicker go to the store buy some tums 750mg and grind one into a powder then add it to 1 gallon of water and mix it up for like a minute and spray it on the leaves, its basically the same as cal-mag lol.. contains almost same stuff but is like $3 for 100 tablets, and it will get the calcium faster by absorbing through the leaves
 
When a plant becomes rootbound, an auxin is triggered within the plant that causes it to produce flowers and reproduce.

Basically, the plant thinks that it can grow no further, could be nearing the end of its life cycle and must reproduce before it dies.
 
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