Tell us about these things - how much light per day, what the high and low temps are, etc.willard3 said:Flower drop probable causes:
1. Day temp too high >95F
2. Night temp too low 50F
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.
geeme said:
Tell us about these things - how much light per day, what the high and low temps are, etc.
geeme said:Based on your answers, assuming your tap water isn't throwing the pH off too much, I'm also leaning towards too much nitrogen.
Chiles are rather efficient self-pollinators (assuming the pollen is not sterile), so shaking them a tad each day is actually sufficient for pollination to occur. Wind and insects do that naturally, but they're not 100% required if you're shaking the plants.
I'd highly recommend you check the pH of your tap water and soil.
Regarding your watering, that could also be an issue. The best way to water potted plants outside is to thoroughly drench them - let the water run until it's freely running out of the drain holes before moving on (and also ensuring it's actually soaking in and not just going down between the soil and the side of the pot.) This way you ensure the soil is truly moistened all the way through. With simply dumping 1L of water into 15L pots, the soil can still end up with very dry areas, leaving the plant in need more than you realize. Try soaking the soil more thoroughly, as well as checking pH and limiting nitrogen for a while, and see if the plants aren't a bit happier after that.
Koreansoul said:I may have missed it but do you shake your plants? Yeah I know it sounds stupid but this was happening to me as well. Since peppers are like tomatoes, and I shake the hell out of my tomatoes to help them pollinate, I started doing the same for the peppers. It worked like a charm and now I have tons of fruits setting. I do still have some blossoms dropping but not a huge issue since I have fruit.
Koreansoul said:I may have missed it but do you shake your plants? Yeah I know it sounds stupid but this was happening to me as well. Since peppers are like tomatoes, and I shake the hell out of my tomatoes to help them pollinate, I started doing the same for the peppers. It worked like a charm and now I have tons of fruits setting. I do still have some blossoms dropping but not a huge issue since I have fruit.
This is what I love about this place, that gemee with over 10,000 posts will still take the time to answer a newbie with 24 posts and give a really good answer. There is no other Forum like this!geeme said:Based on your answers, assuming your tap water isn't throwing the pH off too much, I'm also leaning towards too much nitrogen.
Chiles are rather efficient self-pollinators (assuming the pollen is not sterile), so shaking them a tad each day is actually sufficient for pollination to occur. Wind and insects do that naturally, but they're not 100% required if you're shaking the plants.
I'd highly recommend you check the pH of your tap water and soil.
Regarding your watering, that could also be an issue. The best way to water potted plants outside is to thoroughly drench them - let the water run until it's freely running out of the drain holes before moving on (and also ensuring it's actually soaking in and not just going down between the soil and the side of the pot.) This way you ensure the soil is truly moistened all the way through. With simply dumping 1L of water into 15L pots, the soil can still end up with very dry areas, leaving the plant in need more than you realize. Try soaking the soil more thoroughly, as well as checking pH and limiting nitrogen for a while, and see if the plants aren't a bit happier after that.