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Old July 20, 2018   #1
MSchep
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Default Pepper blossoms not opening

Hi Friends, I've got a red bell pepper plant that has be a bit perplexed this year. It set three peppers, which are maturing reasonably well, but after that, none of flowers are opening beyond the initial bud. They eventually will die and fall off, without ever opening into a blossom. I've been battling thrips, keeping them at bay with Take Down spray once a week. But, I don't think that is the problem, as the buds never open enough for even a thrip to get into it before they die off.

The plant seems to be healthy and thriving otherwise. The jalapeno right next to it is going strong and setting a ton of peppers.

I'm growing these in 5G bucket SIP's, with a healthy ring of fert around the edge.

Has anyone seen this before? Am i dealing with pest/disease, or a nutrition problem?

Thanks in advance for the help.
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Old July 20, 2018   #2
Worth1
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Probably too darn hot at least it is here.
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Old July 20, 2018   #3
b54red
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I had the same problem earlier this year and nothing seemed to help. By the time the plants were three feet tall I only had one pepper on 10 plants. I put a small hand full of epsom salts around each one and then added a big hand full or two around each one and then watered it in well with Texas Tomato Food diluted to 1 TBS per gallon. Within one week they were loaded with small set peppers and lots of open blossoms. I don't know if this would help you but you might want to try it.

Bill
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Old July 21, 2018   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by b54red View Post
I had the same problem earlier this year and nothing seemed to help. By the time the plants were three feet tall I only had one pepper on 10 plants. I put a small hand full of epsom salts around each one and then added a big hand full or two around each one and then watered it in well with Texas Tomato Food diluted to 1 TBS per gallon. Within one week they were loaded with small set peppers and lots of open blossoms. I don't know if this would help you but you might want to try it.

Bill
I was interrupted when typing that last post and left out that it was two hand fulls of ashes added after the Epsom salts. Sorry.

Bill
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Old July 21, 2018   #5
MSchep
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Thanks Bill, I'll give that a try!
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Old August 3, 2018   #6
MSchep
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Hey Bill, thanks again for the suggestions, I did the Epsom and TTF, just didn't have any ashes handy. Wanted to let you know that now I've got about a dozen new fruit set!

Cheers!
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Old August 6, 2018   #7
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Glad to hear it. Maybe you will have a lot more in a little bit. It really worked for me when mine weren't setting fruit.

I'm having trouble now with a massive infestation of aphids that are ruining my older pepper plants that are down at the shadier end of the garden. These are my oldest pepper plants and so far my most productive but the amount of aphids I am dealing with is overwhelming them in this heat. I have already pulled two but am not sure whether they died from aphids or TSWV. I am pretty sure one had TSWV but the other didn't show the same symptoms and was constantly covered with aphids. No amount of spraying seems to be able to slow them down for more than a day or two before they are back in ever greater numbers. I think it would require a long acting poison to work or a systemic and I refuse to use either on any food item I grow. Lady bugs will not stay in my garden this time of the year so they are not a viable option. During the spring I had tons of lady bugs then all of a sudden they just disappeared a week or so after the hot weather moved in. I don't know what causes them to leave such a good food source but they do this every year only to return in the fall. So far the aphids have not attacked my newest pepper bed which is in a sunnier location and they will be producing in a week or two unless something happens to them too. I do have one new pepper plant that definitely looks like it has TSWV already so the only peppers I will get off it are the few already set and growing since it has no new blooms or growth on it now.

Bill
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