Anna, I spray mine with spinosad.
I think it might be your dirt.
I had that exact same problem trying to grow bells until I figured out it was the dirt I was using.
I don't grow than many, so I just buy cactus potting soil for them now. Mix in a handful of time release. And I never had that problem with them again.

Now white fly, mold, you name it, I still have problems with! LOL

Corrie

Corrie, that's interesting info, I 've never had much luck with bell peppers. I can grown the hot and the Cuban but not the bells. I'll have to give you method at try. :o)

I'm wondering,too,is it the climate, too cold, too hot?

My two bell peppers produced ONE medium sized red bell pepper, very tasty, but the only other two were 1/4 of the size and there hasn't been another one!!

I use the 5 pine bark fines/1 peat moss/1perlite mix.

teeka

Corrie, that's interesting, so I guess it's not the spinosad. The cactus mix is because peat based mixes were staying too wet? I also use what Teeka uses in my containers. Maybe it's that they stayed too wet for too long when they got flooded after a rain a couple of weeks ago. The leaf drop has been sudden with no apparent disease that I can tell. Weather has been cool and cloudy but not cold. I don't think it could account for the drastic result? They were growing well and flowering nicely, setting some fruit before this happened.

Anna

Ana

It sounds to me like too much water, maybe because it rain and did not get the chance to dry out completely, peppers don't like to keep wet, that is why is important to use a fast draining mix, also check the drainage holes and lift the containers from the ground, when I use spinosad I only use very diluted amounts and a fine spray, not to drench the plants.

It is always better to start too many plants and from different varieties to compare the results.

Silvia

I can't seem to successfully grown Bell Peppers either. Perhaps, it is a dirt problem? I usually just use potting soil and have also put it directly into the ground. I think I harvested 'one' small pepper before it keeled over.

I've had good luck with Jalapenos, but, I do not enjoy eating them - except in moderation. I was happy that I have friends from Mexico to give my peppers to!

Bell Peppers seem to be difficult to grow here for some reason.

One thing I discovered growing bells in containers is that if the containers are dark in color, and get direct sunlight (say, before the plants get big enough to shade the pot) the soil can get too hot and cooks the roots. The plants get wilty as if there is not enough water, but watering just makes it worse. Eventually I learned to shade the pots, either by surrounding them with other pots containing herbs, or with leaves, or even silver bubble insulation.

Now this was an experience in the hot West, but it would hold during hot weather here, too, no doubt.

The comments about wet soil is interesting to me, because I grew my first garden here in Homosassa last Spring, and my bells got "elephant foot" and just keeled over at the place where the stem hit the soil. It was a very organic soil mix - I'll try to make it more rapidly draining for this year!

Good luck, and let us know what you try and how it works out!
Eileen

Silvia, I've been using 4 tablespoons per gallon of spinosad as the label suggests. How much do you dilute it to spray peppers, tomatoes, brassicas, etc? I think you are right. It must be that they got too wet. I am using the pot in pot method with a very rapidly draining mix, but these were in the lowest area and sat soaking in water at least overnight until we noticed what happened and pulled them out. My tomatoes are ripening all at once now and prematurely, and I think this may be the cause as well. Live and learn. I am learning so much! Silvia, have you started seeds in your porch boxes for next spring yet? I just planted tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cauliflower. I hope I am not too early. I just keep trying things.

Saintpfla, I have grown peppers successfully in pots in the past, but not in over a year. I really want to get it right. We love peppers and eat lots of them.

Eileen, I may opt to try them in earthboxes or above ground containers this spring with some surrounding vegetation or insulation as you did. Sounds good.

Anna

Hi Ana

I usually eye ball the amount, but it is less than a teaspoon per 32 oz bottle. I don't ever follow the amount on sprays or fertilizers, always put less. Is like cooking putting less works, later on if you need it can always add more. :o)

Garden is moving rapidly, harvesting cauliflower, I always plant them directly in the bed

Beets the same

eating fennel salads with oranges

My seeds are in the porch and I always start more than I need. Also a lot of people I know get the seedlings, they will be ready on time.

Cheryl is eating salads for lunch and dinner, she said this is the only way that she can keep on eating the cookies that we are making.

Ana, don't be discouraged and start more pepper seeds, this time try different ones, usually the frying type peppers are easier to grow than the bell.

Silvia

Anna, peppers do not like wet feet. Even overnight, their roots will rot.
I use my left over 7-10gal black tomato pots with cactus potting soil, and then do not water unless I can dig down pretty deep and it's dry.
I always wrap the pots in bubble wrap and then heavy duty aluminum foil over that.
I never had any luck with them either until I started doing this. Now I only plant 2-3 plants because we get a lot more than we will ever eat.
Also, look for disease resistance and short season varieties. Even though we are tropical, our winter is like a very north summer. So buy like you are planting in Maine. ;-)
I use full strength spino on them.
I like gator and big bell.

Corrie

Wow, Silvia, those cauliflower look picture perfect and the beets and fennel are pretty too!

I did start some more giant marconi peppers and the ancient sweet peppers a couple of days ago. Don't know if it's the right time. I tried to look up frying peppers. Do you mean cubanelles? Banana peppers? What types are considered for frying?

So you use less than a third of the amount of spinosad than I do. That's a real big difference. I will definitely cut back. I am still getting worms on my chinese cabbage, though, but my tomatoes and broccoli have been good. I need to find the balance. I guess that's why they say gardening is as much an art as a science! Thanks, Silvia.

Anna

Corrie, we were posting at the same time I guess. Wow, that sounds like a pretty elaborate setup with the bubble wrap and aluminum foil. I will have to experiment with and without. My media is really fast draining. I think under normal circumstances it would be just fine. I think they just got waterlogged this time. Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm glad to know you use full strength spinosad without problems. That must not have been a factor then.

Anna

Ana

I meant those type of elongated peppers. You should do fine with the Giant Marconi and the Ancient. Sometimes I think they called Italian frying peppers and those cubanelle and banana peppers can also be easier to grow.

If you are growing any greens or brassicas, you have to harvest them not fully mature, otherwise they get bugs, keep on eye on them and start harvesting early.

I just harvested all my tatsoi, clean it and put it in the refrigerator. If I wait another week it would be with bugs.

After a while, you learn what works for you and what don't.

Good luck with your peppers!

Silvia

"that sounds like a pretty elaborate setup with the bubble wrap and aluminum foil"

Naaah, it's easy. LOL
I order a lot of things online, so I have bubble wrap.
I cook, so I have aluminum foil.

Where I have to grow them gets a lot of afternoon sun. The plants like the heat, but the black pots will cook their roots if I didn't figure a way to cool the pots off.

Try a bunch of different varieties until you find some that like you. That's the real secret. ;-)
I would look for some short season ones and start there.

Corrie

Anna - I agree with Corrie regarding container-grown sweet peppers. ONE, they don't like wet feet at all. TWO, they won't tolerate the heat here in Florida. October was ridiculously hot so container-grown Bell peppers in our area were doomed, and most of the non-traditional sweet peppers like the Marconi's didn't do well either...just an unusual fall.

For containers, dry mix and in the shade and you'll do better.

Regarding the Spinosad, why? Did you have thrips?

Silvia - package on its way to you today ;-)

Tom

I gave up on growing ANY veggie here years ago! LOL
What doesn't die, doesn't even thrive...no matter what I do.
*heavy sigh.

Thanks for an educational thread, answers some of my failures with peppers. In addition to the previously mentioned hazards mine also had whitefly while in pots and nematodes in ground.

Amazing that commercial growers get a crop isn't it? And then I think of all the pesticides that make it happen.

Denise
not currently growing peppers
but the tomatoes are ripening :-)

Silvia, you always have good advice and I learn so much from it. I am sure I've waited too long for the asian cabbage. Now I can only eat so much per week. I have 4 or 5 left. I will just have to cut them up finely so noone can see the holes! I cannot let them go to waste.

Corrie and Tom, I will have to work on insulating my containers or putting them in a little more shade. Tom, I had some curled leaves and I did think thrips, but sadly, I think the real reason I sprayed them is because they are next to the tomatoes and they got backsplash. Also, when you have just a little more spray left.... I guess that's a bad mistake. I will think twice next time. Corrie, I will continue to try different types. I will look for elongated and frying types next.

Hi Denise! My tomatoes are ripening also, but they are much smaller than I thought they'd be. Last night we sampled the first ones and tonight we'll have more. Pretty good, pretty good, even though small.

Anna

I have 5 pepper plants, one is a yellow variety, the others are green bells...does anything grow slower than peppers? lol. I should have started the seeds in August I guess, Mid-October I think was too late.

one of the farmers in boca who got me huge bell peppers of all colors told me just the other day "the things we have to do to have these grow."and they have a large commercial farm in boca. HTH.