Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
crafting4goddess

Hydro-Peppers: Fruits dropping

crafting4goddess
14 years ago

Hello all! I was hopping someone could give me an idea why my peppers are dropping off the plants. I have four 1 month old hot peppers (no idea what kind because they came from a hot-pepper seed-mix packet)& I hand pollinate the flowers with a soft paint brush. It seems they start to grow fruit, then turn yellow & drop, or just drop before turning yellow.

My EC readings are normally around 1.5 - 1.6. I am using GH MaxiBloom/Grow with lights 12 on, 12 off (Blue & red bulbs). I've been gradually switching the nut's to 100% Maxibloom for flowering & fruit development. The plants keep growing bigger & bigger & I have contemplated trimming them as sooner or later I will not be able to raise the lights any higher! I've also supplemented with organic calcium when I change the water once every two-weeks - topping off in between because they be thirsty pepper plants. I am using a home-built drip system with 2 gallons in the reservoir. Day temps are in the upper 70's, night temps lower 70's with a fan running 24/7 to keep the air moving.

Hopefully I have not left any essential info out.Thank you in advance!

Comments (5)

  • grizzman
    14 years ago

    from what I've read here (in your post) and in other threads, I'd say you need to reduce your nitrogen levels and increase your phosphorus.
    Also, your EC levels are a little hi. I grew mine around 1.0-1.2.

  • joe.jr317
    14 years ago

    Nothing wrong with trimming. Best to do it with new material rather than wait until it's thick and the wound won't heal as well.

    I grow bell peppers and cayennes. I don't use any grow on my peppers. I always start with a bloom solution. I believe it's too much nitrogen, but I haven't taken steps to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. I just know for certain that using botanicare bloom solution works for the entire life, you just adjust EC depending on the point your at in the cycle. I'm sure a very weak grow would work, too. I've read of people doing well with as low as .8 EC. I just like not having to buy two different products unnecessarily. Once I'm out of the botanicare, I plan to try my hand at some nutes grizzman recommended, though.

    I found this stuff out some time back when I was using grow solution and kept getting blossom drop. When I flushed the system, used plain water for 2 days, and switched to a weak solution of blooming mix I stopped losing blossoms. So, I then tried starting with a bloom mix and found I get fruits earlier, so many set I have to pull some off while small, and my leaves look less like mutants.

  • willardb3
    14 years ago

    Flower drop probable causes:

    1. Day temp too high >95F
    2. Night temp too low 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

    1. Too much mineral in feedwater.
    2. Too much grower attention.
  • crafting4goddess
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thank for your responses! I'll cut the grow nute out completely & lower the EC a bit & see if that helps.

    @Willard3:
    Too much water in hydroponics?? Seriously?

  • project_gardener
    14 years ago

    I used grow and then switched to bloom right when the first flowers appeared. I had 1 blossom drop and after that they took. I planted them from seed July 9th. Today I have 2 foot tall healthy plants and the bell peppers are about 1 inch big on each plant.

    @ joe.jr317 - Thanks for you info. I think next round Ill do bloom from the start. You were also right about my setup in an earlier post when you mentioned rubbermaid containers being flimsy to support the plant. Mine are very top heavy but my holes were tight enough to support the plant. They've been fruiting indoors under 300watt / 2700k CFLs. Any pointers to getting fruit to grow faster?

Sponsored
Remodel Repair Construction
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars9 Reviews
Industry Leading General Contractors in Westerville