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salevene

New New Pods Falling Off

salevene
10 years ago

Hi All,

I'm not sure if this is normal, but what I thought was my healthiest plant, seems to be losing new pods (some right after the flower drops off and it has a mini-pod showing).

I noticed that one fell off, so I was looking at another one and when I barely touched it, it fell off... it was as if it was hanging by a thread so to speak.

Is this normal? It gets 5-6 hours a day of quality sun, I only water it every 3-4 days, the leaves look healthy and its got about 40 or so pods on the way...

Here are some pics (the one that fell off, I couldn't get to focus, but its much greener in real life than it looks in the pic)

Comments (70)

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Kevin - ok, maybe I'll try one pellet of each of the bottom two, because I just checked the plant and yup, I'm still losing pods (about 3 more dropped today). The pods drop typically right after the flower has naturally dropped... they seem to stay healthy until this point. Unfortunately the best I can do is 6 hours sun/day.

    I'll keep you posted in a week or two or if anything dramatically changes in the next few days.

    Thank you for the advice!

  • DMForcier
    10 years ago

    As for watering, don't water on a schedule at all. Let the plant tell you when it needs water.

    Dennis

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    what DMF said. Let it semi-wilt, water thoroughly and so on.

    Is that a plastic container? If so, drill a few more holes in the bottom or at the bottom in the sides.

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ok, I'll definitely wait on the watering until it shows signs of asking for it.

    Yup, its a plastic container, but tt has good drainage.. there are already 8 or 9 good sized holes at the bottom.

    I gave it one pellet of each of those fertilizers yesterday so I'll update you guys in a week or two.

  • thepodpiper
    10 years ago

    I'm leaning towards woohooman's

    "Plain old dirt gets way too compacted and holds a lot of water"

    Also jean001a's "roots may be failing"

    If there is a way to grab the stock of the plant and turn upside down so the plant comes out of the pot, do that and see what color the roots are.

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hey all, its still dropping pods and all of the small, newer leaves but today I noticed it dropped a nice healthy-looking leaf (see pic). I touched a bunch of others and they all seem strong, so hoping this is just a one-off.

    Its been well over a week since I watered it and it seems really dry, even at the bottom where the holes are its super dry. What are signs of when I should water it?

    thepodpiper - i'm afraid to pull that thing out, but I can tell you that the color of the roots that came through the holes at the bottom are whitish/tanish (not sure if they are dried out).

    The one good thing I can say is that where the leaves have dried out/fallen off, it still seems like there are new pods trying to grow (see pic).

    I'll send better pics tomorrow morning, but any advice is much appreciated.

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    Stick your hand down about 6 inches. Any moisture?

    One think that may help the roots in that dense soil is to fluff it up every few days to get some air to the roots.

    No pod development whatsoever??? Are ALL flowers/pods falling? No pods are FULLY forming?.

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I tried to get as deep as possible and it was pretty dry.. when I was digging into the soil, I felt like I was disturbing some roots, will that have an effect?

    Whats the best way to fluff up the soil?

    No pod development at all, they just flower, drop the flower and then drop the pod. I'm losing some smaller, good leaves as well... they are starting to drop (none of the big ones, just the newer ones). Again, all of this is from where new growth was happening in the plant...

    I gave it some water and it leaked right through to the bottom, seemed to have very good drainage.

    Here are some better pictures:

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    Ok. Then water thoroughly.

    No. You didn't harm it. I wouldn't do it all the time though. Usually a finger a couple inches down will tell you.

    I'm kind of bewildered. You should at least be getting SOME pods to set and develop.

    Scroll up to willard3's post. Which one(s) of those do you think might be the problem? Have you checked the ph? Perhaps you should get a soil test done for that native soil --- As already mentioned, plain dirt isn't good for containers, but it's hard to argue with how healthy the plant LOOKS otherwise. Something's missing or there's too much of something...whether a mineral, water, light, etc.

    Maybe somebody else more knowledgeable has something to offer.

    Keep in mind that changes you've made recently need time to take effect.

    How old is the plant and what variety?

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    The only thing I can think of is 5 or 11, as it was getting 6 hours of sun a day for almost 2 months and the past 2 weeks we've had a bit of rain.

    It will be tough to do a soil test.

    Its about 3 months old (a bit slow to grow at the start, most of that growth is in the past month). I lost track when planting the seeds, but its either a: chocolate habanero, pumpkin habanero, datil or scotch bonnet.

    Someone recommended I repot in better soil so I will do that tonight. I cant find all the good stuff like in the US, but I found one that should help with drainage (it has the rice skin, not sure how to say in english. In spanish its "cisco de arroz")

    Wish me luck, we'll see how it goes!

    Thanks for the all the advice.

    This post was edited by salevene on Thu, Feb 27, 14 at 17:26

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well, maybe I am too impatient, but I bought the new soil and repotted it. Here are some pics and its new home (will update in a few days):

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    Atta boy! I was going to suggest the same. Now you need to be patient.

    Never heard of rice skin potting mix. What kind of nutrients are in it?

    90 days ain't too bad. A lot of the times, plants lose a lot of flowers in the beginning until it's finally "ready" to start setting pods. May have acted a bit too impatient, but at leat now we can rule out soil.

    Cloudy doesn't mean a whole lot. Shade is a different story. You said 6 hours is all you can get it...is it going to get less or more in the coming months because of the tilt of the earth to the sun?

    Kevin

  • judo_and_peppers
    10 years ago

    holy crap, either that's quite a serious root system, or you rinsed your roots far more carefully than I do. seeing a root ball that size, I'd have opted for a larger pot. but that's just me.

    if he's in columbia, he is right near the equator. 6 hours of sun there means something very different than it does in, say; canada. I live in FL, and for me 6 hrs of direct sun is almost too much.

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    Judo: It's not the brightness of the sun that leaves your plants withered, it's the heat. From the sounds of it, salavene lives in a pretty moderate climate of Colombia.

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Honestly, I've never heard of this kind of potting soil before either, but the other choice was fairly similar to the soil I could get from the ground... in short, this is probably much better for drainage. Not sure about the nutrients, just says "organic compost".

    As Judo mentioned, we are close to the equator, so it will always be 6 hours per day. However, it receives indirect sunlight all morning and then direct sunlight from 12ish to 5:30. No shade.

    Judo - I just tried to clean the roots as best as possible before re-potting. I shook out all the dirt.

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    Organic compost? It wasn't warm was it? It should work, but a lot of the times bagged compost still has some warmth to it. If so, give it a couple of good soaks to cool it some. aafter a couple weeks, you may want to add one each of those ferts you have.

    Good luck.

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Nope, felt normal temperature. After re-potting I watered it thoroughly until it came through the bottom.

    Ok i'll give it the lighter ferts in a few weeks. Maybe half dose of each.

    Thanks for all the advice, I'll keep you posted!

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    Give it one of those NPK ones too. The compost might have some added nutrients, but compost is meant to be put in the ground and slowly break down to usable nutes. Try dissolving in water at half the recommended ratio and feed every other week. JMO

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    So Thursday will be one week since the re-potting of the pepper. For the first few days, all seemed well. However, a few days ago I noticed stronger winds were putting some stress on the plant, I quickly brought it inside. We've been trying to do that when we can, but its just not feasible to watch the plant 24/7 and bring in whenever strong winds come. Well, it must have gotten hit with strong winds yesterday when I wasn't here and it started to have a slight lean.... the base actually feels a bit wobbly, not very sturdy. I've since tied the stem to make it upright again, but today I noticed the leaves aren't looking as healthy. They are starting to droop a bit, some are starting to curl inward as well. Overall, it still looks healthy, but these problems are starting.

    It hasn't gotten a ton of sun in these days because its been raining, so I am hesitant to give more water...

    How long does it typically take for roots to strengthen the plant in its new home? Should I give it some light ferts?

    Any suggestions?

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    Nope. Be patient! it will take a good few weeks to stabilize. Remember, you basically performed surgery on it. Should bounce back soon. Did you ever consider planting it in the ground like your other plants?

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes, we've pondered the option, but space is an issue at this point... if absolutely necessary, we might be able to do it, but it would be tough.

    I'll keep you all posted!

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hey Kevin,

    The plant really seems to be on its way... its got good foilage everywhere (see pic) and a few of the pods from the original harvest survived and we have three that are growing nicely (see pic). I've even noticed the drainage is MUCH better since re-potting with the new soil... in the end, I think that was the main problem.

    So its been two weeks since the repot and I was thinking about adding some ferts. The dosage calls for 4 pellets based on the size of my pot, but it seems like a half-dose would be best? I'll just break them in half and put them in different places around the pot. (the blues ones, NPK).

    Thoughts?

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    Good deal! In regards to the ferts, I think you mentioned that you can dissolve them in water. What's the package say?

    Dissolving would allow more control over how much you're giving it..

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I have to double check when I get back home, but I believe they say to put the pellets around the perimeter of the pot. In any event, I don't see why I wouldnt be able to dissolve two and then water with that....

    Should I drop in a 3rd pellet of the less common nutrients or maybe later on?

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    Let's see what the package says first. Last thing you want is to over-fertilize.

    Kevin

  • esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
    10 years ago

    I dont like pellets or spikes for ferts. It concentrates the fertilizer and can burn the roots around them. I don't think they dissapate throughout the soil very well either. I would buy some good liquid fertilizer and use that with watering the plants. If you want to do "Fertilize it and forget it", then get a slow release granular fertilizer such as Osmocote.

    Also, looking at your photos, in the one that shows the string around the stem, if you go up to the "V" just above it, it almost looks like a bunch of Aphids there. I would just double check to make sure that your plant isn't infested with Aphids.

    Good luck,
    Bruce

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    It just says use 4 pellets every 15 days for a pot my size. It says to put them around the perimeter... it doesn't say anything about dissolving in water, but I don't see why that would be a problem. I'll start with a half-dose so as not to overfertilize.

    In regards to the Asphids, I don't know too much about them, and its tough to get good pics, but here are a few more:

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    Bruce is right. An all purpose granular, soluble, fert would be best. But if you're going to use those things, I wouldn't use more that a 1/2 tablespoon per gallon of water for now.

    Kevin

  • esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
    10 years ago

    salevene: I dont see any aphids in those pictures. But if you see tiny "things" on your plants in bunches and usually on the newer growth, they would be aphids. I think your are fine. Good luck.
    Bruce

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    what Bruce said. you'll see them on the undersides of leaves and almost look like eggs. They'll move slowly if you nudge them.

    Btw, change out that string to something much thicker. WHat you have there will cut right through that stalk.

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks guys, I'll keep on the lookout for asphids. In the end, I just dissolved 2 of the pellets in a liter of water and used that. The recommended is 4 pellets, so I think half should be a good start. Also, will change that string as soon as possible.

    I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

    Thanks a ton for all the advice, I really appreciate it!

  • salevene
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hey guys, so the plant as rebounded very nice! Its got a lot of new foilage and already starting to show signs of new pods on the way....

    I'll keep you posted on how they do, but in the meantime, I had a question about the 3 pods that survived/never fell. They seem to not really be growing anymore or at a snails pace like I've never seen. One of them even seems to have lost its shiny-ness and has a dull complexion to it.

    Is this normal? Have you ever heard of pods that stopped growing mid-way?

    Thanks in advance

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    9 years ago

    What variety? Yes, they'll stop growing and then start to turn to a final color. Which for some varieties, takes a long a&& time.

    However, they sheen to the pepper should remain for the most part. What you MAY have is pods that decided to stay but died... is the calyx and/or stem yellowing at all? If not, then leave them be.

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I got the plants mixed up after germination! Its either a Pumpkin Hab, Chocolate Hab, Scotch Bonnet or Datil. But based on other pictures I've seen around the web, I think its one of the habaneros (leaves very similar to the other pics).

    Nope, don't see any yellowing anywhere. I guess I'll wait a week and see what happens. Will post updates.

    Thanks for the advice.

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    9 years ago

    Salavene: Thought it might be a had or bonnet. Seems relatively the right size, so I'd just let it go. And it will probably take well over a week or 4 before changing colors.

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Kevin - this is my first time growing these peppers, but they seem way too small to start maturing. It might be the pictures, but they are not very big.

    In any event... I'll update in about a week.

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    9 years ago

    They could very well be too small. Remember, these were "survivors" from the "less than ideal days" of UNHAPPY container medium. Now that you've changed out the soil, I'm pretty sure future pods will get larger.

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hey everybody,

    So the plant seems to be doing really well, tons of new foilage, some pods on the way, etc. However, over the past few days, it seems A LOT of the old leaves are turning yellow and dropping. I was just wondering if this was normal? Its none of the new foilage at all, just the old stuff.

    Its been quite sunny this past week, but temps never pass 80ish degrees and the plant only receives around 5-6 hours sun/day.

    Thanks in advance

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    Yeah, it's normal. Some leaves seem to want to last forever, but in the second year they just get too old and decrepit. You might want to judiciously encourage them to join their ancestors...

    Dennis

  • salevene
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Kevin and everyone else on this forum, thanks so much for all of your advice... I'm definitely learning a lot and hope to be able to contribute one of these days.

    UPDATE: the plant has fully recovered, its got a lot of new pods on the way... they started dropping at first, but not anymore and we have about 15 healthy pods growing with plenty more behind it. I'll send through a picture when they start looking nice and colorful!!

  • esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
    9 years ago

    Glad to hear it. Thanks for updating the list.
    Bruce

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    9 years ago

    Yep. Glad to hear you finally reaping some rewards, Salavene.

    Definitely keep us updated.

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    You guys all rock, I can't thank you enough for your help. Here is a picture of the plant a few months after the repotting. I'm in full-harvest and all the pods are on the bring of maturing. I believe these are Scotch Bonnets, and I'll post another update once they've started to change colors...

  • salevene
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Finally starting to have a nice harvest of these Scotch Bonnets! Thanks all for your help.

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    9 years ago

    Good to hear salavene!

    With your climate, you should be able to have yours going nonstop. After the next harvest, it may be a good time to get in even a bigger pot. Something to ponder.

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks Kevin. I was going to ask about the next harvest. I think it was lacking some nutrients, so I fed it recently, but there are no newpods on the way. Any idea how long typically between harvests? Or are/were there no new pods because of a lack of nutrients?

    I will look into a bigger pot and see if its possible...

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    9 years ago

    Should be an continuous thing in your area. No NEW pods at all??

    Plenty of flowers?

    I still say you don't get them enough sun.

    Kevin

  • salevene
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Nope, nothing at all... Not even new flowers. You are probably right in that it doesn't get enough sun, but at least we know it can produce. I think I just need a string of good sunny days to get it going... That and maybe the fertilizer should help. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get it more sun... Best I can do.

    In your experience, it should be producing new flowers/pods continually?

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    9 years ago

    Sort of. It's still a cycle of "growth, blooms, fruit, harvest, then growth again," but when plants kick in, they'll have ripening pods while others are large, but green and others just forming. While more flowers are wide open, and some buds are young and still closed.

    You should be able to harvest a few ripe pods at ANY time with more the next day, and more the next day, etc,. if you wanted. Most people just choose to make harvests in one fell swoop.

    Kevin

    This post was edited by woohooman on Sun, Jun 8, 14 at 0:35

  • salevene
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yea, thats really strange that there is no new growth with this plant; I'm going with the lack of nutrients theory. The good news is that overall the plant does seem relatively healthy and the current pods are maturing nicely (and are decent size).

    I see what you are saying regarding the cycle, because the plant next to it has already started the growth cycle after its harvest and the same with one that we have planted outside (which is closer to what you were saying above in that it always as some flowers/peppers on it).

    I added another smaller dose of fertilizer (when normally I would have waited one more watering), so we'll see what that does.

    On a side note, these are Scotch Bonnets and I was expecting them to be wayyyy hotter. I think in terms of heat, the orange habs blow them away.

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