i remember you ... you are kinda leaving out the whole growing them under lights in pails in the house story .... and if werent for me thinking daniel boone every time i see your name ... i would NOT have remembered all the facts you are leaving out ...

my gut tells me water issues.. but i just had chili.. so who knows what language my gut is talking in ... [???!!! i dont even know where to go with that.. and i said it.. lol ...]

lets see what the rest say ....

ken

From the off tone of that pic, it's hard to tell what's going on. Looks like some critters on the bottom of the leaf above the pepper in the 2nd pic. What do you see in person?

I didn't see any critters. If they're there, they are very small.

Here are a few more pictures, without the 400w HPS grow lights distorting the colors.

If they're mushy that's a problem, but they just look like they're ripening. Strange, that's what happens to peppers if they get frosted but I doubt that's the case in your house.

Hope someone else has some helpful info for you, sorry, I don't.

I am at a loss. With the healthy looking leaves you have, I'd doubt its an insect issue. Not only are fruits discoloring but they appear stunted as well. I grew three plants of California Wonder outside last year and some did turn a dark color on their way to red but at a larger size and certainly not go soft.

I take it your micro and macro nutrients are good? No over or under watering issues?

tj

Thanks for taking a look at the pics, y'all.

The dark-purple/blackish fruits are not mature, so I don't know if / how much they're stunted. They're actually still growing, even though they're that color.

I may have been a little too harsh about the description of their softness. I was comparing them to the one I have that's almost ripe. ( My first time growing peppers, if you couldn't tell. :) When I compare their firmness to other ones around the same growth size but the shiny green, their softness is about the same.

I have been feeding them nutrients with every watering. I water them about every 3rd day. Any longer and the leaves would start to wilt. Been basically following the Fox Farm nutrient schedule. I've also been adjusting the pH of their water and nutrient solution to roughly 6.5. Temperature with the lights on gets to just above 80F during the day. At night, it gets down to about 70 to 74F. Ceiling fan on high constantly circulating air in the room 24x7.

My jalapenos are doing great indoors, and my ghost pepper plants are extremely hard to pollinate indoors, but otherwise healthy. Out of tons of blooms, I've only got 3 ghost peppers growing on 2 good-sized plants. I've been manually doing the work of the birds and the bees with cotton swabs, a soft-bristle paintbrush, and even the metal tip of an electric toothbrush. Worked 3 times and now I don't know what the magic was that made it work for them and none of the others.

Thanks again!
David

i dont know much about pollen.. but timing and temperature is important ...

there are only so many hours.. after the flower open.. that the pollen remains viable .. and in the alternative.. that the other part remains able to accept such ... [stamen?] ...

extreme high heat also degrades pollen.. but i dont think you are at that level ...

so if the flowers are opening in the morning.. and you are trying to move it around in the evening.. that MIGHT be a problem ...

so if you are keeping notes.. you might want to review.. or start noting the time you do these things ...

continued good luck

ken