Chillies dropping off..

[KenDidd]

Hi chaps, been experimenting on different types of chilies and I'm getting some good results apart from my scotch bonnets, they grow well and produce many chillies but when they get to the size of about an inch they drop off. Any tips? Any ideas why?

[rice555]

Hello All, how about more info on how they are being grown.

Dirt (bag/pot/ground), hydro, aquaponics.

Also a picture if possible.

rice555

[KenDidd]

[KenDidd]

1st 2 photos are the scotch bonnets, they get to this size then drop off, third photo California reapers, they grow fine. Photos from 2 weeks ago and growing them in pots.

[DonaldBattles]

There are major problems with the soil in Thailand with fungus, bugs and many other. The Boon Rawd Farm goes to great lengths to try to deal with this for many plants. They have had trouble growing habanero peppers as the Scoville values have been very low. Part of their problem was using cheap Chinese seeds. I have grown jalapenos and habaneros commercially in my greenhouses in Chiang Rai and they are hard to deal with. Big problem with mites on the back side of the leaves. Fungus and virus are also problems. They need to watered heavily every 3 days, fertilized every 14 days and sprayed every 7 days. A lot of work!

[newatthis]

There are major problems with the soil in Thailand with fungus, bugs and many other. The Boon Rawd Farm goes to great lengths to try to deal with this for many plants. They have had trouble growing habanero peppers as the Scoville values have been very low. Part of their problem was using cheap Chinese seeds. I have grown jalapenos and habaneros commercially in my greenhouses in Chiang Rai and they are hard to deal with. Big problem with mites on the back side of the leaves. Fungus and virus are also problems. They need to watered heavily every 3 days, fertilized every 14 days and sprayed every 7 days. A lot of work!

Thanks for this info, Donald. I am trying to grow them here in Ayutthaya. A lot of work?? Agree! I'm like a grandfather tending the grandkids.

[xen]

Another thing you may like to look at is the amount of nitrogen you are feeding them whilst they are in either flower or in harvest. Also if there is fungal disease nitrogen can make the situation worse. Cut back the nitrogen and increase the potash slightly. You may have to experiment and supply your fertilizer as individual elements rather than NPK formulae.

[DonaldBattles]

When you have microscopic mites on the back side of the leaves you will notice the leaves beginning to curl under. This is caused by the mites pulling the moisture out of the leaves. I would recommend that you try organic liquid fertilizer in lieu of 15-15-15. To buy fired soil is very expensive. Suggest that you try to develop as much compost as you can and use it. The soil is the enemy.

[rice555]

Hello All, while not having the problems that Don had in the greenhouse, I grow

on my driveway(no car/moto's) and have less of a growing period, I haven't had

problems he's talked about.Just use wood vinegar for pest, have had blossom

drop with rain and hot weather.

I did have problems with my Smoking Ed"s "Carolina Reaper", the Reaper breader,

but have had good results with Naga's from NMCPI, and no problems with hab's.

rice555 on the hydro thread

[KenDidd]

Thanks for the tips guys, nice peppers rice555.

[DonaldBattles]

Do you dilute the wood vinegar and spray it on the leaves?

[KenDidd]

And how often do you spray them rice?

[rice555]

There's a thread , maybe in the OG section about wood vinegar, and a lot

on google.

To make measuring easy, I picked up a couple of 10/20cc syringes.

I ask the wife every time to tell me what the mixing ratio is instead of trying

to remember the right numbers, but I believe it's 1 : 200.

rice555

[cooked]

Typical Wood Vinegar Consumption and Dilution.pdf

I must admit I haven't had much luck using wood vinegar, but I tend to let things go for too long.

[rice555]

Hello All, thanks cooked for the pdf, I was going to try the WV for a weed killer,

I had in the back of my mind that that it was 1-6(WV-water).

I have not had mold or fungal problems with hydro, even with the storms on my

crops, and 30 minuets later it's 90F.

Thin walled chilies, like the Hab's and Naga's can be problematic, but I mostly

grow Mex and not been effected.

rice555

[DonaldBattles]

Jalapenos look good. The rules apply and if you don't follow or a better rule then the mites will eat the backside of the leaves, suck out the mostiure and they will dry up and die.

Most people do not realise tha

[newatthis]

Rice555,

How old were your peppers before you put them out into the full sun in the driveway?

[rice555]

They were grown in full sun under 1 layer of green shade cloth.

I didn't have all the coir I needed to plant, so it was a patch work

of getting coir and treating it before I could use it, I will look through

my notes and tell the exact date of the plants in the second pic in

the flats being ready to transplant. But everything goes into full sun

at transplant.

rice555

[newatthis]

Rice 555,

I realize that you are a hydophonics grower. Is there a special fertilizer you use or is just any liquid fertilizer ok? School holidays are coming soon so I will have more time to experiment.

Thanks

PS Your plants look magnificent, by the way.

[CLW]

How about a nutrient deficiency as cause for the dropping of the fruit?

What I know so far, Magnesium deficiency causes dropping of flowers and fruits.

Maybe try with a complete, balanced fertilizer and add some trace elements / micro nutrients.

Also this site might be helpful for you: http://m.haifa-group.com/knowledge_center/crop_guides/pepper/nutritional_requirements/nutritional_disorders_in_peppers/

[rice555]

Hello All, without a soil test , you don't know what your plants need.

There have been several threads on where and how this can be done,

and what you need to do to correct problems.

In my case growing with coir in hydro, my coir only holds the plant,

the hydro nutrients is a well balanced formula for what the plant needs

at the growing and fruiting stages of the plant cycle, but these also

need to be tweaked at times.

But we both have the heat, humidity and rain problems.

rice555

[Scoop1]

Hi all, a heavy fruit load, a drying substrate, a lack of Potassium, high heat levels = Fruitlet drop.

Potassium Sulphate 41% K

24.4 grams dissolved in 1 litre of water will give you a 1-200 dilution rate, 50ml of that solution in 10 litres of water will give you 50ppm of Potassium

Cheers

Scoop

[DonaldBattles]

All of my jalapenos look sick. I do not know what the problem is.

[rice555]

Rice555,

How old were your peppers before you put them out into the full sun in the driveway?

Hello All, I seeded the flats Aug. 8th or so, and started transplanting the plants

a little late, on Oct. 13, in part as I didn't have enough coir and needed to be

treated before use and RAIN. It's only me doing everything.

My plants for this season are 1" tall, and I haven't got the cover set up in the

sun yet, and need to debag my coir and put in new bags and it's still raining

here, but should have the bags ready for transplanting. Handling the coir and

filling the bags take time, you can transplant 3-400 plants an hour.

rice555

[rice555]

Rice 555,

I realize that you are a hydophonics grower. Is there a special fertilizer you use or is just any liquid fertilizer ok? School holidays are coming soon so I will have more time to experiment.

Thanks

PS Your plants look magnificent, by the way.

Hello All, I make up my nute from bulk ingredients with Scoop1's formula, you can also buy from several of the Co's

listed in the hydro threads. I was at ACK in BKK tuesday, picked up 100L of perlite, but ACK has grow & blossom A-B

nutes for tom/chili and other for sale. Carrying a 100L bag of perlite on the BTS and walking down Suk to the hotel

is not a lot of fun.

rice555

[rice555]

All of my jalapenos look sick. I do not know what the problem is.

Hello All, Don, post a pic. I gave up on Jal's, I like Serrano's better, also less heat problems

and grow great with hydro and also in dirt with drip tape. The dirt ones lasted 9 mos. and were

finally over taken by weeds when it started to rain and to muddy to weed and slow fruit production.

rice555

[KenDidd]

Ill ask this question on here. My Carolina reapers are ripening up now, would i be able to take seeds from these to grow again or should i just buy new seeds to start again? If I can any tips on what to do with the seeds when i take them out?

[rice555]

Ill ask this question on here. My Carolina reapers are ripening up now, would i be able to take seeds from these to grow again or should i just buy new seeds to start again? If I can any tips on what to do with the seeds when i take them out?

CR's are OP, you can save seed.

rice555

[CLW]

Anyone wants to exchange some chili seeds? I can offer Jalapeño from Royal Project

[Scoop1]

Hi all KenDidd, for the saving of your chilli seeds, get a small plastic container and drill a small hole in the lid, fill the container with water, to about 3/4 full and put your chilli seeds in it and place it in the sun and then quite often put your finger over the hole and shake it and after a few days empty the contents into a tea strainer and replace the water and put the seeds back in, do this until most of the fruit matter is gone and place them on some baking paper until they are dry , and that's it, they are ready to be planted and I do it this way for all my seeds, but with chilli's they don't have much fruit matter to remove, so you can just dry them in the sun and plant them, but with tomatoes that's the best way to have clean seeds.

Cheers

scoop