by Peppers can start shedding future fruits at any stage of their development – budding, flowering and formation of ovaries. Sometimes this problem becomes widespread. What should you pay attention to in such a situation and how to fix it?
First, take a good look at the plants. If they have dropped just a couple of flowers or ovaries, then there is nothing to worry about. But if the bush is shedding or even drying out buds en masse, you should be wary. This means that some of the conditions are absolutely not suitable for the nightshade crop, and it is using such a simple way to tell you about it. Let’s consider all the reasons for what is happening – harmless and not so much.
“Extra” buds on pepper
Any cultivated plant leaves itself with as many buds as its root system can feed. Therefore, the loss of a small number is quite acceptable and there is no need to panic. Some gardeners even recommend picking off the first buds of peppers themselves so that the root system of the bush strengthens and subsequently it grows new healthy buds. However, if you are not a supporter of such methods, trust the plants themselves. Believe me, they will shed everything that bothers them.
The situation takes a different turn when the shedding of buds becomes global in nature.
A large number of stepsons in pepper
Like another nightshade crop – tomatoes – peppers must have their side shoots removed. Only bushes of determinate varieties that do not actively form side shoots and do not “throw out” more than 10 ovaries on the main branches can avoid this fate. In other cases, pinching out peppers is considered one of the mandatory procedures. In addition to side shoots, it is also necessary to remove the remaining “crown” flowers on the plant – those that form on the fork of the main shoot.
Temperature fluctuations when growing peppers
In the second half of summer, the daytime temperature still “holds its mark”, but at night your bushes may be cool. This applies to both air and soil temperature. As a result, you may observe curling of pepper leaves, as well as loss of ovaries by the plant. To correct the situation, reduce the difference between day and night temperatures: ventilate the plantings during the day and place containers with water near them, and completely close the greenhouse on cool nights or install an automatic ventilation system there. In open ground, cover the plants at night. Mulch the soil under the plants, but renew the mulch layer every 3-4 weeks.
Irregular watering of peppers
Pepper can drop buds both from under-watering and from over-watering. The roots of the plant are watered 1-2 times a week with warm water at the rate of 15-20 liters per 1 sq.m. At the same time, the soil under the bushes should be moistened to a depth of at least 25-30 cm. However, if the temperature outside does not reach 15°C, watering should be stopped to avoid some diseases of the crop.
It is also important to follow the general rules for watering plants: water the plants in the morning (before the sun) or in the evening (after it). The ideal solution to the problem is drip irrigation.
Lack of Light When Growing Peppers
Experts say that pepper lighting is closely related to the outside air temperature. So, in the heat (about 30°C), the light flux should be bright. But in cloudy weather in the summer, the temperature should be kept within 20-22°C. However, during the heat, with bright lighting, another problem may arise: the plants may slightly wither. This can be solved by providing the bushes with cover in the form of a light, breathable material.
Unbalanced nutrition of pepper
Of no small importance is how and what you feed your nightshade crops. Experienced gardeners claim that peppers can shed flowers and ovaries both from a lack of nutrition and from an excess of fertilizers.
Even before the beginning of fruiting (at the very end of flowering or at the stage of ovary appearance), pepper is fed with a composition of 10 g of ammonium nitrate, 25 g of superphosphate and 25 g of potassium sulfate, dissolved in 10 liters of water. Instead, you can use complex fertilizers for tomatoes and peppers according to the instructions.
After 3-4 weeks, repeat the feeding, removing the saltpeter from the composition. In the first half of summer, you can replace mineral fertilizers with a solution of bird droppings (1:20), manure (1:10) or herbal infusion (1:5), and in the second half, use ash infusion (2 cups of ash per 10 liters of water). In order to avoid burns on the roots of the pepper, the bushes are pre-watered.
The active shedding of buds by the plant can also be caused by an excess of nitrogen in the soil. In this case, the bush “grows fat” – the stem thickens and a dense green mass grows. If this is your case, remove nitrogen from the top dressing and replace the “composite” fertilizers with a humic complex or ash.
Diseases and pests of pepper
Any infection that your pepper may have contracted can have an indirect effect on fruiting. And since there are many of them, we recommend that you carefully examine the plants, check the signs, and only then begin treating the crop.
Don’t be lazy in carrying out preventive treatments of peppers against diseases and pests in a timely manner – this will automatically reduce the number of reasons why buds and ovaries fall off, as well as the time spent on eliminating the problem.
Unfortunately, potential problems with pepper fruiting are not limited to the loss of buds, flowers and ovaries. Sometimes the plant can lose already ripening fruits.
