Veseys

Gardeners’ Forum: “bell peppers.”

• bell peppers.

  Posted by willie jennings on Friday, August 1, 2008 8:05 PM ADT

  I've been trying to grow red peppers for about 5 years now,with little success.This years plants,all in my little greenhouse,have grown well,but the peppers,when they are about 1-2 inches in diameter,start to turn brown on the bottom and rot!everyone of them.would appreciate some advice.thanks.willie.

  • re: bell peppers.

    Posted by christina on Wednesday, August 6, 2008 8:27 AM ADT

    Hi Willie, it sounds like a fungal disease. It is most often from moist hot weather or spread by insects. Do your leaves have spots on them, or is the plant looking healthy? Cut one of the peppers open to check inside, to see if there are any signs of trouble. You might see some insects all around the seeds. It is spread from seed to seed. Buy some new seeds that are disease resistant to try again. I hope that helps. Good luck!

  • re: bell peppers.

    Posted by Cheryl on Friday, August 8, 2008 1:40 PM ADT

    could also be blossom end rot. They need to be fed a high calcium fertilizer just like tomatoes.

  • re: bell peppers.

    Posted by Vanessa on Friday, August 8, 2008 3:58 PM ADT

    I agree, it does sound like blossom end rot, which is more commonly found in tomatoes. Although technically this is caused by a lack of calcium in the soil, generally it is a lack of water (or very uneven watering) that actually causes the problem, as the plant can't reach the calcium in the soil if there is not sufficient water. If the plant dried out when the fruit was forming, this might be what happened.