Having trouble getting peppers from your pepper plant? If your pepper plant is not producing flowers or fruit, there could be a few different explanations.
Growing pepper plants can be super rewarding because when you are successful, you can literally taste the fruits of your labor (and with Pepper Joe’s seeds, the fruits of your labor will bring the heat).
However, there are times when growing pepper plants can be a challenge. If you are running into issues with your pepper plants not growing, pepper plants not flowering, or pepper plants flowering but not fruiting, we have some solutions for you.
Below, you can check out the key factors to consider when it comes to your peppers not producing, as well as some solutions for you.
Incorrect Temperature Can Cause Peppers Not Flowering
Temperature is a huge factor in pepper plants flowering and growing the way they should. Pepper plants like warm temperatures. They thrive in temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Your pepper plants like a temperature between 70 to 85 degrees during the day, and 60 to 70 degrees at night.
Cold temperatures or even a late frost can cause damage to pepper plants and result in them not producing flowers or fruit.
Solution: Make sure you are aware of temperature for your pepper plants. You don’t want to plant them outdoors too soon when there is still the chance of frost and cold temperatures. When temperatures do drop low at night, you can use sheets or blankets to cover your plants and keep them warmer. If you are growing your pepper plants in small enough containers, you can bring them inside on cold nights to make sure they stay warmer.
Poor Pollination Can Cause Plants Flowering But Not Fruiting
Another potential reason your pepper plants aren’t producing could be poor pollination. Pepper plants contain both male and female parts. The male part of the flower (the anther) releases pollen so that the female part (the stigma) of the flower can grow fruit.
However, this pollination process does not happen automatically. There needs to be vibration of flowers for the pollen to be released. This can happen with bees and butterflies around your plants, as well as the wind. If the area you have planted your peppers lacks proper insect activity or wind, your plants could lack the pollination they need, but there are some solutions.
Solution: You can work to improve pollination in a few different ways. You can gently shake your pepper plants to release pollen like the wind would do.
You can also hand-pollinate your pepper plants. To do this, you can use a cotton swab to swab the flower to gather pollen and move it from flower to flower. Be gentle when hand-pollinating because you do not want to break off any flowers. The best time to hand-pollinate is usually in the afternoon between noon and 3 pm. Also, keep in mind, if you are hand-pollinating different types of pepper plants, you will want to switch out cotton swabs to avoid cross-pollination.
Another more long-term solution to improve the pollination of your plants is to add a flower garden near your pepper plants. A flower garden can entice bees and other pollinators to come to the area.
Lack of Nutrients Can Cause Poor Flowering and Fruiting
How is your soil? If your soil does not have the proper pH balance and nutrient balance, it could cause problems with poor flowering or fruiting of your pepper plants. The ideal pH balance for the soil for your pepper plant is the 6.0 to 6.5 range. You also will want to be sure your soil has enough calcium and does not have too much nitrogen. Too much nitrogen can cause pepper plants to become very green and lush but not produce fruit.
Solution: To figure out where your soil is at, you can get a soil testing kit to show the pH balance of your soil, as well as fertilizers for any nutrient deficiencies that the soil may have.
If your soil needs some extra nutrients, you can use products like our BudCharge Pre-Bloom Supercharger and Sweet Myco Tea to help it get where it needs to be. The BudCharge Pre-Bloom Supercharger supplement works to facilitate floral growth for your pepper plants, while the Sweet Myco Tea provides a boost of micronutrients to help enhance your soil's fertility.
If you have overfertilized your pepper plants, you can spray the plants with a mixture of warm water and Epsom salt. Magnesium is the number one nutrient needed to facilitate plant blooming.
Other Factors to Consider
A couple of other factors to consider when growing your pepper plants are water and sunlight. Your pepper plants need water, but you do not want to overwater your plants because that can also cause problems with your peppers growing.
It is also important that your pepper plants get enough sunlight. Pepper plants need full sunlight, which means they need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight every day in order to grow and thrive.
Whether you are having issues with a Habanero plant not producing or a Ghost Pepper plant flowering but no fruit, we are here to help. Use the solutions above to help your plants grow, and if you have any questions, you can reach out to our customer service team by calling 1-888-660-2276 or by emailing customerservice@pepperjoes.com. At Pepper Joe’s, we want to help you -grow hotter every day.
