Pepper is an extremely demanding culture to environmental conditions. If at least something does not suit him, the plant may slow down its growth, its ovaries fall off, the fruits will ripen slowly or completely stop developing. Consider the main factors that are necessary for the favorable cultivation of this vegetable.
Peppers ovaries fall: reasons what to do
Gardeners can often face the fact that the ovary on the pepper crumbles. But this can lead to the fact that the crop will be lost, and all the efforts to grow this crop will be wasted. Under any adverse conditions, the plant begins the struggle for survival and first of all, to save energy, it discards flowers and ovaries. We will understand the reasons why pepper inflorescences fall off.
Insufficient lighting
Pepper is a light-loving plant, so you need to provide lighting for this culture for about 10-12 hours. If pepper grows in a greenhouse, then you can put fluorescent lamps. If the bushes grow in the garden, then the place should be sunny, and you need to provide plants with light from the moment of their emergence and until the harvest. Seedlings on the windowsill require no less light than an adult plant. In addition, if we neglect this condition at the stage of growing seedlings, in the future this will greatly affect the yield.
Also, pepper needs a sufficient amount of ultraviolet light for proper development. This should be taken into account in the greenhouse. And if the shelter material does not allow such lighting to pass through, then UV lamps will have to be installed. If the plants are excessively exposed to light, for example, in the garden, then it is advisable that higher plants shade them a little at noon, otherwise this can also cause flowers to drop.
Did you know? During the popularity of pepper, it was so highly valued that in the case of trade in fake pepper in some countries, merchants with their fake goods could be buried alive.
Non-compliance with the irrigation regime
Excessive or insufficient watering can also affect the ovaries. It is necessary to water constantly, but not to flood. Approximately 3-4 liters of water per square meter of area need to be spent, and a little more when fruiting. The earth needs to be loosened to provide air access and to protect the soil from drying out. But it is better to mulch the soil, since loosening can damage the superficial root system.
Overly thickened landings
Too thickly planted plants will not only obscure each other, but also deplete the soil, so you need to adhere to the planting scheme. For low and medium-sized plants, the distance between the plants is 20–25 cm and 30–35 cm, respectively, and between rows - 50–60 cm. For tall plants, you will need 70 cm in the aisle and 40–45 cm between the bushes.
Important! Too thickened plantings worsen aeration, which can cause some diseases, for example, black legs, late blight.
A sharp jump in night and day temperatures
Fluctuations of even 5 degrees can cause flowers to fall. The optimum temperature for seedlings ranges from + 20 ° С to + 22 ° С, for older plants and during pollination - up to + 25 ° С. If the temperature rises above + 30 ° C, this adversely affects the pollen - it becomes barren, so the greenhouses must be ventilated to prevent overheating, and closed at night to avoid cooling. For ground peppers, you can use mulching, that is, cover the ground with various natural materials for added protection.
As mulch, you can use peat, sawdust, mowed grass. Such a cover will protect the earth from temperature extremes and drying out. Peppers need to be planted in open ground when a more or less stable temperature is achieved, that is, not earlier than the beginning - mid-June.
Nutrient deficiency
Pepper requires light soil with nutrients. The green parts of plants require nitrogen, the roots require phosphorus, which is also needed to accelerate the ripening of fruits, and potassium is needed throughout the growing season, so it is advisable to add rotted manure, wood ash and superphosphate to the soil in the fall. Every 2 weeks you need to make organic and mineral, as well as complex nutrition. To do this, you can use ammonium nitrate, potassium sulfate, superphosphate, slurry.
Pollination does not occur
If the weather is unfavorable and there are not enough pollinating insects, the flowers can also begin to fall, so you can pollinate the plants yourself: you need to shake them a little. Pepper is a self-pollinating culture, and these actions should be enough. In greenhouses, you need to plant flowers that will attract pollinators, as well as perform regular ventilation.
Excess Nitrogen Fertilizer
With an excess of nitrogen in the soil, the tops of bushes actively develop, but this has a bad effect on fruiting. The ovaries can become frail and fall off, which is why in the fall it is recommended to make rotted, not fresh manure.
Preventive measures
As a prophylaxis of falling of flowers, foliar top dressing is performed, that is, spraying with a solution of calcium nitrate. This tool also helps with vertex rot. The same solution can also be applied under the root (2 g of the substance per liter of water and 1–2 liters per bush). Instead of calcium nitrate, you can use calcium chloride (3-4 g / l) and chalk suspension (1-2 tablespoons per liter in a glass per bush).
One of the most important factors for the development of pepper is the level of humidity. This is especially true in greenhouses. It should be in the range of 60 to 80%. If you go beyond the flowers will fall. At low humidity, it is possible to provide additional spraying of the bushes; at high humidity, perform ventilation. On open ground, you can water the aisle. High humidity is dangerous by the appearance of fungi and pathogens.
Did you know? Some canaries are fed cayenne pepper. This is done in order to give the feathers a more intense red color.
Sometimes gardeners feed the crop so carefully that it also begins to shed flowers. If there is a suspicion of an excess of fertilizers, you should stop feeding, and after a couple of weeks you will see the difference. Another reason for dropping flowers is their excess on the bush. In this case, this is normal. Pepper bushes require formation, therefore, if you have not taken care of cutting off the excess, the plant gets rid of the flowers on its own. Usually the first crown buds are removed, then the plant will be strong and branch well.
It is also necessary to remove all excess shoots and flowers. For a tall plant, 17–25 ovaries will be enough. In each node, the strongest flower is left. In addition, non-pollinated flowers also fall. Even if all the conditions for growing this vegetable are met, there are still pests and diseases that can cause ovaries to fall. It is worth paying attention to this and checking the bushes. There are cases when plants die only due to untimely identified pests.
In greenhouses, pepper is susceptible to the effects of greenhouse whiteflies. These insects secrete substances that cause fungus and stem damage. In addition, if a thin cobweb is noticed on the leaves - this is a spider mite. On open ground, there are even more pests: Colorado potato beetle, nematode, ants, and so on. If detected, the bushes should be immediately treated with specialized means to kill harmful insects. With high humidity, apical and gray rot, late blight, and black leg may appear.
Important! Seeds are recommended to be decontaminated before germination in potassium permanganate. And the place where the peppers will grow should be well cleaned of the remnants of the roots and stems. They may have pathogens.
Preventive measures for this - reduction of humidity, ventilation. Other diseases that this vegetable is susceptible to include: tobacco mosaic, black bacterial spotting, pepper cancer, downy mildew. If a diseased plant is found, it must be torn out. For the prevention of diseases, it is recommended to follow the rules of crop rotation. Good predecessors for pepper are cucumbers, onions, cabbage, root vegetables. There should not be solanaceous. Yes, and pepper is better to plant again only after a few years.
Now let's summarize the prevention of falling flowers and ovaries:
- lighting. There should be a long daylight hours up to 12 hours. Bushes should not be obscured and overexposed in the most active solar period;
- humidity should be at the level of 60–80%. If necessary, plants are additionally sprayed. In case of excess moisture - regular ventilation will be required;
- lack of temperature differences. Maintaining optimal air temperature +22 ... + 25 ° С. Planting only in warm soil;
- moderate regular watering without excess and lack. Mulching the soil;
- maintaining the distance between the bushes. Plants should not interfere with each other;
- regular fertilizer. Moderate use of nitrogen top dressing;
- monitor pollination. In the absence of insects, pollinate on their own;
- bush formation, which consists in breaking off the extra buds and shoots;
- monitor the appearance of insect pests and diseases plants and take measures to eliminate these problems.
