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Habanero Mayo Red
ian thenut
Posts: 55
in Fruit & veg
Hi,
I grew these from seed last year having never grown chillis before.
I cut them back late last year and then again early this year.
They seem to be growing well, already have a few chillis and loads of flowers.
My issue is that alot of the flowers are falling off, both before and after they open.
They are in 7.5 liter pots.
I try to keep the soil as close to dry as i dare, i usually saturate the pot once a week with water and tomato feed as i'm told that the plant doesn't like damp soil or for the roots to be wet for too long. I had other plants last year but watering every few days caused the leaves to drop off and plant to die.
Is there anything else i can do to get a better crop this year?
Thanks
0
Posts
My guess is a combination of occasionally chilly temperatures and a lack of pollinating insects at this time of year.
I get into the habit of tapping my plants when flowering to help shift the pollen
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Agree with @Pete8, nothing unusual about flower drop this early in the season. It's like the plant 'knows' conditions are not ready yet to support that many fruits.
Some of the flowers might also be dropping due to lack of pollination, and I do the same as Pete8 with gentle taps of the stem to vibrate the pollen enough to get self-pollination. No need to mess around with cotton buds like you'll read sometimes, unless you're deliberately trying to cross two different plants.