Bell Pepper Issues

[dbjay417]

I have some bell pepper plants whose growth has been stunted by my chickens (now caged). there are only a few fullsized leaves and the stem is thinner than a pencil. I've fertilized and water at least once a day, twice when its really hot and sunny (no clouds). Its about 2 months old at this point. maybe older. Its only 6 inches tall, and its got what appear to be flower bulbs emerging from the center of the leaf growth. In my experience with peppers flower buds mean that within a week I will have fruit developing.

Now for the question.

Should i allow these peppers to develop and see what the little plant can do, or should I just eliminate the flowers and send the plant back to leaf development? or do i have no choice but to allow the plant to do what its doing?

I have had great success with my little hot and sweet peppers, but this is my first stab at a large variety pepper. Any words of wisdom, or am i freaking out for not?

 

[setter4]

I hope you aren't fertilizing it every day or 2. If you are stop the fertilizer! You should not be using it that often.
et the little thing go and just water it and see what it can do. It might surprise you!

 

[dbjay417]

LoL

Naw its been two weeks since i last put down a chemical fertilizer. I water on the schedule I put forth.

I think thats what I'll do, wait and see. At worse it'll be a learning experience.

 

[setter4]

You'll have to keep us updated on it's progress.
Those chickens could wipe out a garden in 2 hours couldn't they?

 

[vfem]

I think its going to take time and probably need some fertlizer to give them a boost.

I've planted 12 seeds for Bell Peppers so far.... not one sprout with all my tries at it since January.

I'm annoyed and will probably just buy a plant from the nursery when the season it right to go directly outside.

Good luck to you! (Those feathery 'friends' get into everything!!!)

 

[dbjay417]

I've got about 30 chickens, when they are loose they don't even let most kinds of weeds grow. only the woody ones or the ones with nasty odors survive my army of layers. they are penned up pretty securely now though.

As for getting bell peppers to sprout. i honestly have no advice. i have no special trick or product or technique. I just get some dirt from the shady part of the yard, put it in the bottom half of a milk gallon with some holes for drainage. I dampen it, sow the seeds as directed on the pack, and wait. A little water every morning and within a week i have sprouts. As soon as the sprouts are out i put them out in the sun. I don't even usually ease them out, i just give them lots of water and my best wishes. LoL

I've learned recently not to give up on seeds though.

I planted some aji dulce, they are sweet lil peppers that look some what like squash peppers, that people here use to make sofrito. One plant grew, and slowly at that. Last week we had a nasty storm and i had the little guy sunning, well the container got flooded. i dumped out the excess water and put him inside until the storm passed (like three days) I put him back out with my tomatoes(the ones that sprouted yellow) and my pumpkins, long story short there is now a forest of rapidly growing sprouts accompanying the other much larger pepper plant. Most are already on their second leaves in something like 10 days.

from the time I sowed the seeds to now must have been something like a month and a half. i thought for sure any seeds would have rotted away, but they sure proved me wrong.

My theory is that i sowed the seeds too deep, and the heavy rain shifted everything around allowing the seeds to get the warmth required for germination.

 

[dbjay417]

as a quick update, the pepper has really taken off in the last few days. It seems like the flowers are developing slowly compared to my small peppers. Its starting to look like this could balance out.

 

[dbjay417]

the flower finally opened today, another flower should be opening by mid week, there are several more flowers coming about as well. The plant has grown about 30% since i made this thread. I still doubt it will be able to hold a large bell pepper, much less two, or several, but I'll look into supplying it some shelves to rest its fruit on or something. Ofcourse, if the plant keeps growing at the rate it grew since the flower appeared, the plant may very well be big enough to support its first fruit by the time the fruit reaches a significant size.

 

[dbjay417]

too much vertical growth too soon was making the plant lean over some, so i clipped away some of the newer leaf and flower growth, leaving 4 flower buds, 1 open flower, and one developing pepper, and all the old leaves and a few of the newer ones.

 

[Kricket]

You are a tease. I thought about starting from seeds but just don't have the green thumb for that. Give me the plant and I can do good. I am planning my garden and peppers are a must! One year I had 21 varieties in my garden. I made a lot of jellies. Last year a hail storm took them all out. I hope we have better weather this year. Keep us posted on the little guy.