Question by Ray E.
I have planted two lots of capsicum plants and both lots of the capsicums have fallen off when they reach about marble size. They are in a sunny place in the open, should they be in a shady place? So needless to say I have no capsicums. Appreciate your help to my problem.
Sarah' answer
Hi Ray,
This could be caused by several reasons because peppers are fickle things. The first thing to do when something goes wrong in the garden is to look for insect pests. Make sure the stem isn’t being chewed off. This could be the easiest reason to fix by treating the pest. Another reason is the plant often drops fruit that has not been pollinated properly so you can go about your plants with a paintbrush to spread the pollen from flower to flower or you can plant more flowers in your garden to attract bees and other pollinators.
They can also fall off if they don’t get enough water or get too much, so it is important to be consistent in your watering, although not a lot can be done if you get too much rain.
Another environmental problem that you have no control over is if it gets too hot during the day or too cold at night. Or if there is a sudden and dramatic change in sunlight hours. They like to be in full sun.
So, while there are many things out of your control, it is early in the season and the plants' intention is to fruit and produce seeds so you both have the same goal and it will continue to try and become successful all season long. I hope this helps and your capsicum go on to create an abundant harvest for you.
Cheers Sarah
