Question:
What's happened to my hot peppers? For the second year, they grow to about a foot tall, no taller, and the flowers that form drop off. I planted them in April, and they're in a location with lots of sun. What do I need to do to solve my dilemma?Answer:
- Hot or Chili peppers fail to flourish and flower because of temperature, poor pollination or air circulation, and excess nitrogen. Of these, temperature is the most likely cause.
- Chili Peppers are extremely sensitive to temperature. The nighttime temperature is the most critical as they like warm days and nights. The plants stagnate when the temperatures dip below fifty-five degrees, and the cool conditions prevent buds from forming.
- Once the plants stop growing, they are very slow to recover when the temperatures warm up. It's more likely to be a problem with those plants planted in March/April than those planted in May.
- You avoid this problem by planting around Mother's Day. By then, the rainy season should be over, and the temperature should have risen.
- Unfortunately, mother nature has not been kind to warm-season vegetables this year, as June was particularly cool. We had very few days of eighty degrees or warmer temperatures.
- Poor air circulation and pollination are not usually a problem with the in-ground plantings but with those in containers, especially those growing next to a wall. You'll find pepper blossoms are even more sensitive to temperature during pollination.
- You may need to entice pollinators to the area by adding brightly colored flowers nearby, such as Marigolds.
- Excess nitrogen causes the plant to put all of its energy into foliage growth. Low fertility and low moisture levels can also result in poor flowering, bud drop, stunted growth, and irregular watering.
- But I don't believe poor air circulation or excess nitrogen is your problem.
- Next year I suggest staggering you're planting to see the difference. I'd plant one plant in April, May, and even June and evaluate the performance. The late-season planting could be the better performer.
Question:
I planted gladiolus bulbs in containers this spring. Now that they have finished blooming, I have pulled them all up. How should I care for these until they can be replanted? Do I cut off the green leaves?Answer:
- Oh no! You've removed the Gladiolus Bulbs way too soon from your containers.
- Like all other bulbs, Gladiolus are removed when the foliage turns brown and easily separates from the ground. The after-bloom period is critical to the success of the bulbs the following year. This is when bulbs store and replace nutrients. They are also fertilized again with Bulb Food to aid in the process.
- I wouldn't put any time or energy into saving them. Instead, I'd look to start over next year with new bulbs. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.