Plant flowered but no fruit
Pepper, bell None Given
It's been super hot (all time record heat of 111F last week) here, but my pepper had lots of flowers and then dropped the flowers before any peppers came. For a while there was something eating the leaves and making small holes. That stopped when it got so hot. I picked off all of the rotten leaves and the plant gets bigger and fuller daily, but still no peppers. It's in a raised bed with a watering tube and I check it daily. Today I found this bug on the plant. Is he eating the plant, or is he eating the bugs who are eating the plant? Is it just too late to hope for peppers?
Bug on my pepper plamt
Posted
by: Sam Ruck
(1 point)
Posted: July 8, 2016
Answers
When it gets over 85 degrees F, the pollen on many cultivars becomes sterile. The flowers will then drop with age. Wait until late summer or fall when temperatures cool.
Because you are growing Bell peppers, which I have always found to stop producing in high temperatures, try growing Carmen Sweet pepper instead. It is far more prolific in high temperatures, although the pods are smaller. In fact, most peppers do better than Bell in hot weather.
If the plant receives too much nitrogen fertilizer, it will be all foliage and no flowers. What have you been fertilizing it with?
Because you are growing Bell peppers, which I have always found to stop producing in high temperatures, try growing Carmen Sweet pepper instead. It is far more prolific in high temperatures, although the pods are smaller. In fact, most peppers do better than Bell in hot weather.
If the plant receives too much nitrogen fertilizer, it will be all foliage and no flowers. What have you been fertilizing it with?
Posted
by: Dennis
(7 points)
Posted: July 8, 2016
Agree with Kellie, the insect on your plant looks like leaf footed bug, Leptoglossus clypealis. There are three species of leaf footed bugs that commonly attack leaves, shoots and fruits of vegetable crops, horticulture crops and on some weed species. This insects can easily be recognized due to the presence of the leaf-like projection on the hind legs.
All this species lays brown, cylindrical eggs in mass on stem or leaf midrib. Both adults and nymphs suck sap from leaves, shoots and fruits. Usually it won't cause much damage to plants except when it attacks fruits. Hand pick the eggs and insects during early morning or late evening and put them in soap water. Also keep the garden and surrounding area free from weeds.
In contrary assassin bugs are general predators (beneficial insect) and look similar to leaf footed bugs except it lacks the leaf-like projection on the hind legs.
All this species lays brown, cylindrical eggs in mass on stem or leaf midrib. Both adults and nymphs suck sap from leaves, shoots and fruits. Usually it won't cause much damage to plants except when it attacks fruits. Hand pick the eggs and insects during early morning or late evening and put them in soap water. Also keep the garden and surrounding area free from weeds.
In contrary assassin bugs are general predators (beneficial insect) and look similar to leaf footed bugs except it lacks the leaf-like projection on the hind legs.
Adult leaffooted bug, Leptoglossus clypealis.
Adult assassin bug, Panstrongylus geniculatus.
Posted
by: Dr. Ravishankar Narayana
(15 points)
Posted: July 8, 2016
If your area gets frosts and you still have peppers developing late in the season, row cover fabric or even old sheets can protect the plants from light frosts and may give you extra days to weeks to maximize your harvest. In future years, if high temps are expected, you may have success getting early peppers if you can plant early enough to have some fertilized flowers before the heat wave hits.
Posted
by: Heather
(2 points)
Posted: July 14, 2016
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