Q. My banana pepper plants are dropping there flowers and then the buds turn yellow and fall off. Also the plants do not seem to be growing anymore. Last year same thing happened for a couple weeks, but the plants grew amazingly tall and lots of peppers, any clue why their dropping the buds?
Waukesha, Wisconsin
A. It sounds like your peppers are suffering from a condition called Blossom Rot. When you have season that has wide fluctuations of temperatures, i.e. 50 degree up to 80 degree and back and forth, the flowers do not always have time to pollinate. The ‘buds’ then are not fertilized and simply fall off. The overall yellowing is also an indication of the soil and conditions being too cool and damp.
Once ‘Summer” hits its stride and you have nice, hot consistent weather, your plants will spike growth and start producing like last year.
Todd A. Efing, CNLP Nursery Manager

Van Putte Gardens

Rochester, New York
