Hand pollinate flowers 。 Indoors, pollinators don’t have access to your plants.ありがたいことに、 peppers readily self-pollinate with the help of some wind or a gentle shake of the plant. Be sure to shake the plants daily while flowers are open and producing pollen. Your oscillating fan will help as well.
Change lighting 。 Once your plants enter the fruiting stage, change your lights to be on for 12 hours, off for 12 hours daily. By now, the plants should be closer to the lights, and the lights should be at a higher intensity. If your grow light has a switch for ‘bloom’ or ‘fruiting’ stage, turn that on as well. Fruiting pepper plants produce best with more red-shifted light rather than blue-shifted light.
Pick ripe fruits promptly 。 Picking peppers that have ripened will help stimulate more productivity. You can let ripe fruits sit on the plants, but removing them is ideal for the best productivity.
If you are having issues with your indoor pepper plants not producing fruit, consider the age of the plant, temperature, lighting, and humidity.
Indoor Pepper Plant Problems
Growing outdoors, nature will often find a way to solve many common problems. Indoors, it is often down to you to identify and fix issues that arise. Here are a few of the particularly common problems when growing peppers indoors.
Plant Edema
We have grown peppers indoors in a variety of conditions and locations, and we always end up with some plant edema. This presents as small, whiteish, crystallized bumps on the bottoms and sometimes tops of leaves.
<図> Plant edema on pepper leaf.
Edema is a water retention issue that is caused by a combination of environmental factors. It is not a disease, and cannot be spread from one plant to another. Airflow and aeration are key to preventing it, so always keep a fan circulating air.
Humidity could also be a culprit for causing edema, so be sure to at least monitor humidity. If it is significantly lower than the ideal range, you may wish to correct it with a humidifier.
Light Burn
Modern LED lights can be very intense, even for pepper plants. If your plants are too close to your lights, they may show signs of light burn (similar to sun scald) or leaf curling.
<図> Light burn on pepper leaf.
Light burn is most common among young plants.しかし、 as plants grow larger, it is possible for some branches to grow up and come in contact with the grow light. I recommend pruning such branches, or moving the light up to avoid contact.
Too Little Light
Another possible issue is too 少し ライト。 This issue will be most common for growers who opt to use natural sunlight through a window. Especially in winter, window light is usually insufficient.
Poorly lit pepper plants will have thin and weak stems 、 while the plants will be taller and less bushy 。 This is known as a ‘lanky’ or ‘leggy’ plant, caused entirely by low lighting. The solution is to use a strong enough grow light, or to increase the output of your grow light.
害虫
If you bought bagged potting soil, pests are less likely, but still possible. Some insects lay eggs in soil that then hatch and infest your indoor grow space. Outdoor soil brought indoors almost always comes with some form of unwanted insects.
Different pests require different treatment. Aphids and whiteflies can be sprayed off in the sink using a spray nozzle. Remaining insects can be sprayed with a diluted neem oil solution. Be sure to apply this type of spray at dusk when the lights are off.
The best way to deal with pests is to avoid them all together.ただ don’t bring soil in from the outdoors – it is not worth the trouble!
疾患
最後に、 disease can cause issues with indoor pepper plants. Stuffy, humid, and warm conditions are the perfect breeding ground for countless bacteria.
<図> Pepper leaf spot on leaf.
Controlling disease is nearly impossible indoors. Healthy plants can sometimes fight off disease, but if you are certain your plants are sick, it is usually best to dispose of them.
Learn more about pepper plant diseases.
I also recommend sanitizing your grow space after disease has been detected and removed. Diseases can spread from plant to plant, though some plant varieties can be more susceptible than others.
例えば、 our baccatum plants often end up with leaf spot, while nearby annuums and chinense plants are unaffected.まだ、 better to be safe than sorry and remove diseased plants quickly.
Bringing Peppers Indoors from Outside
If you’ve been paying attention, we don’t recommend bringing outdoor soil indoors if you can help it.しかし、 if you want to save some of your outdoor plants for overwintering, it is an option.
初め、 we recommend overwintering, but not in a grow tent or with a grow light. For us, overwintering is simply a method of keeping a plant alive until it can regrow outdoors next spring 。 This means cutting the plant back, providing minimal light, and waiting out the cold months in a cool, indoor spot.
How to Overwinter Peppers (Basic Steps)
If your plants are in-ground, dig up the root ball 。それで、 clean off the roots thoroughly with a hose outside. Do your best to remove all of the soil that is in the roots – this is where many pests and eggs may be hiding.
それで、 re-pot the roots in fresh potting soil in a clean pot. Keep the plants in a cool, but not freezing place. This could be a garage, basement, or breezeway with some natural lighting.
Minimal light is required to keep pepper plants alive, though they will not produce fruit. No fertilizer is usually required, as overwintering is essentially a hibernation period for your peppers.
If you want your outdoor plants to produce fruits through winter, follow all of our growing guidelines above.しかし、 be aware that outdoor plants are always a risk for introducing pests.
結論
For some people, indoor growing may be the only option. Cold climates or unpredictable weather conditions may force your growing indoors.しかし、 outdoors is where we always see the best results.
ここニューイングランドでは、 growing peppers indoors is mostly a way to keep ourselves occupied in winter.しかし、 it can certainly be a year round hobby. Peppers are naturally perennial, meaning they can be kept alive for years and years when cared for properly.
