Question
I have large 'healthy' pepper plants, but they do not produce any peppers.  They are in a full sun area and the soil seems to grow everything else ok.  Is there something that I should do to get them to produce the peppers?  Or should I be pruning?  I am in Altamonte Springs, FL.

Answer
Jane, blossom-drop on most vegetables is almost always caused by poor pollination.  However, peppers are self-pollinating and are therefore the exception to the rule.

The primary reasons peppers drop their blossoms and produce little or no fruit are inconsistent watering and temperature fluctuations. Peppers need night time temperatures to stay above 65F.  But they will also drop blooms when daytime temperatures stay consistently above 90F.

One way to reduce this stress on the plants is to water deeply twice per week and mulch heavily with dried grass clippings or straw.  The mulch will help retain moisture while balancing the temperature of the soil. Also, avoid fertilizing during extremely hot periods.

Finally, be sure to use fertilizers high in phosphorus. Fertilizers with high concentrations of nitrogen produce lush foliage but very little fruit. Phosphorus is the second number on the front of the packaging. A good ratio is 10-30-20.

Attached is a website that will give you even more information on proper growing conditions for peppers.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/vegetables/pepper.html

I hope this information helps. Please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike