I think I would remove any blossoms that were on the plant prior to transplanting it. That way, the roots can put all of their energy into recovering, rather than producing food for the blossoms. Sometimes, the plant will benefit from a bit of settling of soil around the roots, if it is watered a bit after transplanting - even tho the planter mix is damp to begin with. Then don't water again until it becomes somewhat dry. Bejay

Your soil is too wet. That is why the leaves are turning yellow and the blossoms are dropping. Miracle grow tends to do that because it is mostly peat moss, or maybe the pot is not draining well, or maybe you just made it too wet when you transplanted. Check and see if the holes are plugged. If you've just transplanted it, It has not settled in yet so you could upend it and transplant it again in dryer soil

You only need atleast 1/2 vinegar and can dilute up to 1/2 with water. That being said, we use all vinegar also. This year with our cherry bombs, we are cutting them in half (although you could also just put a hole/slice in the bottome) and packing them in 100% red wine vinegar. Then we add garlic and basil and oregano from the garden into the jars. In about 6 months we will start to crack into these and use them as a sort of pepperoncini with cheese and crackers or on sandwiches or just right out of the jar. These may not be as firm as you would like and you can try to obtain a product called "pickle crisp" which is added to the jars and may help retain firmness. Also if you can't find pickling salt, kosher would be your next choice, although keep in mind that you don't need to add ANY salt. Salt added in modern pickling recipes is for taste alone and does not have anything to do with the actual preservation of the food. While balsamicv is correct in that this topic has been addressed and search of the site will yield lots of results, I disagree that all cooking/using questions should be asked in the harvest forum. People on this forum don't just grow the chiles, we also eat them and preserve them for the future. Alot of people on harvest forum cannot tolerate heat and may not be able to give you all your answers. Please feel free to ask any question about peppers here, whether it is propogation, production, or consumption..:) kendra

I agree with Buzzsaw ~ they're actually tender perennials (perennials that are killed in winter in most of the US climates). We grow them as annuals usually, but again, they are definitely perennials. This means you can dig the pepper plant, pot it and keep it inside for the winter, putting it back outside whenever it gets warm (nighttime temps of over 50 atleast, preferably over 60). It'll start to look like hell about February, dropping it's leaves, maybe even some limbs browning and dying ~ just outright looking like sh....tuff. But don't worry ~ it'll come back out nicely in spring so long as you keep it warm and watered over the winter, but not waterlogged (stick your finger in the pot all the way to the knuckle and if you feel any moistness or even dampness, don't water ~ only water when all you feel is totally dry). This is important because it doesn't need a lot of water ~ most of the leaves are gone and that's where the vast majority of transpiration happens. So it doesn't need much at all, not nearly as much as it needs in summer, and too much will rot the roots and kill it. If you have it in a spot that gets plenty of light for most of the day and you're lucky enough that it keeps most of it's leaves, a light fertilizing wouldn't hurt it (maybe half what you usually feed on the same schedule). If it loses all it's leaves, it still won't hurt to fertilize it, but it won't really be needed. I've never tried to root pepper cuttings, but I don't see why you can't try. Also, I could be wrong since I'm not Omnipotent Propagation God, but I've never heard of any plant that, when grown from a cutting, was non-fruit productive (or non-flowering), so I can't say I agree with that advice given above either. Every single plant I've ever rooted myself, seen rooted by someone else or read/heard about being grown from a cutting looks and acts just like the mother plant (except sports of course, but that's a whole 'nother subject). Rooted cuttings are clones, identical copies genetically of the mother plant, so I don't see why a rooted pepper won't fruit. Even if you pot the mother plant, I'd go for it on the cuttings anyway,just to see what happens ~ take a cutting with two or three nodes, dip one in rooting hormone and stick it in the propagation box Janie/littledani talked about on that other thread I saw you post on. Just do what you said you were going to do over there and you just might get some roots! If you do, come back here and crow about it, would you? It'd be nice to see if you're successful ~ if you are, I just might try some myself. Good luck! What kind of pepper is it? I know where to get seeds for most kinds and might be able to help you track down a source just in case you ever lose that one.