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Ghost peppers turned red before mature

10 years ago

Hello! Iam a first timer with growing ghost peppers and am wondering if its normal for the peppers to turn red when there just starting to grow? looks like
They have stopped growing now! There is other peppers that have grown full and green until they ripened.
Thanks Ghostjuice!

Featured Answer

esox07 (4b) Wisconsin

10 years ago

Yah, I agree with Josh. I was thinking the plant was sensing an end to it's growing season was imminent and went ahead and ripened what was growing at the time. Peppers will commonly do that later in the fall when the temps start dropping at night. They will attempt to ripen what is currently hanging before the hard frost kills the plant.
I am not saying it was a cold snap in this case but possible. Could be a significant reduction in light or change in light source or length of light exposure. Maybe a lack of water. I suppose a nutrient issue could cause it as well. But I would look for a condition that might make the plant think the end is near.
Bruce

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Comments (17)

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
10 years ago
Well, no, that is not normal at all (not for so many pods to turn so soon)...and those don't look like Bhut Jolokia, the Ghost Pepper. Do you have pics of the full-sized green pods? A clear picture preferably.

Josh
Ghostjuice
Original Author
10 years ago
Sure is strange! I took a pic of two on there now.
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Ghostjuice
Original Author
10 years ago
Other one!
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
10 years ago
Very odd, indeed. Perhaps some stress caused them to ripen. You're the only one with the information.

The green pods you posted do look much more like Ghosts.

Josh
stoneys_fatali
10 years ago
Your second and third pics are most certainly Ghost's.

Dave
Ghostjuice
Original Author
10 years ago
Hmmm...the plants have never gone outside. I've have two LED grow lights and a natural white light on them for the past year.They're almost two years old now. I have only ever had four full peppers grow in the past two months! I Was very excited to see all the bulbs starting lol! They grew to that size, turned red and haven't changed since. There isn't any heat to them at all! Which leads to my next questing. Should I take them off the plants or leave them? Do you think the red peppers would be sucking all the nutrients and not allowing others to grow? Thanks a bunch!
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
10 years ago
Definitely pull those pods off now!

Josh
Ghostjuice
Original Author
10 years ago
Roger that! Done thanks!
ronnyb123
10 years ago
I bet even that small, those pods are super hot. i would just dry those out and crush them into a powder mix.

Waste not....
Ghostjuice
Original Author
10 years ago
That's what I was thinking but absolutely no heat. Taste like an normal sweet green pepper. Probably hit the sallid this evening! ;)
esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
10 years ago
hahahaha, until you find that ONE little, itty bitty one that grew true and has all the heat of a ghost pepper.
Can I watch?

Bruce
Ghostjuice
Original Author
10 years ago
Lol, All good! No hotties! ;)
seysonn
10 years ago
I would say that it is a genetic disorder of some sort, just like cat facing in tomatoes. Plants genetic program can get confused and loose their blueprints.
Ghostjuice
Original Author
9 years ago
That's interesting seysonn! My plants are at it again! The bulbs are only turning red on certain branches. The othere parts of the plants are still producing fully grown peppers. Has any body ever observed this on a pepper plant before?
seysonn
9 years ago
When something similar happens in tomatoes, it is sometimes called "INCOMPLETE POLLINATION". We know that peppers and tomatoe are self pollinator. I suspect that due to environmental and/or genetics the product of pollination becomes defective. In tomatoes this happens early in the season. Evidently because, MAYBE the sexual system of the plant is not yet perfected or due to the cold. T
DMForcier
9 years ago
If it occurs only on certain branches, snip off those branches (and send them to a plant museum). I've seen several cases where a plant anomaly seems to affect only one branch and the rest of the plant is fine. So encourage the parts that are fine.

Dennis

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