the spent blossom corolla being pushed off the end of the fruit has a profound effect on the shape of a pepper (tmater too)

Possibly poor pollination. Check out (one of my very fav people) Dave Green's site:

Here is a link that might be useful: It's at the very top left

Nice link, jt. Thanks.

JohnF

I think you may be right, John. And thanks for the link! :)

It could be tied to poor pollination on account of low temperatures, or maybe the plants are simply petering out. As we headed into winter I noticed some curling, and as winter progressed I noticed short-stubby anaheims and mini-sized habs. I never brought them indoors. Either way, I have really been enjoying the tiny habs!

{{gwi:1244425}}
Tiny-sized peppers that taste like the full-sized versions. But heck, it's winter so I'm just happy to have fresh peppers. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Pollinator.com Google site search for peppers

The poor polination effect is much easier to see in cucumbers and squash. I haven't noticed the tiny pepper phenomenon.

JohnF

Ummmm....genetics?

Along the lines of this phenomenon, on the same plant I've also seen other pods that grow another tip on the side of the pod. Not siamese pods, but just another tip protruding from the pod.
Leads me to believe the problem is linked to genetics.

Paul B.

Please explain why you think it may be tied to genetics.

Does anyone here over winter his or her peppers outdoors?

Well there are some that are apparently genetically programed to curl

Dragon Claw

JohnF

Paul writes: > Along the lines of this phenomenon, on the same plant I've also seen other pods that grow another tip on the side of the pod.

Paul,

I think I know what you are talking about. Maybe not. This photo is obviously not a pepper, but might be what you are referring to.

Note the (I hate to call it this) "orifice" just beneath the (I will not call it a tail) protuberance.

What irritates me the most is that I think one of the smart people on the tomato folder gave a reason for this anomaly and I can't for the life of me remember what it was.

Such a poor photo... the orifice was so neat in real life.

jt

Oh no. Folks are going to start posting their favorite peter pepper pictures now. :)

JT, it's very similar in nature.
I've had 'maters exhibit this "tail" or "nose" sort of speak.
What I'm referring to is a duplicate protruding tip, much like conjoined twins in humans where only a portion of the secondary exists

Paul B.

> What I'm referring to is a duplicate protruding tip, much like...

Paul B,

OK, now I get it. I used to grow carrots like that. (don't worry, no carrot pictures)

> Oh no. Folks are going to start posting their favorite peter pepper pictures now. :)

Do you think?

Hey, I'm growing some this year. Can't wait to post a pictue!

If people post a peck of peter pepper pictures, how many pictures of peter peppers will people post? :)

Or perhaps we could post pictures of our favorite Cichlid?

mrclint, have you ever used mulm for fertilizer?

I've used it and it works great. Anyone who keeps cichlids will have lots of it too.

I use fish tank change water in and around the perennial beds, but never where I keep edibles. Most water conditioners are not meant for human consumption. Many contain heavy metal chelators, slime coat protectors and who knows what else. The manufacturers of water conditioners donÂt typically disclose the ingredients, nor are they required to by law.

ThereÂs another practical reason not to use fish tank change water in the veggie garden in a general sense, because change water can be high in N (NO3), which is great for plant growth but not something you want to give to tomatoes and peppers when they are flowering or fruiting. My garden plantings are pretty compact so it would be hard to just water the leafy greens and not have it reach the toms and peppers. Better to give these guys P & K and hold back on the N a little.

> I use fish tank change water in and around the perennial beds, but never where I keep edibles.

Interesting info. I last used mulm in an ebb and flow hydro system years ago. Wasn't particularly concerned about heavy metal etc as I didn't use conditioners and only replaced about 10% of tank water a week from the tap and relied on the air stones and filtration system to get rid of the chlorine, fluorides etc. Please note that I myself quit drinking & using tap water for cooking over 20 years ago.

What really turned me off was the imparted taste into leafy veggies such as lettuce. Tasted like fish poo! Rather doubt would affect taste of pepper pods, but really don't know and is why I asked.

jt

I've never tasted fish poo so I will have to take your word for it. :lol

Airstones and filtration work fine on chlorine but not on chloramines. For the sake of your fish, please check with your local water company and find out which they are using in your water supply. If you are dealing with chloramines (chlorine and ammonia bound together) you will need to break the bond and neutralize both elements with a tap water conditioner.

According to UC Davis, the small peppers are due to poor or incomplete pollination. Scroll down to page 4 for details.

makes sense in light of the same phenomenon in other vegies like squash and cukes

> According to UC Davis, the small peppers are due to poor or incomplete pollination.

I guess that makes it official then? Must say that UC Davis has great capsicum info.

IÂm not sure what you mean by official. Everyone is free to draw conclusions, and is certainly welcome to speculate based on the information that has been presented.

I take it mrclint has not seen a pic of an heirloom variety pepper called "Red Peter"--Would make me think twice about saying anything about peters peppers in mixed company!

Newsflash: Alert the media. Film at eleven.

Dateline, pepper forum: There are rock formations, weaponry, and some vegetables (including peter peppers) that resemble the human male anatomy. I know about these things and ask not to see any of them.

...I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. :)