cukes are full blistering sun plants ... i think you are doing brilliant with it indoors ... getting it as far as you did .. but i am not sure ... no matter what the issue is.. that you will get much further ... full sun plants.. abort flowers in lack of full sun .. and unless you are hand pollinating them.. there is probably no pollinator working them.. unless you have a hive of bees indoors also ... solving the chlorosis.. might not get you produce .... i think i see salt stains on the media ... and that is the beginning of media issues ... watering issues.. and drainage issues ... along with the lack of sun ... there have to be more favorable plants to grow indoors ... perhaps many of the herbs .. but high production plants are going to be a problem ... there has to be other forums.. where you could learn about pots.. media.. and growing things indoors ... for your future attempts ... dont let this stop you.. as a newb ... ken

thanks for all the responses. at the time of my original post the temps hadn't dropped below 65. the last 4 or 5 days have had lows in the 50s though. despite this the jalapeno is still setting flowers and the fruits are getting bigger. out of the two flowers left on the habanero, one flower and bud fell off and the other started to fruit so that's a positive. no other new buds have formed though. these are my first pepper plants and I know I didn't pick the best time of year to start them. I'm not expecting much and if nothing else its a learning experiment for spring. I've been very careful not to give them too much attention and over water them. if there's no improvement in the next few weeks what's my best course of action? prune back the top? just leave it be?

Thanks for the replies. I've been growing peppers in containers for ten years and I can't agree that yellowing and dropping off of leaves is normal. I've not found that to be the case, certainly not to this extent, at this early stage. The replies lead me to believe it's related to the compost mix, and it may be a combination of water retention and unavailability of nutrients. I'm trying a foliar spray to get nutrients to the plants without further dampening the roots. I will also try some Epsom salts. Hopefully I can save what was until recently looking like a wonderful crop of plants.

Every region is going to have their particular issues. Here in E. Tn., we normally get good flowering and fruit-set from late May through mid-July. Then it usually gets so hot from the angle of the sun, that even though flowering continues - depending on the variety - fruit-set drops to almost zero. But, then, as the temperatures rise and fall from the direction our weather fronts come, fruit-set is on-and-off, with a rise sometime in August. As an example... my main tomato harvest finished about 1 - 1 1/2 weeks ago. However, the plants set fruit again as that harvest was winding up. Now there is another crop coming on all my indeterminates. This slowed down now, and we're getting a lot of rain. My guess is that if my plants survive the fungus that will undoubtedly come with the rain, they will set again in a week or 2, and will continue to set through Sept. So, sun inclination, and especially the combination of temp. and humidity will affect the viability of pollen. However, by this time of year, unless you are using water-soluble ferts and are applying at regular intervals, or have thought ahead and side-dressed with a granular, or slow-release option at the proper times, the initial vegetative stage, as well as the first harvest have often depleted the soil's available nutrients. It's a balance because at the same time plants are making use of available nutrients, rain is washing out what the plants can't use in time. You also have pests such as aphids sucking plant fluids and reducing vigor, and disease setting in and stressing the plant's resources and priority schedule. Then there's water and rain... in short... it's a balancing act that rarely hits the sweet spot lol. Edit: oh, and Florida and Texas have their own issues... mainly, and determining how deeply South they are, the 1st tomato season ends mid-summer, and doesn't really kick off again until Sept.