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Habanero Plants not producing much fruit

Jeffrey Lonigro

8 years ago

I live in New York and have been planting habaneros for years and always had a plentiful harvest. This year the plants started very late to produce flowers and fruit. Now its lat September the weather is starting to get cool at night and in the AM. I many little buds and some fruit mostly green. Any ideas what would have caused the lack of abundentant chiles?

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Comments (13)

sjetski
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
This year's El Nino weather pattern was mostly to blame for us in the northeast. An early summer with cool evenings, which led into a hot-enough mid summer which caused flower drop. Any human caused mistakes would have only compounded it (too much nitrogen, uneven watering etc etc). I know it was definitely not an ideal season in NY state this year.

Only those who planted in a decent micro-climate would have escaped the worst this season had to offer, or those who planted types that are cool weather tolerant.

Steve
Jeffrey Lonigro
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Steve,

Thats kind of what I was thinking. Definitely might also had a little much nitrogen early on. I used a bat guano 9-3-1. Probably too much nitrogen didn't help. I'm just hoping the weather stays a little warmer and I can get some of the buds to grow a bit and some of the green ones that did grow ripen a bit more.
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esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
8 years ago
I have always found Habs to be super good producers. Are your other peppers having problems?
Jeffrey Lonigro
Original Author
8 years ago
I have four other pepper plants (Padron, Corno & Di Tori) All doing well.
esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
8 years ago
Maybe just a weak or genetically deficient plant. Hard to say really because Habs are great producers normally.
the_northeast_chileman
8 years ago
Not to rub it in, mine normal, I'm in NE.
PRO
Jim's
8 years ago
Jeffrey, I am in NY, too. I have 5 habanero plants and all produce a lot of pods. I think the nitrogen may have delayed the flowering. Are you able to overwinter the plant? I take the ones in the containers in for the winter and have a good record of keeping them alive.
Jeffrey Lonigro
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Jim. The nitrogen is what I'm suspecting also. These guys are in the ground so no overwintering for them. I'm hoping to eeeek out a few bottles of sauce and jam. Fingers crossed.
PRO
Jim's
8 years ago
Good luck!
dba1954
8 years ago
I'm in Buffalo, had some tough issues with all of the rain but managed to pick so far ~60 Habs from 6 plants so not great but enough for what I needed. I've been using 20-20-20 all year (every 2 weeks) but not a strong treatment. Looks like I might get a dozen or 2 more weather dependent. Not sure how normal this is as it's only the second year I grew them and last year was terrible but it is cooler up here a short growing season.
esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Yah, that isn't good for a hab. I have a red hab growing and I have pulled at least 30-40 ripe ones off it so far and there are probably 20-30 more still on it, with some ripe again. The orange hab I grew a few years ago was an even better producer.
tomt226
8 years ago
I've got five red habs and they produced pounds and pounds of fruit, even with sunburn, but my Numex Suave Orange habaneros have done very little. I think the cool June and lots of rain caused them to not do well. Now, they're putting on buds and fruit, but the plants aren't as large as last years. Should get a haul in about a month.
Jeffrey Lonigro
Original Author
8 years ago
Same here Tomt226. Smaller plants then previous years and producing buds way Kate in the season. With cold mornings and nights I'm afraid they don't stand a chance.

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