Blotch on Peppers.

Oh, Sid! Several possibilities here. Please excuse me if I'm "talking" to an experienced grower. My first thought is an irregular watering regime; my second, together with the first, is irregular feeding; my third is "sun scorch "(do you mist with water during sunny days ?). I water daily in the evening, give a potash feed every 3 days, and mist the plants late evening. This looks to me like lack of any of these, or lack of calcium/magnesium. You could try a dose of Epsom salts. If this is among the first fruit from the plant, later ones may not show this, especially if you take these remedial measures. Also, just cut out the brown area, the rest of the pepper is absolutely fine to eat.

also a lot of growers remove some of the leaves on the plant - why I dont know - but leave them - they are there and large for a reason - the protect the fruit from the hot sun - Ken

Thanks for that David. I do water every day, but when it's sunny they still dry out during the day sometimes. I feed every couple of days with tomato feed when I'm feeding the toms. Re misting - I do mist in the evening, but I'm at work during the day, so everything has to fend for itself. I suspect it's too much hot sun - I have put up some shading, but when the sun moves round, the plants are not shaded all day. I didn't think it would matter too much with the peppers, but maybe I'm mistaken. I will start watering in the morning as well as the evening and maybe move the plants to a lower shelf, where they will get more shade and hopefully the others will be Ok. Thanks again David.

Ken - quite right! I won't be removing any leaves from my pepper plants!

You're most welcome, Sid ! Sorry I was not of much real help, though. hopefully, the oncoming fruit won't have this browning. My greenhouse is not only of polypropylene, which eliminates the need to apply shading to glass - the material filters UV, and everything in the greenhouse grows upright - but it is also partly shaded by a very old birch tree, which allows so much sunlight in, but not too much. My bell/sweet peppers and chillis thrive in this part shade - it must be a bit like their natural rainforest environ. I also empty a watering can on the slabbed floor on hot days when not, like you, at work) to promote humidity. Remember that you can also overwater peppers/chillis. The compost should be moist, but not waterlogged, but,if you say that yours dries out so quickly, you have to water twice daily (I can leave mine for 3 days between waterings if need be), then you must. Of course, don't bother to remove leaves, as you say. It is not necessary, and deprives the fruit of essential nutrients. Good Luck, and i hope the later ones have no blotches!

The rest seem ok, David. Looks to be a bumper crop this year too! Sadly, I only have the old fashioned glass type greenhouse - nothing high tech, I'm afraid! I like your idea of pouring water on the greenhouse floor - I might try that if the weather heats up again. Sarah.

Yes, Sid. from the pics I've seen here, and from my own plants, I do think that peppers and chillis are in for a good year. Enjoy!