Peppers are coming along now

[Spirit Deer]

I just came in from my office, where I discovered over a dozen buds on one of the pepper plants in one of our Veggie Pros. 

I started two pods using my own seeds, and one pod never germinated.  I didn't get the second pod re-seeded as soon as I should have, and that plant is only about four inches high now.  Not its fault, it's doing fine, just isn't as old as the huge, spreading, deeply dark green monster next to it.  The monster is the one with the buds, of course! I can't wait till the buds flower and it starts to grow some peppers.  Does anyone know if peppers have to be pollinated like tomatoes do?

I started with a pod of Anaheim peppers and a pod of bell peppers, but neglected to label which was which.  Since the green monster has leaves I haven't seen before, I'm going to jump to the conclusion it's the Anaheim, one of my favorite peppers. The other one looks like a bell pepper plant, so we'll see when it starts to bear.

I'm having a hard time not buying another Veggie Pro, in spite of the tomato plant that died a week or so ago.  It's so great being able to grow winter crops.

[Grasshopper]

Yes, peppers have to be pollinated like tomatoes.

Page 11 in the Vegetable Series:
http://www.aerogrow.com/community/images/stories/file/507312-0A_UNV_TH_VEG_web.pdf

In nature, pollination is done by bees and the wind.  Indoors, your tomato and pepper plants depend on you to pollinate them.

Page 11 in the County Fair Vegetable Series:  http://www.aerogrow.com/community/images/stories/file/English%20Guides/507330-0A_CntyFairGde_Veg_web_US.pdf

In nature, pollination is done by bees and the wind.  Indoors, your fruiting plants depend on you to pollinate them.

[Spirit Deer]

Thanks! 

It says to shake the pepper plants to pollinate them.  I hope that works out as well for the peppers as it has for the tomatoes. 

[Melissa in Michigan]

It seems that I lose too many flowers when I shake my plants, or move my hand quickly, throughout the plant...   


I have always had really good success by gently tapping on the top of the flowers on my pepper plants!     You can see the pollen falling from it, when you do!   

[ocarolina]

I have anaheims growing now - they look the same as the jalapeno and other pepper leaves - maybe a tad bigger.   Don't shake them - you will lose flowers.  I use a q-tip (don't mix q tips from different pepper types) and touch from flower to flower.  I have one qtip for each different variety, so I do not mix the different pollens. You have to be gentle, and you will lose a few flowers either way, but it is cool when the anaheims grow.  If you loet them go a long time, they will turn red too.  I am too impatient and eat them when they are green.  Good luck with being teh busy bee. 

[Spirit Deer]

Okay, I'll try the gentle tapping and the Q-Tips.

But this just shows what an ignorant gardener I am.  It hadn't occurred to me the leaves are all wrong for what I thought were peppers, and the seeds of which came out of the pepper seed packet.  So now I'm wondering what it is that's budding out there in my office.  Hmmm.

The leaves are a deep, dark green, quite large, and deeply wrinkled.  The buds are covered by the leaves and clustered in bunches together near the stems.  The plant isn't very tall, either, but it spreads though it's not viney.  I'll have to snap a picture and see if anyone here can help me with the ID.

Curiouser and curiouser.

[ocarolina]

Take a picture - here is a link from my anaheim  - scroll down - anaheim are the first picture - you can see if the leaves look the same. You can also notice that the jalapeno leaves in the other pics look similar.

http://www.aerogardengrowers.com/index.php/topic,3128.msg36144.html#msg36144

[Erin Too]

ive been looking around for some anaheim seeds but cant find any that list a height requirement that will fit into one of the tall gardens. 

can anyone point me in the direction they've gotten anaheim seeds from that fit the ags?  i got a veggiepro burning a hole in my pocket and it wants some peppers!

[ocarolina]

I just got them from Home Depot last year - no heights on mine either. Although I have pruned them back, I still have not raised the hood to the highest position yet, and have gotten about 3 anaheims so far - and another 6+ are growing now. If you have a tall garden, you are OK, and you can always prune the tops without affecting the fruits below.

[shane arthur]

Sweet, I will have to give them a try one of these days. I killed my last one by over feeding i think.

[Spirit Deer]

I've decided not to post a picture of my mystery plant now.  I think it'll be more fun to just let it develop whatever it's going to and then find out what it is.  I'll let everyone know if I figure it out.

Plants can be pruned, so I would think most any pepper plant would work in a tall garden.