Anyone know what this is?
by
Betty Brady
+16
I have been having this type of blemish on some of my green bell peppers for the past few years. I always attributed it to sun scald; but the flesh of the pepper in the blemish is actually rotten. Anyone know what might be causing this?
Green bell pepper. Grown in Richland, WA in a container.
19 answers
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Looks like Blossom end rot to me.
Nancy Hand
on Jun 25, 2013
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Mine are doing this too! Creole tomatoes too!
Lisa Jennings- Friloux
on Jun 25, 2013
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I am not a gardener but the first thing I thought of was the creative things people do with pumpkins during Halloween. Please forgive my sense of humor - I meant no offense.
Vintage Headboards
on Jun 25, 2013
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I agree with Nancy - I looked up Blossom end rot and it does appear to have similarities. This is an article that may help to provide more insights for you. http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2000082444023571.html
Vintage Headboards
on Jun 25, 2013
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Agree with Nancy, additional calcium will usually fix this problem in both peppers and tomatoes. You also might want to spray them with Epsom salts water (1teaspoon of EPS to 1 quart of warm water(mix well) and drench the plant and soil. The magnesium from the EPS acts chemically with calcium to help the plant absorb it more readily.
Catherine Smith
on Jun 26, 2013
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Blossom end rot would be black and sunken; looks more like some "critter" is snacking on your pepper.
Jean Eickhoff
on Jun 26, 2013
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could it be slugs/snails. looks like the same kind of spots on my strawberries that they make.
Sandy Harmon
on Jun 26, 2013
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http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/opp4528 it is really too bad most web sites don't have pictures. I would contact your local Agricultural extension office. I am sure they can tell you. Does not sound like blossom end rot because that literally shows up at the blossom end of the fruit (as with tomatoes).
Debra Forrester
on Jun 26, 2013
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That is sunscald :) http://universityofillinoisplantclinic.blogspot.com/search?q=sunscald
Stephanie Porter
on Jun 26, 2013
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Good call, Stephanie. I agree with you, having read the article in url. I remembered discussing this with a couple of gardening web friends who live in Texas. Several of them were using a home made shade cloth for some of their plants to avoid this kind of problem. Very interesting.
Catherine Smith
on Jun 27, 2013
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its either a rat or a rabbit or squirrel..those are teethmarks on the edges..last yr the lil huggers ate places like that on half my cantelopes and watermelons. Was not a happy gardener! This came after a guy we lease land to accidently sprayed our garden with round up that they spray on fields (the wind blew it) and after that the neighbors longhorns got out and ate my corn..:'( This yr so far our garden is doing great...lol
Renee
on Jun 27, 2013
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I too think it is sunscald that then sets up rot. Try some light shade cloth for during the most sun direct time of day if the leaves are not sufficient to shade the peppers. Of course, not seeing it in hand, I can't rule out critter destruction. Try caging the plants if possible to keep them out.
Barbara
on Jun 27, 2013
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...ok I looked at --read comments--now ?'s--Catherine Smith, I will use your help recipe for plants, but is it used only if plants get Blossom end rot? And what type of material would one use to shade garden plot?...
Suz
on Jul 02, 2013
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I mainly use the Epsom salts spray on tomatoes and peppers to help set fruit, however, this is an organic method to improve the availability of trace minerals in your soil. There is no reason you couldn't use it for your other plants. I recommend exploring the use of probiotics, if you really want to improve your soil health. I use both EM-1 and Bokashi buckets as a source. Bokashi is mainly used in composting, but the "juice" from the bucket makes great "tea". EM-1 is the mother culture to make the ingredients to get Bokashi. Here's the urls for both http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokashi_composting#Bokashi and http://www.teraganix.com/EM-1-Microbial-Inoculant-p/1000.htm
Catherine Smith
on Jul 02, 2013
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Thanks everyone! I too think it is sun scald. We have unbearable heat here in the summer. Today it was 112 degrees. Thinking I need to put up some environmental protection for my plants when it gets this bad. The reason I believe it is scald is that it only occurs on some of the fruit, not all of it. Thanks again!
Betty Brady
on Jul 02, 2013
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Betty, given the temperatures you mentioned, sure sounds like sun scald. I have some gardening web friends in Texas, who have to deal with this problem all the time. They use shade cloth with an open weave over their plants. The plants still get adequate sun, but the cloth helps to block a lot of the excessive heat.
Catherine Smith
on Jul 03, 2013
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Catherine can I get shade cloth at Home Depot or is it something I need to order off the web?
Betty Brady
on Jul 04, 2013
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If you can't find shade cloth plain old window screen will work just fine. Might cost less too.....
Judy
on Jul 09, 2013
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Cool! Thanks for the information. I do have some window screening (vinyl) already, so I can put it up and avoid the burns on my plants.
Betty Brady
on Jul 10, 2013
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