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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Sweet Peppers Turning to Slime

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  • From: road's end farm <organic101 AT linkny.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Sweet Peppers Turning to Slime
  • Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:25:58 -0400


On Aug 30, 2007, at 10:38 AM, SHEILA PAYNE wrote:

<x-tad-smaller>I'm in Colorado.  I have some lovely pepper plants with lovely immature peppers on them.  Two varieties-- red and orange bells.  The peppers lower on the plant that are getting red and orange are a disgusting brownish, slimy mess.  The stem is strong and still attached to the plant, so when I try to pull them off -- ugh, a handful of mush slides off the stem/seeds into my hand.  No indication of disease on the plants or immature fruits.</x-tad-smaller>
<x-tad-smaller> </x-tad-smaller>

Cut them out of there, using shears or heavy scissors to cut the stem, and discard them away from the plants. If you leave them, or bits of them, they're likely to infect the others.

Did they get sunscald, or blossom end rot? Has the weather been unreasonably dry or wet? Bacterial rots can get into any injury or other problem in peppers, as a secondary infection, and give the results you're describing. Some varieties are much more resistant than others. I don't know which varieties would do well in Colorado.

Try to find some fruit showing beginning stages of the problem and take it to your extension agent; or the agent might be willing to come and look at the plants. If you can identify the original problem, it'll be easier to figure out what to do about it. The brown mush may be too far gone to identify anything specific in it, but if that's all you have, you could try it.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale



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