Chillies 2019

The chillis (and the sunflowers! :-) ) have been out in the garden for about a fortnight, now. They're doing well, but a couple of them have died by going very pale white and completely dissolving! Most strange. I have never seen this before. But more worrying still is that the leaves are being systematically munched by something. I saw a tiny little black insect under one of them.

Is there a way to stop this without using poisons?

 

I don't put mine outside, the weather's not hot enough.

 

@joh98.mac I suspect that you might have your chillies outside a little early. Ours only move outside when we can guarantee overnight temperatures no lower than 14 degrees. So here, that is in July.... Low temperatures mean at best that the plants stop growing, at worst they chill and give up, often going white and paper-thin.

 

Another daft question (I'm full of them today). My chilli plants are growing very well and flowering nicely but not developing into fruit at all. They're currently still inside, so is the lack of fruit likely due to a lack of pollination?

 

@2nd_bassoon yes it probably is bad pollination. I always keep mine inside so have to hand pollinate.

 

Mine stay in the greenhouses. I have overhead dc fans which give the air a real whipping and I believe that's what helps with pollination. The following are Manzano, Shineyhybrids, Red Habaneros, Reapers and Chocolate Douglahs. The Shjneyhybrids are smaller because I started them late however ,i the fall they will get premium real estate in the heated greenhouse

 

I hand pollinate when the chillies are inside. Use a cotton bud or a finger tip, and just lightly brush inside the flower head. Late afternoon is apparently the best time for this, and you can see the pollen falling off as you do this. When they go outside in July, or into the greenhouse, the insects will pollinate them.

 

Thanks all - no greenhouse here so they're stuck inside for another few weeks yet, I'll get the cotton buds out and give it a go

(Daft part is I have absoloutely zero spice tolerance, so I won't even be able to eat them if/when they do grow!)

 

I'm the same way I don't care much for spicy foods but I have many friends who love my hot pepper breads and jellies throughout the year and my cranberry sauces around the holidays