DigitalVinyl wrote:

I bought pepper plants late this year and I didn't pay attention. I
bought a variety called "Jalapa" which is a little smaller than I
like. More importantly they don't turn red, they just rot on the
plant. I've thrown away about 15 peppers that after cracklin developed
rot points--often softening at the tip and dripping the insides out as
soggy ooze. NOrmally I leave peppers on the plant till I use
them--always harvesting reds (or with jalapeno crackled) first cause
they are them most mature. I can't do that with this variety! They
rot instead. When turning that brown color as they transition from
green to red that meant they are already bad!

What a disastrous variety! Live and learn

Blossom end rot results from drought and acid soils. Blossom-end rot is
a common problem that causes a brown to black sunken rot at the blossom
end of the fruit. It is caused by drought, uneven water availability,
or pruning roots through improper cultivation. Blossom-end rot is not
caused by a parasitic organism but is a physiologic disorder associated
with a low concentration of calcium in the fruit. Calcium is required in
relatively large concentrations for normal cell growth. When a rapidly
growing fruit is deprived of necessary calcium, the tissues break down,
leaving the characteristic dry, sunken lesion at the blossom end.
Blossom-end rot is induced when demand for calcium exceeds supply. This
may result from low calcium levels or high amounts of competitive
cations in the soil, drought stress, or excessive soil moisture
fluctuations which reduce uptake and movement of calcium into the plant,
or rapid, vegetative growth due to excessive nitrogen fertilization.
Even though it affects many different varieties of peppers, blossom-end
rot is more severe on some varieties of peppers than on others. Remove
infected fruits and throw them away. Irrigation and mulching can help to
prevent blossom-end rot. Though the condition is caused by a calcium
deficiency in the affected fruit tissue, addition of calcium to the soil
seldom alters the condition. The problem is one of calcium mobility in
the plant, not lack of calcium in the soil. Many farmers 'foliar feed'
to apply calcium to prevent blossom end rot. Keep the watering regular
to avoid alternating wet and drought. Fluctuating moisture levels will
cause wilt and blossom end rot.

What to do to prevent it:

Maintain the soil pH around 6.5. Liming will supply calcium and will
increase the ratio of calcium ions to other competitive ions in the
soil.

Use nitrate nitrogen as the fertilizer nitrogen source. Ammoniacal
nitrogen may increase blossom-end rot as excess ammonium ions reduce
calcium uptake. Avoid over-fertilization as side dressings during early
fruiting, especially with ammoniacal forms of nitrogen.

Avoid drought stress and wide fluctuations in soil moisture by using
mulches and/or irrigation. Plants generally need about one inch of
moisture per week from rain or irrigation for proper growth and
development.

Avoid cultivating near the roots. Mulch rather than cultivate to
prevent weeds.

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