Why Are My Bell Peppers Rotting on the Bottom?

Planting

• All peppers are sensitive summertime vegetables and grow only in warm weather. Give pepper plants the best chance at growth and healthy fruit production with midspring plantings, bright sun and organic compost supplements. Healthy plant and foliage growth supports healthier, rot-free pepper growth.

Sun and Air

• Peppers require full sunshine, air and space to produce healthy fruit, and they rot in crowded or inappropriate plantings. Plant the pepper seedlings in full sunshine, at 18 to 24 inches in the row, to allow for ideal sun and air exposure. If peppers are rotting, move the plants to sunnier locations or use stakes to increase sun and air exposure. Bright sun and fresh air could counteract the rot.

Moisture

• Peppers sometimes rot because of too much moisture or poor drainage. If the peppers themselves sit in the soil, they rot from the ground up. If the plants grow in poorly draining sites, they rot from the roots and produce inferior fruit. Combat this problem with correct planting sites, compost soil amendments for better soil drainage and staking for plant and fruit support. Water peppers with 2 inches of water every week to keep soil moist but not muddy, and use organic mulch to keep mud from splashing on the peppers.

Disease

• Rotten pepper fruits can also signify soil-borne diseases. Anthracnose causes sunken black spots on peppers and destroys the fruit. Combat this disease with fresh soil at each new planting, crop rotation and disease-resistant pepper varieties. Blossom-end rot in peppers and tomatoes also causes rotten flesh, starting from the bottom of the fruit. Combat this nutrition and water disorder with an eggshell or gypsum supplement and regular watering.