Garden Help Desk: Is there a difference between male and female peppers? | News, Sports, Jobs

Courtesy Meredith Seaver

I was buying green peppers at a fruit store last fall, and someone said, “Female peppers are sweeter than male peppers.” TRUE? Can you really taste the difference?

No, you can’t taste the difference between male and female peppers. Because there is no such thing as a male pepper, a female pepper, or any other pepper.

The general idea that the pepper fruit is male or female stems from a common myth that claims that the number of lobes on the bottom of the pepper indicates the sex of the pepper. A popular claim is that male peppers have only three leaves at the bottom of the pepper, have fewer seeds than female peppers, and are less sweet than female peppers.

It is true that we sometimes refer to some plants as “male” or “female”, but we are talking about the types of flowers found on the plant. For example, maple trees commonly have flowers with either male parts (pollen-carrying) or female parts (ovary and ovule), so these trees are commonly called male or female. Other tree species may have both male and female flowers, or separate male and female flowers on the same tree.

Fruits such as green beans, squash, peppers, peaches, and cherries are the mature ovaries of flowers. There is no “gender” in fruits.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver

Most of the vegetables I grow in my garden are plants with male and female flowers. Cucurbitaceous plants (pumpkins, pumpkins, melons, cucumbers, etc.) are an exception, as they have distinct male and female flowers.

When it comes to the shape, size, flavor and “seed” of peppers, those traits depend on the variety of pepper, the growing conditions, how well all the ovules in the flower ovary were pollinated, and how mature they were. It is related to whether Peppers are what they are when they are harvested, the post-harvest and handling conditions before the peppers reach your table.

I knocked down an African violet while I was watering it, and the stem broke. What is the best way to preserve plants?

Accident happens! African violets can withstand such stress because they store a lot of water in their leaves and petioles. As long as the plant is in good condition and has no stem or root rot, it can be treated like a cutting. Here are two easy options:

1 — Fill a small canning jar or glass with water and cover the top tightly with one or two layers of plastic wrap. Remove most of the large leaves on the bottom of the plant and trim the bottom stem to a few inches long.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver

In a few weeks, roots will form on the stem. Once you have some roots, cut off the plastic so as not to damage the roots and carefully plant the African violets in fresh potting soil. Water the soil well and continue with normal plant care. Remember that African violets like moist, well-drained soil, but they do not tolerate wet soil.

2 — Remove most of the lower leaves of the plant and replace the stem with healthy tissue. Gently scrape the stems a few times with a knife blade, then push the stems into a small pot of perlite or a very porous potting mix. has been successful without hormones. Either way, the perlite or soil should be watered and well-drained. He checks the pot for moisture once every week or two and waters as needed. The perlite or soil should be moist, but not wet. After a few weeks, you may see new roots growing on the stem and new leaves growing on the plant. If there is resistance, you know roots are forming. If you used perlite, gently tilt the rooted stump away from the perlite and transplant it into a pot with fresh potting soil. Water the soil well and resume normal plant care.

You can add some free African violets to your collection by rooting some of the leaves you removed using the same method.

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