If you’re new to growing hot peppers and anything like me, you probably get super excited when the plants start flowering. It’s the first sign that soon… you’ll be picking your very own peppers!
But as the
fruits mature and you’re anxiously waiting for them to turn that vibrant red
colour, you might notice something unexpected: small cracks or stretch marks on
the surface. This phenomenon, often called corking, is nothing to worry about.
Corking happens during growth spurts when your pepper plants receive an abundance of sunshine, rainfall, or fertilizer. These more than ideal conditions can cause the fruits to grow so quickly that the skin can’t keep up, resulting in tiny splits or ruptures.
While excess nitrogen tends to produce lush foliage, it’s actually
an overabundance of potassium and phosphorus—the nutrients that boost fruit
production—that’s likely behind these cracks.
These markings usually appear as concentric rings or vertical lines running from the stem to the tip. Jalapeños are the most common peppers to show corking, but this season’s extra rainfall has even brought these marks to my pimentos (seasoning peppers).
(Photo showing brown markings (cracks) on the pepper fruit)
If you’re wondering whether these peppers are safe to eat, the answer is a resounding yes! So go ahead… pick a peck of peppers!
(I couldn’t resist that one 😉).
Happy Gardening!
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