Bell peppers
may be green, red, yellow or even purple when ripe.
Bell peppers are a standard ingredient in many recipes, and can be picked and eaten while still green, or allowed to mature to a sweeter flavor as they reach a varieties of colors, depending on cultivar. Peppers are self-pollinating plants, which means that they usually do not need help. However, if the plant is grown indoors without any gentle breeze to shake the pollen loose, or bees to assist, the bell pepper plant may need some help in moving pollen from one flower to another. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Set the temperature of the heating mat to between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the optimal temperature for bells.
2. Dab a cotton-tipped swab into the center of a flower, being careful to press only gently.
3. Move the swab to another flower and repeat the dab.
4. Continue to move to all the flowers on the plant until all are complete. New flowers are generated daily so repeat the entire process every few days. You only have to do a flower once so you can skip any that have previously been touched by the cotton swab.
Tags: Bell peppers