Peppers can indeed get too much sun. This is known as sunscald or sun scald. Sunscald occurs when the tender parts of the pepper plant, such as younger leaves and developing fruits, are exposed to excessive sunlight. The young fruits, in particular, have a less developed skin that cannot tolerate full-sun conditions on many pepper varieties.
I have personally experienced sunscald on my pepper plants. It happened during a particularly hot and sunny summer. At first, I was thrilled to see my pepper plants thriving and producing lots of fruits. However, as the days went by, I noticed that some of the fruits started developing white or yellowish patches on their skin. These patches eventually turned into sunken, papery areas that looked like burns.
Upon further research, I discovered that this was sunscald. The intense sunlight had caused the delicate skin of the pepper fruits to become damaged and dehydrated. The fruits were essentially getting sunburned, just like our skin can get burned from too much sun exposure.
To prevent sunscald on peppers, it’s important to provide some shade or protection for the plants during the hottest part of the day. This can be done by placing a shade cloth or using row covers to filter the sunlight. Another option is to strategically plant taller plants nearby to provide some natural shade. Additionally, mulching around the base of the plants can help keep the soil cool and reduce evaporation, which can also help prevent sunscald.
It’s worth noting that different pepper varieties may have varying levels of tolerance to sunlight. Some varieties are more susceptible to sunscald than others. Therefore, it’s important to choose varieties that are well-suited to your climate and sunlight conditions.
Peppers can indeed get too much sun, leading to sunscald. This occurs when the tender parts of the plant, such as younger leaves and developing fruits, are exposed to excessive sunlight. To prevent sunscald, it’s important to provide shade or protection for the plants during the hottest part of the day and choose pepper varieties that are well-adapted to your climate.