Cheer up, buttercup!

Or rather - 

Cheer Up Pepper-head! 

It is such a miserable and grey day I thought that a BRIGHT RED pepper would lift the spirits.  Well, it does mine!  This is because I have been assiduously watching and occasionally pampering my pepper plants, cooing and exclaiming over every small development whether it be an additional flower, bud or change in hue and intensity of colour!

It seems that peppers are day-neutral plants within photoperiodism spectrum.  And photoperiodism is the physiological reaction of the plant to the length of night or a dark period and daylight.  As day-neutral plants, their flowering ability is not determined by more or less light but as fruiting plants they do require at least five hours of direct sunlight daily but grow best with eight to 12 hours of direct sunlight daily.

Temperature is also key for ripening; bell peppers need daytime temperatures between 70-80F (21-26 Celsius) degrees. If the temperature drops much below that, the peppers might not ripen unless it warms up. When temperatures range from 50 to 55 F, the plant may also drop flowers and develop yellow leaves. On top of that, most peppers will protest if it gets hotter than 90F (32 Celsius).

Peppers are pernickety!