sally,i have approx 30-40 chilli plants which most are fruiting really well,but i have recently added 12 mexican chilli plants to my garden and they seem to having the same problem as yours.they are planted in containers and i always use the same fertilizers and potting mix as i know it works well on my existing plants.the new plants have almost become plastic like and the new growth at the top of the plant has become stunted-plant still is green and healthy looking though? i live in brisbane and we recently got a lot of rain followed by pretty extreme sunny hot days. also,can anyone advise me on knowing when your chillis are ready for picking,as all the seeds i used for my plants are from red chillis and i seem to have a lot of green fruit that has been on the plants for a few weeks going on a month.i would hat to waste them as i have had a few drop off which i have cut up and put in a jar of good olive oil-a awesome italian oil trick i got from a mates mother from italy-she provided me with my sedds.

- daniel