I planted 4 cayenne pepper from seed and only 1 was growing well. Now it is starting to flower the new leaves from the new buds look strange. This is not the first time it is happening. Any idea what is going on here? Is it lacking in something?
Thanks Logan, I have checked and it is clear of any sucking pest. Do you think I should remove them? In the past I used to remove them, the whole new shoot. Sometimes it work and sometimes it did not. Could it be a virus?
http://people.umass.edu/jmeagy/Chili pepper diseases-Seed borne viral.htm Looks like you get to wash your whole house with clorox. Are you reinfecting via an unsanitary method like old pots? Re used soil? Or is it in the bugs? Mostly mine comes via bugs. The plants are great until the bugs show up.
I do not think it is the seeds Logan, because I bought them from a reputable company. I use old pots that are washed and dried in the sun for at least a week. The earth are always rotated from other grow beds and the plants that were there are healthy. The only problem I had with 2 of my beds before were with nematodes and they are now gone. Yes I think it could be a virus too so I'll start with removing the affected shoots and if it persist I will then get rid of it. Thanks Logan. Thank you Pacnorwest but I did not see any aphids. I am always extra careful with my chili because they are always problematic.
Reserves of virus, fungi and bacteria are all around us in the trees and bushes, and insect vectors for virus and bacteria are easily the most prominent vectors from them to plants. Wind can bring fungal spore but unless there is a physical delivery system like a bug, the virus has a much harder pathway to get there. Maybe manual pollination would help, but those insects seem so small the netting needed would seem useless.
Could it be a nutrient deficiency? Magnesium, maybe? https://www.yara.co.uk/crop-nutrition/sweet-pepper/nutrient-deficiencies-pepper/ If you can find Epsom salts, watering with a dilute solution of those might help... These things can be difficult to sort out. https://www.yara.co.uk/crop-nutriti...agnesium-deficiency-pepper/?activeSlide=14238
I am guessing a mosaic virus. The real challenge here is the source. What was the source of the virus. Was it the little post you planted into? Was it delivered by an on the wind? Was it transmitted by an insect vector? I will be honest with you, mate— I cannot say with any certainty what is happening because I am not physically there, and our climatic conditions are markedly different. I do not want to make Daniel angry, but the pattern of yellowness is not what I see on my heavy - feeders that deplete the magnesium. That is a brighter yellow and occurs between the well-defined, dark green leaf veins. I would examine the underside of the leaves with a loop, just to R/O insects. Good luck with this annoying problem.
As long as you have double checked all the obvious answers KK ng , it may be a good idea to seek out disease resistant varieties of peppers, such as Ninja. Peppers are certainly notorious for this kind of problem and it's a bit soul destroying isn't it. I wish you better luck next time - keep on trying won't you
Thanks Dirtmechanic but I do not think pollination have anything to do with it because the plant had just have flower buds. Yes you are right about those virus, fungi and bacteria are all around us and the delivery system. But then again if plant is healthy then I guess it would be difficult to get infected. I have another chili which I recently repotted and it is doing really well. This one is now flowering. Yes Daniel W I did thought of nutrient deficiency but couldn't pin point at anything. I feed it with Epsom salt once a week and mulch it with compost every 3 weeks or so. Thank you for the links, it is very interesting and informative. I think maybe it could be phosphorus, I'll add some blood and bonemeal to it today. Hope that will work. OK I just did it. Thanks again. I really hope that it is not virus Sjoerd but thanks for your thought. The pots were cleaned and left in the sun for at least a week before I reuse them. But then again it could be anything. Yes I understand what you meant, seeing the plant in real life makes a great different from photos and also the different conditions here. I had examine the underside of the leaves and they all look fine. I'll keep my finger crossed that the plant will recover, thank you. Thank you Tetters I will certainly do that on my next purchase. Yes it is indeed soul destroying and my taste buds are very unhappy. I have a new chili sauce recipe that I wanted to try but the plant is not cooperating. Yes I will keep on trying, thanks.
...I'm just throwing this out there KK.....if you feed with epsom salts once a week, do you also flush the soil regularly? Too much salt build up in the soil can impede the growth, and cause the leaves to turn yellow - mimicking not enough magnesium. It can be too much of a good thing. And sometimes...when we see the yellowing we think that they need more calcium or magnesium...and we give more epsom salts. It can also impact the root growth. This has been my learning curve that I'm sharing, with similiar roots and leaves that you are showing. I have to be careful of that with simple commercial fertilizers in containers, such as miracle grow. The salt content requires regular flushings. "Adding Epsom salts to soil that already has sufficient magnesium can actually harm your soil and plants, such as by inhibiting calcium uptake." ( University of Mariland) I have to wonder if this could also be why you have some roots that do not form or grow as they should? If you think this could be it there are remedies. It may be worth your time to research excessive magnesium, excessive epsom salts or salt in the soil, how high saline soil impacts root development and leaf growth. It can also impact their water uptake. I hope you solve the problem Good luck.
