Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some input on my pepper plants. Last year all my vegetable plants were explosive in growth and produce. This year they’ve been a bit stressed by the early heat we’ve had (southern Ontario) but otherwise doing well. Everything from cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, garlic, and onions are doing well.
My pepper plants, on the other hand, look terrible.
- https://ibb.co/B65gjbN
- https://ibb.co/bvDd9dG
- https://ibb.co/g93Z4sT
- https://ibb.co/p3Tw8gM
- https://ibb.co/K2YN2vD
- https://ibb.co/x1mcLsr
- https://ibb.co/6Dbctpm
Initially I thought they were just extremely stressed from the heat, but I noticed a few of them (not pictured) are doing fine. What clicked in my head today is that the ones that are doing ok I grew from seed, and the rest are from garden centres (a semi-private one and a commercial one).
From my zero-level knowledge and subsequent Googling the answer is:
- Too much heat
- Too much water
- Too little water
- Exposure to herbicide
It’s the last one that really raised my eyebrows, and seems to fit based on photos.
Anyone have any insight on this? Thanks in advance.
Transplant shock? Did they overcome being transplanted first?
Yup, they were fine after being transplanted. It’s just as they started to grow they got more and more gnarly. They also haven’t grown anywhere close to how my peppers did last year. They are exceedingly small especially compared to the few that are doing well (the ones we started from seeds ourselves).
Honestly I think the roots never took right. Sounds like they still aren’t getting enough moisture from not enough root structure and over exerting themselves trying to grow.
That and maybe a vitamin deficiency. Sounds like you put a lot of mulch down and I have read it can pull nitrogen back out.
The mushrooms should help but I think over watering with under developed roots. Give them some liquid fertilizer and back off the water a little. Definitely stop watering them at night when they can’t use the water.
So you actually answered another question of mine I didn’t ask, which is about the mushrooms. I know they’re good, but I’ve been wondering if there’s any significance with how close they are to the plants, and how crowded they are around it.
So I’ve been looking at as many example photos as I can, and I’m becoming less concerned about herbicide contamination and it’s looking like a mineral/vitamin or some kind of management issue.
Another thing I noticed is that the lowest leaves (the oldest?) are fully formed, and it’s only the newest ones are deformed. Does that track for nutrient issues?
It’s been providing shade and you have been providing plenty of moisture for them to grow even on hot days. That and the incredibly spacious fresh wood mulch there is acting as a great grow medium for them.
Seriously that’s was a lot of mulch and I question how deep you got those roots in actual soil.
New growth is pretty much always where you will see growth issues. You look to old for mold and pests. You could try shaking a leaf over white paper and checking for broad mites but I’m betting on roots. Maybe they got root bound in the pots.
So I decided to sacrifice one of the gnarlier plants to see what I can find. Here are the images:
https://postimg.cc/gallery/N2XxkkY
The roots did shoot out beyond the bulb, there was a lot of pulling and tearing as I was lifting it out. But I also noticed that some of the stems are woody and brown. My neighbour said that she noticed the “stinging bugs” are exceptionally bad this year.
Roots should be over 2 feet long on a healthy plant.
Looks like you probably had lateral growth trying to pull nutrients but wasn’t getting deep enough to pull any real nutrients.
Stinging bugs are great and not the types that eat plants. They even often help eat the things eating plants. If you were seeing growth issues on the other peppers I’d say bugs but you aren’t sonits likely the plant and seems like a root and nutrient deficiency.
I’d say still just top the offending plants and just burn or throw away the parts you clip. Then apply a generous glug of liquid fertilizer so it gets down through the 6 inches of mulch and then back off watering to every few days or more but water deep to get the roots fully damp.
No idea what your hardening schedule was compared to your homegrown stuff, but pull one up and see if the roots have expanded out or not.
Could be a root issue, and you gotta pull atleast one to figure it out anyways.