skip to main content

Vegetable Gardening

What's wrong with my pepper plant? ;_;

9 years ago

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/AzraelVanth/Garden/July2014016.jpg~original

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/AzraelVanth/Garden/July2014017.jpg~original

It's a "Big Bertha" pepper plant. I was all happy it had a pepper on it, but so far it's the ONLY pepper and now it has that nasty brown spot. I Googled for brown spots on peppers and only came up with bacterial disease and the suggestion was to rotate crops etc but this is my first year of planting _anything_ at all and it's not affecting the leaves that I can tell, though oddly some are twisted so the undersides are facing up, but all new leaves since I bought it are normal.

I also just noticed that although it had lots of flowers, they fell off or became little green nubs that would become peppers then fell off in various stages, the largest being the size of a US nickel. I thought maybe lack of pollinators, but there's shedtons of bees in the yard on the clover and bumble bees love the cantaloupe flowers nearby, and I see sweat bees hanging around the pepper plants. Besides, I thought pepper plants were self-pollinating.

Whatever this is, it won't spread to the "sweet bell" pepper nearby will it? I'm assuming to cut off the diseased pepper.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

Peter1142
9 years ago
Looks like sunscald, but I am not an expert (yet) :) ...
Raptor666
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi, thanks for the reply. I googled sunscald but that looks much different than whats on my pepper. Sunscald appears to be more white, while this is sort of a nasty brown. But I had no idea peppers could get too much sun, especially since the tag and websites say full sun! Also the fruit had a lot of leaves around it and all the flowers/pepper buds fell off. Can that happen with sun scald?
Related Discussions
What's wrong with my pepper plant?
Q
Comments (5)
It's possibly bacterial. If the leaves are falling of the plant may be naturally ridding itself of infected tissue. Effected tissue seems to be somewhat restricted by veins (fungi are often not as restricted by veins). If possible, avoid getting water onto the leaves and avoid watering shortly before sundown (to avoid water sitting on and around the plant throughout the night). And be careful not to give the plant too much water. One test that I've been told about is to put a leaf into a sealed ziploc bag and see what continues to grow on the leaf. gooie or slimy stuff probably means its bacteria and fuzzy white growth probably means it's a fungus. Increased aeration may be helpful also, this can be achieved be spacing plants farther apart. It could be one of many things and the heredity of the plant may also be a factor. The best way to be sure is to send it into a lab.
...See More
Whats wrong with my pepper plants? need help
Q
Comments (14)
esox07 (4b) Wisconsin I'm not sure yet, It was my first time planting smth. Now its still cold outside, I'll watch as they grow and the weather, and part will be planted in a greenhouse. I plan to leave some in the apartment on the balcony just to see how it will grow inside, or in case some will die in a greenhouse.
...See More
What's wrong with my pepper plant
Q
Comments (13)
Soil looks pretty soaked. +1 to what Brennan posted.> Virginia Tech Department of Horticulture/Things Plants Need Just like you, plants need air to stay alive. Plant leaves use carbon dioxide from the air to make sugars and starches for the plant to use as food. Another plant part that needs air is the roots. Plant roots need oxygen to stay healthy and to do their job of gathering water and nutrients for the plant. This is why it is important that water moves well through the soil. Good soil drainage allows air into the soil for the roots to use
...See More
What’s wrong with my pepper plant?
Q
Comments (3)
It doesn’t seem to be too widespread... I was going to say sunscald if it’s on just the one side. The side with most sun, perhaps?
...See More
jean001a
9 years ago
Sunscald starts as a softened & bleached area, may turn brown, then eventually white -- unless of course, it just plain rots.
woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
9 years ago
Can you get a closeup please?

Kevin
lkzz
9 years ago
I vote sunscald...I too have been having issues with that this year. If your plants are in a cage, put something on top to block the sun when it is hottest. The combination of sun and high temperatures is the culprit...not much you can do about the temperature.

You can pick it and cut off the sunscald...eat the unaffected part of the fruit.
Anne Wolfley
9 years ago
Regarding the blossoms, you're correct that peppers mostly self-pollinate. So that's not the problem. What has the weather been like? I have problems with blossom drop when it's too hot.
Raptor666
Original Author
9 years ago
{{gwi:86749}}
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/AzraelVanth/Garden/July2014016.jpg~original is actually about as close up as I can get (the previous links, I didn't notice, but you have to click the magnifying glass icon a few times to zoom all the way in).

The weather was pretty hot, like 87-90F I think, then after I took the pic, these past few days it was all cloudiness and rain, and now we have temps in the 70s by days and 60s by night. :/ *shakes fist at the weather*
gardener_sandy
9 years ago
Blossom end rot (BER). Most often seen on tomatoes early in the season, just as the first ones are ripening. The Virginia Tech publication linked below gives details. Google to find pictures of BER on peppers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blossom end rot of tomato
woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
9 years ago
I'm not convinced it's BER.

Thanks for the better pic. That was the reason why I asked for a closeup.

It COULD be BER, but the beige portion leads me more towards what everybody else thinks.. sunscald. Happens more to large fruited annuums, like bells. Best way to deal with it is acceptance.. You're almost always going to get a fruit or 3 that get it. Another way is shade cloth -- Peppers love sun, but some shade cloth during midday will help.

If it's BER, you'll see see rotting at the tips on many, if not all, the fruit. Hard to deal with BER once it's there since most forms of Calcium take so long to break down and be usable. Bone meal(or lime, but lime raises ph) added months in advance of planting is recommended to gardeners with Ca deficiency.

Kevin

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES What's Wrong With My Plant? Leaves Often Hold the Clues

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Learn how to identify common plant ailments by reading their leaves

COLOR 8 Color Palettes You Can't Get Wrong

By Lisa Frederick

Can't decide on a color scheme? Choose one of these foolproof palettes for a room that feels both timeless and fresh

LIFE You Said It: ‘Every Room Should Have the Right Wrong Thing’ and More

By Becky Harris

This week on Houzz we were inspired to break out of catalog styling ruts and let our design freak flags fly

GARDENING GUIDES Summer Crops: How to Grow Peppers

By Marianne Lipanovich

Some like 'em hot; others like them sweet. With the incredible range of peppers available for home gardens, you can have your pick

SHOP HOUZZ Shop Houzz: Like Salt and Pepper

Cute and kitschy ways to say ‘I love you’ with themed salt and pepper shakers

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Cephalanthus Occidentalis

By Falon Mihalic

Buttonbush is an adaptable woody shrub with delightful pincushion flowers

GARDENING GUIDES Edible Plants That Double as Ornamentals

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Try growing these tasty plants with your ornamentals for an attractive garden and fresher meals

GARDENING GUIDES When and How to Plant a Tree, and Why You Should

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Trees add beauty while benefiting the environment. Learn the right way to plant one

WINTER GARDENING 7 Container Plantings to Bring Winter Gardens to Life

By Matt Kilburn

Adding instant color but with long-lasting practicality, these plant groupings are bright spots in a slumbering wintertime garden

HOUSEPLANTS 8 Essentials for Healthy Indoor Plants

Houseplants add so much to our homes — and can thrive when grown in the right conditions. Keep these tips in mind

Sponsored

WhislerHome Improvement

9 Reviews

Franklin County's Committed Home Improvement Professionals

More Discussions

How often to add soil sulfur?

5

Al's Potting Mix-pine bark fines

6

Corn seeds during a frost?

15

Planting beans in the same place twice in back to back year?

5

Does sevin work on bare dirt?

14