why do all my pepper plants keep dying!

12 years ago

This was supposed to be the year of the pepper for me! I grew a lot of peppers from seed, which was mostly a failure. Some died during the hardening off process, and most of the others wilted and eventually died. I bought a number of different hot peppers and bell peppers. I have them in a mix of pots and in the ground. Over the last several weeks, one by one, the pepper plants in the ground have wilted and died. Now, 2 of my potted peppers have wilted and died. All were looking great, then I'd look one morning, the plant would be drooping and by the end of the day it was clearly dead. I pulled up and inspected the roots, after reading about nematodes, but I had no nodules on the roots. I don't have spots on the leaves, the leaves are nice and green. I just don't understand what is going on. I don't over or under-water, which is what was suggested a week ago on the pepper forum. Here are pics of the latest victims, can anyone offer any possible cause? It just makes me want to cry. The first one died the next day.

{{gwi:88162}}

{{gwi:88164}}

{{gwi:88166}}

{{gwi:88168}}

Featured Answer

vgkg Z-7 Va

5 years ago

Once in a while a burrowing critter tears up the roots of a plant so badly that the plant wilts, but I see one of those peppers is in a container.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (15)

booberry85
12 years ago
They really do look either over watered or under watered.

If it's any consolation, I'm have a bad time with my peppers this year too (never had problems like this in the past). I think our lack of sun in April with so much rain and the last two months being the exact opposite has really taken a toll on a lot of plants - particularly tomatoes & peppers.

One other thought, it looks like your deck is a dark color. With the heat that we've been having, it can actually cook your plants and the soil (the dark deck color absorbing the heat & sunlight). I've been watering my deck plants almost every day. The garden gets watered twice a week, but I have clay soil which holds some of the moisture.
Belgianpup
12 years ago
When one of your pepper plants does it, don't be too fast to just pull it up.

Get a trowel and dig a trowel-wide hole near the roots, and about 6" down. Are you getting moist soil all the way down?

If it's dry at all, that could be the problem. Some soils just don't absorb water as well as the owners think, or they're just watering the top and not enough water is getting down to the roots.

If the soil is moist enough, they may be infected with Fusarium or Verticillium wilt. (see link below from Ohio State U.)

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Fusarium / Verticillium wilts
Related Discussions
Why Do My Cuttings Keep Dying?
Q
Comments (10)
The rooting of cuttings is energy-driven, and most houseplants 'peak' insofar as their energy levels are concerned in late summer, so late summer will find hobby houseplant growers realizing their highest strike %s if they follow a few simple guidelines. Oxygen is an element essential to the success of cuttings. You want LOTS of air in the medium you're using to root cuttings. Use a coarse medium that doesn't support perched water; or, if it does support perched water, be sure you use a container deep enough that the proximal end (closest to the roots) of the cutting is NEVER covered by a film of water. Think 'DAMP', not 'WET'. You'll also want to reduce the leaf surface area in most cases, eliminating some leaves or cutting them across the veins. This is to help reduce the amount of transpiration. If the plant can't keep up with the volume of water lost through foliage, the plant will SHED the foliage as a normal drought response, which is not conducive to rooting. Essentially, when you're trying to propagate cuttings, it's a race to establish a healthy hydraulic connection between roots and shoots before fungal organisms rot the plumbing. For that reason, try to steer clear of a medium that contains any form of mineral soil - garden soil, topsoil, unsterilized sand ...... Here is an effective way to keep humidity levels high & assure a high success rate: Neatly cut the top of a clear gallon jug. Stick your cuttings in a coarse, sterile medium like washed and screened perlite (in open shade). The plastic tray has holes in it so it drains after you water the cutting. After the cutting strikes, remove the screw on cap to allow more air circulation, then gradually remove the 'tent' entirely. I've probably done at least 100 cuttings to share already this summer using this or a similar set-up. Here is a Ficus microcarpa recently rooted under the milk jug for a friend. Notice the wick hanging down to drain excess (perched) water from the soil - practicing what I preach about the 'damp, not wet' thing. Let me know if you want a pic of some of the other cuttings done in such a manner; especially let me know if you have questions ..... Al
...See More
Why do some of my pepper plants have small leaves?
Q
Comments (4)
FWIW, my orange habanero this year grew up with the big chinense leaves. It squeezed out a big first flush, then a whole raft of new growth along with about 800 blooms. The new leaves were all a lot smaller than the giant old leaves, which are now deep in the foliage. Many are yellowing and falling off. The new leaves seem still to be growing so the size differential isn't as striking as it was at first. Plant is in a big (15 gal?) pot. Dennis
...See More
What am I doing wrong? All of my plants are dying!
Q
Comments (5)
Pictures are also helpful for us in figuring out what might be occurring with your plants. Don't give up. Gardening is complex but also simple; if you are persistent you will get something to harvest each year, even if it is different. The most likely issue with what you described is "hardening off," which is not getting the plants used to the conditions outdoors before moving them.
...See More
why do my plants keep being in bad condition
Q
Comments (24)
Water When the Top Inch or Two of Soil is Dry? I don't think so. Most growers unfamiliar with how water behaves in container media are prone to repeating the title mantra. But, if we were to look at some facts, first on the list would be saturated or partially saturated medium is limiting in a number of ways. Roots need an ample supply of oxygen in order that roots can function normally. Saturated soil surrounding roots limits oxygen required to drive root function, thereby impairing root efficiency and possibly setting the stage for any of a number of fungal pathogens that thrive in anaerobic (airless) conditions. Soil saturation limits gas exchange, so waste gases like methane and CO2 in the root zone are less able to leave the soil, also limiting root function; and, it kills the fine roots that do the lion's share of work involving water uptake and nutrient distribution. When this occurs, chemical messengers tell plant central injury to the root system has occurred. Top growth stops immediately, because root growth always precedes top growth – the top will not grow if the roots cannot support the growth with water/nutrients. The plant is then forced to regenerate dead roots, using energy which otherwise would have been devoted to additional top growth, keeping the plant's systems orderly, keeping the plant wearing a 'healthy glow', and improving the plant's ability to defend itself. In short, the wasted energy would have kept the plant looking/ growing better, and healthier. If a pot is 10” deep, the top 2” can feel completely dry to the touch, even while the bottom 6” is 100 saturated. That means 60% of the medium would be fighting you tooth and nail for control over the plant's vitality …… and this is the point at which you should water again? Does that sound reasonable? We don't care even a whit if the top 2" of the soil are dry. Roots there are largely plumbing and anchorage, with essentially none of the fine almost microscopic roots that do the lion's share of the plant's heavy lifting. Most of us who grow plants which don't provide food are doing so because we were born with a nurturing bone, and we're looking for the personal satisfaction that comes from knowing we're successful nurturers. Growing a plant that handles wet or dry conditions well doesn't mean we should test them to see what they'll tolerate, but it does mean you can and should let the soil dry down so you can only detect moisture (by using a 'tell') in the bottom inch or two of soil. Let me know if you're unfamiliar with the term 'tell'. ************************************************************************* Fear of failure limits our abilities. While it's often said that failure is just another opportunity to make a more intelligent start, it doesn't make sense to use failure and the disappointment that comes with it as a preferred method of acquiring knowledge. Trial and error is a painfully slow way to learn; and unfortunately, it takes a fair amount of knowledge to even identify or determine what mistake(s) led to the failure. The fastest way to advance in our journey toward green thumb status is by way of learning all we can about the plant and the science of growing as soon as we possibly can. Knowledge saves us from the punishment inherent in the error part of 'trial-and-error'. Some might say that growing is supposed to be fun and all that science baloney is a distraction; however, if we consider the reason we grow is for the personal satisfaction, the question becomes 'is there more personal satisfaction in failure after failure or in advancing from a rank beginner to the place where all the successes behind us, provided thanks to an improved set of knowledge and tools, combine to rightly allow us to expect further success in any subsequent growing adventure'? Learning first, then acting second to make use of time spent in practical applications to validate what we already learned is exponentially faster than trial-and error; and it provides us with a real opportunity to leave the trial-and-error crowd standing in our slipstream. Al
...See More
IfYouPlantThem
12 years ago
My pepper plants are doing the same!!!!
jsschrstrcks
12 years ago
It looks like over watering to me....

General rule of thumb is to only water when the leaves show the first sign of wilting... water for like 20 minutes and if after an hour they are still wilted then water another 20 minutes... Check again in an hour...

It ends up being that I only need to water about once a week, and only for about 20 minutes.

I have 34 varieties of hot peppers growing, and started them back around october :D.

There is a specific forum here on GW where the people specialize in peppers... You might think about asking there as well... Though you've already gotten some good advice from some of the previous posters.
Edymnion
12 years ago
Yup, that definitely looks like a watering issue. Peppers are pretty susceptible to overwatering, and the confusing part is that the symptoms of overwatering are the same as they are for underwatering.

Always let your peppers dry out and start to wilt a little before watering, then give them a good soak and go back to waiting for them to wilt again.
hardclay7a
12 years ago
At first glance it most certainly does look like a watering issue, but then why does the plant immediately next to it appear so healthy?
~Ken~
curt_grow
12 years ago
Mich I interplant Moss Rose with my peppers. The Moss Rose will wilt before the peppers when drying out. Kinda like an Organic early warning system. Your Peppers look over watered to me to. Mine are in a rock garden. That rock wall should help the peppers for tempature control

Curt
hardclay7a
12 years ago
I grow Jalapeno, Chile Grande, Cubanelle, Hungarian Yellow Wax, New Mex Sunrise, Colossal, California Wonder, Diamond, Golden California Wonder, Orange Sun, and Purple Beauty. In separate containers on a Deck. When my peppers start looking like the ones in the above photos it's because I haven't watered them enough. They all seem to require more water during periods of long, hot, days Regardless of variety. When watered and moved into the shade for a day they come right back. I'm not saying they can't show similar symptoms due to over watering, It's just that mine always wilt pretty much in unison With all varieties showing similar symptoms within hours of each other.
~Ken~
TheMasterGardener1
12 years ago
"General rule of thumb is to only water when the leaves show the first sign of wilting"

This is all you need to know!!!! ;)
Liam Gomersall
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I jtransplanted my cayenne pepper 2 days ago and I watered it in and its wilting and the soil is damp
theforgottenone1013 (SE MI zone 5b/6a)
9 years ago
Liam- Sounds like transplant shock. Was it a store-bought plant or did you start it yourself? How big was the plant? Was it hardened off prior to planting? And what are your temperatures like? If the soil is moist, don't water again until it dries out.

Rodney
planterjeff
9 years ago
Just wondering, what zone are you in? Are your nightly temps still in the 40's?
Jennifer Lachney
5 years ago
I have several rows of peppers they were all doing great but every so often we get one or 2 that wilt and die quickly. I can't figure it out.
digdirt2
5 years ago
" I would give it a bit of epsom salts to ward of the blossom end rot"

I'm sorry but epsom salts is magnesium sulfate, not calcium, and while it could perhaps provide some benefit if the plant shows symptoms of magnesium deficiency it offers no benefits against blossom end rot.

Dave

why do all my pepper plants keep dying!

vgkg Z-7 Va

Comments (15)

booberry85

Belgianpup

Related Discussions

IfYouPlantThem

jsschrstrcks

Edymnion

hardclay7a

curt_grow

hardclay7a

TheMasterGardener1

Liam Gomersall

theforgottenone1013 (SE MI zone 5b/6a)

planterjeff

Jennifer Lachney

digdirt2

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US