I had the same problem on my indoor pineapple plants a few years ago. It's a leaf fungus called Anthracnose. I used 70% neem oil to control it. Also, do not mist the leaves! It will spread the fungus. Here is a link that might be useful: Indoor Pineapple Culture

there could be a problem if all your leaves were curling up like that. but I have grown peppers also where you have the occasional leaf deformity or chile deformity with no problems otherwise. As long as the plants are healthy and growing, and yours certainly look that way, I wouldn't worry about it. kendra

As Daisy noted, Jalapenos vary from mild to fairly hot.> Jalapeño Compared to other chillies, the jalapeño heat level varies from mild to hot depending on cultivation and preparation and can have between 2,500 and 10,000 Scoville units. The number of scars on the pepper, which appear as small brown lines, called 'corking', has a positive correlation with heat level, as growing conditions which increase heat level also cause the pepper to form scars. For US consumer markets, 'corking' is considered unattractive; however, in other markets, it is a looked for trait, particularly in pickled or oil preserved jalapeños. The heat level of jalapeños varies even for fruit from the same plant; however some cultivars have been bred to be generally milder, and on the low side of the heat range, such as the TAM Mild's and Dulcito, and others to be generally hotter, and on the high end of the heat range, such as Grande. As the peppers ripen their pungency increases, making red jalapeños to be generally hotter than green jalapeños, at least of the same variety. If the jalapeño plants were stressed by increased salinity in the water, erratic watering, temperature, light, soil nutrition, by insects, or illness this will increase the pungency of the produced jalapeños.

The way you planted them is the problem. 1) You have them in buckets not getting sun and you have potting soil or garden soil on top of the native soil, which isn't necessarily bad but if you haven't prepared the native soil to allow the roots to make make an easy transition. You can try, but I doubt it will be a success, to transplant them into fresh buckets with holes drilled in the bottoms using a soilless potting mix. This time make sure you come to with a couple inches from the top with soil. If you want to protect them from dogs and children(whether in a container or in ground), throw a tomato cage around them. Note: Large fruited annuums, like New Mexican chiles, do much better in ground than in containers. So perhaps next year think about a raised bed or straight in ground or use containers that are bigger than 5 gal. buckets. Next, I have a few issues with chris051443's assessment. Sorry Chris :( I won't comment on the coco coir, since I've never used it but I've heard it's great at starting seeds. ----- 2) "I'd never use that amount its primarily used to retain moisture in smaller pots The degradation of the mulch will rob the plant of nitrogen as with any compost that still contains bark etc Mulcing is good for soil in small amounts it can also increase the soils bacterial content and the mulch will always be breaking down and releasing amounts of other nutrients and minerals. ----- Disagree entirely. a) It can be used in ground, in small pots, in raised beds, etc. to not only conserve water but to cut down on weeds, regulate soil temps, and add nutrients to the soil. b) Well aged mulch will NOT rob the soil of any nutrients. FRESH wood chips will, however, but even then it would have to be incorporated into the soil, which, at that time doesn't qualify as a mulch. Mulch is defined as lying on TOP of the soil, not be a part of. In any case, refrain from using FRESH wood chips on vegetables and other annuals and reserve them for perennials and tress. Better yet, age those chips. c) BARK does not rob the soil of nutrients. One reason why bark based soil mixes are so popular nowadays. Bark has great durability whether as the soil or as a mulch. The SAPWOOD(basically wood chips) found in many bags of bark does rob the soil of Nitrogen if used as a soil mix. Why it's always a good idea to sift out the sapwood when making a bark based soil. Used a a mulch though, the sapwood doesn't need to be sifted. 3) "Garden soil is always a must add component It contains a good biodiversity of bacteria and fungi" ----- This is true and should be reserved for just that--- the GARDEN. However, it's very difficult to maintain a healthy microherd bacteria and fungi)in containers unless they're very large containers. Stick to a soilless potting mix for containers or use large containers like half wine barrels. Something as large that temperature swings and water swings will still support the microherd. 4) "If I was you I'd repot with less thick mulch it can overload the soil with rotting type organisms which have been known to eat at the roots." ---- Thickness of mulch is not an issue and unless you're using diseased organic matter as your mulch, does not promote bad, unhealthy soil. I've mulched with a thickness of four inches or so before with no ill effects. However, you don't want mulch touching the stalk of your plants, so pull back on mulch about 3-4 inches from the stalk. 5) "PS mulch is no good for pots IMO if you want to cover the top to prevent mould etc you could use small pebbles" ----- Try telling that to my very healthy potted MULCHED plants. Also, I can see the merits of rocks as a mulch, but they heat up very high. And much like most of the growers in the U.S., we're looking to cool our soils a tad in the dog days of summer. I can see it's merits possibly in the spring when we're trying to warm the soil, but unless you live in a very mild climate or are an indoor grower, I just can't see it as an effective MULCH. Once again, sorry Chris. But mulch is your friend. Kevin