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help needed -) seedling leaves turning purple! w/ pics

14 years ago

Greetings...of my 73 seedlings, around 10-15 have developed purplish leaves. Please take a look at the below pics and if you have any ideas what's going on here, let me know. I have no idea. These are 3 different cultivars in the pics below, from 3 different vendors.

- these seedlings are ~ 25 days old

- they've been watered moderately, 3 times

- they've received 1/2 strength 2-3-1 fish/seaweed fertilizer, twice. 1 tsp per gallon.

- they were transplanted from seedling tray to 4" pots, 3 days ago, and put under a new, much stronger set of T5 lights at a close distance.

Some sort of sunscald from the new bright lights? Should I pull the lights up a few inches?

Help! Thanks

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Comments (6)

willardb3
14 years ago
It's a normal chile plant reaction to too much light.
sambo725
14 years ago
Here in Florida my plants did the same thing when I started to harden them off. They did well in the shade but as soon as they hit the direct sun light a lot of leaves got a purplish orange tint to them. I don't know if a florescent light could do that, but that is what my plants looked like when they hit the direct sun. My plants were almost a foot tall when I started to harden them off, they are fine now.

Sam
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I entered a discussion about purple leaves in Capsicum last spring. Following is part of what I wrote. You can review the entire thread if you follow the link below: The most common cause of purple leaves (very common at this time of year)[I wrote this last Apr] is a deficiency of phosphorus (P) because P is required to make ATP and ATP is needed to turn sugars to starch and to load sugar into phloem for transport. No P - no ATP - no move sugars/starches - anthocyanin (purple pigment) builds up - plant turns purple. The most frequent cause of a P deficiency is cold soils, which is why so many plants planted out too early turn purple. A P deficiency is not the only suspect cause of purple leaves. Nearly any environmental condition that puts the brakes on growth and the accompanying use of sugars, but does not limit sugar production (photosynthesis) can cause anthocyanin buildup and purple leaves. If only the outer edges of the leaves are purple, it may be a K or Mg deficiency. If the center of the leaves are also purple, it could be too much Ca in the soil or the result of too much water in the soil blocking uptake of P and Mg. Do not apply a fertilizer with the middle number higher than either of the other two numbers (N & K) to container plants. There is never a need for that much P (relative to N) in container culture unless you're supplying only N in another form. Plants use about 6 times more N than P and the massive doses of P in 'bloom-booster fertilizers' cannot do any good. Al Here is a link that might be useful: I'll take you to the other thread, if you click me
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Couple of thoughts.......avoid any overhead watering. When you need to water, do so at the root zone and do so thoroughly. Excessive water on foliage can lead to fungal diseases and leaf spotting. Second, you may have over-amended. Soil conditions radically different from those the plant was grown in can lead to shock. Ideally, if amending is required, it should be done over the largest possible area, never just the planting hole. And never a good idea to fertilize immediately on planting - the plant can't metabolize it. The good news is there is nothing wrong with your plants. The purple-brown coloration is just a reaction to cold, common to many plants, especially if not acclimated to the area or with more foliage than established inground plants may have. The spotting may be just a touch of leaf spot but nothing to get concerned about. Just change your watering methods and pray for warmer weather :-))
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i agree with smoke as with some ornamentals some do have purple leaves, stems,stalk as well as fruit, i have bolivian rainbow very much like your pearl,also hot equidor, all have purple feature, there are a few more that do also, so yes its perfectly normal, ive seen black pearl and they are purple, there a nice plant!! hope this help some your friend joe
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RE: original topic... 3-5 cups per day is a bit too much water. Otherwise, that's simply the plant's behavior. The leaves get like that due to sun exposure. As long as they aren't wilted or drooping or turning white or black, they're fine. As for the blooms, they can turn brown or limp around the edges of the petals, especially if in direct sunlight. Also, hydrangea blooms tend to turn brown as they age. I theorize you got this as a gift or otherwise from a florist source. It will behave like this when subjected to natural conditions 100% of the time, especially when raised in unnatural conditions (a.k.a. Greenhouses). Growth and blooms that occur in natural conditions will be more apt to handle them. Also, fair warning, if you plant a "topiary" hydrangea "tree", it will come back as a regular hydrangea with a dead stick in the middle next spring. This forum really needs sticky threads on Florist Hydrangeas and winter hardiness. Who's with me?!
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heirloom_heir
14 years ago
so I live in florida as well, i started my peppers directly in the ground and they seem to be doing just fine(no purple or orange color on yhe leaves.... my only question is will they do ok through the summer? i would imagine that most peppers are tropical and i should not have any problems, as this is my first time growing in south florida.... thanks for any input....
heirloom_heir
14 years ago
so I live in florida as well, i started my peppers directly in the ground and they seem to be doing just fine(no purple or orange color on yhe leaves.... my only question is will they do ok through the summer? i would imagine that most peppers are tropical and i should not have any problems, as this is my first time growing in south florida.... thanks for any input....
cyrus_gardner
14 years ago
I have found out that different kinds of peppers have differen colors
in their leaves. For example, cubanelles are yellow-green, some small chilies turn brown,
habaneros are medium green, most bells are dark green.
sambo725
14 years ago
Peppers will grow just fine in south florida, but they like more shade then you would think. The afternoon sun in Florida can be brutal. If you can position your plants to get sun from 7am to 1pm, they will do great. 1-5pm direct sun in flordia can be too much, and be sure to use mulch.

Sam

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