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Vegetable Gardening

Green Bell Peppers not growing, leaves curling up

8 years ago

My first garden, I started it with "advice" from the local nursery. Most everything is thriving now (Spinach, Lettuce, Beans, Cucumber, Carrots, Tomatoes, various herbs) but the Pepper plants I put in from seedlings in 3" peat pots are not growing. I put them in May 3 along with the tomatoes since the weather had warmed nicely here in New York.

I have read about the problems with peat pots so will avoid next time, but the tomatoes were also in peat pots and while it took a while those have really taken off now. The leaves don't seem to have any disease, they are still pretty much the same color they were, just curling up a bit. I have a drip irrigation setup and the soil is always damp right to the stem of the plant so it doesn't seem to be under watering. Could be over watering from what I have read here? There are small sprouts of leaves in the center but they don't seem to grow. am I just impatient and have to let it go or is there something I should do to help them?

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Comments (6)

Peter (6b SE NY)
8 years ago
Peppers don't like consistently damp soil. They really like to dry out between waterings. So yes I think overwatering is one of the issues.

If you put them in May 3rd, they were also exposed to extreme cold (low 40's), which at the least could have delayed their progress.

The peat pot could also be a part of your problem, but as it is probably one with the rootball at this point, there might not be anything you can do.
Stu Zone 7a NY
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Peter, I will let them dry out a bit then. I had originally suspected under watering at first so was giving them extra right at the stem thinking the peat pot was blocking the watering system- so I probably made it worse.
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heartsy, I tend to agree with Al above for the most part. However, if they are indeed a deep green color and appear to be still putting out top growth that is not yellowing, I would first start looking for black flies as these are common in your part of the country. Black flies are minute flies that will hide on the under sides of the leaves. Because of the small size of these insects, you will need to get very close and be looking for them as they will appear to be tiny black specs and fly off as soon as the leaf is disturbed. Insecticidal soap sprayed particularly underneath will control these. The other thing I would suspect in your part of the country would be "pepper blight" which will cause leaves to crinkle and curl under or two or three other blights that affect peppers, tomatos and potatos. You might try removing all affected leaves and disposing of them into the trash (DO NOT COMPOST THEM). Sometimes the plant will outgrow the blight if you are are diligemt about removing infected parts early. As to a nutrient issue, a simple but complete soil test as provided by your local extension service will provide an excellent answer to this question. Feel free to contact me for more information if you like or if you would like assistance finding your local extension service.
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Peter (6b SE NY)
8 years ago
The peat pot does wick the moisture away from the roots, so keep an eye on them.
wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
8 years ago
Peppers don't like to be crowded up. They like warm soil. My peppers set out about May 8th are dark green and growing.
Stu Zone 7a NY
Original Author
8 years ago
Well, I think it is solved. Saw some nice pepper seedlings at the nursery that looked a whole lot better than mine after 3 weeks so decided to just pull them out. Sure enough, they came out easily and the peat pot had only a couple thin roots that made it out, everything else was balled up inside. So replaced them with new peppers, but decided to try and see if I could save these as well. Peeled off the peat pot from each- was surprisingly not that interwoven with roots- and replanted. Probably a lot for some pretty sick peppers to endure but will see what happens. Thanks for the suggestions!
Peter (6b SE NY)
8 years ago
They are definitely not beyond recovery. Good luck!

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