Yes! I have researched this same issue too as a couple of my 70 plus pepper plants (probably 40 different varieties) show the intensely crinkly leaves as well. The causes others have suggested don't really seem to be correct as one of my plants showing the worst crinkling actually has had the best and earliest fruit set and is literally falling over from the weight of the peppers on it (trinidad perfume in a pot) and my other trini perfumes in the ground aren't crinkly at all. Odd, def not pests, def not fert burn and I doubt a nutrient deficiency since it is bearing so well and has been potted in the same mix and treated exactly the same as my other 10 or so superhots and seasoning varieties. I recall this plant was crinkly right from the small seedling size and now it is 2-3 feet so maybe something to do with seedling conditions?

Here it is. You can't see the fruit but there has to be 30 plus peppers under there!

I have several dozen pepper plants and about a dozen varieties and I only have one ghost and two habenero that this happens to. They were all planted in the same soil mixture, watered and fed the same, but I have the couple with crinkly leaves. I wonder if it has to do with the amount of sun/water mixture, (they aren't all in the same size pots). I moved the ghost out of the direct sun into partial and it seems to have gotten darker color on the leaves and the newer leaves seem to have less/no crinkling. One habanero is in a smallish terra cotta pot and that was very crinkled, but plenty of fruit. Everyday those plants that crinkled have the leaves curl up tight in the hot sun until I drench them. That is what prompted me to move them to a less open area.

I don't know if it is a coincidence or not, but there is a noticeable change.

Did we get a consensus? Is it that they are getting too much sun? Here are pictures of several pictures of pepper plants right next to each other (in ground) with the same amount of sun, the same water, the same soil (only difference that could be the tiny differences from one spot to the next):

a Trinidad Perfume:

another Trinidad Perfume right next to it, much less wrinkled:

So what causes it?

K.

Really interested as well. I'm having the same issues with some of my peppers along with some brugs. Could this damage come from broad mites? If so does anybody know of any safe natural or organic ways to stop them?

Sugi, what is the Korean pepper you are growing?

Thanks,

K.

Geez, your Zavory and Scotch Bonnet are stunning. I'd grow those just for ornamental even if they gave me toads for peppers. Very nice work, Kat! These were not affected by your monster invasion, I take it?

The Korean pepper is one called "put peppers"--though there are quite few variations of put peppers. They're large, thin-skinned and usually the ones served with Korean barbecue in restaurants to dip in soybean paste or red pepper paste. Adds a nice, juicy spark to your meat and rice. :)

I don't think I can agree with the sun issue. It'd be one thing if we were in a massive heatwave but right now, it's ideal pepper weather at about 85-90 daily. The Datil I suspected also might have this condition (and it does--both of them) is in the ground whereas the other ones are in pots. They all have varying degrees of sun, give or take an hour but they've had this since the seedling stage.

Basically, none of my Serranos, Takanotsume or Thai peppers show this condition, but both Datils, one Tabasco and the Korean pepper do.

If it's an invisible mite, it could be that. If it's something I cannot see despite peering in, I'd say it's possible. I've looked up, down, in and out on these plants and there is nothing visible, though I can clearly see something is taking a nibble out of the leaves of my Korean pepper....the holes and all. But whatever it is, it ain't on the plant when I am looking. But I did find a dead hornworm on this plant...something killed it, not sure what LOL.

But--since the CalMag+, I've given them one more feeding of just that and water and then yesterday, fertilized with just Foliage Pro mix.

All in all, there IS some improvement, I *think*.

Korean Pepper:

It has grown a LOT.

And a closeup of the leaves, which I believe are showing some improvement in the tiny new growth, no?

And the slowest -growing Tabasco in history:

If you can see that tiny new growth, it looks better than the leaves that grew right before it. But for this one, it's too early to tell since it's only grown a little bit since I started this thread. This is the same Tabasco pictured in the original posting.

And...well, me being me, I took the Datil that showed this and topped it, LOL. It was setting flowers but getting progressively crinklier on top. So I removed the buds and took it off the bottom. Forgot to take a before shot, but here's the "top" that got topped:

I have one more Datil in the ground so I'm not too worried. But I think, given the number of leaves, this will work out well for at least the original plant. Too early to speak for the topped portion.

I guess for the time being I will continue to give it CalMag+ as the slight improvements I am seeing seem likely to be on account of that? I suppose whatever I am doing is preventing calcium uptake because FP has Ca and Mg. For what it's worth, I have refrained from watering the affected plants with just water; each time I've watered, it's had something in it. I've also cut back on the watering a bit. What used to be once every 2 days is now once every 3-4 days.

Could we all be overwatering our peppers?

I am prone to overwatering though this year, I have really tried to hold back. I find it a little hard to believe that the nutrients in Foliage Pro were not ENOUGH, since it's not like they need a tremendous amount of Cal or Mag, so I have to think we/I did something that prevented the uptake of Ca and Mg in the fertilizer, if this is, in fact, a nutrient issue...which is far from proven as of yet.

Whenever I am puzzled by a food crop garden issue I always reach out to my local Ag extension office at one of the universities here in Sask. They love talking to the public about this kind of stuff. I would do it with this issue but this ain't exactly pepper growing territory up here! Do you have any pepper crop specialists in Cali at any of the universities? They may be able to help.

Hi Sugi, you make me blush with your compliments :) Thank you!

(Those plants are still standing. But last night the monster came again and broke the top off (no leaves left, just a few inches of lower stem) of two pepper plants and 2/3 of that Scotch Bonnet plant. It broke off peppers from other plants and mauled them but did not eat any greens or peppers. And this is after it had all the food and water I put out. And it is after my partner caught 4 raccoons and 2 opossums and had them removed. There is at least one animal left. The mind of this animal befuddles me. In general animal do not walk around destroying their food source or damaging plants without a clear intention. Its messed up! And very smart, it can cleanly break off branches and tops of plants like it has fingers and pruners but for no understandable reason.....Its depressing. I have no problem with having animals in my yard or them taking some of the food I am growing but this animal is a crazy, violent, lunatic that just destroys.)

About the leaves: I am still confused about those leaves. Clearly its not solely sun or water or nutrients because its happening to us seemingly for different reasons and it is particular variety of peppers being more vulnerable to it and an individual plant of that variety becoming susceptible due to something or other happening to it. Then I don't know if the plant ever recovers. It can go through cycles where it seems to get better then becomes very crinkly again.

For me it does seem like over watering. There is plenty of moisture and nutrients in the soil but the leaves are a little crispy (and some even fall off) and look like they need water and feeding. (Whereas all the other pepper plants are looking green and healthy) I think these plants do need feeding because they are not able to transport the water and nourishment from the soil. Like you said they roots are drowning. Yet these plants are no more watered than are my other pepper plants or less fed. Maybe calcium and magnesium are the first to become low in this case?

For me the two varieties that are worst hit are Trinidad Perfume (like hobbyartisan) and Peri Peri. My Brazilian Star Fish seems to be becoming crisp and wrinkly too. For the time being the Trinidad Perfume is growing and setting fruit but looks terrible.

How I wish I could do something. If water is such a problem how do I even feed it?

Sugi, where do you get seeds for the Korean Put pepper? I looked it up and would like to try to grow it next year.

Actually your plants don't look that bad at all.

K.

Sugi, again completely off topic. You know so much about chili peppers....and also Korean peppers. Do you know of and can you recommend a brand of the Korean hot red pepper flakes, Gochugaru? I just started using it and like it quite a lot. It is only mildly hot and loads of flavor and beautiful color. I understand quality and taste can vary very wildly. I got a packet from Chinatown and its good but from what I have tasted in good Korean food the flavor can be better I think. What I have says it is a product of China and has added salt. It is a little dry and not moist like what I have seen in cooking shows.

Thanks so much!

K.

Hi Kat!

Sorry, I keep meaning to reply to this and get sidetracked mid-reply, and then eventually I lose the tab I was using.

To be clear, it's totally not that I know my peppers. I've grown my fair share, but this year and this yard is really making me think I lucked out to this point LOL.

But Korean food, I know.

You try and avoid Chinese peppers if at all possible. The pollution there renders many of their version of peppers subpar, according to Koreans. (I'm sure the Chinese will disagree!) In Korea, there are multiple pepper varieties that are used for gochugaru, but one of th most desirable is the Yeongwol pepper. I've never seen the seed in the U.S. That said, like all things, the terrain will affect the taste, for better or worse.

They look like this:

The bigger issue is that there's no way to tell what the "Korean Hybrid" peppers are in Korean once they get marketed here. The one I planted is called Hanyang Put Gochu, meant for fresh green consumption. That, I got from A local Korean market that sells some Korean vegetable seeds.

I usually just buy Yeongwol gochugaru when I go to Korea, though usually, you have to be careful where you buy it, as they will try to sell any gochugaru as Yeongwol. :) I have some left from my last trip and can send you some if you want to try it. If I run out, and can't plant a trip back in time, I can also get friends and family in Korean to mail some over. Really pricey but totally worthwhile due to varying layers of flavor--good depth, sweetness and relatively good color. (Sometime, cheap gochugaru has better color due to dyes.)

In larger Korean markets, you will usually have 5-10+ choices, to, of powdered chili peppers. In 90%+ of cases, the most expensive one IS the best. Considering the same volume, my stores here carry anywhere from $6.00 per bag to $28-33 per bag. It is safe to assume that the priciest ones taste the best in MOST gochugaru examples.

I have....I think I have two packets of Korean seeds here. One is for Hanyang (leftovers from planting 2 this year) and one is for a Korean hybrid I got from I think Kitazawa, which I eventually did not plant at all due to space. Want to try those? I am happy to send you some---germ rates are usually great from Kitazawa. The latter should be good for gochugaru.

I guess I will try to reach out to my cousin to see if he can find my some Yeongwol seeds for next year. If he can, I can send you a packet. Personally, you need so much peppers to make enough gochugaru to use (for me) that it's impossible for me to grow that many plants her. I'd have to move to a farm or take out the lawn.

Incidentally, the crinkly leaf issue has mostly straightened out in the new leaves, like I mentioned it often does with time. If it is overwatering, that would make sense, because I really get sick of gardening in general in this heat LOL, so later in the season, I usually water much less. I want to, but if it's me or the peppers, I choose me every time.

It's completely gone on the put pepper, and despite having harvested quite often, it's time to do it again.

Hi Sugi!

don't I know about losing tabs. It happens to me all the time. Monday night I wrote out this long post to share with you then I lost it. And it was past midnight.....

Thank you for the tips for purchasing Gochugaru. I haven't actually been to Korean market yet. There are many around here and I want to get quite a few things. We are liking Korean food more and more, its going to be fun.

You are a dream to want to share precious seeds. Maybe when I am ready to germinate again? Meanwhile let me look if I can find a source I can buy from, I don't want to dig into your stash even though you are being so generous. I would be interested in both the green and red types. I will keep in mind Yeongwol and Kitazawa and Hanyang Put Gochu.

The reason I wanted to grow Gochugaru is because I wanted to have the red peppers fresh. I imagine they would be delicious fresh if the powder is so fragrant and tasty. So are the ripe peppers had fresh as well as dried and powdered? For me too, I could not grow these peppers for powder. One uses the powder by the tablespoonful's!

Your put peppers looks amazing. I hope you are enjoying them! I would definitely want to try to grow something like that.

I can't do anything right about the wrinkling and crinkling of leaves. The issue has got me completely beat. maybe its not yet the right time for me to solve the problem.

K.

Sugi, I made Green Chili Pepper Pancake, Gochujeon, yesterday. Maangchi of course. She must be a national icon by now. First time I made Korean pancakes. They were delicious. I used Spanish Spice, sort of a mild green pepper, from my garden. No where as flavorful as green peppers can be. I imagine the put peppers would be far better in these. Next year I am definitely trying put peppers.

K.

You are so cute, Kat. :-)

True put peppers are really not great for cooking, though. I much prefer serranos or something with more crunch than put peppers which are commonly consumed fresh with dipping sauce. At best, when I use put peppers (because that's all I had, for instance), it will be to put on the top of a any kind of jeon, rather than in the actual mix....cut evenly and made into a flower, for example.

That said, while you are calling a pancake "gochujeon" and in theory, it can be as you can call it ____ jeon depending on the main ingredient, but the real gochujeon can be made with put peppers and looks like this:

Because the put "gochu" (pepper--in Korean) is so thin, you need not even cook the pepper side. About 90% of the time I make this, I use Jalapenos just because it's bigger and meatier so I can stuff them with more than the narrow put peppers, but it requires cooking on both sides to cook down the actual pepper side. These, as you can see, do not. :-)

Sugi, I am so sorry I am taking so long....I was away for a while and then my computer was not allowing me to post....Thank you for your continued in put. I did not know put peppers really were not for cooking. I can well imagine though that some peppers would just be better fresh. Nothing would give me pause from trying the put peppers next year if I have time to garden. I am enjoying peppers through and through. Meanwhile I have made pepper pancakes quite a few times with different types and mixes of green peppers, and not tired of it at all. On a real Korean food roll here! and loving it! Lots of Kimchi too. I haven't yet tried the second type of pepper pancake you have shown. But I surely will try it.

K.

Did you guys ever figure out what the wrinkling is coming from? My Havana seasonings started wrinkling like crazy and I'm flummoxed. I don't think it is bugs. I haven't found any bugs and no stippled leaves that I'd expect from mites. Just wrinkles. Heat? Was wondering what you came up with.

Marianne: at least I did not figure it out. My plants are getting worse and worse. No insects here either that I can tell. It was not watering either because I held back, way back and nothing really changed. Plant are continuing to deteriorate. I will post some pictures and let you know if anything works.

(By the way, I read where you wrote somewhere, that you dry your habanero peppers for flakes for Caribbean cooking. I dream of the day I will have enough habanero peppers for drying and cooking. This is the first time I ate habanero peppers and I am hooked. I love, love the flavor. Its new to me, its warm in the most wonderful way. I tasted the flavor neat in one lonely bright yellow Trinidad perfume I got, right off the plant. Wow that's special.)

K.

I didn't figure anything out either but my affected trini perfume continues to be my best yielding pepper plant this year and is still pumping out and setting fruit! It is still wrinkly but since yield has not been affected I'm not that concerned. Definitely not pests and I can't see it being a nutrient deficiency since I have been very generous with a wide assortment of ferts, foliage pro, fish fert, mag cal, dyna gro grow, etc. plus ample waterings to drain any salts. I guess I give up! Maybe just an odd genetic variation?

Interesting it seems to be mostly chinense varieties. Mine are seasoning peppers and are finally starting to thrive despite their crinkles. Dunno! They were totally normal but doing poorly due to heat and then finally woke up around the same time they crinkled.

Having a usable amount of peppers is worth going for again, even if it means waiting until next year. I only flaked about 20 peppers this spring but it will last until probably next spring--I don't use a ton because I stress the plant to breaking so the peppers are very hot. I'm so proud of that plant for not dying--it hates my climate and turns white from the heat & alkalinity but when it cools off & gets some chelate it is ready to go all over again. Right now it is turning green and trying to grow buds. Yay! So, don't give up despite your learning experiences this year. Try again next year, you'll get your bucket of peppers yet!

I can't say for sure either. All of the affected ones are growing and growing big, at that, but despite the leaves looking okay when emerging, they also become crinkled. Given that they are growing sturdily and budding massively--and this, in spite of the 105* heat right now that is killing me--I can't complain.

Hobby, it'd be much easier for me to accept "genetics" if other folks' same variety of peppers did this, AND if some years, I didn't have any that did this. I always seem to have this each year with at least one or two pepper plants, not varieties. And like I said in the original posting, it doesn't really seem to affect production overall, though it's hard to imagine why not since they look so crinkled.

I'd post a photo...but like I said, it's 105 out there and I'd rather stay indoors, thanks. LOL

OK, some photos!

This is the Datil I topped. It's growing nicely but definitely, it still has the problem.

But check out its sibling from the same seed packet, but in the ground. This is what leads me to believe it's something specific to (1) containers and (2) me.

Then there's the Tabasco, growing fine and budding nicely....but it's definitely not cured of whatever is causing it:

And the one that showed the curly leaf syndrom but then healed itself -- the Korean Put Pepper, and I have NO idea why:

None of my Thais, Serranos or Takanotsume show this issue. I have in Tabasco that is fine also.

Here's my Taka, just to show I do have some normal looking children LOL.

And a Thai pepper of some sort that I love:

Yes, I know I need to weed. I would swear that this is one of the three reasons I pay a gardener to come to my yard weekly. He seems to agree with only two of his functions....