Plants don't age in the same way we think of people aging. Age in people is a described on a chronological basis, where plants age ontogenetically. This might be framed as, the parts that have taken the most cell divisions to produce are the plant's oldest parts; so strangely, the most recent part of the plant (say, a new branch high on the plant) to grow is the oldest part of the plant. The youngest part of the plant will be found in the root to shoot transition zone. This juvenile part of the plant is also nearly always the most vigorous part of the plant. Plants pass through life stages until they end up at the sexually mature stage. At that point they are capable of blooming/fruiting. Whether they DO or not is complicated and not entirely understood. Blooming and other environmental reactions of most healthy plants are primarily influenced by day length (technically it's night length), but more than a few plants are triggered by other factors, like moisture availability, temperature, predation. Some plants even seem to have an internal 'alarm clock' that acts as a trigger to bloom. There are species of bamboo that bloom as infrequently as every 130 years and when the bloom occurs, all plants of a given genetic origin bloom simultaneously, en masse (all at once), and this occurs regardless of environmental influences. Now, that a plant is capable of blooms/fruit doesn't mean it will produce same, no matter how much we hope. The factors that limit a plant's ability to bloom are as complicated as those that trigger blooming. The plant's internal chemical messengers that limit blooming is first influenced by the plants ontogenetic age, but then by health, stress, stored energy reserves, a significant number of environmental factors, and sometimes seemingly no more than a built-in piqued obstinacy that can be more irritating than Justin Bieber or the Kardashians, if that's even possible. How do I get it to bloom? Keep it healthy and let it do its thing. You can search online - there might be some simple ways to coax it to bloom exactly whenever it feels like it. How old does it have to be? The only age important to plants is what growth phase they're in. They have to be old enough chronologically to have reached sexual maturity. This is also complicated because the (ontogenetic) age of the parent plant from which the propagule (that is now your plant) was taken has to be a part of the equation. Example - a hawthorn tree from seed needs to survive around 20-25 growth cycles to bloom; whereas, a cutting from a blooming hawthorn tree can be counted on blooming within a few years if its state of vitality has been generally good. Al

I wouldn't fertilize now either. I agree rooting in spring has its benefits, but since you're trying to save the leaf at this time, you can't hold off till spring.. Like Rjm stated, diving the leaf is one way to root. Actually, I've seen pics of how rooting Sans is done..One leaf is cut into 2-3" pieces, set upright/angle in well-draining soil. The problem is, since your leaf is yellow, which normally happens when Sans are over or underwatered, this leaf may not root..When rooting, heatlhy foliage is recommeded..Neither the oldest nor youngest leaves are advised. I'm not saying your leaf is unhealthy, since it's still firm (no rot, right?) So, it might have a chance of survival with some work. It's also a good experiment. I wouldn't use the entire leaf to root. You've a better chance at success cutting into pieces. If you decide to go this route, there's no need for plastic (humidity) In fact, you want the soil to dry out to a degree, adding plstic will keep soil too wet. The best container is a small, shallow dish/tray. Set cuttings a few inches apart. Place tray in medium light (no direct sun) If you use Superthrive Hormone and Vitamins, add a small amount once a month..If you don't have/use Superthrive, perhaps a light dose of Fish Emulsion will help..a very light dose. Good luck, Toni

Hi - thank you all for your help and advice. So I've checked the soil under the surface and it's very damp. Initially when the leaves started turning yellow I mistakenly thought that they weren't getting enough water so made the problem worse. I'm going to try not watering them for a while (I'll try a couple of weeks as suggested). I've also loosened some of the soil up a bit to make it easier for the water to evaporate. The window is facing South-East so not ideal but the best one in the Apartment. I'm thinking of getting a grow lamp of some sort to help them out. How many hours of direct sunlight do they need? Or is the answer "as much as possible"? We're in Virginia and so they peppers are pretty warm through the day particularly when in direct sunlight. I guess it's fingers crossed now and see how they recover. I've been checking out a few of the pepper pictures on the board and am jealous - hopefully I'll be able to followup with some decent pepper pics of my own. Thank you again.

95% of the time yellowing of leaves on seedlings is due to over-watering. Cut your watering in half. You can transplant them into new, bigger containers with a mild fertilizer charge in the new mix if you can't plant them in the garden now. The yellow leaves will die and fall off but the new growth should be ok. Dave