Having issues since we moved to Texas with getting pepper plants to live. Bell pepper and jalapeno's both seem to live for 4-5 weeks, bloom, set on small peppers and then the leaves all fall off and they become a dead stick.
Thought maybe was mites but sprayed them with Neem oil afew times and no help, thought over watering but this year they are in buckets so with drain holes in the bottom so doubt that is the case. I'm stumped and my peppers are pretty much D I B.....(dead in buckets).
Have tomatoes and some oriental vegetables growing in the same buckets and same soil and they are going gang busters. Have never had issues with pepper plants before. Thought maybe it was where I got them but last year got em at walmart and this year home depot. Can take pics but basically leaves wilt and then fall off at the stem of the plant. Before new foliage was stunted and curled abit.
Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
I thought possibly over watering as well (and still could be it) but the miracle grow "garden soil" I put in my buckets is mainly wood chips and water runs basically out the bottom bout as fast as you pour it in. But think there is 6 buckets of peppers so will try backing off water on half of them to see what happens. I also think I'll get me some potting soil tomorrow and transplant acouple and see if that changes anything as well.
I thought possibly over watering as well (and still could be it) but the miracle grow "garden soil" I put in my buckets is mainly wood chips and water runs basically out the bottom bout as fast as you pour it in. But think there is 6 buckets of peppers so will try backing off water on half of them to see what happens. I also think I'll get me some potting soil tomorrow and transplant acouple and see if that changes anything as well.
I think this is the key. The roots are not able to get enough "grip" to get moisture and nutrient uptake. Some potting soil mixed in will be the thing to do that.
Stick your finger down into the soil. If it feels wet you are overwatering. If the soil feels dry you need to put a saucer under the buckets to catch some of the water and let the soil absorb the water. Both over and under watering make plants look like they are shriveling and drying out.
Probably not under watering if the tomato plants look healthy and being on the same watering schedule. They absorb way more water than peppers do so would be shriveled up between watering. You should only water the peppers every second time you do tomatoes.
Also adding a good potting soil (not compost) and or some sand in the mix should help. Peppers are not heavy feeders until they are laden with fruit.
Our local plant columnist recently wrote an article entitled, "There should be some soil in bags of potting soil".
He was complaining about the fact that most commercial bagged potting soil is mostly ground up tree bark. There is rarely much real dirt in them.
That's what I find, too.
And I have noticed that potting soil sold in bags that are sold by weight have lots of water in them.
On the other hand, potting soil sold in bags that are sold by volume are usually dry and light (unless they have been sitting in the rain at the retail store and have little holes in them.
My wife buys the 3.8 cf bags of Pro Mix from a local greenhouse. It expands once the bag is opened to fill a large barrel sized container.
I run leaves and landscaping waste thru our chipper to help speed the decomposition. Looking at it piled in our compost bin afterwards, it appears to be about the same as a lot of the stuff sold at the home improvement centers.
Alice I think you hit the nail on the head when you said over watering. I had two dead ones today and dumped the buckets out, the "soil" had compacted and was pretty wet, not squeeze it water runs out wet but quite damp, squeeze it and its stays in a clump wet. I replanted a new pepper today with potting soil on top of half a bucket of the other mix and will water ever 3rd day or so and see how the new one does and stop watering so often on the ones still struggling along.
I appreciate everyone answering and helping me out. Thanks All
An update on this. Not sure anyone will read this but I figured out the issue with the plants. Lack of nutrients!! I started using Jobes Organic vegetable and tomato fertilizer on some other plants and decided to try on the peppers as they were pretty much on their death beds. Remarkable turn around on all of them. Peppers are now lush and green putting on new leaves and blooming again. It took 7-10 days before i started noticing much difference and in 3 weeks or so is a huge improvement. Just thought I'd follow up on this to let you know what I found out.
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