Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some input on my pepper plants. Last year all my vegetable plants were explosive in growth and produce. This year they’ve been a bit stressed by the early heat we’ve had (southern Ontario) but otherwise doing well. Everything from cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, garlic, and onions are doing well.

My pepper plants, on the other hand, look terrible.

Initially I thought they were just extremely stressed from the heat, but I noticed a few of them (not pictured) are doing fine. What clicked in my head today is that the ones that are doing ok I grew from seed, and the rest are from garden centres (a semi-private one and a commercial one).

From my zero-level knowledge and subsequent Googling the answer is:

  • Too much heat
  • Too much water
  • Too little water
  • Exposure to herbicide

It’s the last one that really raised my eyebrows, and seems to fit based on photos.

Anyone have any insight on this? Thanks in advance.

  • KrauerkingEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    It’s been providing shade and you have been providing plenty of moisture for them to grow even on hot days. That and the incredibly spacious fresh wood mulch there is acting as a great grow medium for them.

    Seriously that’s was a lot of mulch and I question how deep you got those roots in actual soil.

    New growth is pretty much always where you will see growth issues. You look to old for mold and pests. You could try shaking a leaf over white paper and checking for broad mites but I’m betting on roots. Maybe they got root bound in the pots.

    • CeeBee_Eh@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      So I decided to sacrifice one of the gnarlier plants to see what I can find. Here are the images:

      https://postimg.cc/gallery/N2XxkkY

      The roots did shoot out beyond the bulb, there was a lot of pulling and tearing as I was lifting it out. But I also noticed that some of the stems are woody and brown. My neighbour said that she noticed the “stinging bugs” are exceptionally bad this year.

      • KrauerkingEnglish
        2·
        2 months ago

        Roots should be over 2 feet long on a healthy plant.

        Looks like you probably had lateral growth trying to pull nutrients but wasn’t getting deep enough to pull any real nutrients.

        Stinging bugs are great and not the types that eat plants. They even often help eat the things eating plants. If you were seeing growth issues on the other peppers I’d say bugs but you aren’t sonits likely the plant and seems like a root and nutrient deficiency.

        I’d say still just top the offending plants and just burn or throw away the parts you clip. Then apply a generous glug of liquid fertilizer so it gets down through the 6 inches of mulch and then back off watering to every few days or more but water deep to get the roots fully damp.