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elyseee22

Emotionally invested in a dying ghost pepper plant...

elyseee22
10 years ago

Could somebody please help me?! I have been growing this ghost pepper plant since September! It was doing great but after i repotted it, all the leaves shriveled up and it's dying now.... It's one of my first plants and I feel like a failed parent right now...I'm so upset. Can somebody tell me what I did wrong (besides getting emotionally attached to a plant)

Comments (15)

  • elyseee22
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    ALSO, this is what it used to look like

  • peppernovice
    10 years ago

    That pot looks awful big for that plant. It looks like it needs to be watered. Did you moisten the soil before re-potting? How much have you watered recently? I see a damp spot around the soil, but the soil over all looks pretty dry. If the plants roots are too small to reach the lower half of the pot, it may not be getting any water. Can you give us some more info. ?

    Tim

  • ab2008
    10 years ago

    Hey there! Welcome to the forum! Did you happen to fertilize, water too heavily or lightly? Any pics of progression, or did it just kind of do it overnight? How about light and temperatures?

  • elyseee22
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    hey @peppernovice,
    The people at the store said i needed a big pot cause the roots would need the room. he also didnt see the plant itself. everyone seems to think that i was over watering it, so i slowed to every 3-4 days. also they said it wasnt getting enough sun so i set up one of those super bright sun lamps...almost immediatly (a few hours) after repotting it started wilting (i thought it was just stressed) also the medium it used to be in wasnt soil, but some sort of shiny...stuff. idk it came in the mail to be honest. i didnt moisten the soil before repotting, i used organic neutral soil with a little lime in it. (again, what everyone told me to use) as you can see im clueless...also should i give up? is this the end? or is there some fight left in the little guy?

  • habjolokia z 6b/7
    10 years ago

    Bright sun lamp popped out as a possible cause of the issue, especially if it puts out heat, it would seem depending on how close it was to the plant and if the light puts out heat you could have cooked it. I use florescent lights they generate low to very low heat and place it close to the plant. I had used in the past a grow bulb that put out heat and had to keep well above the plant.

    Mark

  • elyseee22
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    hey mark, well turns out the bulb popped last night anyway so i went back to a regular lamp with a mirror on the top (to reflect the light down) which had seemed to be working well before. unfortunately, my plants condition has since deteriorated from when i originally posted but since the bottom is still a little green, im holding on! thanks everyone

  • sunnibel7 Md 7
    10 years ago

    I think you may have potted up to soon, and judging from the pictures were overwatering it before that (not too bad, but probably consistently). So the extra stress of transplanting, plus possible cooking... The outlook isn't good. In the future, find another way of judging when to water, doing it on a schedule doesn't really work for plants. I judge how heavy the pot is freshly watered, then wait for it to start to feel uniformly light (as opposed to bottom heavy) then water. Others use a chopstick or skewer stuck in the pot and pull it out to see how far down the soil has dried. And I pot up based on how the roots look. If it is getting crowded in there I pot up, if there is still a lot of loose soil, I leave it be.

  • elyseee22
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    So it's official...I'm calling it... I'd say the plants "pushing up daisies" but that'd be an improvement. I'm going to need some time to mourn before buying more seeds but thanks to all of your advice I'm sure te next plant will be a little more successful.

    On a side note, Anyone know where I can get seeds?

  • ab2008
    10 years ago

    If you need ghost pepper seeds, I have, and I'm sure a lot of others have some. Shoot me an email letting me know what you need.

  • DMForcier
    10 years ago

    The "before" picture shows a plant with a nutrient issue. See how the new leaves are pale and the old leaves are pale around the edges? I can't remember which nute that is a sign of (manganese?) but I'm sure someone will chime in shortly. Edit: Potassium.

    Sorry for your loss. Next time plant 12 seeds so you can get 2-3 good plants. And don't name them.

    This post was edited by DMForcier on Sat, Apr 6, 13 at 15:33

  • ab2008
    10 years ago

    DMF,

    They did say they had the plant since September. Shouldn't it have grown more than it had? I mean heck, my ghosts were planted at the end of february, and are already twice the size of this plant and just indoors... Perhaps it was indeed lack of sufficient nutrients to keep up the good fight..?

  • ab2008
    10 years ago

    Elyseee,

    I got an email, but unable to respond since it was on gardenweb. Let me know an address and I will get the seeds in the mail tomorrow.

  • ab2008
    10 years ago

    Edit- double post

    This post was edited by ab2008 on Sat, Apr 6, 13 at 0:17

  • DMForcier
    10 years ago

    Elyseee, you need to set your email address "visible to members", then send again so ab can reply to it.

  • sacratomato70
    10 years ago

    Sorry for your loss, but be proud of your accomplishment. I hear its a challenge to grow Ghost peppers from seed because of their slow germination and slow grrowth. Another factor is that your plant may also went into transplant shock. Usually this happens within the first 24 hours and the first signs is the plant is wilted. When I pot up, I try to do it when the roots are drier before the next watering is due. Once, I transplant them, I water using a Vitamin B1 solution formula for transplants. It works well in that it minimizes the shock on the root system and the plant will not wilt usually. Also, pepper seedlings do not like excessive amounts of water. Every few days with just enough to moisten the soil is sufficient. A little water goes a long way with peppers and they do not like wet feet so much. They like to dry out between waterings.
    Also, air and humidity play a role as well. If your surroundings are higher in humidity or if you live in a climate with frequent rain or moisture, it does affect your plants and the more frequent waterings
    your plants may be at a higher risk of dampening off which is the ultimate death sentence for seedlings. It is a delicate balance, and aftergrowing seedlings for over 10 years indoors, in a garage, and in a greenhouse, Iam always learning something. Dont give up...try again and plant lots of seeds if you can. That way if you end up losing some, you would still get a few good plants. Good luck

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