Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
alexthehothead

Help! Chili plants in trouble! :(

alexthehothead
11 years ago

Hi everyone! New member here :) so I have a different couple of chili plants I started to grow. Everything's was going fine until I seen that some of the leaves started to roll up and turn brown, an one of my plants completely dropped down as if its dying :(. Idk what's going on with them I water them about every third or fourth day and feed them every time I water. I'm giving them miracle grow liquafeed and it says 9-4-9 on it. I may have overdone it 2 days ago but idk if that's why their the way they are now. I keep them inside the house at an even 70 degrees F and take them out when the sun is out. They're getting around 15-18 hours of light sometimes even 20. Could someone please help me is really appreciate it. Thank you.




Comments (24)

  • alexthehothead
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Here are some more pictures plus a picture of the feed


  • Edymnion
    11 years ago

    Off the top of my head, I'd say you mixed the fertilizer up too strong and you burned the plant.

    Good news is that it will rebound as soon as it regrows some new feeder roots.

  • alexthehothead
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Is there anything I can do for now?

  • alexthehothead
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you so much Edymnion I couldn't of asked for better detailed answer. :) now I know what to do thanks to you.

  • DMForcier
    11 years ago

    First thing to do is take those ripe pods off. Reduce the demand on the plant as much possible. It looks like you have only a few unripe pods so you could leave those.

  • robeb
    11 years ago

    "First thing to do is take those ripe pods off. Reduce the demand on the plant as much possible. It looks like you have only a few unripe pods so you could leave those."

    The ripe pods are not placing any demands on the plants. The plants are finished with those.

    The unripe pods are still pulling energy from the plant. I'd snip those off and wait for your plants to heal up. The advice given by Edymnion is how I'd try to save them.

  • alexthehothead
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Ok so I've been following edymnion advice and snipped off all the pods from all the plants. Hopefully I didn't damage them too much. Another question; should I trim/rip off any damaged leaves or stems? Especially on the plant on the 2nd picture from top to bottom.

  • Edymnion
    11 years ago

    No, leave the leaves on there.

    Even if they are damaged, they are still producing food for the plant. Once new leaves come in and it starts looking healthy again, then you can take the damaged ones off if they bother you, but the plant will know when the leaves are more trouble than they're worth and drop them on it's own if it needs to.

    Right now the best thing you can do is leave your plants alone and let them sort this out by themselves. I know, thats the hardest part, but our part is to provide the plants what they need and then to get out of their way. The more we mess with them, the more damage we typically do.

  • earthworm73
    11 years ago

    Prolly salt build up from the MG liquid in the soil. Get rid of that water retentive soil and replace it with one that allows excellent air exchange at the roots (search 5-1-1 mix here or in container growing on GW). Think about doing a soil flush once every 8-10 feedings or so. Water only when the soils needs it. Quit watering on a schedule. If your plants have not used all of the moisture from the last watering why would you water again just because its scheduled for a watering? Would you rather eat because you are hungry or because its scheduled? Use a wooded food skewer to check the soil at the root level for moisture. It it is damp don't water again until the skewer comes back mostly dry.

    Above all else quit using peat based mixes that hold to much water and salts. And if I were you I would quit using that MG fertilizer and instead use something with more ca in it. If you have a grow shop close to home they have plenty of other options for quality fertilizer which will give you better results than MG.

    2 cents

  • leafericson
    11 years ago

    I agree with earthworm, I would defiantly remove that soil. Looks like root rot to me not over fertilization because the leaves did not even get a chance to turn dark green from the center out. When you clean that bad soil off the roots get a good powdered mycorrhizal inoculant and powder the roots very well with it and also add it to your new well drained soil. Roots are the heart of any plant the dead dried up parts of the leaves are the way the plant responds to save its heart -the roots. I would trim off the dead parts of the leaves they are no use to the plant and will only hinder disease. Root rot is kind of like frost bite for a human; the plant will amputate its leaves to save its core just like our extremities loose circulation and will fall off to conserve heat for our internal organs.
    Hope that helps, good luck!

  • esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
    11 years ago

    That is always my thought. When someone suspects over use of nutrients or other chemicals I suggest re-potting the plant right away with new, clean soil. It could take weeks or longer for the nutrients to dissipate down to a normal level by themselves. It would also fix an over water problem immediately.
    Bruce

  • alexthehothead
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hey guys! Update 6 months later. Only 4 plants out of 9 survived :( BUT after taking your advice their healthier than ever!!! This past month they been growing chillies like crazy!! I'm just waiting for them to ripe up to start cutting them away. Thanks guys i couldn't of done it without you' I appreciate it alot

  • Khalid74
    9 years ago

    Hi! im new in this forum. My pepper plant is dying and dropping leaves, i think my plant is under attack with some kind of bugs. I have circle the same for your reference. Please tell me is it because of bugs attack or is any other reason.

  • Khalid74
    9 years ago

    Hi! im new in this forum. My pepper plant is dying and dropping leaves, i think my plant is under attack with some kind of bugs. I have circle the same for your reference. Please tell me is it because of bugs attack or is any other reason.

  • Michelle Van Blerk
    8 years ago

    All the new leaves on my chilli plant go limp and falls of. What am i doing wrong...

    Chilli · More Info

  • esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
    8 years ago

    I agree. You have a real problem there. First off, what kind of pepper plant is that? It is one of the most unique ones I have ever seen. Second, what kind of potting soil are you using? What kind of watering regime do you use? Is that indoors or outdoors? Does the container have a drain hole? Do you use any fertilizers or other nutrients? Have you noticed any bugs or other pests on it?

  • Vishnu Agarwal
    6 years ago


    hi a new bee in the forum.. This is my chilli plant i planted a month back.. Its started growing upto this stage untill a week back.. From the past two three days its showing signs of dying leaves.. Its been raining heavily from a week here.. The plant is too moist now.. What can i do to help my plant.. Please suggest.. India..

  • the_northeast_chileman
    6 years ago

    Welcome to the forum!

    To start, with, what are you using for potting media?

  • esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
    6 years ago

    That looks like regular ground soil. That won't work well in containers.

  • Vishnu Agarwal
    6 years ago

    I mixed equal propotions of sand and soil with some compost

  • Vishnu Agarwal
    6 years ago

    It shrunk down completely and looks dead to me.. I donno if it will geow back.. I was planning to plant another plant again. Want to know what went wrong this time so it doesnt repeat..

  • esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
    6 years ago

    Yep, you need potting soil to grow in containers. That is basically plain old dirt. I would transplant it into a pot with some good potting mix and see if it comes back. Otherwise, start over with a new plant in the potting mix.

  • Vishnu Agarwal
    6 years ago

    But in that case it shouldnt have sprouted at all ryt?

    And if it did sprout it should have stayed..

Sponsored
A.I.S. Renovations Ltd.
Average rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars15 Reviews
Custom Craftsmanship & Construction Solutions in Franklin County