Too little nitrogen will cause a pepper plant's oldest leaves to turn yellow while the leaves on the rest of the plant may turn light green. Too little iron, manganese, molybdenum or zinc can also cause a lightening or yellowing of pepper leaves. Working a few inches of well-rotted compost, aged manure or another organic soil amendment into the site before planting, and side-dressing the plants with nitrogen several weeks after transplanting, will help to prevent nutrient deficiency problems.
You may also need to use a supplemental micronutrient fertilizer. A soil or leaf test is the best way to determine with certainty that a nutrient deficiency is responsible for the pepper plant's light green color. Too little moisture, excessive moisture or poor drainage around a plant's roots can cause pepper leaves to pale.
Plant the pepper in a spot that has excellent drainage or work organic matter into the soil to improve drainage. Pepper plants benefit from deep, infrequent watering and should receive 1 to 2 inches of water weekly through rainfall and supplemental irrigation. A handful of different viruses can affect pepper plants and are potentially transmitted by insects, unclean tools, improper handling or on infected seeds or transplants. According to the University of California Statewide Pest Management Program , curly top virus stunts plants by shortening the distance between nodes and causes leaves to turn yellow or light green and roll up.
Mosaic viruses cause alternating yellow or light and dark green patterns on leaves as well as leaf curling, stunted growth, fruit distortion and plant death, says the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. Peppers are light feeders, but will benefit from a regular feeding of a well-balanced, organic fertilizer or compost tea.
Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers. They create lush foliage, but you won't get a lot of peppers. It is most important to let the soil dry out slightly between waterings. Peppers don't mind if they get a little dry, if they get too dry, they will wilt and tell you when it's time for a drink.
But don't forget, they'll also wilt and get yellow leaves if you OVERWATER so just because a plant looks wilted and is yellowing, don't assume it needs water — feel the soil first to see if it is dry and only water when needed. These fertilizers are designed to work together and provide accessible nutrients for your pepper plants. Refer to your specific fertilizer for frequency instructions. Generally, you should fertilize your peppers once every week or two depending on the type of fertilizer in order to keep your plants healthy and happy throughout the season.
Some fertilizers are stronger, while others are slow-release, so refer to the packaging on yours to get an idea of frequency. Using a or even lower fertilizer will provide plenty of nitrogen to keep your plants from turning yellow. These three numbers indicate the amount of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium respectively. Starting a fertilizing regimen will undoubtedly help your plants grow stronger.
However, leaves that have already turned yellow will not turn back to green. This is nothing to worry about. Learn more about how we fertilize our pepper plants in our article here. Watering too much or too little can cause major stress to your plant. With pepper plants, you want to water just enough to keep the soil moist, but not soaking wet. If you are growing in planter pots or in the ground, make sure there is good drainage.
If all of the water is trapped in the root system, your roots can become water-logged and potentially develop rot. Poor drainage also causes an inability for your plants to access oxygen which can cause serious problems.
This includes yellowing leaves, but will also lead to overall smaller plants and less productivity. Note: Watering too much is more commonly the issue. Peppers can tolerate being dried out and will give you a signal to water if they are too dry wilted leaves.
Try to err on the side of dry rather than wet! If you notice that your leaves are wilting before every watering, you may want to start watering a bit more frequently. For example, in hotter weather peppers require more water. Check on your peppers once a day and feel the soil for moisture. If you are growing in pots, lift the pot to feel its weight.
You will get a sense of how heavy a well-watered plant feels, and how a dried out plant feels. If it is feeling light, probably time to water! You can also use a water meter like this one on Amazon. This device is affordable and tells you the approximate amount of water in your soil. It also measures pH levels though how well it does this is debated to help reach the right acidity.
Since some plants use more water than others, this is a more precise method for irrigating a diverse garden. Learn more about watering pepper plants in our dedicated article here. Another common cause of yellow pepper plant leaves is abnormally cold weather. Peppers come from a naturally warm and arid climate.
As the growing season comes to a close and fall is setting in, your plants will stress with the temperature changes. This is a natural response by the plant to enter a hibernation state.
If temperature is to blame, the yellow leaves will be randomly spread around the pepper plants, with no particular locations more affected than others. This is one way to distinguish this culprit from a nutrient deficiency. While nitrogen is the most common deficiency, it is possible that your pepper plants are turning yellow because of another. Magnesium and calcium are both important plant nutrients that may be lacking.
Magnesium is another nutrient that is required for healthy pepper plants. While it is less common in soil-based gardening, it can still occur. Leaves will turn yellow, starting at the bottom of the plant just like nitrogen. However, if you look closely, you will notice that the veins of your leaves will remain green , while the flesh will be pale yellow.
This is known as Chlorosis , and is the main way to distinguish a magnesium deficiency from nitrogen. Calcium plays a vital role in building strong cell walls in plants and fruiting bodies. It also helps plants better absorb other nutrients. According to this study , it also aids in expanding the main root systems of plants.
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