Pepper Problem

I am wondering if I'm jinxed with peppers. What is this? I had this growing in a self-watering planter. I use the same type planter and potting mix with my tomatoes and they're doing awesome. I have had a white fly infestation that NOTHING seemed to impact until I started vacuuming them (following advice online here)

I finally yanked these poor jalapenos.


The jalapenos had been gone for a week or more before I planted two purchased peppers (mystery variety). They both looked fine for about a week. Then one of them started getting the tight, crinkly leaves like the jalapenos.

Any ideas? I have one mystery pepper still growing and, so far, it's looking fine. But I've just sowed a few dozen pepper seeds (4 different varieties) and am hoping I'm not dooming myself to a repeat with all of them. Thanks!

Freya

Please tell us more about your "soil" and the type of self watering container you are using. Is this an Earth Box?

your pepper plant looks very similar to the one shown in this article. You may have to scroll down a bit to find it. I have a feeling this is what's up with our mix as well. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Clopyralid+peppers&hl=en&sa=X&rlz=1C1TSND_enUS406US406&biw=1066&bih=516&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=GSbta16vLNKHMM:&imgrefurl=http://flowthego.wordpress.com/&docid=0C1DdkqC3qYGfM&imgurl=http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/aminopyralid/images/2_Pepper_2010_tn.jpg&w=186&h=150&ei=J86SULCRMOm0iQLlmoHgBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=142&vpy=84&dur=263&hovh=120&hovw=148&tx=80&ty=76&sig=106933156821559159330&page=6&tbnh=120&tbnw=148&start=93&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,i:354

May be a virus problem, it looks like it to me. were there brown or other spots on the jalapeno foliage? I suggest a visit to the County Coop Extension Service is in order. May want to replant with new plants in another area.

Here's a picture of the one plant now. It's neighbor was planted at the same time (they were tiny little plants that I hadn't planned on having so I put them together in a bucket in my rain gutter system.) If it was something in the soil (Miracle Grow potting mix, straight from the bag) I would think the other pepper (and the the really happy eggplant next to it that used the same soil) would have suffered somehow, too.

The first ones (that are no more) are in a self-watering planter I made myself. Here's a picture of a couple tomatoes in one of the other ones like it I have going. (I use plastic jugs on the bottom with many slits cut into them as the holding tank area and a little tubing from inside one of the jugs to outside for drainage.)

The soil in the self-watering container was a year old bag of MG (these tomatoes were planted in a new bag). I wondered if it might have been from that, except the one pictured above is showing exactly the same symptoms.
I didn't notice any brown spots. The leaves looked dark green, but were very crinkly. They were even putting out a decent number of blossoms, though none of them took. As for a trip to the extension office...I took the little plant out after posting earlier, afraid if it was a virus/disease, the other might be okay if it weren't already contaminated.

Just a shot in the dark, but I wonder if the fertilizer in the MG has been spent and the plant is suffering from lack of nourishment. Potting mix has no nutrients unless some type of fertilizer is added. Like I said, just a long shot, but worth thinking about.

I've had plants that looked like that, and the reason was aphids and stink bugs sucking the juice out of the leaves...

White flies (a type of aphid) are my gardening evil this year. They're in my screened pool area. They're outside it. They're really annoying! I do have a really good population of long legged flies going now (outside the screened area) and the white flies are not nearly as swarmy as they were. Anyway, the white flies LOVE the peppers. However, I've really kept the population down with the little peppers (from the bucket.) I've seen only a few on them. Not nearly enough to do this kind of damage. I think. The leaves seem to be formed this way rather than warping as they grow. I'm going to google white flies and peppers...

I had a problem with my pepper plants having crinkled leaves, bulging on some and some were ok. It turned out being a calcium def. I corrected this with agricultural gypsum. It will add the calcium fast without changing the ph. Mine was possibly caused by using a water softner. I just sprinkled on the soil, then watered it in. I had peppers galore, hot and bell. The farm store said it 'sweetins' the soil. I did not add any fertilizer for the plants were green. It's pretty inexpensive to try.
Jo

littlejo wrote:I had a problem with my pepper plants having crinkled leaves, bulging on some and some were ok. It turned out being a calcium def. I corrected this with agricultural gypsum. It will add the calcium fast without changing the ph. ...

Where did you find this? I haven't heard of this before. (I'm willing to try!) Thanks

Anyone ever heard of Pepper Mottle Virus or Pepper Mild Mottle Virus?

FreyaFL wrote:

littlejo wrote:I had a problem with my pepper plants having crinkled leaves, bulging on some and some were ok. It turned out being a calcium def. I corrected this with agricultural gypsum. It will add the calcium fast without changing the ph. ...

Where did you find this? I haven't heard of this before. (I'm willing to try!) Thanks

I lost most of my files when my computer went down last month, but I did use this and it worked. It may be a virus, but it may not also. I found these this am. Gardening is fun until you have a problem, and testing for each def and virus can be expensive. here are a few links.

http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/gardening/185137-tums-fo-calcium.html

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/calcium-sulfur-magnesium-plants-22881.html


This page lists defs. in plants:
http://chiligrower.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=48&id=2850&Itemid=21



gypsum first paragraph:
http://soilsamplesplus.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/is-lime-the-best-answer-for-calcium-deficiency/



http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/a/NutrientDeficie.htm


http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/files/27200.pdf

Jo

I had that problem with both jalapeno and bell pepper plants. They had been in pots for most of the year. I read somewhere that epsom salts would help so I applied some and within a week or two the leaves started to look normal again. Now I use it at the first sign of issues and it works great. Both the plants look healthy and have lots of buds and baby veggies again.

I could try this, too. (I have a box of epsom salts already, making it easier.) Thank you!

binfordmj wrote:I had that problem with both jalapeno and bell pepper plants. They had been in pots for most of the year. I read somewhere that epsom salts would help so I applied some and within a week or two the leaves started to look normal again. Now I use it at the first sign of issues and it works great. Both the plants look healthy and have lots of buds and baby veggies again.