What to do when brown spots appear on peppers

Pepper is a favorite crop of many vegetable growers, rich in vitamins and antioxidants. If you have sun, water and regular care, the vegetable will delight you with a rich harvest. But there are no plants that are resistant to all diseases and pests. When growing peppers, gardeners often encounter various problems. One of them is the appearance of spots on leaves and fruits.

From the article you will learn why brown spots appear on the leaves of peppers, how to deal with it and how to treat the plant for prevention.

Causes of spots on peppers

The main reason for the appearance of spots on the fruits and leaves of bell peppers is improper care.. The spots appear first on the lower leaves. As the disease progresses, they grow and invade the fruits. Cracks appear on the peppers, through which pathogenic microorganisms penetrate. To avoid this, you need to know the main causes of black spots on peppers.

The photo shows a pepper affected by the disease.

Diseases and pests

Sweet pepper - a capricious garden crop. It is often affected by bacterial or infectious diseases and is susceptible to pest attacks.

It will not be possible to protect plants once and for all, since insects and microorganisms quickly adapt to new conditions. The most effective method of control is to get rid of conditions favorable for the reproduction of pests.

Main diseases affecting pepper and forming brown and white spots on it:

• late blight (pictured below);
• Alternaria blight;
• cladosporiosis;
• black bacterial spot;
• top rot.

The causes of the spread of these diseases are fungi and bacteria.. It is difficult to cure them. Chemicals are most often used. But they may not save the affected plants.

Possible consequences:

• wilting of seedlings;
• loss of leaves or change in color from green to yellow;
• the appearance of spots on the leaves, and then on the fruits;
• death of individual plants or all plantings.

Causes of diseases:

• soil contamination;
• using diseased or unprepared seeds;
• too frequent plantings;
• poor ventilation;
• too low or high air temperature, temperature changes;
• non-compliance with watering regimes - lack of moisture or excess.

The fungal spores that cause the disease are carried around the area with the help of wind, water and insects.

The best ways to combat diseases are planting monitoring and prevention.

If signs of illness are detected recommended:

• remove damaged parts or the suspicious plant itself;
• review the conditions for caring for plantings;
• treat the beds with appropriate chemical or folk remedies.

Preventive measures to combat diseases:

• purchase seeds only from trusted producers;
• choose disease-resistant varieties and hybrids;
• carry out pre-planting preparation of seeds: hardening, sterilization, treatment with growth and immunity stimulants;
• observe agrotechnical rules regarding vegetables: crop rotation, water and temperature regimes;
• fertilize the soil;
• fight pests and treat plantings against diseases.

Another one problem causing pepper spotting, are pests: aphid, spider mite (pictured), naked slugs, whiteflies.

Improper care and environmental conditions

Improper care or lack of necessary conditions is:

• non-compliance with crop rotation;
• lack of nutrients;
• excessive or insufficient watering;
• poor ventilation and dense plantings.

The problem with any greenhouses and small vegetable gardens is crowded plantings, lack of space for proper placement of plants and for maintaining crop rotation.

In such cases the soil becomes depleted and filled with toxins, which negatively affect seedlings. They become sources of diseases and pests. For this reason, planting peppers in the same place is highly not recommended. Peppers should not be adjacent to tomatoes, eggplants and potatoes. The plots are divided into several zones, which change with each other every season.

Read also:

Why do peppers turn purple?

Why does pepper rot on the bush?

How and with what to combat diseases of pepper seedlings

One more problem, which causes spots to appear on sweet peppers in a greenhouse - a lack of nutrients in the soil, in particular nitrogen. Lack of nutrition becomes noticeable after planting seedlings, during the active growth of bushes. A lack of nitrogen in the soil can lead not only to spots on greens and fruits, but also to reduced yields and stunted plant growth.

Optimal water irrigation – one of the conditions for successful growth of pepper and obtaining a good harvest. But sometimes the conditions are not met, and this leads to disastrous consequences. Some diseases develop precisely due to excessive watering or, conversely, due to lack of moisture.

Important! It is not difficult to determine the required amount of moisture. The soil in the beds should be wet to a depth of 60-70 cm, no more. Watering is carried out as necessary when the soil in the garden dries out.

Plants in greenhouses often suffer due to the density of plantings and lack of air. The result is spotting and a sugar-like coating on the bottom of the leaves. If a ventilation system is not provided, then the room must be ventilated in hot weather. And even if you don’t have enough space in the greenhouse, it is better to observe the recommended distance between plants.

How to get rid of stains

Sweet pepper diseases can be recognized by the appearance of the affected plant and the type of spots it has.. Knowing how to treat spots on bell peppers and what the initial signs of diseases are, you can choose the right control measures to save the crop.

Drugs

Modern chemicals are designed both for the prevention and treatment of plant diseases. Unfortunately, they cannot be used uncontrollably; they can harm vegetables by filling them with nitrates or burn them.

Universal remedies for all diseases and pests are biological products of the latest generation. They fight pests and diseases, destroy harmful fungi and bacteria, do not accumulate in vegetables, and increase plant immunity.

Their disadvantages are that not all of them are universal, and pathogenic bacteria quickly get used to them. Medicines often have to be changed.

Chemicals that control spotting, are copper-containing compounds, such as “HOM”, “Oxychom”, copper oxychloride and others. When using them, remember that they harm not only plants, but also beneficial insects - bees, wasps. And even to a person.When spraying your garden, use personal protection measures.

Insects that carry diseases - the Colorado potato beetle, locusts, cicadas - can be controlled with pesticides. But this must be done during the period when bacteria carriers are spreading.

Important! The use of chemicals is unacceptable during flowering and undesirable during fruiting.

There are also verified ways to get rid of specific diseases:

• blossom end rot is treated with lime milk or calcium chloride;
• sclerotinia - with a mixture of fungicide and lime;
• late blight is destroyed by special preparations: “Ridomil-Gold”, “Gamair”, “Bravo”, “Quadris”, “Glyokladin”, “Trichodermin”;
• Alternaria can only be defeated with the help of complex fungicides;
• Preparations “Karbofos”, “Iskra”, “Decis” and others help against insects.

The effectiveness of the use of chemical and biological products is related to regularity and correct application. Carefully study the recommendations and dosages on the package. Some formulations are suitable for preventive treatment, others only for direct disease control.

Reference. Treatment is carried out on average once a month. For some infections - more often.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies Less effective at controlling pest infestations or bacterial infections, which have already hit your landings. But these are excellent preventive agents, safe for plants and humans.

Traditional methods of controlling garden pests:

1. Do not overwater the plants, as high humidity is a habitat for pests.
2. Regularly remove weeds and remove them from the garden.
3. Sprinkle the soil with a mixture of ground tobacco and lime.
4. Mustard, ground pepper, and the smell of coffee repel harmful insects.
5. If possible, calendula, lavender, nasturtium, delphinium, marigolds, tansy, and parsley are planted between the rows - slugs do not like their characteristic smell.
6. Dandelion juice, crushed onion and garlic will help repel spider mites.

To fight diseases:

• before planting, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied to the soil - manure, chicken droppings;
• calcium is added in the form of limestone or ground chicken shells;
• use soapy water, ash, tobacco dust, and onion peels.

Rules of agricultural technologythat will help you grow a healthy harvest:

1. Choose resistant seeds and harden them off.
2. Carry out pre-sowing treatment.
3. Destroy the affected bushes in a timely manner, remove them with roots and a clod of earth, and burn them away from the beds.
4. Do not use diseased plants to create humus.
5. Be sure to disinfect the greenhouse and garden soil after harvesting and in early spring before planting.
6. Weed, prevent weeds from growing, loosen the soil around the plants.
7. Be sure to conduct daily monitoring of plantings, pay attention to drooping plants, yellowed and fallen leaves, and seedlings that have stopped growing. Watch for changes in the color of the stem, the presence of insects and their larvae.

The use of traditional methods of combating pepper spotting is the best way to avoid mass infections and save the crop.

Conclusion

Spot is the general name for pepper diseases that can lead to the loss of part of the crop and even all plantings on the site. Spots arise for several reasons, which together lead to sad consequences. In order not to lose the fruits of your labor, before planting, carefully study the basic rules of plant care and follow the recommendations of experienced vegetable growers.