Pepper leaves are falling: what to do to save your plantings and prevent problems

Pepper is a demanding crop that reacts to the slightest errors in agricultural technology and weather changes. Growing it on their plot, summer residents are faced with a whole range of problems. One of them is leaf fall. What to do if pepper leaves fall off? It is easy to correct the situation if you know the reason for the shedding of leaves.

Why is pepper leaf falling dangerous?

The falling of green leaves is an unnatural process that is dangerous for plants. Their main respiration and nutrition occurs through the leaves. With massive loss of leaves at any age (seedling or adult), the plant weakens and dies.

Possible reasons

You need to monitor the condition of peppers daily, not only at the stage of growing seedlings. If you notice in time that the leaves changed color form or have completely fallen green, it is possible to have time to take a set of necessary measures to eliminate leaf fall.

Agrotechnical errors

Gross violations in agricultural technology always affect the health of plantings. Proper care is important not only for young seedlings, but also for adult plants.

With insufficient and infrequent watering, the pepper “informs” about the lack of water by its appearance. The leaves of the lower tier begin to turn yellow and fall off. If it gets too dry, the whole plant “hangs” and drops its buds and ovaries.

Severe stagnation of water and lack of air access to the root system prevent normal air exchange between the roots and the crown.In such a situation, the roots begin to rot. Brown and black spots often appear on leaves, petioles and stems. The problem is most common in growing seedlings.

The problem can be caused by a deficiency of mineral nutrition:

• the plant reacts to a lack of nitrogen by yellowing leaves with white spots;
• with potassium deficiency, the leaf blade turns yellow along the edge, becomes deformed and curls down;
• if the plant lacks phosphorus, the surface of the leaf turns yellow, but the veins remain green;
• Lack of iron causes yellowing of the upper leaves. With severe chlorosis, the leaves fall off.

Against the background of general starvation, not only the leaves of the pepper fall off, but also the ovaries.

Watering with running water from a hose has a negative effect on his health. Because of this, the root system becomes severely overcooled and rots. The leaves turn yellow and fall off, starting from the lower tier.

Pepper does not like to grow in close quarters. If the planting is too thick, the roots of the seedlings become entangled with each other, deprived of the necessary air, water, nutrition and rot. To survive in such conditions, plants are forced to shed excess leaves as ballast.

External factors

Bell pepper is a heat-loving crop, and any change in weather conditions - lower temperatures, sharp temperature fluctuations, drafts, prolonged rains - can negatively affect its development. Most often, immature seedlings suffer, just planted into open ground.

When planting it in a permanent place, small roots are often damaged. In response to this, plants slow down their growth and shed their lower leaves. This reaction continues for several days until the young peppers take root in the new location.A signal of successful rooting will be the appearance of new young leaves and buds. If this does not happen, the plants may have been deeply buried during planting.

Any sudden temperature fluctuations are dangerous, especially at night. Favorable temperature for the growth and development of pepper:

• daytime - +23-25°C;
• night - +18-20°C.

At temperatures below +14°C, it stops growing, and at night temperatures below +12°C, plants begin to lose leaves.

With long and stable heat combined with dry air (this only applies to open ground conditions and home maintenance of seedlings), the leaves hang and fall green.

Reference. Peppers feel bad not only from sudden temperature fluctuations and cold nights in the open ground, but also when it drops in the greenhouse.

Pepper is a light-loving crop. The ideal place for planting seedlings is an area that receives light throughout the day. The light should be diffused. From exposure to direct sunlight, burns appear on the leaf blades, the leaves wither and fall off. Direct sunlight poses the greatest danger to seedlings and seedlings that have just been planted in the ground.

Heavy, clayey or acidic soils are not suitable for the normal development of pepper. In such soil, its roots suffer from disturbances in air and water exchange, freeze, stop growing and rot. The plants themselves look depressed and weakened. Leaf loss begins.

Reference. Neutral, light, breathable soil is considered ideal.

Pests

Pepper is affected by many pests that suck the juices from the leaves, causing them to fall off.Root pests (nematodes, mole crickets) cause more damage to pepper plantings, because when the gardener finds the cause, it is already too late. Main pests of pepper:

1. Spider mite. A small insect that can be easily identified by the web enveloping the plant. With mass infection, the color of the leaves fades, acquiring a grayish tint. On the surface of each leaf, a network of pinholes is formed - places where the mite drank juices from the plant.
2. Aphid. The leaves become shiny and sticky to the touch, turn yellow and fall off. When viewed from their underside, colonies of small green insects are observed.
3. Whitefly. Common in greenhouse conditions. Small white butterflies, similar to moths, hide on the underside of the leaves and fly up en masse when the bushes are shaken. The pest sucks the juices from the leaves, covering them with sticky liquid, they turn yellow and fall off.
4. Thrips. A small insect, oblong in shape, dark brown in color, similar to a beetle. Thrips are easy to distinguish from other pests by the nature of their flight - they seem to “jump” from one part of the plant to another. Larvae and adult thrips suck the juices out of the pepper, leaving behind stripes and streaks. Affected leaves fall off.
5. Medvedka. Large soil pest. It gnaws at the roots, causing the entire plant to wilt and cause massive leaf fall.

Diseases

In order for the pepper to grow strong and healthy, it is important to carry out timely prevention and treat emerging diseases. Among them are common:

1. Verticillium wilt. It is caused by a fungus and affects peppers before flowering. Plants are stunted, their internodes are deformed, the leaves become smaller and fall off.
2. Black spot. Bacterial infection progresses with high humidity and lack of good ventilation. It causes the appearance of dark brown round spots with a yellow edging on the leaves, which then turn yellow and fly off.
3. Late blight. An infected plant wilts green. A characteristic sign is rotting of the root collar and base of the stem. Brown spots appear on the trunk and foliage, which become covered with a whitish coating in rainy weather. The disease cannot be treated; it is recommended to burn diseased bushes.
4. Powdery mildew. Chlorotic spots, covered with a powdery white coating on top. As the disease progresses, the spots grow in diameter, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. The plant may be left completely without them.
5. Lightning withering. Bacterial microorganisms, entering the pepper stems, block the vessels, preventing food and water from reaching parts of the plant. White mucus forms in the stems. The leaves turn yellow and fly off. The disease develops quickly and cannot be treated.
6. Bacterial cancer. The disease appears on fruits in the form of black dots. The spots grow over time and merge into one large spot. Severely affected specimens have discolored leaves that fall off when shaken.

Characteristic reasons

In open and protected ground, the reasons for pepper leaf fall may vary. In greenhouses it is protected from unfavorable natural factors, but a small area, rarely replaced soil and constant air humidity lead to the development of fungal diseases.

For greenhouses

The greenhouse has a special microclimate, under which not only garden crops develop well, but also diseases.Space saving and improper ventilation affect the health of peppers.

Reasons for leaf falling in a greenhouse:

• fungal diseases;
• dense plantings;
• waterlogging of the soil;
• lack of ventilation;
• drafts.

For open ground

While the pepper seedlings live on the windowsill, they are not familiar with frost, cold wind, heat, rain and other weather surprises. If you plan to grow peppers outdoors, it is important to harden off the seedlings and prepare them for planting.

The following factors can trigger leaf fall:

• watering with cold water;
• micronutrient deficiency;
• unfavorable weather factors;
• stress after transplantation;
• early planting in open ground (exposure to return frosts and low night temperatures);
• planting on heavy or acidic soils;
• planting seedlings in bright light without shading;
• diseases and pests characteristic of open ground.

How to save pepper

As soon as you see that the leaves are falling off, follow the recommendations:

1. Treat the pepper with Zircon - the immunomodulator will help it cope with a stressful situation.
2. Determine the cause of leaf falling.
3. Eliminate it.
4. If leaf fall is caused by an incurable disease, immediately remove and burn all affected bushes. Treat healthy plantings with any complex fungicide (Gamair, Planriz, Baktofit, Oksikhom).
5. Errors in care are easier to correct - water with warm water, replant in the right soil, feed with the missing element.
6. The challenges of changeable weather can be predicted by knowing the nearest forecast. It is better to plant seedlings after May 20. If it gets cold in June, cover the seedlings with lutrasil at night.

Preventive measures

Prevention will help avoid many diseases and pests.The plants will be healthy, strong and produce high yields.

To prevent leaf loss, you should:

• harden the grown seedlings before planting;
• choose for planting well-ventilated areas with diffused lighting and light, fertile, neutral soil;
• observe crop rotation and do not plant peppers after other nightshades (tomatoes) to avoid infection with similar diseases and pests;
• regularly fertilize the soil and plants;
• water the soil before planting with biological protection agents against fungal diseases (Fitosporin, Trichodermin).

Advice from gardeners

We have collected for you advice from experienced gardeners who have been growing peppers in their garden plots for a long time:

• grow seedlings yourself or purchase them from trusted people;
• soak the seeds in potassium permanganate before planting;
• Spray the soil in the greenhouse and the beds in the vegetable garden with a strong solution of potassium permanganate before planting;
• after watering, loosen the soil;
• ventilate greenhouses;
• water only with warm water and feed the peppers regularly;
• buy proven, resistant varieties.

Conclusion

There are many reasons why capricious peppers shed their leaves. To prevent it from getting sick, follow the basic rules of care: treat the seeds before planting, feed and harden the seedlings, observe crop rotation, treat against pests and diseases, water only with warm water. And remember that it is always easier to prevent a problem than to fight it, so always be attentive to your plantings.