A healthy plant, whether it is seedlings or peppers already transplanted to a permanent place, pleases with its greenery, beautiful leaves, and a stocky stalk. The appearance of yellowness on the leaves is a signal that not everything is in order with pepper and it is necessary to find the reason for the color change.
It happens that cotyledons, as well as some lower true leaves, turn yellow and fall. This is usually caused by natural processes and there is no reason to worry. But if the leaf blades turn yellow and fade, the plant stops growing, dries, then the situation must be urgently corrected.
Content
Why do the leaves of pepper seedlings fall
The reasons why the leaves of heat-loving and capricious peppers change color and dry, fall off, can be different. Stress during transplantation, improper growing conditions (both seedlings, and adult plants in a permanent place), violation of agricultural technology of the crop - all this can lead to yellowness and falling of leaves. It is important to quickly understand the reasons, and then do everything to improve the plant.
Root system issues
The "brother" of pepper in the nightshade family is tomato. This led to some similarities in cultivation methods, but at the same time, crops have differences.
The root system of peppers is very fragile, the fibrous roots of plants can easily be damaged. Therefore, unlike tomato, picking peppers is difficult, adaptation takes a long time. Many gardeners do not use diving, but transshipment of bushes to avoid damage to the root system of plants.
If yellow spots appear, first check the condition of the roots of the pepper. The changes result from:
- damage to the roots;
- poor development (due to insufficient capacity or, conversely, from an excess of space);
- intensive root growth (the formation of a woven coma, kinks of roots, due to which some do not receive food in the right amount and die off);
- loosening of the soil and, as a result, deformation of the roots of the plant.
What needs to be done? The seedling with yellowed leaves is carefully removed from the soil and examined the roots. Healthy roots are white, but if black or brown are noticed, it means that they are already damaged and die off. It is necessary to use a root stimulant for regeneration, but only if the damage to the root system is small. If brown almost all the roots, it is unlikely to be able to reanimate this bush.
A twisted clump of roots will need to be straightened, for which it is better to put the plant in water. In this case, it is necessary to straighten it very carefully, slightly touching the roots and giving them the desired position. Having straightened everything, the plant is returned back to its original place, slightly compacting the soil, and continue to monitor its condition. Usually, with healthy and already straightened roots, pepper quickly takes root, grows, and grows new leaves.
In order not to expose peppers to unnecessary stress, refuse to dive plants. Plant them immediately in separate small containers, and then transplant them into larger pots by transshipment. This method will be more gentle for the root system of culture, while the growing time of seedlings does not slow down.
Lack of nitrogen
Another common cause of yellowness on leaves of peppers is a nitrogen deficiency in the soil. This component is the most important in the nutrition complex of peppers (and other garden crops), plants actively absorb it from the soil and the deficiency immediately affects the condition of the bushes.
This is manifested in the yellowing of the leaves, moreover, a color change occurs from the main vein to the edges of the leaf plate. First, the leaves become pale green, gradually turn yellow and fall off. Output: operational top dressing of plants with nitrogen, but with the obligatory observance of dosages.
Usually they use ammonium nitrate, diluting it in water and gently pouring peppers under the root. Proportions: about a tablespoon of fertilizer will need to be diluted in a bucket of water. Urea can also be used, with a greater effect when foliar feeding is carried out by spraying leaves of pepper.
To fertilize seedlings, use Azogran (a drug pellet per seedling), ready-made fertilizer formulations such as Uniflor-bud, Aurum-S or Florist. Such products as Kemira, Agricola for nightshade crops are also excellent. All drugs are used in accordance with the instructions.
Insufficient watering
Yellowing and dropping leaves is also caused by improper watering. Pepper, like many other garden crops, is equally harmed by drought and excessive watering. Especially often, a problem can arise when growing seedlings of peppers in peat pots. In such containers it is very difficult to control the level of moisture, the root system of peppers often lacks water, and instability leads to yellowing of the leaves and slow growth.
This crop, and when growing seedlings at home, and already in a permanent place, must be regularly watered, while avoiding an excess of moisture. It is usually recommended to irrigate the land near the seedlings when dried, so that the earthen lump is moist, but the water does not stagnate. Do it about once every 4-5 days, but it all depends on the growing conditions.
Excess moisture in the soil leads to the appearance of yellow leaves, diseases of peppers, stunting. In a greenhouse or in a garden, it is advisable to mulch peppers with straw, hay, humus. This will not only allow you to balance the moisture level in the soil, but also save you from the time-consuming weeding of weeds, as well as loosening the soil.
Nutrient deficiency
Peppers will be strong and healthy only if they provide proper nutrition. If there are failures and plants feel a lack of some elements, this becomes immediately noticeable in their appearance.
One type of deficiency, nitrogen starvation, has already been mentioned. But the leaves of peppers can turn yellow, dry and fall off, and with a lack of some other elements:
- calcium
- potassium;
- gland.
So, if peppers do not have enough calcium in the diet, then yellow dots appear on the leaf blades, and the growth point begins to decay and die. It is required to feed plants with ash, eliminating nitrogen and potassium from top dressing. All fertilizers must be applied at the norm, since an excess of the component is possible. When calcium is oversaturated, yellowing and falling of leaves are also observed, therefore, it will be necessary to top-dress with any nitrogen-containing complex.
Have you noticed that at the edges the leaves of pepper turn yellow and dry out, while the middle and main vein remain green? This is a sure sign that the culture suffers from a lack of potassium, therefore top dressing with this component is indicated.
If peppers grow on soils with a lot of clay or lime impurities, they often feel a lack of iron. This is manifested by the appearance of yellow and white chaotic spots on the leaves, yellowing of the border of the leaf plates, and the death of the leaves. The deficit of this element is compensated by the introduction of preparations that contain iron chelate; in addition, it is recommended to add dolomite flour to such soils before planting.
Breach of care
Many people call heat-loving pepper a capricious culture. To obtain a high yield (especially in areas of risky farming), it is necessary to create comfortable conditions for plants.
Meanwhile, in most regions of Russia (with the exception of the south), peppers are grown in seedlings, which means picking bushes, nursing seedlings indoors, replanting in a permanent place, and then leaving in a greenhouse, under shelters or in a garden. And everywhere, peppers need to provide warmth, good lighting, regular watering, and top dressing.
Violation of some parameters often leads to a halt in plant growth, a change in the color of leaves from saturated green to yellow, and then their decline. The air temperature in the room may be acceptable for peppers, but the soil in the containers from the windowsill can be cold. Pepper will quickly respond to this by yellowing and dropping foliage.
When growing peppers at home, it is important to maintain a stable temperature: + 23ºC ... + 25ºC, avoiding strong drops. At night, + 18ºC ... + 20ºC will be enough for seedlings.
Seedlings may turn yellow due to lack of lighting, as well as from sunburn. Therefore, it is so important in the initial period of growing seedlings to provide peppers with additional illumination, and only then to protect them from too bright sunlight. Shading may be required for peppers after a dive (if it is planned), and after transplants.
In regions with a short summer, it is necessary to equip greenhouses for peppers, shelters with arches, tunnels. Thorough preparation of the soil is also one of the conditions for obtaining a good harvest of pepper fruits, so they select a nutritious and high-quality mixture for seedlings, and fertilize, observing the norms, the earth in the greenhouse and in the beds. Acidic soils need liming, and in the autumn, when digging the site, dolomite flour is added. To achieve friability, it is recommended to introduce humus, rotted manure, compost, ash.
When growing this crop, use mulching. For this, hay, straw, bark, rotted peat, humus, compost, buckwheat husk are suitable. And be sure to observe crop rotation, then you can avoid the appearance of infections and pests.
Permanent Transplant Response
To plant peppers in a permanent place, it is advisable to choose a cloudy day or work in the evening. A transplant for pepper is a serious test, and in order to facilitate this process for the plant as much as possible, the following is recommended:
- approximately 10-12 days to conduct hardening of seedlings, gradually accustoming it to fresh air and new living conditions;
- planting plants in a stage until the roots have completely filled the container where seedlings grow;
- apply the transshipment method (suitable for peppers that grow in individual cups) so as not to deform the roots and plant plants with a solid earthen lump;
- use convenient paper cups for seedlings, allowing peppers to be planted in a permanent place without damage.
It is desirable that the soil in the greenhouse or in the beds is similar in composition to the soil in which the seedlings of the house grew. The dates for planting peppers in each region will be different.Usually, in the middle lane a culture has been planted in a greenhouse since mid-May, but for colder regions, planting should be done only at the beginning of June.
At the same time, the temperature of the soil must be taken into account, which must be warmed up to + 14ºC ... + 16ºC. It is recommended to cover the transplanted plants with non-woven material, which will protect the peppers from sudden changes in temperature, bright sun, and possible cooling. Later, the material is removed, and in August, with the onset of cold nights, the precipitation grew, it can be used again.
Pest infestation
Another reason for discoloration of leaves of peppers is pests. Young seedlings are a very tasty dish for aphids, spider mites. It is these insects that usually attack pepper seedlings indoors.
In the greenhouse or under shelters, the circle of pests expands, in addition, various infections can cause yellowing. Therefore, it is required to carry out prophylaxis, observe agricultural technology of culture. Noticing the yellowing of some leaves, twisting of the plates, the appearance of cobwebs between the leaves - and all these are traces of damage to aphids or mites, you must immediately proceed to decisive measures.
- With a small number of insects, they are removed from the leaves by wiping the leaf blades with a soap solution.
- Peppers are sprayed with infusions of garlic, ash, tobacco.
- Used for processing infusions of chamomile, dandelion, yarrow.
All these folk remedies help only with small damage to plants, if there are few insects. With the mass appearance of pests, it will be necessary to use chemical preparations, while observing all the provisions in the instructions.
Suitable Aktara, Inta-Vir, Spark, as well as other drugs offered in specialized stores. In addition to them, it is effective to use biological agents, among which - Fitoverm, Strela.
By identifying the cause of yellowing and falling leaves on peppers and quickly eliminating it, you can get healthy, full-fledged plants and avoid crop losses.
Reviews
Inna, Leningrad Region
After a dive, pepper seedlings began to turn yellow and fall off the lower leaves. I read that it is possible, but I have not had this before. I bought Fitosporin, poured the solution into a spray bottle and treated the bushes for several days. It seems that everything went away, the rest of the leaves were green, they no longer fell, did not turn yellow. Harvested a good one.
Nika, Chelyabinsk
My peppers turned yellow for two years in the spring and I lost seedlings. A relative came to the rescue, fortunately, she always grows a lot of peppers and tomatoes. But then I still decided to deal with the reasons, and found out that it was most likely due to bad land. It seemed that I had fertilizer and shed potassium permanganate. But something did not like, and both tomatoes and peppers. And now for the third year I have been buying some of the soil in a store (I take Violet), add ash, humus, perlite there, mix everything and in this land I grow peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants. Everything returned to normal, seedlings are good, there are no yellow leaves at all. So the matter may also be in the ground.
Vitaly, Petrozavodsk
Last year, seedlings on the window began to turn yellow in May. And before the landing, another month was almost. It seems that there are no pests, the soil is good, nutrition is enough for rastyuham. We consulted with friends who are long-standing gardeners, so they prompted after dinner to cover peppers from the sun. We have them on the sunny side, from lunch there the sun fries well, and probably the plants got hot. They watered normally, but the heat nailed them. They began to hang up a window with tulle, then they sprayed it with epin. All straightened peppers, obviously, really the heat was to them there. This year we’ll take everything into account immediately.
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