ezericko
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Black streaks on Pepper Plants - Capsicum Chinense

Needing some advice regarding what looks to be some sort of disease/fungus which is slowly killing my plants.

I tried looking for similar symptoms on Google, but I can't find anything online that looks exactly what my plants have. I originally thought it might be black soot, but this "fungus" doesn't seem to scratch off so I think the blackness is coming from within. On the other hand, it only seems to affect the newest parts of the plant at the top - it has completely destroyed every buddling and flower from one of the plants and it is just now starting to get to the plant shown in the pics. They are more or less all happy and are all otherwise standing tall and green.

It should be mentioned that I live in South Florida and that these are pepper plants (capsicum chinense - 'charapitas') from the Peruvian Amazon. I now keep them in a nice shady spot that doesnt get direct sunlight.

To this point, I have tried a copper based fungicide (which cured my powdery mildew, but not this black stuff), and I also give it a spray of miracle grow once every 10 days. I was also told that I should water it daily, but I want to avoid root rot, so I just give it a good watering 3 times a week more or less. I'm not sure what other info might be needed for a good diagnosis, but I am hoping it is recognizable from the pictures that I have attached.

SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!!
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IMG_0774.jpg
IMG_0774.jpg (37.28 KiB) Viewed 2545 times
IMG_0718.jpg
Blackness taking over the tips of the branches
Blackness taking over the tips of the branches
IMG_2478.jpg (32.12 KiB) Viewed 2545 times

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Your peppers look pretty healthy. Besides the dark coloration of the stems are there other problems?

If the only issue is the color of the stems, but the leaves remain green and healthy it may not be much to worry about. I have peppers that have stems that turn darker as they mature and it is usually the stems that are exposed to the most light.

If it is a fungus, it usually can be rubbed off or you can feel the roughness on the leaf or stem. It is unusual to have a fungus on the stem but not on the leaf too.

Watering issues can cause the plant to have black stems, but it should also show up as yellowing or wilting of the leaves too.

ezericko
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Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 8:25 am

Yeah, at first I didn't worry about it, because I have seen that sometimes pepper plant stems turn "purply" but then it started making all of the pepper buds and flowers wilt off and now. The ones in the picture still look relatively healthy, but that is my plant that is just now becoming infected. There are certain branches that remain as green as ever and on those branches there is new growth. On the branches where blackening is starting to take it over they no longer grow, but rather dry out and fall off (not the branch, just the leaves and flowers off of it).

One of the 3 plants is not experiencing the blackness at all, but has a different problem of yellowing leaves and thin, weak branches. The other 2 are tall and green, but are now fighting black stuff.

imafan26
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Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Sometimes the leaves die and fall off the tips. I don't remember if mine turned black too. I did not notice. It happens on primarily my older and stressed peppers (I.e. the ones in the pots or in the herb garden). Sometimes they do die, but other times, I cut them back, in my case I feed them, and they grow back again.
When the cause of the decline is phythoptora and nematodes (which are present in the herb garden), there is nothing much I can do about it.

I am stumped though, I haven't really had the exact same problem you have. It will be interesting to see if anyone else has any ideas. In the meantime, I'll look around and see if anyone else has seen this problem before.

ezericko
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Yeah, I haven't been able to find an obvious solution to this online. I do appreciate the advice though, thanks for your thoughts!

DoubleDogFarm
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How is the drainage and what type of soil media. Sounds like to much water and maybe not enough sun light.

Yellowing leaves could be over fertilizing.

Eric

ezericko
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It is just in Miracle Gro Potting Mix and they get a spray of miracle grow fertilizer for their leaves every 10 days - but I just started giving them the spray a few weeks ago because that was something that was recommended to me to help them grow out of the blackness.

Also, I don't think it is too much water because if anything I try and let them dry out too much before I water them again. Here in South Florida during the rainy season it is storms all the time so I have even constructed a little covering for them so they don't get too drenched. I actually have to make more of an effort keeping the plants relatively dry rather than keeping them watered.

I have had concerns about whether they get enough sun light. The same coverings that I gave them to block them from the tropical thunderstorms also serve to block them from the hot summer sun. When I tried to leave them in the direct sun, it would burn them right away. I am hoping that it will be easier to get them some actual sunlight now that it will start cooling down later this month here in Miami (also the end of the rainy season) :D
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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Usually, unless labeled otherwise, MG potting mix contains fertilizer that is high in Nitrogen, and it should last for a month to two months. After that, conventional advice is that its better if you fertilize every two weeks with dilute fertilizer as soil drench or foliar spray. (but this isn't how I do it, actually)

When you spray, is it also the high N and NOT tomato fertilizer, etc. and what kind of dilution are you using? If you are spraying at full strength, it would definitely be too strong.

ezericko
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You know, you make a good point Applestar. I think that the blackness may be a result of nitrogen burn. I am using the regular 12% nitrogen MG Liquafeed spray. Should I be using a tomato fertilizer instead?? I only use about about a half tbsp with half a gallon of water.

If it is in fact too much fertilizer, should I just just let it wash away with time and not put any more spray on it for a couple months? What is the cure for too much fertilizer?

Thanks for your help with this everybody!!
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Who will last longer? buds and flowers or black nitrogen burn?
Who will last longer? buds and flowers or black nitrogen burn?
nitrogen_burn.jpg (29.48 KiB) Viewed 2504 times



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