caligrown
Full Member
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Jun 18, 2013 3:56 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA

No Leaves?!?!?

This is totally my fault! I had an ant problem that I thought I should take care of, so I made some of the garlic/pepper bug spray and sprayed my plants that had a mass infestation of the little guys right after the daily sun was off of them. The next day leaves started to shrivel and fall off. Obviously I shouldn't have sprayed the plants?!?!
Anyways, They seem to still be growing and new leaves are popping up on top. I am wondering if there is anything I can do to help increase the health of my two favorite plants..... :?

Image

Image

PaulF
Greener Thumb
Posts: 910
Joined: Tue Nov 09, 2010 5:34 pm
Location: Brownville, Ne

Pick all the fruit so the plants put all their energy into growing leaves. With you long growing season they should come back.

User avatar
Francis Barnswallow
Green Thumb
Posts: 696
Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:28 pm
Location: Orlando

How old is your bell pepper plant? I have bell pepper plants that are 3 years old now and they produce peppers that size and almost look like that (lack of leaves).

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13962
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Bell peppers for three years! I got my bell pepper to live six months and that's a record they rarely make it past the second fruit set.

I do have older hot peppers. When they get attacked, I foliar feed them and then cut them back. I will miracle grow them until the new leaves come out. If the plant isn't too distressed it only takes a few weeks for the new leaves to come out. But you will need to protect the tender growth.

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

The ants probably weren't harming your plants!

Since it was the next day the garlic pepper spray probably was the cause (you didn't by any chance put vinegar or detergent in your spray, did you?). But the leaf that is left in the picture with the yellowing, doesn't look burned, it looks nutrient deficient. If that was the case already, the plant may have been extra vulnerable to what you did to it. Once it is growing again, give it a top dressing of compost or feed it with Tomato Tone or some other mild organic fertilizer.

caligrown
Full Member
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Jun 18, 2013 3:56 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA

Rainbowgardener Thats what I'm reading now, I wish I would have read more into the ant issue before attacking them and my plants. And the recipe I had did ask for dawn dish soap, do you think thats what did it?
The leaves that are in the picture now are new growth, I did this a couple weeks ago and have just been babying them like crazy.
The plants are new this season, I had such a failure with my pepper plants last year the fact that they are producing at all is amazing me! And I am super sad if I have to pull the peppers now.
Also that is a red bell pepper plant so I know those peppers are no where near being done since they are still green.

User avatar
Cola82
Green Thumb
Posts: 381
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:05 pm
Location: McMinnville, Oregon, Zone 8b

I keep seeing the dish soap recipe everywhere and it drives me nuts. But I'm guessing that's a real possibility.

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Dawn dish "soap" is detergent and can be harmful to plants. However, lots of people use it and claim no ill effects. So I guess it depends on the plant, the conditions, the concentration (generally you would use just a few drops), etc. I think people generally apply then rinse it off after awhile. But I wouldn't use it. I only use real soap, like Dr. Bronner's.

Incidentally, all bell peppers are red bell peppers (except the ones that are yellow, orange, purple, etc). They are red (or yellow, orange, etc) when ripe. It's a toss up, if you leave those peppers on waiting for them to ripen up, it slows the plant down from producing more peppers. The green ones have a bit sharper flavor, the red ones are sweeter and milder. I generally pick mine green to keep it producing and then at the end of the season, let a few of them ripen to red.



Return to “Vegetable Gardening Forum”