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agissane
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Chilli Plant

I'm after some advice on what I should do with my chilli plants. I have two in a styrofoam box in a spot they are happy in, but I seem to struggle with the little one always barely having any leaves on it. It will have small ones but they do not seem to grow big. The larger plant grew so big so quickly but now it's not too healthy looking either. It has some fruit but the yellowing leaves are bothering me.

I've fed them with seasol, pellets, trace minerals (about 6 weeks ago) and it hasn't really improved greatly but I do see greener younger leaves. I've sprayed for mites (even though I couldn't spot any in the first place).

It is a nutrient thing? And can you tell by looking at it which type of nutrient it could need??

Thanks in advance. :)
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applestar
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The little one definitely had mite issues. You can tell by the browned knobby multiple growth points at every leaf node.

What are you spraying and how often? If you are going to spray, you need to spray every 4 days or so. But the other issue is that you have them both in this box -- I won't comment on the styrofoam blecch! -- that big plant is definitely occupying ALL of the available root space, so the little one isn't going to get anything. It would be best to move it to a container of its own.

Also, are you spraying both plants for mites? If you are not spraying the the big one and it doesn't have mites, then I would stop spraying the little one and let the big one's predatory mite protection take care of the little one too. Your miticide regimen will kill off the good guys. (Pot up the little one in its own pot but leave it on top of the soil of the box under the big plant -- this is what I do with my peppers because I know the recovered plants are being protected by released predatory mites.)

Now, I don't recognize the yellowing leaves although I see some brown spots. As long as the new growths don't start russetting and shriveling, I don't think the big one is suffering from mites. I think it's just possible those are just getting old, especially after all that growth. Imafan could tell you for certain, I'm sure.

In my pepper garden, I'm used to leaves yellowing and falling off from the cold as we head into fall and coming of the first frost. I dig up and put my peppers in the garage where they slowly yellow and drop leaves from the cold and mostly dry conditions I put them through to make them go dormant.

But the big plant could definitely use a good pruning to eliminate those excessive new shoots -- both to relieve the pressure of growing so many as well as to ensure good air circulation later.

Start by rubbing or clipping off the shoots that are growing toward the middle of the plant. All new branches should grow outward. Pick between overlapping -or shoots that will grow overlapping- branches and get rid of all but one for that particular airspace. They shouldn't rub against or lay on top of each other and should have clear open spacing for air circulation.

pepperhead212
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How warm is it where you are? And what variety of clilis are you growing? Some peppers from the tropics like the heat, but many are not as resistant to heat, and, where I am at least, some of those types do better in the ground, since it is cooler.

bri80
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I'm not sure why you have them in a styrofoam container. That seems pretty sketchy to me. The yellowing is probably simple nitrogen deficiency. the mites are an issue because the plant is unhealthy. Fix the issue with the plants, don't try and treat the symptoms (mites).

They need to be transplanted to a healthy soil with lots of compost and natural, organic nutrients - in particular nitrogen. You can use an organic, slow release fertilizer to provide nitrogen over the long term but they look so starved you will need to supplement with something that can be absorbed right away. A foliar spray of something high in nitrogen is in order.

imafan26
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If you used organic soil in a pot, realize, the microbial activity is not going to be good enough to support plants that have moderate or high nutritional needs.

I planted in styrofoam before but it is better to have only one plant in 4-5 gallons of soil and spaced at least 12 inches apart

The plants looks like it has some mite issues, but it also looks old and lacking nutrients. I think it might be magnesium or a combination of magnesium and phosphorus.
I would try epsom salts but I would start feeding the plants with a complete fertilizer including micronutrients. I prefer to use citrus food in potted plants that like acidic conditions. It contains some sulfur. If you used a compost based mix and chicken manure tea, then the pH may be more alkaline making micronutrients less available. The new growth looks better, so I think the plant is stealing nutrients it is lacking from the older leaves to support the new ones.
Most of the time when my peppers look like that, I either get rid of them or I repot and cut them back. It gets rid of the pests that are attracted to a weak plant and the new soil with fertilizer helps to rejuvenate the plant. You will need a larger pot if you try to save it. I am sure the roots are all over that container by now. I use large pots but a 5 gallon bucket would be minimum for each plant. A four or five gallon container will support a long lived chili for about 4 years if it is fed regularly. I like to use 15 gallon pots for the longest lived plants because they will get 4-5 ft tall in a pot over 8 years and they need the root space.

It is better to pot up chilies gradually as they grow rather than to pot them into large containers all at once. Young chilies grow slowly at first because they develop roots first. After seeds start, plant out to 4 inch containers. This is the slowest part of early growth. Feed the peppers but go with low nitrogen or slow N complete fertilizer. After the seedling have 2-3 pairs of true leaves they can pot up to a 1 gallon pot. I have slow release fertilizer in my potting mix. After the first fruit, the plants get potted up to 2 gallons and they are now supplemented with monthly fertilizer. Usually after the first or second fruiting, I start get bug issues, so I top the chilies and get rid of the pests that way. The plants will slow in growth and potting up after that depends on the type of plant since some like habanero will grow slower than a Super chili, I check the root ball and pot up before it gets pot bound to the next size pot. Chilies in the ground live longer than ones in the pot, but if you are mindful of the size of the root ball, they can live a long time if the pot is big enough.

Not all peppers live a long time. Most of the capsicum anuum only live a year or less. This includes most bell peppers, and sweet peppers.
c. bacatum, c frutescens, and c. chinense can live a few years. Tabasco, and Hawaiian chilies can live 8-10 years, jalapeno a couple of years. Thai chili, Checkoslovakian black, bird peppers, and habanero can live over a few years with care.

https://www.worldofchillies.com/growing_ ... guide.html
https://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/ ... li-plants/
https://www.worldofchillies.com/growing_ ... llies.html

wisconsindead
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Honestly, I would just start fresh. You live in Sydney so you can basically grow these things year round. That plant has seen better days. A new plant with new vitality will alleviate you of your problems.

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agissane
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Location: Sydney, Australia

Wow, thank you all for your feedback. I do not have the heart to throw them out plus I want to see if I can get them back to being healthy again.

The little one was found growing behind a shed so I've saved it. I don't know what variety it is. The big one is a trinidad variety.
It is the middle of winter here, and where I live there would be mild frost.

I'll definitely start by removing them from the styrofoam and giving them separate pots. Thank you for the pruning advice too. xxx

imafan26
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Peppers are not frost tolerant but they can be brought in for that.



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