Newbie1986
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Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2017 1:33 pm

Early flowers /leaf damage and droop

Hello everyone,
Just wondering if any one could shed some light on these pics . Plants are suppose to be Carolina reapers.
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20170511_005520.jpg
Is it normal to be this green ? Leaves drooping also .
Is it normal to be this green ? Leaves drooping also .
Leaves are drooping and curling the soil doesnt dry eaisly from being in basement. Could this be water logged soil? Or over watering ?
Leaves are drooping and curling the soil doesnt dry eaisly from being in basement. Could this be water logged soil? Or over watering ?
Pest or deficiency? The white spots are from sulfur spray.
Pest or deficiency? The white spots are from sulfur spray.
20170511_004733.jpg
Is this a flower/bud forming plant is only two months old . Suppose to be carolina reaper.
Is this a flower/bud forming plant is only two months old . Suppose to be carolina reaper.

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rainbowgardener
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It is a flower bud. It is flowering early because you are stunting it keeping it in that tiny pot. Time to up pot into something about three times that big!

The marks on the leaves look like it could be where water dried on the leaves, under lights. How are you watering (from below, overhead)?

Newbie1986
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Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2017 1:33 pm

Thanks for the info that explains alot. I had a suspicion that they where stunted , but figured it was from the weak fluorescent lights. I'm going to put these in the garden in 3 or 4 days, so I was trying to hold off on a bigger pot . Will it be okay till then ? Oh and I water from the top . Maybe thats why there droopy because of the small pot .
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Underside of leaf
Underside of leaf
Top of leaf . The circled part looks like a pest problem . The other spots are sulfur spray.
Top of leaf . The circled part looks like a pest problem . The other spots are sulfur spray.

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rainbowgardener
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If they are going in the garden in 3-4 days, they should NOT be inside under lights now. They need to be hardened off, that is gradually acclimatized to the bright outdoor sun, wind, temperature variations, etc.

Here's one thread about hardening off: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=68026&p=385243&hili ... ff#p385243

I do it not by increasing hours per day of sun (as some people do), but by increasing exposure. When I first bring tender plants out, I put them in a very protected spot where they get no direct sun or wind. Once they've been there for a couple days, I move them to a place where they have some exposure to filtered light or early morning sun. Then I gradually increase sun exposure until they get to the level they are going to stay at. Then they can go in their garden spot. If you are still having very cold nights, you may have to bring them in at night for awhile.

So if you want to plant them soon, you need to be hardening them now! Depending on how much different outdoor conditions are from indoors, hardening may take anywhere from five to ten days. You will know if you move them to a new location (or extend their sun hours) and they react by wilting, curling their leaves, getting sunburned edges, etc., they weren't ready forthat much exposure and you need to slow the process down.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Very good point @rainbowgardener :D
That "in the garden in 3 or 4 days" was nagging at me but I couldn't pinpoint the source of what was "off" about it until you made it clear. :-()

Newbie1986
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Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2017 1:33 pm

I actually knew about the hardening off process..The reason their under lights is its been raining and no sun .Their already kinda stretched from low light. I had already had them outside and use to full sun and the weather turned rainy and gloomy for a couple weeks. Thanks for the detailed info I'll try and follow it.

Newbie1986
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This coming week is suppose to be nice with low temps around 60f at night . I guess I'll have to start over . I hate to keave them in those small pots another week tho .

imafan26
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The picture blurred when I zoomed in but I thought I saw some legs and what looks like white flies or something white under the leaves and along the midrib. If you have white flies or aphids sucking the life out of the leaves, the plant will be under more stress and the leaves will pucker and look deformed.

Newbie1986
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Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2017 1:33 pm

I did find some aphids on one of my plants. It looked like a picture of leaf miner damage I saw , but idk .

ZorbarPTLX
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Joined: Wed Mar 22, 2017 7:22 am

Hi there, following this discussion, I've the same problem, but I think it's not a problem yet, but I would like your opinion.
As you can see bellow, my plants are growing well, they are still inside, near a balcony that faces south, as we are getting a lot of strong winds here in Portugal.
This is the first time I'm planting peppers (Carolina Reaper, Trinidad and Brazilian starfish) and like every newbie, the questions are too many.
This week I was very happy to see that two of the plants were developing flowers. After the first one appear (photo bellow) I was more than happy, but in the same day I've arrived home and found that the flower felt.. could be something or it's normal.
20170606_082137.jpg
20170606_082208.jpg
Regards

Marco
Lisbon - Portugal



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