• If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.

Leaf curling problem and more -- Help

My plants have had a great start this year and for the most part are doing well. I have a big issue with Aphids I am fighting with Insecticidal Soap but have some new problems. The leaves are becoming extremely 'bumpy' and curling down. Most of the new top leaves coming out turn brown and die. I did over fert a bit initially but have stopped that. I'm in a heated sunroom in the PNW with rain outside so humidity is high inside 70% or so and temps from 55 low to 75 high.
 
You can see those Devil Aphids in the pics ..  :mad: I have to deal with them almost daily .. 
 
Plants are under a 600watt HPS about 24'' above. 13 hours a day. The yellow in the pics on the leaves is the HPS light, they are for the most part a beautiful green.
 
Thanks! appreciate any ideas you have.
 
Steve
 
IMG_1417.JPG
IMG_1415.JPG
IMG_1414.JPG
 
the bumpy leaves....look up calcium (may need calcium)
 
As for the bugs....take that plant into the shower or a sink....spray it heavy with cold water to flush out the aphids....do it two or 3 times over the course of an hr.
 
 
Then remove from pot, take luke warm water and flush out the media from the roots.....repot into new pot with new soil..cut out the dead black top.
 
mix in some bone meal to the new soil before re potting.
 
Not a for sure cure all....but it needs help asap if your going to save it.
 
 
Also look up black spot blight....or similar bacterial issues.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Masher said:
the bumpy leaves....look up calcium (may need calcium)
 
As for the bugs....take that plant into the shower or a sink....spray it heavy with cold water to flush out the aphids....do it two or 3 times over the course of an hr.
 
 
Then remove from pot, take luke warm water and flush out the media from the roots.....repot into new pot with new soil..cut out the dead black top.
 
mix in some bone meal to the new soil before re potting.
 
Not a for sure cure all....but it needs help asap if your going to save it.
 
 
Also look up black spot blight....or similar bacterial issues.
 
 
Thanks .. I thought it might be Calcium/Phospherous on the Bumpy leave issue.
 
I just spent a few hours really cleaning the plants and applying neem oil/fungicide. The Aphids were insanely worse than I realized. I have a lot of plants so difficult access to them individually. Some of the 6" pots had 20-30 aphids in the soil when I started cleaning/spraying .. it was nuts!!! My simple overspray and get what I can w/o handling each plant was of little value .. won't do that again.
 
As I handled them I also found more black spots and leaves than I initially thought. Looked like a fungus issue so hope the Neem combo spray will address it all.
 
I have been pinching off the dead/dying top new growth and am now seeing a lot of new growth at the branches .. really bushing out. So thats nice.
 
IMG_1418.JPG
 
Cut off all this lower growth that is getting soil contact....it won't ever do any good or needed at this point.
 

 
I too am going away from my synthetic nutes etc for now.....switching over to standard miracle grow, 1Tbls granules to 1 gal h2o
 
Masher said:
I too am going away from my synthetic nutes etc for now.....switching over to standard miracle grow, 1Tbls granules to 1 gal h2o
You aren't actually switching away from anything synthetic, if you're going to MG. In this man's humble opinion, you're going from bad to worse.

I don't see anything beneficial in that switch.
 
Smashburn said:
Thanks .. I thought it might be Calcium/Phospherous on the Bumpy leave issue.
 
I just spent a few hours really cleaning the plants and applying neem oil/fungicide. The Aphids were insanely worse than I realized. I have a lot of plants so difficult access to them individually. Some of the 6" pots had 20-30 aphids in the soil when I started cleaning/spraying .. it was nuts!!! My simple overspray and get what I can w/o handling each plant was of little value .. won't do that again.
 
As I handled them I also found more black spots and leaves than I initially thought. Looked like a fungus issue so hope the Neem combo spray will address it all.
 
I have been pinching off the dead/dying top new growth and am now seeing a lot of new growth at the branches .. really bushing out. So thats nice.
 
attachicon.gif
IMG_1418.JPG
You don't have a calcium or phosphorus deficiency. If anything, you have too much phosphorus, but what you have looks more like fungal issues. You have crispy black leaves.
 
solid7 said:
You aren't actually switching away from anything synthetic, if you're going to MG. In this man's humble opinion, you're going from bad to worse.

I don't see anything beneficial in that switch.
 
The benefit for me is, it works and I have never had any issues on peppers or tomatoes with the mg.
 
solid7 said:
Even if that actually was an effective treatment, there is this small matter:

aceticacid.jpg
naturally occurring acid found in a variety of plants and fruits such as apples
 
lek said:
A [/size]naturally occurring acid found in a variety of plants and fruits such as apples[/size]
Yep. Just like all of the other elements and elemental compounds that other people use. (that is, a "chemical")
.
Just wanted to clarify that.
 
solid7 said:
Yep. Just like all of the other elements and elemental compounds that other people use. (that is, a "chemical")
.
Just wanted to clarify that.
It's from the nature. chem nerd try to express it using chemical formula.  just like water = H2O.  
 
Masher said:
Cut off all this lower growth that is getting soil contact....it won't ever do any good or needed at this point.
 

 
I too am going away from my synthetic nutes etc for now.....switching over to standard miracle grow, 1Tbls granules to 1 gal h2o
 
Thanks .. I started doing that but missed a few. I have now trimmed them all up, cleaned and Neem/Fungicided them all, trimmed the black and dying leaves, and they are looking way better already. The node growth is really taking off, even on the seedlings still in the Jiffy Pellets. Holding off on any nutes at this time, one problem at a time. 
 
Thanks to all for the feedback!
 
I hate seeing that brown looking fungus or whatever it is..my mind always jumps straight to broad mites when I see that.
 
Could be boron. Boron does funny things with new growth, however the fact that the new growth lower down the plant does not look the same makes me think its pest / fungal related, not micro nute related. 
 
IMO, chop off the old distorted growth, make sure its got some air flow, and spray it with lime sulphur..mites or fungus, the lime sulphur should sort it out either way. The aphids will not find it a very agreeable habitat to live in either, after being coated in lime sulphur :)
 
Back
Top