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Is this normal for MOAs?

Both my MOA Yellows have very wrinkled leaves. Only the oldest leaves look smoother. None of the other habs ive grown have looked like this. Pics from a older MOA thread here do look like mine but i just have to ask. Both of mine seemed to really struggle with cooler nights and didnt perk up until we got day time highs in the mid 90F range. My other MOA on the lower patio is still struggling but its in a coco coir/perlite mix.
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Chewi said:
You said you have had a shit ton of rain lately right?
 

We only had a light rain last nite and ive been very careful not to over water them. We have not had heavy rains in several weeks. The 7 Pot yellow and Aji cito up on the deck are in the same size pots with the same potting mix and look normal if not excellent.
 
FreeportBum said:
what are they in and and are you fertilizing them? 
 
at first glance they look like to much nutes
 
here's a pic of one of my MOA's I just took
 
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Cheers
 
My Beni Highlands look just like that but they are in a area that gets more shade. The MOA had some Alaska Fish and Kelp pellets early on. Now im using the Alaska Fish emulsion and some of my homemade kelp extract. The 7 pot and Aji cito got the same thing and look fine to me and they are podding like mad too.
 
There was a huge improvement once night time temps increased but last night did get into the 60s.
 
This is my 7 pot. Same potting mix, same pot, same nutrients, same watering and pretty much the same amount of sun. It probably has close to 20 pods on it now.
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some plants are more sensitive then others
 
if you get a lot of rain and the substrate is on the heavy side you can get excess build up
 
I like to always add extra perlite up to 30% depending on the substrate to help with run off 
 
not saying that's the problem but they look like they are a little over fertilized to me
 
cheers 
 
FWIW, my TFM plants look just like that, as do many of my other chinense plants, at least the ones that are thriving.  I looked into it, and a lot of sources indicate that extra nutes, especially Mag, can lead to the wrinkly plants. 
 
The MOA on the lower patio got re-potted today. Sofar im not impressed with the coco/perlite in pots alone. After removing it the soil smelled a bit sour to me so it went into a similar mix as the peppers i have on the patio that are thriving. I have a lemon drop in the coco and one right next to it in my mix. The one in coco is less than half the size but it looks good so im going to leave it. The MOA in coco looked like hell for weeks. It also has the very wrinkled leaves and it was on CNS17 grow 3-1-2 and a very small amount of worm castings. Hard to imagine it was over fertilized. I think the soil turned anaerobic and the plant was starving.
 
I spread out the coco/perlite/worm casting to dry out really really good. Hopefully i can salvage it for mixing.
 
My preference for coco is to run it straight with no additives. I sift it through a standard kitchen wire mesh collendar to remove the fine pith. I've found that it gives me better drainage this way. I also feed with every watering since there's almost nothing in coco to sustain the plant

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Ive found if i mix the coco/perlite with compost or with a potting mix that has coco i can use it in Walmart bags just fine. It dries quick enough that it does not have a problem. In my pots it stays so wet i cant water with nutrients without water logging the pot. All it takes is 1 good rain and i cant water for about a week or longer.
 
I was able to get the coco pot with my lemon drop under control by using dry fertilizers and sheltering it from too much rain but its still not nearly as nice as my other lemon drop sitting right next to it.
 
My lemon drops and Lumbres from seeds in Walmart bags are nearly as big now. They are in a mix of Ecoscraps potting mix that contains coco and some additional coco. They look great considering their age.
 
The MOA with heavy wrinkled leaves on the deck is looking better daily. The main trunk is really thick for its height and strong. Leaves are getting a nice dark green so i will back off on fertilizer for a week or so. We had a little rain last night and probably a little more tonite.
 
ShowMeDaSauce,
 
My chinenses almost always look like that after I take them outside.  We get strong wind, hail, and heavy rains here in the spring, and I always thought it was either that combo along with bugs that did it to the plants.  But, I sometimes grow annuums that never exhibit the problems I have with chinenses.  FYI, I've had the problem growing in Fox Farm's Ocean Forest using organic ferts or Tomato Tone, and I'm having it this year using a 70/30 coco/perlite mixture with CNS17 as a fertilizer.  Eventually the plants start putting out normal-looking leaves and continue to grow, but I rarely get spring/summer peppers from them.  I always get them late in the growing season like around October-November and they usually don't get time to ripen.  *sigh* .... damn you chinenses!!! *shakes fist in the general direction of all chinenses*
 
Agree with ^^^
Chinense are / can be a little more finicky than the assorted annuum and baccatum I've grown.  So long as it has good color and is growing well, just leave the cranky thing alone!  ;)
 
 
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