overwintering An issue with an overwintered chilli

[Tarzan]

I am having an issue with an overwintered chilli. It began growing ok, but even before I managed to get it out, it started loosing leaves. I have cut it down again to promote new branches to emerge, and in a couple of weeks it did,  they again started as curled up and way to compacted bush.
 
Before you say it's Ca deficiency. It can't be, because there's quite a lot of CaCO3 based sand in the substrate, along with garden soil which also has enough calcium and rich compost that is rich in all the possible nutes. I'm going to spray it with CuOCl2 solution, which has both anti fungal and anti bacterial effect. I did try using H2O2 (peroxide) solution with no effect. It gets bad after each rain and it gets better after a longer period of dry sunny weather.
 
Anyone knows what this is and how should I fight it.
 
It is flowering like it's the end of the world and it's setting pods like mad. If it wasn't for deformed branches and leaves, I would think it's doing great.
 
Photos:

 
Thank you for any help. I would love to save this one.

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

 It gets bad after each rain and it gets better after a longer period of dry sunny weather.
 
Posted 05 July 2016 - 08:55 AM By Solid7
My plants look exactly like that every year after the heavy rains start. At first, it overlaps my regular watering schedule, resulting in a "disruption". Once things stabilize, my leaves flatten out, and all is well. So that's the basis of my overwatering theory.
 
Solid7, any further input to help Tarzan?

 

[solid7]

 It gets bad after each rain and it gets better after a longer period of dry sunny weather.
 
Posted 05 July 2016 - 08:55 AM By Solid7
My plants look exactly like that every year after the heavy rains start. At first, it overlaps my regular watering schedule, resulting in a "disruption". Once things stabilize, my leaves flatten out, and all is well. So that's the basis of my overwatering theory.
 
Solid7, any further input to help Tarzan?

Not really, other than to say that he/she can cover the plants when it rains to divert some excess water away. Other than that, just wait it out! (that's what I have to do) If you've got flooding rains that disrupt the matrix of nutrients in the soil, there's not much else you can do. And, sometimes, it's the environmental stress of temperature and humidity fluctuations.

Sometimes I think we obsess too much about growing the prettiest plants. In the end, the yield is what matters. And as the OP said, his/her production does not seem to be negatively impacted. I've got plants right now that look worse than that one, and they are producing like mad - and some top notch pods, to boot. Just keep an eye on the color and characteristics of the leaves, to make sure that no actual deficiencies show up.

 

[JDFan]

Sometimes I think we obsess too much about growing the prettiest plants. In the end, the yield is what matters.

 
^^ This - these plants tend to take care of themselves if we don;t kill them trying to adjust things for every little change they go through - For another example look at this thread ( http://thehotpepper.com/topic/56636-amazing-mystery-volunteer/#entry1336653 ) great looking plant loaded with pods that grew out of nowhere with no care and sprouted in the crack between Jcw10tc's concrete sidewalk and brick walkway.
 

 

 

[Tarzan]

It's growing in raised bed so there's no flooding, perhaps just leeching of nutrients, but there are enough, plus, I feed them from time to time. This one is the only one with this issue. Other chillies are seedlings from this year and are growing vigorously, dark green, without leaf distortions. Most of them are two times larger already (but have much less flowers). I think it might have caught something last year when it got colder and the infection remained. I sprayed it, washed the roots, changed the soil twice, but perhaps it was not enough. I think the rain makes the infection worse because the leaves get wet and the sun exposure and dry air makes it grow faster and inhibits the infection.
 
I am thinking about providing it a cover. I am avoiding watering the chillies over their leaves. If thing doesn't improve after spraying it with peroxide solution and a prolonged dry spell we have now, I intend to use copper based fungicide. Pods are still tiny and it's still time to do it. If it improves, I'll save it, drench it in fungicide and see if it happens again next year. This time, far away from other chillies in a container. Testing purpose more than anything else.