Brown Crispy Leaves Please look! Help!

PepperDaddler

PepperDaddler

My plants have been in what I think is optimal conditions. Some of the leaves and new growth is not looking so good. It is only on a few plants.
 
They are in shade. Can not be fert burn cause they have not had any. And getting not to much not too little water. The top leaves and new growth is turning brown and falling off at the slighted touch.
 
Here are the pics:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The leaves have a fried basil look to them, if you know what I mean.
 
 

One more:
 

 
This phone is the best I have and it will not take better pics than this.
 
Thank you.
 
I'm also having the same exact problems w/ 3 of my plants. And, no, I haven't sprayed them, but we've had alot rain here lately, so I moved 1 inside yest to see if that helps. 
 
 Kinda looks like bacterial wilt. i had the same thing just happen to me. Must be in the Florida air. Really sucks . 
 
romy6 said:
 Kinda looks like bacterial wilt. i had the same thing just happen to me. Must be in the Florida air. Really sucks . 
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Yes that would be guess #2 and if so it is best to destroy the plants. I lost about a 1/2 dozen to that last year. :(
 
It definitely looks bacterial just cut all the dead/ fried part off and they should recover. Like posted above get the affected plants away from healthy ones if possible that crap spreads pretty quick.
 
Bronzing has been mentioned. Anyone know about that?
 
No sprays by the way.
 
And this all happened inside of a shade house.

Never seen it before.
 
Have you checked for Broad mites?  everyone in Florida gets them eventually. Get a 30x+ Hand  lens
 
spraying oil based insecticides with burn the new growth in the hot sun as well . 
 
 
 
Broad mite has a large host range including 60 families of plants. Its vegetable hosts include beet, beans, cucumber, eggplant, pepper, potato and tomato. Damage is especially severe in bell pepper. Damage is caused by secretion of a plant growth regulator or toxin as the mite feeds, and significant damage can occur at very low pest density. Symptoms include leaf and fruit distortions, shortening of internodes, blistering, shriveling and curling of leaves, and leaf discoloration. Much of this can be easily confused with viral disease, micronutrient deficiency, or herbicide injury. Fruit may be deformed, split, or russeted. Infestations in pepper can cause a bronzing of terminal growth and are frequently associated with a characteristic 's'-shaped twisting of the main stem in leaves. Damage may appear for weeks after the mites have been controlled, and when combined with the difficulty in detecting mites, makes evaluation of control measures difficult and has likely led to reports of control failures.
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http://www.ent.uga.edu/veg/solanaceous/broadmite.htm
 
You will most likely need something like Avid (Abamectin) to control them during the summer.  In the cool months Soap or oil sprays will work, but in summer they will destroy your foliage. 
 
Google search for broad mite damage does look like it.
 
But there is none of the browning on the pics.

Thanks for the info and link.
 
Get a hand lens and you will know for sure. I'm willing to bet $$$ that it is. 
 
I have a tray of 10+ plants that all look exactly like yours. 

PepperDaddler said:
Google search for broad mite damage does look like it.
 
But there is none of the browning on the pics.

Thanks for the info and link.
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Avid or Sanmite are the only miticides for Broad mite you can buy in small quantities that I know of .Both are expensive!!!!! I bought 16oz of Avid for $300.00 a few years ago. It is somewhat less expensive now. 
 
Avid http://www.amazon.com/Avid-0-15EC-Spider-Mite-Control/dp/B004CZ866E $100
 
Sanmite http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/sanmite-miticide-4-ounce $115 
 
Problem is that Avid does not keep in storage, you need to use it all within a few months or it goes bad and becomes ineffective. Maybe you can split costs some with another St. Augie local...? 
 
http://www.greenhousemanagementonline.com/gm_0909_broad_mite_plant_health.aspx
 
 
 
Easy to control
The good news is that broad mite is relatively easy to control. In greenhouse vegetable production, biological control with preventive releases of Neoseiulus fallacies, a predatory mite, is often used. This beneficial mite prefers a greenhouse environment that is warm and not too dry, with temperatures in the upper 60°Fs to 70°Fs and humidity ranging from 60-70 percent.
 
Miticides work well and are more commonly employed for curative use to “clean up” a problem. Not all miticides control broad mites.
 
Currently labeled products for ornamental greenhouse plants include Avid (and generic versions), Sanmite, Akari, Judo and Pylon. In New York, Akari is not yet labeled for use on broad and cyclamen mites. Note label warnings about plant sensitivity and product information bulletins. Unless labels indicate otherwise, start with two applications around a week to 10 days apart. Make sure to obtain good spray coverage with contact miticides.
 
Examine new plant growth carefully a week after the last application. Plants should start to appear normal if the treatments are successful. If repeat applications are needed, avoid rotating Sanmite with Akari, as they have similar modes of action. Fortunately, miticide resistance has not yet been a problem with broad mite. 
   
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Organocide is an oil and can cook your plants if you spray in the heat/sun . It's cheap, which is good but I've been using neem oil alternated with soap sprays (every 3 days) with mixed results. The mites keep coming back and Im getting oil burn on some plants in the sun. 
 
Cut off the really bad parts then move them all to the shade and if you spray, do it in the evening when it is cooler. You may still burn the plants...YMMV.
 
Broad mites are a real pain in the ass. 
 
I'm going to do a test spray of the miticide Forbid 4F, which is the same chemical as Oberon 2SC. The problem is it is not labeled for vegetable crops, but Oberon is. Oberon is only sold in bulk to large scale growers, so it's reallllllllly fucking expensive, so I'm just doing a test sample on a few plants which I wont be selling pods from. 
 
So I might completely lose the plants? Or are they just going to be stunted?
 
Went to go look at them again and the damage is very consistent with broad mites.
 
Is humid as hell back there also, which they love I read. Will the high heat kill them after it all dries out?
 
You will need to spray with something... Try oil if it is all you have, or soap - I use Murphy's Oil Soap  because it is a real soap, not a detergent and it's cheap(1 capful per quart spray bottle) it's useless for wood, but okay for plants....
 
419t1FGkO7L.jpg
 
all I can say is try your best, mites are a bitch. 
 
I wish that real miticides were available in retail quantities and formulations...
 
I'll probably end up buying a bottle of Forbid, as I can use it on my job as well. Otherwise you would need several acres of peppers to justify the purchase. 

PepperDaddler said:
I used the organocide for the aphids. It didn't get them all but I cant use any more or I WILL lose the plants.
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Just remembered Bonide Mite x, it may be worth a shot....http://earthbox.com/index.php/plant-care/insect-control/bonide-mite-x-rtu-qt.html
 
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