Chili leaves browning on the top side

qweasd1125

qweasd1125

Hi
 
I planted 4 Carolina Reapers in January, and everything has gone really well so far, but then yesterday they started showing a browning on the top side of a couple of leaves. This is affecting 3 out of 4 plants.
 
I started feeding them about a month ago, and I'm using a special chili feed, and I've diluted it as the package stated i should. I don't know if it could be overfeeding.
 
Any help to identify the problem would be appreciated.

Swv1pLX.jpg


Ru2lduw.jpg


OkuIMtG.jpg

 
Cab7nM4.jpg
 
It looks like nitrogen burn to me.   However I have seen plants react this way when slightly sun scorched/sun tanned as well.  
 
The browning along the veins of the leaves makes me think it is nitrogen burn. 
 
it is hard to tell in the pictures, but are the leaves "feeling damaged" when you touch them?  
 
Sun scorch will make the leaves feel paper-ish, and nitrogen burn will make the leaves crispy.  
 
if the leaves feel normal, I would reduce your feed frequency and see if the problem stops or worsens.  
 
 
 
Couple questions:
 
Did you use a slow release fertilizer when you mixed in your soil?
 
Did you mix in compost with your soil?
 
How often do you fertilize?  
 
How do you apply your feed?  
 
Edit:  WELCOME TO THP!  I hope you enjoy your stay, however long that may be.   I joined here with a few odd plant problems last year, and I have never felt more at home.   I also hope your experience here mimics mine.  There are a lot of knowledgeable and trustworthy folks here. 
 
Thanks for the reply!
 
It could possibly be a nitrogen burn, as the leaves feel somewhat crispy, and due to the very cloudy weather over the past week I doubt that they are scorched.
 
I used a soilless potting mix for one of them, and I used a fertilized mix for the rest. The one in the soilless mix is affected the most.
 
I use a water-based 2-2-2 fertilizer, and I usually add fertilizer 3 out of 4 times that I water. I do my very best not to water unless the plants actually need it, when they are starting to droop. 
The next time i water is going to be without fertilizer if i stick to my schedule. 
 
How should i treat the nitrogen burn? 
 
I just started growing this year, and I truly enjoy my new hobby. I've been using this site to look up possible problems that I could run into with my plants, and this seems like a really nice community. 
 
 
 
and due to the very cloudy weather over the past week I doubt that they are scorched.
Click to expand...
 
Cloudy weather isn't going to prevent sunburn on those young plants if they were not sufficiently hardened off. Solar radiation is still getting through those clouds.
 
As for treating nitrogen burn, I have no clue. My suggestion would be to cease or further dilute your fertilization schedule for a bit.
 
The best way to treat any overfeeding is to flush the soil with clean water, and watch the new growth.

If you have bubbling, curly leaves, that brown on the edges or veins right away, witHouten yellowing, it is nitrogen burn.

I am not familiar with soiless mediums, so I don't feel comfortable speaking to that.

However, some fertilizers are meant for soil. Did you purchase hydroponic ferts?
 
Everything looks very healthy to me. The leaf tips are perfect for one, color is great (minus the burn) I doubt you are over fertilizing.
 
I think it's just sun burn. 
 
By chance, did you just move them outside recently? You said planted in January, does that mean planted outside, or germed inside and moved outside? Just curious, but this may matter.
 
Is is happening to all of the leaves? Top section only? Bottom section only?
 
Any way I can get you to post a pic of the underside of the worst leaf? And a pic of a leaf that shows no problems (from the same plant).
 
 
.
 
Thanks for the replies.

There's one tip wilting a tiny bit, but nothing major. While the rest are just turning brown next to the veins of the leaves.

I started hardening them off last week, and then we were hit by a cold front this week. (Snow, Hail, etc.) So I moved them inside again.

I'll post pictures of the leaves later today.

The potting mix I used is just the non-fertilized starting mix for germinating the seeds, but I was advised to use it to avoid too much growth too early in the season.

The plant affected the most is standing in a windowsill, while the other 3 are standing under artificial lighting. Two of the ones with the grow light are affected aswell.

All of my plants are still kept inside, as the grow season is rather short in Denmark.
 
Here are a couple more pictures of the affected plant:
 
Leaf with a very slight burn on the tip, but otherwise healthy.
4qFPWCP.jpg

 
Underside of a leaf. It's not very visible in this picture:
xBLuPje.jpg

 
Affected tip:
GrNIFM5.jpg

 
Underside an affected leaf:
6w02YNY.jpg
 
qweasd1125 said:
 to avoid too much growth too early in the season.

 
Click to expand...
 
 
BLASPHEMY!!
 
LOL, j/p
 
 
 
Thanks for the pictures, they help a lot.
 
Since you started hardening them off recently, and because the most affected leaf looks like a week ago (when you started hardening them off) it was probably brand new and "more tender than the rest." And because the bottom stuff looks very nice and healthy... I think what happened is the plant went outside, got some direct sun for a little longer duration that what it was used to, and the newest, baby leaves on the top took it the hardest.
 
Your plant looks very healthy. Especially (and this part is pretty important) the new growth. Right above the worst leaf, the new growth is immaculate.
 
Watch the next set of new leaves get bigger and see if they adjust to the sun better. However, if you started hardening the plants off, it got sun burnt and you took the plants back in and stopped the process, the new stuff may be vulnerable again when it goes back out. But I also feel like it won't be as bad since you already got some direct sun on it already.
 
Anyways, thanks again for the pics. I hope for the best, that there is nothing  wrong with your plant! (Best case scenario)
 
 
Best of luck!
 
 
mrgg
 
 
(just my opinion, of course)
.
 
Hi again

Just a quick update on my chili problem:

I flushed the soil using about as much water as the volume of the pot. This was last Friday and the brown spots have stopped developing. Therefore I'm guessing that they were over fertilized.

I had a couple chilies on the windowsill that got a minor sun scorch, and there's appearently very little difference in the two types of damages.

During the next week, it'll get up around 70 F (20 C) degrees outside, so I'll start hardening them off again, as I believe the frost is over now.
 
Thanks for helping me save my plants. I'll dilute my fertilizer a little bit more from now on.
 
I was having the same problem and was able to determine my plants are just suffering from some sunburn. New growth this week looks just fine. Vicious Vex the papery vs.crispy description was really helpful!
 
Thanks :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top