Chili leaves dropping

[qweasd1125]

Hey!

I posted here about a week ago due to an overfertilization/sun scorch problem. And it seems to be resolved as has not developed any further.

But now I'm in the desperate situation that some of the leaves has started falling of my Reapers. This is a problem on 4 plants, which have been given the exact same treatment as my 6 Numex Twilight. But the Twilights have not been affected, neither by the overfertilization, or the leaf drop.

Is this just the plant removing damaged leaves or should I do something about it?

I had them outside for a yesterday, but took them in again quite quickly due to rather high winds. Could the shock of going outside have done anything? I've been trying to harden them off lately.

I gave them 45 minutes the first 2 times, and then started allowing them to get 90 minutes. They've been allowed to stand in the sun, and they usually stand on an south-west facing windowsill.

They are growing in Denmark, and the fear of frost has finally passed.

Thanks for helping

I'll post pictures if necessary.

//Søren

 

[Spicy Mushroom]

If the leaves are damaged badly then they get dropped not too long after. My guess is the new issue is probably related to hardening off. Did the leaves on the Reapers seem sunburned? The only thing I think you should do is continue baby'ing the hardening off process.

 

[philosophiser]

It can be a tricky process hardening off peppers. This year 2 of my most healthy looking plants dropped ALL of their leaves (except for two) when I transplanted them, even after a week of hardening off. Most people would have probably left them for dead at that point, but I didn't give up on them and two weeks later they have tons of new growth coming from the nodes.
 
I think the best thing you can do is leave them alone and wait for them to rebound. Unless they start turning brown and falling apart (meaning they are dead) there's a good chance they will pull though this setback. Good luck!

 

[santis00]

It can be a tricky process hardening off peppers. This year 2 of my most healthy looking plants dropped ALL of their leaves (except for two) when I transplanted them, even after a week of hardening off. Most people would have probably left them for dead at that point, but I didn't give up on them and two weeks later they have tons of new growth coming from the nodes.
 
I think the best thing you can do is leave them alone and wait for them to rebound. Unless they start turning brown and falling apart (meaning they are dead) there's a good chance they will pull though this setback. Good luck!

 
Same thing happened to me, my best plant lost all of its leaves but the top two, still hoping it will pull through. plus the drainage on the pot i put it in was nil... 
 
babying them can only go so far, at some point you have to put them out and if they make it they make it...

 

[qweasd1125]

The leaves are dropping from the younger plants. I have 3 young plants about 8'' tall (20 cm) and one large plant which is almost 2' tall. 
 
The younger plants still seem to be losing leaves. 
I topped two of the younger plants about 2 weeks ago, a couple days from each other. The first one I topped, only has one of its older leaves left, but it's showing a lot of new growth. The other one I topped has 2 leaves left, and still has a little way to go before I completely trust the new growth. (In hindsight I probably should not have topped them just before trying to harden them off)
The one I didn't top is still losing leaves aswell, but I think it might have something to do with the wind, as the leaves have fallen of the side of the plant which was hit the hardest by the wind.
 
I believe they will survive this, I just don't know if I should keep taking them outside, or I should allow them to recover a little bit in a window before moving on?
 
My Numex Twillight's are doing great! They have just started to flower, and I'm starting to lose track of the amount. 1 flower the first day, then 3, then 5 and there were 13 today when I counted. I've been aiding the pollination a little bit with a piece of cotton, and the first couple of flowers have closed, and are starting to wither. (I'm hoping that it's the first sign of a chili, and not just a dead flower)

 

[Spicy Mushroom]

Sun, wind, all the above. The hardening off process is to acclimate to every aspect of the outdoor environment, not just sunlight. The younger / smaller the plant is the more vulnerable they are to the intensity of the weather. I think they just took a beating. 
 
If I were you I would still be taking them outside to adjust, yeah. Slowly but surely. Give them morning sunlight instead of mid-day intensity.