Curling Leaf Help?

jimbo53

jimbo53

Any Ideas why the leaves on this Purple Jalapeno would be curling, I'm bottom watering and feeding weekly with diluted nutrients. I don't think I am over watering going by the weight of the cup and using the inexpensive meter. 
Could it possibly be root bound or could it be a light issue.  
 
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Here is a pic of my Grow Shelf, It's 2x4x2 and I have 6 100 watt cfl's and a 60 watt old style for a little heat.
 
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Agree with the too-wet assessment. If they were root-bound, you'd see a mess of roots through the sides of the cups, since they are sheer.
 
Thanks everyone for all the input, I will cut back on the feeding frequency, and be more observant with the watering.  I was trying to water on a schedule, mine not theirs; I think they will let me know when they are thirsty. Like this morning @0300:
 
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Exactly! In a way they're like feeding human babies - they DO tell us when they want to be fed.
 
The key is to get used to the weight of the cups when the leaves droop like that. Once you learn that, you don't have to wait so long to water - start watering right before the cups become that light, and you never have to let the leaves droop again.
 
I have some reservations about that moisture meter.  I suspect it works on EC which means it will probably give higher readings after fertilizing, when using water with dissolved solids etc. I am pretty sure it won't tell you anything you can't see and feel.
 
miguelovic said:
I have reservations about anything produced by Luster Leaf :D
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Yes, I am starting to believe this meter is but a mere novelty item  :halo:
Lost a leaf on the purple jalapeno this morning; noticing roots against the inside of the cup, thinks its time to move up to a larger cup.
 
I am also starting to think that I need to go with a colored cup (red, blue etc).  I read a post on THP about not exposing the roots to much light; I think that could be part of my problem.  When you buy a six pack from the nursery they are usually in black containers and are really root bound and most of the time they are much larger than this plant I have in a 9 once cup.  
 
I think maybe a little parallel testing is in order, I have some seeds germinating and can do a test using a clear type cup along side a colored cup.
 
Seeing a few roots doesn't make them root-bound - seeing a whole mess of tangled roots makes that. Still, it won't hurt to move them up to larger cups now.
 
I'm not convinced that opaque vs. transparent/translucent really makes a big difference. Consider this - There is a product for making soil "bricks". Basically you take wet soil, pack it very firmly into a mold, then remove it from the mold. You then plant your seeds into these blocks of soil - no container at all. What they've found is that when the roots hit the outer edge they don't keep going out, but instead turn back towards the soil - like the plant "knows" the roots aren't supposed to be exposed to too much. But "too much" doesn't mean "none" - the part that escaped from the soil is still exposed, but the growth beyond that point is back towards the soil. So if we apply that same scenario to a plant grown in a clear/translucent container, it would seem to me that the only true differing factor is how much is too much. In other words, if your container is sufficiently large enough for the plant's root system, in theory the roots would do the same thing once they reach the edge. It would then only be when the container is too small that this would become problematic. This is theory - I haven't tested it - but it seems logical enough. If you do your experiment it would be great if you post the results!
 
Seeing some roots, but don't think its super root bound; but decided to move from a 9 once cup to a 16 once.
 
The soil felt dry and lite.
 
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Set out in front of a south facing window for a little indirect sun light and some fresh air. 
 
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I was wondering about everyone's opinion on spritzing the leaves, and with what distilled water or a little Epsom salt solution? 
 
It looks like it has been overwatered, the roots should be white and fuzzy like this:
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The plant will likely recover now that it has been replanted into fresh soil and new roots begin to grow. I have done this many times myself...
 
ChiliNoob said:
It looks like it has been overwatered, the roots should be white and fuzzy like this:
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The plant will likely recover now that it has been replanted into fresh soil and new roots begin to grow. I have done this many times myself...
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the pic of healthy roots, I never realized  I was over watering; newb mistakes.
 
Is that a layer of Perlite on top? 
 
ChiliNoob said:
It looks like it has been overwatered, the roots should be white and fuzzy like this:


The plant will likely recover now that it has been replanted into fresh soil and new roots begin to grow. I have done this many times myself...
Click to expand...
 
I was wondering if you are using the two cup method and bottom watering; are using a top watering method?  
 
I bottom watered for the first couple of weeks in an attempt to prevent damping off, then I switched to top watering. Last year I was bottom watering only and I found that it can cause the bottom of the soil can be very wet while the top of the soil is bone dry.
 
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