• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

Curling leaves

SciurusDoomus

SciurusDoomus

My Bhut Jolokia's leaves are curling around the edges. It's only happening on the huge leaves that grew before I topped it. All the new leaves coming off of the recent nodes are pretty nice, but they along with their big brothers, get a bit squirrelier toward the top of the plant. Before y'all say it, no I haven't been overwatering. Even if I have before, I've definitely stopped. I don't think it's a Ca deficiency either, the fertilizer I use is primarily bonemeal. (I also supplement with molasses for extra Ca and Mg)

Any ideas as to what this could be?
 
It's hard to know without pics and without a log of their environment (light, composition of soil/fert, watering quantities, etc).

Leaves curling up can be due to many factors :
- excess transpiration (due to high temp. Usually under MH/HPS)
- excess fert
- fert defiency

Lots of plants try to reduce their exposition to sun by curling leaves up, that's when their is too much sun or not enough water.

I know it's not very helpful for you, but we need more info.
 
PHB said:
Probably the heat. You use a HPS ?
Click to expand...

I do. The plant stays right around 31C + or - 2C while the light is on.

Also I just noticed I have an inch-thick bundle of roots coming out of the drainage hole in my plant's pot!

What do I do/is that the cause?
 
Hi SciurusDoomus

Sorry I didn't noticed your reply here (now I understand what you said on my glog).

It's the heat I think. 31°C is quite high, and is it the temp in the cupboard or at the top of the plant ?

I think it's recommended not to go over 26-27°C, otherwise there is an excess of foliar transpiration. Your issue is very common with some other plants that usually grow under HPS ....
 
With roots coming out of the drainage hole I would have to venture a guess that it's root bound quite badly. Try replanting it in a larger pot and breaking up the roots a bit when you do.

Also I have to agree with PHB bring the temp down 4-5 degrees mine never get above 27C indoors.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PHB
Thanks you guys for the response. I'll try and kill the heat somehow.

Little update: I found that today the top leaves were turned up at a ridiculous angle toward the lamp before I turned it on for the day.

http://imgur.com/APRyZ7B

Any ideas why that is?

Also, will the leaves eventually un-crinkle or will they be weird and ugly until they die?

EDIT: My thermometer was too close to the light, and not at plant level. New readings show that with the fan, the air near my plant is at about 25C... Maybe the light's too intense? That doesn't make sense as the sun is much brighter than a 400W bulb.
 
If the heat is around 25C, if the top of the plant is not too close from the bulb, and the humidity ratio is good, then it's not a light/heat problem.

It's normal if the "plant look at the light", she is searching for more light. And it's normal if she does it befor the light is on : I got a Mimosa Pudicus and she open her leaves before the light turn on, and close her leaves 15 min before the light turn off (she is so lazy ...). Plants anticipate.

Looking at your pics your leaves seems to have a very deep green colour (usually due to high Nitrogen). What kind of fert do you add ? You can use a fluo/chlorophyll-meter to check that, but you won't find one in a growshop and it's pretty expensive.

One of my pepper has also leaves curling up, and I'm pretty sure it's because I added way too much Nitrogen. I'm a over-fert guy .... (the other plants handle it, but not this one).

Do you have leaves that are dis-formed at the beginning ? (I mean the part close to the stem)

EDIT -> mine are curling down. Forget what I said.

If you don't fert, then I've no idea what could be the problem.

SciurusDoomus said:
I do. The plant stays right around 31C + or - 2C while the light is on.

Also I just noticed I have an inch-thick bundle of roots coming out of the drainage hole in my plant's pot!

What do I do/is that the cause?
Click to expand...
I did miss that part ! Maybe it's time to repot. Can you send a pic of your plant from a larger perspective ? (to see the pot, plants and bulb)
 
Yeah it's time to repot. I'm guessing the pot I have it in is about 3-4 gallons (~12L). I use 2-7-4 fertilizer and sprinkle an amount that fits in a spoon around the soil every couple of weeks.

Even though you struck it through, I do have some new leaves that are deformed. All my leaves, new or old are all pretty squirrely, curly, and crinkled. I'll cut back on the nutes, I had a suspicion that I was giving them too much Nitrogen.

Honestly, then, I don't know what the problem is. I'll keep the same amount of light and heat, repot, and cut back on nutes. If that doesn't fix it I'm at a loss.
 
Then I'm facing more or less the same problem as yours if your leaves also go break dancing.

So far I think it's a Nitrogen problem and/or calc deficiency. But honestly I'm sure of nothing, I'm still trying to solve this out.

If you find the answer, let me know.

P.S : by the way I repoted mine quite early (see my glog) and they face this problem anyway. So I doubt this is the issue.
 
I don't think my problem is a Ca or N deficiency. If anything I have too much of those nutes. Maybe we're missing a trace element like Mo or Fe? I've checked nute charts and having too much of any nute never causes curling and deformation like we have.

I'm sure if a pro like PIC1 or Pepperjoe came by we'd have the problem solved in no time. Well, back to lurkin'!
 
  • Like
Reactions: PHB
SciurusDoomus said:
I'm sure if a pro like PIC1 or Pepperjoe came by we'd have the problem solved in no time. Well, back to lurkin'!
Click to expand...
Yeah for sure ! I think it would take us a while for us to find out what the problem is as we are both stuck and new to peppers (at least for me).

I grew Chinense only twice and the first time (a couple of years ago) I had the exact same problem. So I really would like to know what it's about.
 
PHB said:
Yeah for sure ! I think it would take us a while for us to find out what the problem is as we are both stuck and new to peppers (at least for me).

I grew Chinense only twice and the first time (a couple of years ago) I had the exact same problem. So I really would like to know what it's about.
Click to expand...

From what I'm reading on rollitup.org it seems that lots of nitrogen gets a "claw look" where leaves stay up but curl down. It's what you have I think, but not what I have. Mine curl up. Also, too much N and K can lock out Ca which will cause curling. Maybe that's what's happening. Lastly, N overdose will cause spindle stems (not my case), deformed leaves (both of our cases), and dark green foliage (my case). I dunno if this helps but that's what I learned from extensive googling.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PHB
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top