Deformed leaves

M

Mitzi

This year is my second "proper" chilli grow; I did reasonably OK last year.  I'm growing 12 chinense varieties from seed and all the rest of the seedlings look "normal" except these two.  The first pair of true leaves look normal but the second pair looks deformed - narrow and twisted.  Since I took the photos, the third pair of true leaves is starting to form and also looks deformed.
 
BGhost1.jpg

 
BGhost2.jpg

 
 
They are Brazilian Ghost.  Grown in the same compost in the same conditions as the other plants which look absolutely normal.  I can't see any pests.  Could it be a seed-borne disease (e.g. virus) in which case I need to get rid of these plants before others get infected, or is it normal for them to have narrow twisted leaves?
 
I'd appreciate any advice / suggestions.
 
P.S.  They are in Biobizz Light Mix, watered with luke warm tap water (soft) which has previously always been OK for my chillies.  No fertiliser other than what is already in the compost.
 
Could be overly wet soil and also too much watering, change your watering habits to let the soil dry some before watering again. I have seen this very same deformed leaves and usually the plants just get better with age after maturing some, could also be too much fertilizer in the soil at the moment.
 
Leaf twisting happens a lot with super hots and rapid growth indoors....water, nutes, lighting can all be an issue.
 
Usually they grow out of it....agree to cut back on watering.
 
Chilidude said:
Could be overly wet soil and also too much watering, change your watering habits to let the soil dry some before watering again.
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Thanks for the suggestion but I'm pretty sure they're not waterlogged.  After potting up, I watered them in then didn't water at all until the pots felt light.  They are in what will become self-watering pots but at present there is no water in the reservoir because I am aware of the risk of waterlogging.  The root growth looks healthy, for the size of the plant - roots just starting to hit the sides of the container.
 
Masher said:
Leaf twisting happens a lot with super hots and rapid growth indoors....water, nutes, lighting can all be an issue.
 
Usually they grow out of it....agree to cut back on watering.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for this.  Perhaps it's just a reaction to being potted up.  It just seemed strange that no other varieties are affected and they all have identical conditions.
 
Mitzi said:
 
Thanks for the suggestion but I'm pretty sure they're not waterlogged.  After potting up, I watered them in then didn't water at all until the pots felt light.  They are in what will become self-watering pots but at present there is no water in the reservoir because I am aware of the risk of waterlogging.  The root growth looks healthy, for the size of the plant - roots just starting to hit the sides of the container.
Click to expand...
 
Then just leave them be then, the leaves will get better with age so dont worry about and continue your growing like nothing have ever happened. We growers just worry too much sometimes, when a slight changes happens to the plants grow. I think it is just some type of plant stress and it will sort out in time.
 
They didn't grow out of it; the leaf deformity has continued through all the new leaves.  Is this natural?  Should I keep them?  This is what they look like now:
 
BGhost3.jpg

 
 
 
 
BGhost4.jpg
 
Looks like a severe nutrient deficiency. I suspect there is an issue with your soil, have you checked the ph? You may consider repotting in a larger pot with a good quality soil and give it a few more weeks before giving up on it.
 
CMJ said:
Looks like a severe nutrient deficiency. I suspect there is an issue with your soil, have you checked the ph? You may consider repotting in a larger pot with a good quality soil and give it a few more weeks before giving up on it.
Click to expand...
 
I use the same soil he uses (Biobizz Light Mix) and it is a good quality soil. Maybe there's a pH problem with his water.
 
So first i wanna ask about where those seeds came from? Second do you have any pest issues like aphids or mites? Third, are you a smoker?
At first glance its appearance is similar to a plant under severe attack by sapping type insects or even a tobacco mosaic type virus. However, a closer look reveals algae growth on the soil surface wich leads me to believe it is a over watering/water logged soil issue. Wich can easily cause nutrient and micronutrient lockouts leading to the deformed and unhealthy growth.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions.  Yes there is some algae; it formed on the peat Jiffy 7 pellets which were probably kept a bit too damp.  When I potted them up into the Biobizz Light Mix it hitched a ride.  However, this is the case with all of my seedlings and not just these particular ones.  I definitely haven't overwatered since potting them up, they have had very little water which has drained through and been emptied out, then the compost left to dry out between waterings. 
 
All my seedlings have been treated exactly the same and all the rest of them look healthy and "normal".  They are in the same compost, watered with the same water, under the same lights, everything exactly the same.  The only plants that are like this are the Brazilian Ghosts which makes me think the cause is seed-borne and not environmental.  No one in the house smokes.  The suggestion of a tobacco mosaic type virus is the kind of thing I am worried about because I don't want my other plants to "catch" something from these, if it is a virus.  I have a few aphids on the plants now, but there weren't any when the deformed leaves started to form; the plants were free of pests at that stage.
 
The seeds came from the European Seed Train on this forum but there is no username against them so I don't know who put them in the train, otherwise I would ask them.
 
I wouldn't be to concerned..Let them grow and isolate them from 5he rest just in case.

They are trying like crazy to throw out new veg...get some cal-mag or Epsom salt diluted in h20.

You can sprinkle 1tsp of Epsom salt granules directly onto top of soil...it will water in naturally.

Keep us posted...I would like to see how they end up.
 
Your other chilis look fine and those two in the pictures looks really sick. I would just get rid of them to make sure that sickness doest spreat to the other plants and carefully wash your hands afterwards.
 
Thanks for the advice.  I would definitely be upset if it spread to the other plants.  I think I'll go with isolating them for the time being (in another room) then think again when it gets to final potting up time when they couldn't be isolated any more.  I kind of want to know whether they will fruit, now.
 
Could it be a mutation sort of like mutant candlelight (although not as pretty)?
 
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