First time plant problems

S

shaydy

Fairly new to growing peppers and was hoping I could get some assistance with identifying problems with my plants. Been fairly hot recently so I've been watering them every 2-3 days. There has also been substantial rain between watering which may be the issue. I haven't applied fert yet, only providing the plants with liquid seaweed once a week. I've started applying epsom salt as a foliar spray with no noticeable results as of yet. Here are some photos of the plants.
 
Carolina Reaper:
QlDUlpJ.jpg

 
New growth is yellowish
 
 
Cayenne:
y25W919.jpg

 
Yellow older leaves
 
 
Red Savina:
5MsMoCS.jpg

 
Pale leaves
 
 
Caribbean Habanero:
7cm7qme.jpg

 
Yellow between the veins of older leaf.
 
 
I have a strong feeling it is to do with the nutrients provided to the plants but wanted to be certain before I jump to conclusions.
Any input would be great.
 
the first pic looks good. 
 
did you just transplant them? plants will get shocked, when you put them in a new pot / environment sometimes at that size. nothing much to do but to let them get used it.
 
your watering sounds ok, not every day.
 
you're correct that seaweed fertlizer isn't a full nutrient solution, eventually they will need more nutrients.
calcium for sure. (usually provided in Calmag  / Lime (don't need epsom then), or CaNO calcium nitrate))
 
you can go 2 ways with fertilizer
natural way: compost, worm castings, blood / bone meal
synthetic way: (i prefer this) osmocote smart release or jobes tomato/vegetable mix is widely available (like at mernards)
 
Alaska Fish makes a pelletized fertilizer that is complete.  (has calcium, also)  My buddy raised some incredible looking plants with it, and he has never grown anything successfully, EVER.
 
I think you're right Juanitos. I transplanted the smaller ones a few weeks back and they haven't grown much since. Ill have a look at some of the ferts at my local shop today and hopefully find something suitable.
 
I cant see your images, but yellow new growth usually equals an iron / sulphur problem. Both of which come about due to a high PH, and both of which are also a remedy for high PH.
 
Seeing that you are in Australia, im sure your water will have a fairly high PH as not to make the plumbing rust :)
Also wet feet (aka too much water) will do that, especially if your water is a high PH.  (most developed cities have additives in the water to raise the PH to make it not as corrosive.)
 
e,g. tap water may have a PH of 8 or so, and rain water may be high 5's, low 6's.
peppers will update nutrients the best around PH 6.5 in soil. If soil is waterlogged with high Ph water plants will have issues up taking iron & sulphur.
 
I like to think of iron in soil as rusty metal on a micro scale. The iron needs to be able to "rust" / break down in the soil in order for it to be available to the plants. If the soil is a high PH, then iron cant rust/ break down. Same as sticking a piece of metal in water. If its high PH, it wont rust, or wont rust as easily. If its low PH it will rust easily / quicker.
 
yellowing older leaves (and whole plant pale / yellow) = nitrogen
yellowing between veins = magnesium 
 
 
Well in that case, I'll start using rain water to water them rather than tap water. Should I invest in a pH kit or just use rain water and assume things will improve? I think ill also wait a few days to let them completely dry up and see how they are then. I may eventually re-pot them as drainage may be the issue.
 
when you transplant the plant is focusing on growing roots so that's normal for it to look like it's not doing anything for a . but yeah get some good nutes and you should be good to go. 
tap water is just fine.
 
Thank you Juanitos, you've put my mind at ease. In regard to fertilizers, would it be suggested to purchase various ferts for vegetative and flowering stages or just go with an all-rounder? Also, I've got a compost bin at home that hasn't been touched in years. Is it worthwhile adding some fresh worms and starting up my own compost for the future? I really have little idea what would be best for my plants, but I have heard a lot of good things about home-made compost.
 
shaydy said:
Thank you Janitos, you've put my mind at ease. In regard to fertilizers, would it be suggested to purchase various ferts for vegetative and flowering stages or just go with an all-rounder? Also, I've got a compost bin at home that hasn't been touched in years. Is it worthwhile adding some fresh worms and starting up my own compost for the future? I really have little idea what would be best for my plants, but I have heard a lot of good things about home-made compost.
Click to expand...
 
Ah, fertilizer questions.  Since we just had this discussion recently...  LOL
 
You don't need flower and bloom fertilizers.  That is a humongous marketing scam.  Use one fertilizer for your entire grow.  You don't need high P fertilizers.  The theoretical optimum uptake rate of a plant is 3-1-2, so try to find something in the range, if you can.  Otherwise, keep your numbers (or your dosing strength) low, and feed more often, rather than more.
 
Compost, for sure.  It's usually best used as a top-dress.  I see all kinds of people talking about mixing it into their soil or potting mixes, but where I live, compost amended soils have a tendency to compact.  I can't speak for other parts of the country.  If you have good compost, and lay it down about an inch thick, every month or so, you'll be fine.
 
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stettoman said:
 
 
Found this, I take it this is in range? I don't mean to hijack, but nutes were brought up...
 
Botanicare CNS17 Grow 3-1-2
 
https://www.amazon.com/Botanicare-CNS17-3-1-2-Formula-1-Quart/dp/B00IGFJX0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484060908&sr=8-1&keywords=3+1+2+fertilizer
Click to expand...
 
YES.  I have posted that one a few times.  It's a fantastic nutrient, and complete.  No Cal/Mag supplementation necessary.  As an added bonus, my water brings the PH of that particular nutrient to a PH of right around 6.5.  So no dicking with buffering, either.

Some others also swear by Dyna-Gro.  They make a line of complete nutrients.
 
Each of those brands makes a bloom and grow, but I used the CNS17 Grow for an experiment this season (as I usually use homemade fertilizer) with fantastic results, start to finish.  Plants podded up like they were in the Garden of Eden.
 
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I looked at the Dyna-Gro as well, they had a 9-3-6 for less $ that could be under-dosed, but I read that it doesn't freeze well and where I live freezing in transport is an issue this time of year.
 
I just clicked on submit order, based on your enthusiasm for the product. I won't hold you responsible... :shh:

PS--No tap water for this kid either--I melt snow for my plants. We have soft water, won't inflict Culligan on my friends...
 
stettoman said:
I looked at the Dyna-Gro as well, they had a 9-3-6 for less $ that could be under-dosed, but I read that it doesn't freeze well and where I live freezing in transport is an issue this time of year.
 
I just clicked on submit order, based on your enthusiasm for the product. I won't hold you responsible... :shh:

PS--No tap water for this kid either--I melt snow for my plants. We have soft water, won't inflict Culligan on my friends...
Click to expand...
 
The only thing to worry about with water - tap or not - is the PH and EC of the final solution.  
 
Honestly, despite all of the scary stuff that you hear about tap water, it grows plants just fine.  Now, your tap water DOES have some dissolved solids in it, which can reduce the efficacy of any fertilizer.  That's really more of a concern than the chlorines or chloramines, which everyone is so worried is going to destroy their microbe colony, and lead to (insert concern here).  
 
So, follow the instructions on label for PH.  That is important.  
 
My point with the water PH was only that if the soil is kept waterlogged (with tap water) it may be create a temporary high ph situation for the plant. 
Similar to sitting the plant roots in a bucket of plain tap water then adding nutrients. It wont uptake them properly due to the PH.
 
Ignoring technicalities like air stones etc, If you did the same thing (sit plant / roots in bucket of water) that was a proper PH, and added nutes it would grow properly. (hydro etc)
 
Have used the dyna-grow "foliage pro" with good results. Would recommend. 
 
edit; if you really want to you can bring the ph of your water down with something like citric acid. I used to mess around doing that, but now I just make sure there's a little sulphur in the mix 
 
nzchili said:
My point with the water PH was only that if the soil is kept waterlogged (with tap water) it may be create a temporary high ph situation for the plant. 
Similar to sitting the plant roots in a bucket of plain tap water then adding nutrients. It wont uptake them properly due to the PH.
 
Ignoring technicalities like air stones etc, If you did the same thing (sit plant / roots in bucket of water) that was a proper PH, and added nutes it would grow properly. (hydro etc)
 
Have used the dyna-grow "foliage pro" with good results. Would recommend. 
 
edit; if you really want to you can bring the ph of your water down with something like citric acid. I used to mess around doing that, but now I just make sure there's a little sulphur in the mix 
Click to expand...
 
I don't think that anybody disagrees with any of your points.  I would only caution anyone to be careful of adding anything.  The sulfur - while it may help with PH - may not be necessary, and could be counterproductive to the final solution.  Getting a good EC reading (in PPM) will help deduce that.  You want your final parameters to match both PH and EC.  You can have perfect PH and the right NPK ratio, but too high EC can produce spectacularly different results.  This is why RO water is often (and optimally) used in hydroponics.
 
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