Ghost Pepper plant problems?

NoobGrower · Aug 31, 2018

I planted this ghost about 2-3 months ago, maybe longer. All of my other peppers (habs, jals, carolina reaper) have taken off, and are doing fine, but this little guy has appeared to have problems. He is blooming, a little, but his leaves have always seemed light green/yellow and almost wilty and even very soft. I took pictures as I AM a new grower and I am just trying to think of ways to help him along. I just fertilized with Epsom salt and a 4-6-5, but he looks about the same. I am wondering if he is diseased, or if I am water too much/not enough, etc (I was watering him 2 times a week). Hopefully some people can give me guidance here.

Thanks in advance!!

austin87 · Aug 31, 2018

Mites. Get some Azamax. It is diluted with water and sprayed on the leaves. Make sure to do it in the evening so your plants dont burn in the sun.

Specifically broad mites. They set several plants back months a few seasons ago as it took me a long time to identify the problem.

NoobGrower · Sep 1, 2018

Wouldnt neem oil be better then? (Still learning so just asking the questions).

Also, just curious, how sure can I be it is broad mites before investing? Or is this just a case of it looks a lot like this, so try remedy and see if it works?

bongcloud · Sep 1, 2018

Active ingredient of Azamax is Azadirachtin, and it is derived from neem seeds. Azamax should be better than Neem, but I've never used it or had to treat mites.

austin87 · Sep 1, 2018

NoobGrower said:
Wouldnt neem oil be better then? (Still learning so just asking the questions).

Also, just curious, how sure can I be it is broad mites before investing? Or is this just a case of it looks a lot like this, so try remedy and see if it works?

bongcloud said:
Active ingredient of Azamax is Azadirachtin, and it is derived from neem seeds. Azamax should be better than Neem, but I've never used it or had to treat mites.

Yes Azamax is stronger than neem. It is used in organic gardening and can be applied up to the day of harvest.

Broad mites cannot be seen with the naked eye, they are very small. You can get a 30x jewelers loop magnifying glass to see them.

But that leaf curling is definitely indicative of mites and they will not go away on their own. They particularly like the tender new growth. Also treat any plants nearby. This is an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure situation.

NoobGrower · Sep 1, 2018

Ok, I guess I would just ask if any of the products I could pick up at Home Depot would be fine (BioNEEM has .9% az, while Azamax has 1.2%) or if you would suggest just using the brand azamax? I wanted to do something today, but I can wait a couple if name brand seems worth it.

austin87 · Sep 1, 2018

NoobGrower said:
Ok, I guess I would just ask if any of the products I could pick up at Home Depot would be fine (BioNEEM has .9% az, while Azamax has 1.2%) or if you would suggest just using the brand azamax? I wanted to do something today, but I can wait a couple if name brand seems worth it.

Get on it ASAP. Neem should be fine.

NoobGrower · Sep 3, 2018

austin87 said:
Mites. Get some Azamax. It is diluted with water and sprayed on the leaves. Make sure to do it in the evening so your plants dont burn in the sun.

Specifically broad mites. They set several plants back months a few seasons ago as it took me a long time to identify the problem.

Azamax finally came in today. I was going to make a foliar spray and just hit all the peppers, as I have seen some webs in a couple others so figured it wouldn't hurt to just hit them all?

Also, would you recommend doing the drench on the Ghost as well, or did a foliar application do the job?

thanks!

austin87 · Sep 3, 2018

NoobGrower said:
Azamax finally came in today. I was going to make a foliar spray and just hit all the peppers, as I have seen some webs in a couple others so figured it wouldn't hurt to just hit them all?

Also, would you recommend doing the drench on the Ghost as well, or did a foliar application do the job?

thanks!

Yeah I would do them all. Azamax doesnt kill anything (they dont like plants that have been treated with it and it affects their growth). You dont want a case where you drive them from an infected plant to a non-infected plant.

Ive never done a soil drench, just a foliar spray. A couple times per week to start. Make sure to do it in the evening or very early morning.

NoobGrower · Sep 8, 2018

I started Azamax treatments last Sunday evening (6 nights ago). The next day, I noticed some green leaves on the outside, lower branches (unsure if they had been there before and I just never noticed them, focusing only on the overall plant). I did another application 2 nights ago. Not sure how fast Azamax is supposed to work, but it seems like the overall look of the plant is the same. I took some photos for reference and of the main symptoms I am still seeing.

NoobGrower · Sep 8, 2018

Though side by side comparison does show growth and (possibly) less yellowing, even though the curl is still very prominent (and of course the spots on the underside).

Picture before Azamax ( L ), picture today ( R )