Help me identify this nutrient deficiency

Bicycle808

Bicycle808

I'm growing 24 Zapotec Jalapeños in a 16 x 4' raised bed at my Community Garden. There is a smattering of volunteers that i'd spared growing among them as well. One plant is looking really yellow, and I'm trying to figure out what i can do to help that plant, and also why there's only one plant affected.

These Zapotecs had been weird from the start. Just very yellow most of the time in the solo cups... All of them were weirdly yellow but still grew fairly vigorously. They greened up good a week or two after plant out, and ask were growing well, except for one which had been defoliated by earwigs or some other pests shortly after plant out. It has since recovered, but is still lagging behind the rest. But that is not the yellow-azz plant that this post is about.

The yellow plant has been green and growing well with no problems until maybe a week to ten days ago, when I noticed the new growth was bright yellow. The plant looked healthy otherwise and if i didn't know anything about peppers, of think the yellow was pretty. This doesn't alter to be the sickly yellow of nitrogen-deficient leaves, but of course my first move was to drop some Alaskan fish-stank on all my plants. A few days later, it's still yellow, so I'm thinking magnesium. I whipped up a foliar spray, just h2o and Epsom salts. That was maybe a week ago? Here are pictures of the plant, taken yesterday:
http://imgur.com/a/jnvAiqc

If the color improved at all since the foliar spray, it's not apparent and I'm willing to say it simply didn't work. I'm trying to fertilize ask my beds again, bit with all this rain, I don't want to use the fish-stank so I'll be looking into granulated options, I guess.

The plant isn't obviously struggling, and if not for the color, I wouldn't be concerned at all. The rest of the plants in the bed have that brought lime green right at the epicentre of new growth, and they get dark green within days, with only the newest of new growth having that slightly lighter, brighter hue. It's just the one plant that turned yellow and has stayed yellow for over a week.

Any help IDing the problem would be greatly alleviated, as would advise on how to improve it. Thank you in advance.

-Rob
 
If you don't want to use fish stank, use fish stank pellets.  And water it with fish stank. :D
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Sometimes, there is no obvious explanation for these kind of plants.  I've had a couple over the years that do this, and they just keep on growing and putting out new foliage, and bearing fruit, as normal.
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Plants can be like people, too.  Sometimes, they have weird conditions that don't follow the normal template.  That plant might be a freak.  It might be terminal.  It might just be... "special".  Like when you find a variegated plant amongst your normal plants.
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If the only thing that looks different about the plant is its color, I'd not be too concerned.  If it keeps up with growth - to a reasonable degree - and otherwise does what its supposed to, be indifferent.
 
solid7 said:
If you don't want to use fish stank, use fish stank pellets.  And water it with fish stank. :D
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Sometimes, there is no obvious explanation for these kind of plants.  I've had a couple over the years that do this, and they just keep on growing and putting out new foliage, and bearing fruit, as normal.
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Plants can be like people, too.  Sometimes, they have weird conditions that don't follow the normal template.  That plant might be a freak.  It might be terminal.  It might just be... "special".  Like when you find a variegated plant amongst your normal plants.
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If the only thing that looks different about the plant is its color, I'd not be too concerned.  If it keeps up with growth - to a reasonable degree - and otherwise does what its supposed to, be indifferent.
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Seems like nobody is carrying the fish-stank pellets locally. I've been looking around for a few weeks. Should've ordered then online from the start; they'd have been here by now.

Only reason I don't want to use the standard fish-stank is bc we've been having monsoon conditions lately. Last thing I want to do is dump more water on them.

Yeah, this plant is weird, but he used to be just like all his brothers and sisters. The color change was sudden and dramatic. I mean, it's still got pods on it so, at the end of the day, this fat guy is happy long as the plant is feeding me. But I would like to see the thing go back to green...

I think that all my plants are in need of some nitrogen. So, as soon I figure out the quickest and best way to do that, I will.
 
I recently used some fish-stank pellets to good effect on a plant with superficially similar symptoms. 
 
Yes, I'm thinking the fish-stank pellets are the way to go, considering my plants' needs and the weather conditions.

I got a few garden centers/nurseries out in the cut that I need to check. Otherwise, it's Amazon and then waiting for shipping.
 
Bicycle808 said:
Yes, I'm thinking the fish-stank pellets are the way to go, considering my plants' needs and the weather conditions.

I got a few garden centers/nurseries out in the cut that I need to check. Otherwise, it's Amazon and then waiting for shipping.
Click to expand...
 
Amazon's own shipping service has come online here recently.  I"m getting most things next day now.  It's pretty cool.
 
My experience with nitrogen deficiency is very different.  A deficiency should stop the overall growth of the plant, and then yellowing ensues.  Certainly, if you were nitrogen deficient to the point of yellowing, you shouldn't be setting, much less holding, pods.  Most of the time, if I see nitrogen deficiency, the flowers fall, or they abort prematurely, with a noticeable yellowing of the stems on the pods.
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To reaffirm everything that's been said, though, if you experience torrential rains for any period of time, it's best to have a 2-tier approach to feeding.  A liquid feed every other week, plus a dry organic, is a pretty good regimen. 
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I am still thinking you might have a freak.  Good growth and pod set  is not congruent with nutrient deficiency.
 
My Zaps have struggled too after going in ground. Too much rain here. I put down some dry fertilizer and new growth is looking much better but the plants are still tiny. I reserved 1 plant just in case. I put it in a fabric pot the other day. It already looks better than my Zaps in ground. Faster growth and better color. None of my Zaps have ever looked great imo. Seeds were from RFC but im not blaming them.
 
Ive been giving plants Happy Frog veggie and tomato when it too wet to water. Nothing wrong with the fish pellets but i got the Happy Frog for a killer price....im sure some will cringe at the idea but milorganite its cheap with a fairly mild NPK. Slow to release even in rainy conditions.
 
if you are giving it the same environment and nutrients as the others but this one is different you need to think
This plant has access to all the variables to be healthy but it isn't so there must be something else causing the issue
 
throwing more nutes at it probably isn't going to help.
 
if you are doing everything right and there are still problems you have:
a problem preventing nutrient absorption (rootbound, overwater, ph, etc)
disease / viral
pest
genetic issue
 
i usually review this guide when diagnosing problems: https://www.seminis.com/global/us/growerresources/Documents/SEM-12095_PepperDiseases_8p5x11_072313.pdf
 
juanitos said:
if you are giving it the same environment and nutrients as the others but this one is different you need to think
This plant has access to all the variables to be healthy but it isn't so there must be something else causing the issue
 
throwing more nutes at it probably isn't going to help.
 
if you are doing everything right and there are still problems you have:
a problem preventing nutrient absorption (rootbound, overwater, ph, etc)
disease / viral
pest
genetic issue
 
i usually review this guide when diagnosing problems: https://www.seminis.com/global/us/growerresources/Documents/SEM-12095_PepperDiseases_8p5x11_072313.pdf
Click to expand...
Yah the reason I'm so confused is that the other plants in the bed have the same theoretical genetics. Same pH, same watering issues (It rains everyday here lately; all my plants are drowning but I'm used to seeing those problems manifesting with the lower leaves yellowing. This one shows the opposite.) Same improbability of being rootbound. A pest is possible, but none are evident. I'm panicking bc I guess it could be a disease or fungus or someshit.

So yeah, I feel like I'm overdue for some nitrogen boosting on all my plants; so yes, I'm going to throw nutes at the problem regardless but you are probably right: there has got to be an underlying problem causing the reduced nutrient uptake. Otherwise, all the Zapotecs in that same bed would be showing the same symptoms...
 
That's definitely not a calcium deficiency.  Blossom end rot is the dead giveaway on a plant that's bearing pods.  As is dying terminal buds and brown aborted new growth.  It's very similar in appearance to broad mite damage.
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Soil based calcium deficiencies (that is, not in containers) are so rare, they're almost a non-issue.  Many people treat what they think is a calcium deficiency, when they have had a temporary uptake disruption, that is in the process of correcting itself, even as they are "fixing" it.  (which leaves a false impression of having actually done something)
 
 
juanitos said:
theoretical genetics  :P
 
seeds are one of the big disease vectors. you could have just got lucky.
Click to expand...
 
I really have to agree with this diagnosis.  If this were an isolated plant, it would be a real head scratcher. But there are multiple specimens under the same exact conditions.
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Apply the principle of parsimony.
 
The seeds came from last year's harvest. I saved them from a handful of pods. I get it that even seeds from the exact same pod will have different genetics, and some will be better than others. I'm far cooler than my sister, even though we got the same parents. Maybe this yellow plant is just the uncool brother in his family tree.

But, tbh, if be more comfortable if this particular plant was always the weirdo, always uncool. If that was the case, I'd never have put this plant in the bed. It'd have been culled. He only went weird a few days back. Did he fall in with the wrong crowd at college? Get hooked on drugs? Maybe this is something that sets in during a plant's early to mid twenties, like schizophrenia?

I'm confused bc, like solid7 pointed out, if this thing were truly struggling, it wouldn't be setting new pods and holding extant pods. This plant is doing both. And it's also confusing that only this one plant, out of 24, is showing symptoms. So it is a puzzle. But if i thought it was something contagious, I'd pull it out and toss it in the river immediately.

As of right now, I don't know what it is. And, in some ways, the uncertainty is more unnerving than having a terrible but certain diagnosis.
 
Bicycle808 said:
As of right now, I don't know what it is. And, in some ways, the uncertainty is more unnerving than having a terrible but certain diagnosis.
Click to expand...
 
All things are a matter of perspective.  If you're unhappy with your current state of mind, shift it.
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Take joy, knowing that you may be on the verge of something truly wonderful.  Or terrible.  This could be the plant that ushers in the apocalypse.  It might be a prophetic plant, that foreshadows the arrival of the foretold, and fabled scarlet unicorn.  It could just be a plant with AIDS.  Either way, it's unique, and it's yours.
 
solid7 said:
 
All things are a matter of perspective.  If you're unhappy with your current state of mind, shift it.
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Take joy, knowing that you may be on the verge of something truly wonderful.  Or terrible.  This could be the plant that ushers in the apocalypse.  It might be a prophetic plant, that foreshadows the arrival of the foretold, and fabled scarlet unicorn.  It could just be a plant with AIDS.  Either way, it's unique, and it's yours.
Click to expand...
Naw, Mang, a yeller chile plant sucks and we all know it.
 
Bicycle808 said:
Naw, Mang, a yeller chile plant sucks and we all know it.
Click to expand...
 
Don't be a bigot.  Don't be muff cabbage.  All peppers are God's creation.
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Except for Carolina Reapers, and the jury's still out on who's the daddy of that one...
 
solid7 said:
That's definitely not a calcium deficiency.  Blossom end rot is the dead giveaway on a plant that's bearing pods.  As is dying terminal buds and brown aborted new growth.  It's very similar in appearance to broad mite damage.
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Soil based calcium deficiencies (that is, not in containers) are so rare, they're almost a non-issue.  Many people treat what they think is a calcium deficiency, when they have had a temporary uptake disruption, that is in the process of correcting itself, even as they are "fixing" it.  (which leaves a false impression of having actually done something)
 
Click to expand...
 
I was wondering the same thing. Those Zapotecs could easily describe my white bhuts this year. Most of my the peppers I had this year suffered to one extent or another but the yellowed ones in the ground just grew out of it. I'm wondering if climatic conditions play a role in calcium uptake. Waiting around may be less than optimal even though from a production standpoint we could construe this as a bottleneck. 
 
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