issue Leaf issue.

[Indyboy]

Hi everyone. This is my first grow tent Serrano and the leaves look terrible. It's been this way for many weeks yet it is producing lots of great fruits. It's in 5 gallons of Happy Frog soil and is being fed General Hydroponics Flora Series nutrients plus CalMag and epsom salt every 3rd watering. 1 tspn of everything except 1/2 tspn of epsom per gallon of water. PH of nutrient solution is 5.8-6.2. Nutrient ppm is around 1400. I can't find any pictures online that look like these leaves. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance and have a Great Day!

 

[CaneDog]

Looks like very pronounced edema. Do you have other peppers under similar conditions that look normal? That seems like a very strong nutrient concentration for peppers, especially on top of happy frog. What's the rest of your tent setup look like? Lighting type and distance? Air circulation?

 

[Indyboy]

I do have a young Serrano, 6"tall, in a quart mason jar using the Kratky hydroponic method with a current nutrient solution of around 700 which is doing fine. I actually germinated the seed in a rockwool cube in this same exact jar and nutrient solution it's in now. Everything is in a 24"×48"×60" tent with (2) 1000w LED lights about 20 inches above the top of the plant. I have 2 6" clip on fans running for 90 minutes 4 times a day while the lights are on. I have a lower vent and a large top vent open for fresh air exchange. The lights are running 14 hours a day. Average temp with lights on is 80 and 60 when they are off. I'm not using heaters or a humidifier. I know I was messing up in regards to proper watering schedule but a month ago I bought a soil moisture probe to make judging watering needs easier. My tomatoes appreciate the tester too but they have no sign of edema. I've already begun switching over to hydroponic growing. The plant is 3 months old so I'm assuming the Happy Frog is about depleted of any original nutrients. If I can keep her alive until spring I'm going to plant her outside.

 

[CaneDog]

You obviously put a lot of thought into your grow. Good to hear the other serrano is looking good. Hydro and soil plants may not react the same to the environmental variables, though.

No need to fix what isn't broken, but in IMO your light may be a bit close to the plants (it's hard to say how intense LED lights are based on advertised watts) and the nute's are pretty high. I note that because in addition to the edema, you seem to have some coloration that's a bit off and leaf twist. and those variables could affect that. Edema can be a difficult problem to solve, but often it doesn't affect production/growth too much and very often it goes away when you transplant indoor plants to the outside. If you had overwatering in the past, the roots could have been affected and that could have created the initial situation. That would be my best guess as to why the edema is so pronounced and I don't think there's much you can do beyond what you're doing with more attention to the wet/dry balance of your soil. Transplanting to fresh soil may help if there's root problems, but it's going to interrupt growth and likely won't correct the edema.

 

[Indyboy]

Thank you for all of your input...I really appreciate it! Growing edible plants indoors is proving to be a very fun challenge! I wish I could raise the lights up higher but the tent isn't tall enough. In fact I'm having to trim the top branches off my San Marzano tomato plant on a weekly basis so they don't touch the light. Time for a bigger tent!

 

[CaneDog]

Time for a bigger tent!

and that's how it starts

Good luck with your peppers!

 

[Indyboy]

Thanks!

 

[Indyboy]

Hi everyone. This is my first grow tent Serrano and the leaves look terrible. It's been this way for many weeks yet it is producing lots of great fruits. It's in 5 gallons of Happy Frog soil and is being fed General Hydroponics Flora Series nutrients plus CalMag and epsom salt every 3rd watering. 1 tspn of everything except 1/2 tspn of epsom per gallon of water. PH of nutrient solution is 5.8-6.2. Nutrient ppm is around 1400. I can't find any pictures online that look like these leaves. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance and have a Great Day!

Just wanted to show a picture of my newest Serrano. My previous soil based Serrano is still producing fruit and still looks horrible! I moved away from growing with soil indoors and switched to non-circulating hydroponics...specifically the Kratky Method. It works like a charm! The plant drinks what it wants when it wants it. No signs of malnutrition or edema. Plus the growth rate is higher than in soil. I'm using well water and a common 3 part dry nutrient "system" that I PH to 5.8 and has an EC of 1.8 or 900 PPM using the 500 scale. I'm amazed this little guy is already fruiting. It was started from seed in a rockwool cube. Ive also had great success using this same method with lettuce, tomatoes and herbs. I'm happy to answer any questions about my foray into hydroponics. Have a Great Day!

 

[CraftyFox]

Just wanted to show a picture of my newest Serrano. My previous soil based Serrano is still producing fruit and still looks horrible! I moved away from growing with soil indoors and switched to non-circulating hydroponics...specifically the Kratky Method. It works like a charm! The plant drinks what it wants when it wants it. No signs of malnutrition or edema. Plus the growth rate is higher than in soil. I'm using well water and a common 3 part dry nutrient "system" that I PH to 5.8 and has an EC of 1.8 or 900 PPM using the 500 scale. I'm amazed this little guy is already fruiting. It was started from seed in a rockwool cube. Ive also had great success using this same method with lettuce, tomatoes and herbs. I'm happy to answer any questions about my foray into hydroponics. Have a Great Day!

That is a beautiful looking little plant! I still haven't gotten around to messing with Kratky, but the time is high!

 

[Indyboy]

That is a beautiful looking little plant! I still haven't gotten around to messing with Kratky, but the time is high!

Give Kratky a try! It's such a simple method that really produces great results. Just make sure whatever container you choose keeps out the light. Algea can take over super fast and kill your plant...trust me I know from personal experience!