Left for work and the Hab was fine. Now this.

What happen? Did someone set us up the bomb?

Seriously, though, knowing nothing about growing (1st season), I'd guess too wet, or sunburned. Any input?

No apparent pests, no spots on leaves, nothing else I can see. Just tragic wilting. It was dropping leaves the last few days, and it' seen raining a lot recently, so I had been bringing it in and setting it out frequently.

0njycBn.jpeg
 
I had one plant like that last week and when I went to pull it out of the ground, it was clearly snapped at the base and barely hanging on. Any chance you got the same thing? Sorry to see that.
 
I had one plant like that last week and when I went to pull it out of the ground, it was clearly snapped at the base and barely hanging on. Any chance you got the same thing? Sorry to see that.


No apparent stem damage.

Zd1CtSZ.jpg
 
1.  Soil looks dry may have cooked itself 
 
2. That or some type of bacterial wilt ? 
 
3. Check for bugs in the soil or boring up the stem .
 
Mine wilted pretty dang bad the first day I put em in direct sunlight, I feel like if I hadn't of caught it in time they woulda looked just like that. I moved em, got shade cloth and moved em back. Now everyday the last two weeks they wilt a tiny tiny bit in the mid-day heat. Less and less as time goes on though.
 
1.  Soil looks dry may have cooked itself 
 
2. That or some type of bacterial wilt ? 
 
3. Check for bugs in the soil or boring up the stem .


1. Soil hasn't been able to dry out fully for a long time (a week or more). You're seeing the coffee ground/ tea ground mulch that I use. Looks dry even when moist.

This long term moisture is my biggest concern.

2. Been looking for signs, but no spots or any fuzzy bits that I can see.

3. Haven't seen any bugs in this one. My jal has had flies hatching from the soil, so I'm going squish-happy there. Nothing here, though.

Thanks for the help; not trying to bash, just offer more clues in diagnosis.
Mine wilted pretty dang bad the first day I put em in direct sunlight, I feel like if I hadn't of caught it in time they woulda looked just like that. I moved em, got shade cloth and moved em back. Now everyday the last two weeks they wilt a tiny tiny bit in the mid-day heat. Less and less as time goes on though.


Yeah, it's hardened off, but has been inside for a day or so due to rain (want to dry it out a bit). Yesterday was hot-ish (high: 93) and very humid with an evening rain. Wonder if he cooked himself dead.
 
 Well you answered the problem your roots are rotting . They need to breath . 


Yeah, been trying to dry 'em out. Plenty of drainage holes in the pot (bucket), but I have been wanting him dry out. Don't want to keep him inside due to stagnant air, but don't want him outside for the rain. Out of the house for 12 hrs/ day makes it hard to regulate haha.
 
What about re-potting the plant with some new soil ?
 
I've taken plants bigger than that one and moved them from the ground into a container and vice versa. In fact I just potted up a few plants for my brother that were in the ground and put them in containers for him. 
 
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck then water that poor plant.

People have given you some great advice.  Some of it based on their own experiences when they first started and watching others.  Most new growers over water and over feed the heck out of a plant.  You said you were trying to dry it out, soil looks dried out, most nutrients are given in liquid for, so my guess is you succeeded in drying it out.  I would water the crap out of it, mist the crap out of it, and keep it out of direct sunlight for a bit.  A side benefit being that if some goofy salt build up is going on (probably not) you might flush it out.
 
Container grown plants can go from dry to dried out in very little time on a hot sunny day.  If you have to grow in containers, think about watering more often.  Maybe invest in a hydrometer.
 
I believe the issue is in your soil, but a tad different from what's been explained above. Do you put a fan on the plant when you bring it inside? You see how there is an area immediately around the base of the plant that looks wet, even though the rest of the soil appears very dry? This is evidence that a soil fungus is at work. Keeping good air flow on the plant helps to deter this, which is one reason why you want a fan on your plants whenever they are indoors.
 
Is that plant salvageable? Don't know. You can try repotting, first removing as much of the old soil as possible from the roots, and use hydrogen peroxide (according to the lower chart on this linked website) to see if it will pull through or not. I've had that happen to one of my plants and chose to just toss it.
 
I've had a bad problem with aphids this year and my plants have the same behavior.  They are a tiny bit wilty for a day or two, then they crash hard over one afternoon.
 
Its hard to tell from your picture, but you may have some.  I put some arrows on feature in your picture that look like they might be aphids.  Take a good look at the backs of your leaves, especially the ones that are curled up.  If you have little translucent green bugs on them, you got aphids.  If thats what it is, get some neem spray (or hard core bug killer if you want) and give your plant a good once over.
 
aphids.jpg
 
Just move it in the shade. It's not bacterial wilt, overwatered, just looks like its about to start getting sunburnt. The heat from the sun is cooking it. This is a very normal thing for pepper plants. Not everything is disease, or big problems :)
 
Obeychase ++

Disease, mold, pests, nutrient lock, and other things do happen & rarely does a new grower under water.  But most often the simplest answer really is the best.

Just yesterday, I stopped my lawn mower, emptied the bag, and tried to restart.  It would not restart.  I know it has a low oil safety switch, so I checked the oil.  I checked to see if I bumped the plug wire off.  I checked the throttle to see if it came loose.  I checked the choke to see if it was stuck closed.  I pulled and pulled for ten minutes.  Nothing would start the damn thing.

Then I put gasoline in it.  Started right up.
 
Fitsia, if you are going to be gone for days at a time I highly recommend putting your plants in the ground.  They will love you for it and if you get them in a raised area with plenty of room for run off, you wont have to worry so much about being too dry or wet.
 
Fitsia, if you are going to be gone for days at a time I highly recommend putting your plants in the ground.  They will love you for it and if you get them in a raised area with plenty of room for run off, you wont have to worry so much about being too dry or wet.


Wish I could. City living precludes that. But hey, I will do my best to keep the other three pots (Anaheim, Jalapeño, and Serrano) going if the Hab fails.
 
ajdrew said:
Fitsia, if you are going to be gone for days at a time I highly recommend putting your plants in the ground.  They will love you for it and if you get them in a raised area with plenty of room for run off, you wont have to worry so much about being too dry or wet.
 
OR swap over to a self watering setup so it can last a few days without over/underwatering itself !!
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo_vkdkq8ew
 
As for leaving them outside. I bought a 6 dollar tarp and some 6 foot garden stakes and I just build a tent on rainy days. The 6 foot tarp allows at least some sunlight and the tarp keeps them from getting wet.
 
As for leaving them outside. I bought a 6 dollar tarp and some 6 foot garden stakes and I just build a tent on rainy days. The 6 foot tarp allows at least some sunlight and the tarp keeps them from getting wet.


Have you got a picture of your setup? Trying to envision it.
 
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