Plants go limp!

[HOH_Virus]

Ive noticed sometimes quite a few of my plants start to lean over and kinda just fall down, I usually just take a pencil and stake it for a couple hours and go back and its fine. Any Ideas why they would do this? It has happened to about 3 different ones now.

 

[mega]

lack of water?

 

[MrArboc]

When does this happen? When you take them outside?

 

[lazienfat]

How big are they? Mine did that just after they sprouted once I watered them they would perk right back up.

 

[pvaudio]

Don't even fret it, and definitely don't water them if they don't need it . They're just getting used to being outside and being hit by the sun (there's a difference between going limp and wilting; this is the former). My Naga Morich plants were hilarious in that regard. They're lush and green in the morning, when I came back from work midday they're literally flat in the planter and limp as wet tissue paper, then when I come back from boxing late at night, they're right back up with the stalk as stiff as a pencil.

 

[HOH_Virus]

They are deffinately not wilted its like they are taking a nap or something, the stalk just goes limber then I come back later and its just fine. Didnt know if this was a sign of some nutrient missing or why this happens.

 

[HOH_Virus]

MrArboc
Ive noticed it happening all the time, when I wake up in the AM, When I come home from work. Water is not the issue they got rained on a couple days ago and have been in my sun porch since because the weather has been awful (cold and nonstop raining for 4 days now). Maybe it is a light thing.

 

[MrArboc]

How long have they been outside? Did you harden them off properly?

 

[Straticus]

If they arent properly hardened, it could be a range of things. I would say wind and heat being the prevailing cause.

 

[pvaudio]

They are deffinately not wilted its like they are taking a nap or something, the stalk just goes limber then I come back later and its just fine. Didnt know if this was a sign of some nutrient missing or why this happens.

I'm telling you, just give them time. I'll use a boxing analogy: if you train a fighter only using sparring, he's going to get knocked senseless for a bit until he realizes what to do to protect himself and be offensive, but at the end of the day after a shower and some dinner, he's fine. Same thing here with the plants. You're putting them into an environment that they aren't yet used to, so they're weak when they're getting hit with the hot sun and strong wind. When those go away, aka, in the morning and evening, the plants look fine. It just takes time; the plants will get used to it eventually and stop doing that.

 

[cjbrewer5]

I'm telling you, just give them time. I'll use a boxing analogy: if you train a fighter only using sparring, he's going to get knocked senseless for a bit until he realizes what to do to protect himself and be offensive, but at the end of the day after a shower and some dinner, he's fine. Same thing here with the plants. You're putting them into an environment that they aren't yet used to, so they're weak when they're getting hit with the hot sun and strong wind. When those go away, aka, in the morning and evening, the plants look fine. It just takes time; the plants will get used to it eventually and stop doing that.

+1

 

[HOH_Virus]

I think I found the problem, it had nothing to do with sun or water. It was this huge green bug that seemed to pull down the plant, I know it seems a lil outlandish but that had to be it because it was the three plants that were right beside each other. I spotted him a few times and thought nothing of it because It didnt look like he was doing any damage so I let him be. He was the same exact color green as the leaves of the plants and his body was somewhat triangular. I guess he was just weighing it down with his big ass bug body. They are smaller plants about 4" tall.

 

[Masala Mojo]

I think I found the problem, it had nothing to do with sun or water. It was this huge green bug that seemed to pull down the plant, I know it seems a lil outlandish but that had to be it because it was the three plants that were right beside each other. I spotted him a few times and thought nothing of it because It didnt look like he was doing any damage so I let him be. He was the same exact color green as the leaves of the plants and his body was somewhat triangular. I guess he was just weighing it down with his big ass bug body. They are smaller plants about 4" tall.

I will remember this as one of the causes for "dropped down" wiltedish looking plants.

 

[Celeste]

I think I found the problem, it had nothing to do with sun or water. It was this huge green bug that seemed to pull down the plant, I know it seems a lil outlandish but that had to be it because it was the three plants that were right beside each other. I spotted him a few times and thought nothing of it because It didnt look like he was doing any damage so I let him be. He was the same exact color green as the leaves of the plants and his body was somewhat triangular. I guess he was just weighing it down with his big ass bug body. They are smaller plants about 4" tall.

Bugs are either friend or foe to your plant, you need proper ID. If it is a preying mantis, then you have got one of the worlds best "guard dogs" on hand, that is a predator that will gobble up al the bugs that think that pepper plants are good eating. On the other hand, if your new resident is laying eggs because its larvae eat pepper plants.....can you get a decent photo? Unlikely that a large green insect is merely hanging out. They have two goals in life- staying alive, and continuing the species.

 

[POTAWIE]

Doesn't sound bug related to me if the plants get better, sounds like plants need hardening off or they are transpiring quicker than they can take up water

 

[chilehead70301]

My habanero does the same thing in the evenings. as soon as the sun goes down, it goes limp. When I check on it in the am, its better. My plant has been outside for weeks, so it should be acclimated to the outdoors.