Slight leaf yellowing

[Wulf]

I tried a search, but leaf yellowing has been blamed on everything under the sun, so thought I'd ask more directly. A few of my plants are having their leaves start to yellow, most obviously along the center vein of the larger leaves.

My plants are coming due for another round of ferts, and I gave them half-strength last time. Over-fertilizing is not a likely cause of their problem. Could under-fertilizing cause yellowing? It'd be great if that solved itself with something I was going to do anyway.

There was also a minor resurgence of aphids that resolved itself with natural ladybug intervention. The yellowing on the leaves is on the larger, older ones, and any aphid damage would likely start to show on the new leaves, correct?

I water a small amount often instead of a large amount rarely. 2L (half gallon) of water every day or two, split between 14 plants. Overwatering could be a theoretical cause, but the yellowing isn't on the plants that have stayed wet. A few of my plants just never seem to dry out due to positioning, minor shade, etc, and they appear fine. (I skip watering them if they're already wet, but there's no doubt they've been moist longer than the ones with yellowing)

A couple weeks ago we had a cold spell, and it got down to mid 40s F outside. No frost, but I'm not sure if pepper plants turn yellow in the fall naturally, or if that's just a native plant reaction. None of the native trees around here are noticeably yellowing

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Joshuap2000]

I am not sure if ou read this, but check here is article that might help you some.


Pepper is a popular household plant. They are very easy to grow in comparison to other plants out there. They have been in the picture since ages and continue to find a place in most gardens. One can enjoy pepper gardening by regular maintenance.
That being said, pepper plants can get affected by heaps of harmful diseases. These diseases can be bacterial or fungal. One of the predominant symptoms associated with these diseases is change in the color of the pepper plant. Pepper plants will turn yellow upon infestation. In fact, yellowing of the leaves is a common problem experienced by most gardeners out there.
Pepper plants turn yellow because of nutrient deficiencies. Nutrient deficiencies could be due to inadequate supply of iron, calcium, sulphur, magnesium and zinc. Fortunately, there are plenty of fertilizers out there in the market, which can help you deal with this issue. These fertilizers are loaded with nutrients, which will ensure that the pepper plants do not turn yellow.
If you see your pepper plant leaves turning yellow, then this might also be due to excess nitrogen present in the soil. This usually occurs due to excess watering. Restricting the water supply to the plant will help you eradicate this problem. Chlorinated water, fungal issue and soil splash on the pepper leaves are few other reasons responsible for the yellowing of the pepper leaves. Some bacteria’s not only change the color of the leaves, but also spoil pepper fruit.
Remember, not all problems can be dealt in a similar fashion. In some cases, you may have to voluntarily supply the plant with excess water to prevent the plant from turning yellow. Proper inspection of the plant is a must to ensure that you are able to offer the proper resolution to a given problem.
For instance, having a good look at the plant leaves will help you determine the problem. If you witness that the lower leaves of the pepper plant is turning yellow, and the veins on the leaves are green or dark brown, then you can save your pepper plant by watering the plant in excess. Excess watering will ensure that you are able to get rid of the excess nitrogen present in the plant.
As mentioned earlier, pepper plants can turn yellow due to chlorinated water as well. Eradicating the chlorine from the water will ensure that your pepper plants do not turn yellow due to the presence of chlorine in the water. The most simple and effective way to get rid of chlorine from the water is to allow the bucket to be in a standstill position for few hours. This will enable evaporation of the chlorine from the water.
Experts recommend that one sprays fungicides once in a week to control diseases. However, if the infestation is severe, then you might have to spray it once every five days. Read the label of the product carefully to ensure that you are using the proper dosage. Going high or low on fungicides would not be in your best interest over here


http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/13371/1/Reasons-Why-Pepper-Plants-Can-Turn-Yellow.html

 

[Wulf]

Thanks. That supports my fertilizing solution.

I have a rotation of containers of water that I let sit on my table till I'm ready to use them, so any chlorine should gas out by the time I water.

 

[Joshuap2000]

Yea, with yellowing it hard to tell as it can be many of things. Luckly for me, i never had that promblem yet with my peppers (knock on wood), my biggest promblem is aphids, but i got spray that puts them out there misserable life.

 

[geeme]

Agree - yellowing can mean many things - it is helpful to post pics. However, one of the most common reasons for yellowing is too much water/nitrogen - frequently from rain. You mention how often you are watering, but are they under shelter so they are not typically rained on, too? Another thing to be aware of is that different varieties uptake water at different rates, and some individual plants are more prone to adverse reactions than others. We've had a bout of rain here and I've brought several plants into the garage, but have left others out. I have 4 trinidad perfumes, two are not happy with the rain, two are fine. After leaving the yellowing ones in the garage a while, they start to put out more green with the new growth. So keep these types of things in mind, too.

 

[Wulf]

Yet again I forgot to grab pics, but as the yellowing progresses it does seem to be an Autumn-style yellowing. The nearby trees are starting to change colors too.

It's most prominent on the trinidad scorpions followed by the peter peppers. Has anybody else noticed peppers leaves changing with the fall?

It's almost time to get them inside anyway.