Their temperature is too high

O

oren_a

Hi,
I would be happy if you can advise me on a issue that I am facing.
I think the plants temperature is too hot, they have about 7 hours of sun per day, but it seems that while they in the sun the look very bad (picture taken at 13:00):
 
wBtGVzF.jpg

 
 
once the sun goes down, they stretch and expand  (picture taken at 18:30)
 
tBeGjSH.jpg

 
the first image is at ~13:00 and the second one is at ~18:30 , both on the same day.
 
So what should I do? should I keep them in the sun, is this ok? or should I move them to the shade? less sun hours? any other advise? 
 
EDIT: those plants are in Maale Adumim the temperature can get very high
this is the weather forecast: http://www.accuweather.com/en/il/maale-edomim/213259/june-weather/213259
 
Thank You,
Oren.
 
There appears to be no sun damage to them. Mill hit the nail on the head. As long as they bounce back fine, give them the sun and keep them watered.
 
Yes, it's a coping mechanism, but still stresses the plant. If you can do something for them to ease the pain of living, I would say go for it.
 
As long as they keep coming back, great, but I feel that you are walking a tightrope on the verge of over-stressing, imo. I would say that any hotter and the leaves may start to not come back. And any actual damage done is usually irreversible, though the plant will grow new leaves to replace the beaten down ones, but that could be considered a setback by some and a help by others, depends on your beliefs (kind of relates to topping or not topping).
 
Also, when a leaf is totally vertical it is not efficiently photosynthesizing (you can see that a lot of surface area is not getting sun because of the wrinkles, and the plant has low internal circulation, also reduces protection of the fruit and stems from the sun).
 
Again, just my opinion. I feel it would be better to put a small shade cloth over them since it's so cheap to do.
 
 
 
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Personally I would go the 30-40% shade cloth route. Since switching to 40% aluminet i've been getting much better fruit production. My summers temps are brutal though.
 
Spicy Mushroom said:
Personally I would go the 30-40% shade cloth route. Since switching to 40% aluminet i've been getting much better fruit production. My summers temps are brutal though.
Click to expand...
 
 
I really need to get a roll of that aluminet - once my bank account recovers from paying for a bunch of soil stuff just recently. Where did you get it btw? - if you'd be so kind
 
Millworkman may be a slacker when it comes to post count (  ;)  ), but he's no slacker when it comes to growing - what he said is sound. However, what you haven't told us is just what the temps are in your area - what have your highs and lows been? I am under the impression that your weather can be more like it is in the more southerly states, like Florida and Texas, though the recent temps in Jerusalem haven't been too bad. (Your avvy doesn't say where in Israel you are, though.) If you're getting into the 90F+/30C+ range on a more regular basis, I agree that getting them some shade is a consideration. Otherwise, you might just let them go as-is, as long as they fill out when it cools in the evening.
 
Is this a hydro setup?
 
If not, the volume of soil seems rather small.  It's possible that there simply isn't room for the plants to grow sufficient root mass, and they cannot therefore capture enough water to offset the evaporative losses during hot weather.  
 
Even in full sun, my plants here in Arizona don't wilt unless the soil goes dry. 
 
 
IMO, wilting is better than dropping leaves, but it is still quite stressful to the plant.  Avoid if at all possible.

Another thought.  The 'well' they are growing in looks like a very nice heat trap.  Try placing them higher off the ground, in a more open area.
 
     Definitely use some shade cloth if you can swing it. Sure it's true that as long as your plant looks better after the sun goes down it's not going to die right away, but when a plant is stressed that badly during the day it can't grow. When plants wilt like that, they close their stomata to decrease transpiration. In doing so, they also stop breathing. If a plant isn't breathing, it isn't growing. 
     If you're growing your plants for fruit production, providing shade during this kind of heat is like providing water and nutrients. It's just one of several investments that will make it happier and produce more fruit. No brainer.
 
If its getting hotter, I would 'hands-down' make an effort to help your plants. If it is not, then probability says they will be fine since they have been so far. Please consider your environment. But please do not base your logic on number of postings. 
 
Since Israel is almost the same degrees north of the Tropic of Cancer as I am, it is most likely that you [OP] are going to experience hotter days. Just keep that in mind when deciding what to do.

You could always make a portable shade contraption that works in your grow area and can be removed and replaced as necessary. Best of both worlds.
 
37C / ~100F isn't really that hot.  The plants should be just fine in that climate.
 
42/108 is common here and my container peppers are doing fine. (I do keep the smaller ones under a mesquite tree that offers mid to late-afternoon shade.)  The larger plants are in full sun for most of the day and they don't mind at all.
 
One thing that helps greatly is using a 'breathing' bag of some sort.  The evaporative cooling keeps the root temperatures low, benefiting the plant.  Try woven 'grow bags' or cheap recycled woven plastic shopping bags.
 
Wally.jpg
 
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