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What's up with my new leaves? Very green and shriveled.

D

dielac

Hello, I'm trying to figure out if there is anything wrong with my plants. I transplanted my Thai Hot Pepper seedlings around a week ago into solo cups. The growing medium is peat moss (5.5pH adjusted), worm castings, and pearlite. The new leaves are very dark green and very shriveled up. The plants are in the SE corner of my apartment, plenty of sun through floor to ceiling windows and it's always around 80 degrees. I water about once a week, it's very humid here. I haven't fed the plants anything, I figured it's brand new organic worm castings and the peat moss is a seedling starting mix with a little NPK added. The plants are about 6 weeks old
 
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This is what the plants looks like a few days ago:
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Damn, not what I wanted to hear. I don't see any buggers on the plants. I've isolated them from the others. So far just sprayed with neem oil.
 
You most likely won't see the mites. Especially if theybare broad mites. I've seen the spider mites when they get bigger.

Neem ain't gonna touch the mites.

I use a spray that has wettable sulfur. Others use powdered sulfur. Some people dunk the plants for a certain amount of time in hot water.

And when I want to kill every living thing- I use Abamectin. That's very, very rarely though.
 
Sorry guys. A biologist and expert on insects that works in the weed biz told me to spray the pepper plant that had mites with a 15/85 mix. He said it would dry the buggers out and they would die. Tried it once and it work till my macho 2.0 came in. Liquid ladybug works well too.
 
I'm going to try Abamectin. This is the second time I try to grow peppers. Last time my soil turned into a fruit fly larvae breeding ground and had to toss the plants. Now these stupid mites. I've spent enough money on everything to grow these peppers I don't want to chalk up another loss.
 
Wooooo...way to go to make a diagnosis over the internet, based on crinkled leaves?
 
I had NEVER had mites who caused crinkled leaves, they are usually causing spots, yellowing, necrosis etc..
I have my share fair of experience with mites, spider mites etc. and nothing in that picture TO ME indicates mites.
 
If you have a mite or other aphid problem, spray with insecticidal soap (potassium soap) with some Neem oil mixed in. Usually 2% insecticidal soap and 0,1-0,2% of Neem, depends on what Neem product you use. Repeat in some days intervals until the infestation is under control. As said, that is IF you have mites.
 
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>>
You most likely won't see the mites.
>>
 
You won't see broad mites and spider mites, this is why you should have a jeweler's loupe or one of those cheap microscopes. I think the 30X loupe is actually better than those crappy microscopes from ebay.
 
>>
fruit fly larvae breeding ground
>>
 
Not fruit flies, those are "fungus gnats" although they look like fruit flies, I agree. They thrive especially when you over-water, when the soil doesn't have time to dry out between watering. It's possible that your wrinkle/crinkle problem is related, that you overwater and there is a nutrient deficiency because of that. Always let the soil dry out...if they *slightly* start to wilt because they are thirsty this is much better than overwatering. TBH, 90% of people's plant problems, whether they grow "medicine" or hot peppers is from overwatering.
 
I am pretty sure I have seem similar when over watering, the plants dont look too bad. I would let them dry out and see if they improve, if not you might have other issues. I had a big fatalii in a pot last year, it regularly got hit with a couple of inches of rain in an hour , all the leaves would droop and it was not happy for a few days, some warped growth etc.
 
Back in the day, i had a 128 site Ez Cloner, when the smaller plants started to look a little sickly i would take them out of the soil rinse the roots really well and pop them in the cloner. Used about a capful of hydrogen peroxide and 3 drops of schultz liquid fertilizer and had them under a clf. They usually bounced back pretty quick. Once they were healthy again they went back into fresh soil.
 
On a side note if you don't have access to a cloner, you can use one of those plastic cups filled with hydroton and fill about 1/2 way with spring water. Then use a pump / air stone. i guess its kinda like putting your plant into an ICU. Removing the soil from the equation. Hope this helps.
 
My personal experience with mites lead me to that conclusion.

And those aren't crinked leaves. They are clawing.

Dick.
 
Spicy Mushroom said:
Easy there, chief. People are just offering the assistance the OP is asking for..
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Wasn't meant like that, just want to give some constructive input here. I simply don't think that he has mites, the clawing downwards would also be a strong indicator for overwatering. But then again he says he waters only once per week. OP, your cups have drainage holes, right?
 
My bad as well.

In my experience, every time mine have clawed like that its been mites.

I've never experienced that from over watering AMD it rains a lot here in FL in the summer.
 
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