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When to take a leaf

GMDGEEK

GMDGEEK

A good bud of mine bestowed 6 fantastic super hots this past weekend, recently potted up in 5 gallon buckets. He had extra and new I was growing my own and learning. Looks like 5 of 6 are pretty sun hardened. The 6th I'm shading. I'll be taking pictures during the daylight and posting for advice. I have with two half eaten leaves, no signs of bugs after serious close inspection. They are near the top of the plant so worried about cutting them off. The other has yellow faded leaves, it is the one I believe to be slightly sunburnt.

What, when, and where do you cut them?

Also, I have them on a drip water system that waters three times a day for six minutes using a 1 gph head. Is this to much or to little? Soil is moist after but not running out the bottom of the bucket ... can see the wood from my shelf get moist later though.

Thanks,
Gerry
 
I'll be curious to see the photos of the plants, but usually the only reason I'd remove leaves is if there was some sort of serious insect or fungal infestation on them, the plant will drop leaves that are no longer useful to it in time.

In Texas, I know that the heat factor can be a major consideration in watering so... I'll let some of the southern growers weigh in on the watering schedule. I try to let my pots dry out nearly to the point of leaves drooping between watering.
 
That sounds like too much water. I let em dry up and water about every 3-4 days. You don't want to wait too long where the leaves start to droop but you also don't want your soil to be wet all the time.
 
I may be totally wrong about this, I would bet that I'm not, but if you have plants that were ready to go into five gallon buckets I'm thinking the loss of a leaf or two, no matter where it's at on the plant isn't going to hurt a thing. Leaving them on the plant probably won't hurt a thing either.

As for the yellowing sounds like too much water. Back off a bit. Sunburned leaves are usually purpleish then turn kind of silvery then dry up and crumble away.

Welcome to the wiide wide world of pepper growing.
 
Went out to the garden area before heading to work this morning - was a bit dark, hoping the pictures have enough detail. Here they are.

This is the one that looks eatin or munched on but I see no bugs or anything. No ferts have been added since they were put in buckets over a week ago.

2012-03-14_07-14-41_525.jpg


This is the one I think is a little sunburnt.

2012-03-14_07-15-01_107.jpg


Please let me know what y'all think. I don't know that its over watering. Pretty sure its not.
 
The lower leaves do look a bit sunburnt. As long as there is still green on them they're still doing their job. Picking them off may promote stem formation at the nodes, so it's up to you.

That potting soil looks awfully wet. Your temperatures aren't much warmer than they are here currently and I haven't watered mine in a few days. You'll probably need to modify your watering schedule as we get into summer, but for now I would cut back. The yellowing of the leaves is almost certainly from overwatering.
 
Yeah, that's too wet. It looks like sunburn to me. Those leaves could recover. I'd keep em to see if they start turning around if I were you.
 
I had just watered Synclinorium ... I literally came out a minute after my moring drips had stopped ... I am thinking I need to change the heads out to 1/2 gph heads ... plus we had a little morning mist. As of last night I changed the timer to twice daily - morning and evening for 8 minutes. Curious as to what everyone does if it rains? Shut off the watering timers? Cover their plants???


As I am new could you please explain "promote stem formation?"

Thanks,
Gerry
 
Stop the automatic watering for now, those babies be drowning.

Top pic looks definitely like a bug is the culprit. You may have a young horn worm around. If so find it and kill it. One adult horn worm can eat both of those plants in a single day. Down to the stem.

Bottom pic leaves look sunburned. I would keep them out of direct sunlight for now, let them recover.

Promote stem foundation means the spot on the stem where the leaf was removed could develop a new branch for you pepper plant. That's a good thing.
 
We get a lot of rain here so I don't water my plants all that much while outside. I'm sure another Texan would know. I don't know about dry climates. I'm right near the ocean on the East Coast, hehe.


Edit: And for horn worms I grow fennel as a sacrificial plant to the horn worms to advert them from eating my peppers. I kill them as I see em on the fennel. They love fennel. If you got slugs, putting a dish of beer near the slugs will kill em.
 
I double checked with my buddy - they need a little more hardening and are now rotating in and out of my garage. As for the Horn Worm - I did not find on any of the 6 plants. I did find one bucket with a pinky size hole in the soil. I am keeping an eye on it. That bucket and plant though has no signs of having been munched on. Anyone object to use of BT (bacillus thuringiensis)?
 
looks like a slug or snail got to it. Come out at about 10 or 11 at night and do a good inspection. Have to look real close. They are hard to spot even right in front or your face sometimes. With your drip system I would water for about 20 minutes every 2-3 days with a 1 gph head and check to make sure that isn't too much or too little right after it cycles. Time it and when water just starts to come out the bottom of the pot is the right amount...adjust as necessary. You will then have to modify this once it starts to get real hot in DFW to daily, or maybe even 2x daily for 10 minutes. Ask AJ what his schedule is...

You can also check for slugs and snails during the daytime, but they won't be active. Find the cool moist spots and check there. Under leaves, bricks, your planters, along/under the side of the house. If you find 1 or 2 you probably have hundreds out and about at night. Once they find your plants the damage can really escalate if they go unaddressed.
 
Here is a pic of some slug damage on one of mine about a month ago. Have taken to using slug bait and the damage is few and far between now. I am using an iron based bait that is supposed to be harmless to pets...

P1000184.jpg
 
I see most of the people who have responded so far aren't from your neck of the woods. I grew up in TX, and although I no longer live there (a shame, I know...), I still have family and friends in Dallas, Houston, San An.... who lament what the recent couple years' weather has done to their yards and gardens. Given that.....

I agree - the eaten plant looks like some kind of larvae (caterpillar, hornworm...) or something has been eating at it. FIND IT, and kill it. I also agree that for now, you are watering them too much and so your soil is too wet. If they stay too wet too long, a) the leaves will yellow (after which point if you stop over-watering, they won't return to green, but new growth will come in agreen), and b) any pods produced are likely to split open.

Keep in mind that pepper plants like to be kept moist (or damp, if you will), but not wet. If you end up with another particularly hot and dry summer, that means you are going to have to keep an eye on the soil and adjust your watering routine accordingly. Back off the watering for now, but keep a close eye on it as the season progresses. Also, be sure to check the soil deeply - the surface being dry doesn't mean the rest of it is. Also, although peppers generally like full sun, you may have to shade them as you get into the hottest part of summer - I'd recommend you start planning for that now, as in are you going to build some kind of frame to cover with shade cloth, or simply move them to under your porch, or something else?
 
geeme said:
I see most of the people who have responded so far aren't from your neck of the woods. I grew up in TX, and although I no longer live there (a shame, I know...), I still have family and friends in Dallas, Houston, San An.... who lament what the recent couple years' weather has done to their yards and gardens. Given that..... I agree - the eaten plant looks like some kind of larvae (caterpillar, hornworm...) or something has been eating at it. FIND IT, and kill it. I also agree that for now, you are watering them too much and so your soil is too wet. If they stay too wet too long, a) the leaves will yellow (after which point if you stop over-watering, they won't return to green, but new growth will come in agreen), and b) any pods produced are likely to split open. Keep in mind that pepper plants like to be kept moist (or damp, if you will), but not wet. If you end up with another particularly hot and dry summer, that means you are going to have to keep an eye on the soil and adjust your watering routine accordingly. Back off the watering for now, but keep a close eye on it as the season progresses. Also, be sure to check the soil deeply - the surface being dry doesn't mean the rest of it is. Also, although peppers generally like full sun, you may have to shade them as you get into the hottest part of summer - I'd recommend you start planning for that now, as in are you going to build some kind of frame to cover with shade cloth, or simply move them to under your porch, or something else?
Click to expand...

I am from TX (lived there 35 years and only left due to a military xfer) and also can't wait to get back...My recommendation is solid. As I said, I would also contact AJ to see what he does...and follow that.

My weather in California is similar to TX weather very dry with daytime highs routinely over 100 and I got by last year watering once daily for the most part. There were a few days that the containers had to get 2 doses and those were the 105+ days when humidity was down around 10%...I followed a water each morning and check each afternoon routine. As Geeme mentioned, dry on top doesn't mean dry down low. I use a moisture meter to check down deep from time to time just to make sure I am on track.


+1 on the shade! If they remain in pots you could also find a spot that has filtered sun during the hottest part of the day but gets direct morning/late evening sun. If you are planting in ground you may or may not have this option.

Good luck!
Shane

One more thing...are those containers metal or silver plastic? If they're metal your soil may get too hot this summer as well.
 
I have definitely corrected my over watering issue ... I was basically running as if the temp was already running 95+ each day ... I am now scaled back to ever couple takes. And wont water unless the top couple inches are a bit dry.

As for the creepy crawlers - I have picked up Bonide Bt Thuricide 8-Ounce Worm Killer as well as some slug bait. Which I had not had a problem with. After closely looking around I determined where the critters came from. NOT from my buddy Craig and his 6 amazing gift (2 bhuts, 2 7 Pots, 2 Foodies) but rather from the flower trees my wife purchased from Walmart. She has now been educated on what to look for and even then she thinks she will stick with seeds lol.

Thanks everyone for the help. I am not attempting to put together a generalized watering chart/graph based on weather conditions and temps.
 
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If its slugs or snails you can do a couple of other things non chemical like put copper around the trunk and also put an open bottle or cup of beer out.
 
Yep. Just pour a bit of beer in a shallow dish or pan.

If you feel vindictive you can sit there at night with a flashlight drinking the rest of the beer and drop a bit of salt on any slugs you see. Not very efficient, but it's something.

I think it might be a bug in your case, but if it's slugs it's still something you want to take care of... I saw a little bit of slug damage on my plants one day last year, didn't think much of it, went out the next and found this:

IMGP1546.jpg
 
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