Leaf curling on pepper bushes is a serious complication that can lead to the loss of the lion's share of the crop. As an experienced gardener, I know why foliage is deformed in this vegetable crop, and I can effectively deal with the problem. What to do if the leaves on the peppers began to curl, I will tell you in my note.
Causes of leaf curling in pepper
In the peppers in the phase of active growth, the leaves are folded for many reasons. I conventionally divide them into 3 groups:
- damage by pests;
- the development of diseases;
- unfavorable growing conditions and mistakes in care.
Harmful insects
Twisting of deciduous decoration on the bushes of peppers is often the result of attacks on them by such pests:
- Spider mite. This enemy of pepper will be betrayed by the appearance of a cobweb on the bushes. Its activity interferes with the normal course of photosynthesis, inhibits the growth of pepper. It draws juices from the bushes, harms their root system. If you do not fight the pest, the plant dies.
- Aphids. This miniature parasite draws juices from the pepper and weakens it. In addition to curled leaves, the presence of aphids is also indicated by a sticky substance on them.
- Shields. Attacks of this harmful insect are fraught with the appearance of characteristic tubercles and spots on the leaves. The deciduous decoration on the bush, the juice of which the scabbard feeds on, loses its color.
Diseases
Pepper bushes are susceptible to fungal and viral contamination if they grow in hot and damp conditions.
Foliage curling is caused by such common vegetable crop diseases:
- Top rot. With this viral disease, deformation of the leaves of the top of the bush is observed. In advanced cases, it leads to damage to the fruit.
- Verticillosis. I define this disease by curling, yellowing and falling leaves located in the upper tier of the bush. Sick peppers stop growing, their fruits do not ripen.
- Phytoplasmosis. The disease manifests itself by folding, crushing and falling foliage. A diseased bush does not give a crop, the fruits do not ripen on it.
Unfavorable conditions and insufficient care
Errors in their maintenance and care also lead to a deterioration in the appearance of peppers, manifested in the rolling of leaves:
- lack of light (causes abnormal growth and folding of the leaves into a boat);
- illiterate watering;
- unfavorable temperature conditions;
- potassium and phosphorus starvation.
How to deal with the problem
I save the planting of curled-up peppers like this:
- If the problem is caused by pests, I pick the insects by hand or wash them off with warm water. The treatment of bushes with such folk remedies as soap solution (1 bar of soap per 5 liters of water) also helps, onion infusion (1 glass of husk per 1 liter of boiled water), wormwood broth (1/2 cup of wormwood per 1 liter boiling water). In severe cases, purchased drugs like Fitoverm and Aktara come to my aid.
- If there are signs of apical rot, I sprinkle the soil with dolomite and apply foliar feeding of the bushes with a solution of nitrate (200 g per 5 l) at a frequency of 1 time in 10 days.
- If the pepper is affected by phytoplasmosis, I use Stomp. However, the drug helps only at the initial stage of the disease. In advanced cases, the bushes have to be destroyed.
- If the peppers do not have enough potassium, I feed them with sulfur potassium (1 tbsp. l. I dissolve the substance in 5 liters of water).
- In the case of phosphorus starvation, superphosphate comes to my aid. I dissolve it in water (1 tbsp. 5 l), I insist for a day. I dilute the resulting concentrate with water again (add 5 liters to it) and water the planting with it.
Prophylaxis
The following measures help me to prevent deformation of the foliage in peppers:
- airing the greenhouse;
- maintaining the temperature at + 30 ° С;
- humidity control in the greenhouse;
- competent irrigation of the planting (I water the pepper in the daytime, I use little water, I water it often);
- I loosen the soil, I add top dressing;
- I examine the bushes in order to identify signs of their ill health in time and take action.
If you are faced with the problem of foliage curling in greenhouse peppers, use my tips to solve it. They will help you save the harvest.
Read also: Cucumber leaves turn yellow - how to fight?
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