Knowledgebase

What's wrong my my peppers this year? #874985

Asked June 27, 2024, 2:42 PM EDT

Don't know what's going on but my pepper plants are dying. Never had a problem before. it hasn't been too hot, keeping them watered a bit. What am I doing wrong. Habanero, Carolina Reaper, Ghost, Trinidad Scorpion, all have been suffering....dying.

Benton County Oregon

Expert Response

Thanks for contacting Ask Extension about your peppers. There are several issues that can cause the symptoms you are seeing. I strongly recommend you have a soil test done to determine the pH and nutrient levels.  Manganese, Iron and zinc deficiencies can cause yellowing of the leaf with browning on the edges. Soils that are too acidic can block the plants ability to absorb nutrients. 
There are several commercial laboratories that support Oregon and have about a one to two week turnaround. For most of them, you can mail in your sample and they will e-mail you the results. The following link is to an OSU publication "Analytics Laboratories Serving Oregon". The list of laboratories begin on page 3.
https://www.oregon.gov/ODA/programs/Pesticides/Documents/2020/AnalyticalLabsServingOregon.pdf

Another possibility is that the peppers have a strain of mosaic virus in which case you should remove the affected plants. Check your plants for signs of thrips or aphids which can be a vector for the virus. Management includes: 
  • Control weeds in and around the garden.
  • Control aphids and thrips to reduce spread of the infection.
  • Pull out and destroy infected plants as soon as symptoms are noticed.
A soil borne disease such as verticillium wilt is also possible. Management of most fungal and bacterial diseases focuses primarily on prevention and good garden hygiene and crop rotation.
You might consider planting a second pepper crop in a different area of your garden while you wait for the results of a soil test.  
I hope this helps.
Deb K Replied July 01, 2024, 11:15 AM EDT

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