Hi r/HotPeppers,
I've just moved into a new house last week and the owners have left behind this Carolina Reaper plant. I have no experience with peppers however the plant did look healthy when I moved in.
I watered it once about 6 days ago and my FIL watered it again 4 days ago. It's also Summer in Australia at the moment.
Yesterday I noticed that about 3 to 4 branches have snapped and the leaves look somewhat droopy.
The top soil is dry and digging a finger in feels relatively dry.
Can I please have some assistance diagnosing the issue?
After I've settled into the house I will properly research how to take care of plants but for now I could use an extra set of experienced eyes.
by heroinice
5 Comments
I usually torture my pepper plants, I let the leaves look like this then water, but I dont water until the leaves look like this. There’s a theory that stressing the plant makes the peppers hotter.. not sure if it’s true or not, and as far as I know hasn’t significantly affected the yields of the plant.
In my 5 plant control group in 5gal buckets watering multiple times daily in the summer had less overall growth compared to the plants in 5gal buckets that I “stressed”
TLDR: Water them, come back in 15 minutes the leaves should be happy again.
Yes most likely needs water, could be something else so give it a deep watering and then come back later to see if the leaves are normal again before going into other causes.
If it’s very hot where you are they may need watering every other day but peppers don’t like to have wet roots so it is best to let the soil dry before watering. You can stick your finger down 1-2 inches and see if it is dry to indicate when to water. You’ll eventually get the hang of how long it takes the soil to dry. If the leaves wilt and then you water it isn’t necessarily a bad thing just don’t let them go too long wilted before giving water.
Look thirsty to me, but could also be over watered. Does your container have drainage?
What is your watering schedule?
Idk how hot it is, especially because Celsius breaks my brain, but I water every other day when its over 95f, and sometimes every day when its over 107.
Probably time to water it.