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Problem Solver Plant Marquee

Plant:

Peppers
Image of Peppers
Adaptation
Throughout the United States.
Planting Method
Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep. Thin seedlings or set transplants to grow 18 to 24 inches apart.
Soil
Any good garden soil that''s rich in organic matter.
Water
Water enough to keep soil from drying out. For container gardens, add water until it starts to drain out the bottom.
Planting
Plant outdoors after the last frost date, or start seeds indoors 8-10 earlier.
Fertilizer
At planting time, feed with a continuous-release plant food for vegetables.
Harvest
Green or yellow peppers: Pick when they are a usable size with a rich color. Fruit should be slightly soft. Red peppers: Red peppers are green peppers that have remained on the plants and matured. Pick when they have a rich red color. Cut peppers from the plant with pruning shears or a sharp knife, leaving1/2 to 1 inch of the stem attached. Cool in the refrigerator until use.
Light
Full sun.
Related problems

Anthracnose - Peppers

Image of Anthracnose - Peppers
Anthracnose

Bacterial Spot -

Image of Bacterial Spot
Bacterial Spot

Blossom-End Rot - Peppers

Image of Blossom-End Rot - Peppers
Blossom-End Rot

Cutworms - Peppers

Image of Cutworms - Peppers
Cutworms

European Corn Borer - Peppers

Image of European Corn Borer - Peppers
European Corn Borer

Tomato Hornworm or Tobacco Hornworm -

Image of Tomato Hornworm or Tobacco Hornworm
Tomato Hornworm or Tobacco Hornworm
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Anthracnose - Peppers

Image of Anthracnose - Peppers
Anthracnose
Description
Dark brown to black sunken spots appear on both green and ripe fruit. The centers of the spots are darker, with concentric rings. The spots may enlarge, covering a large part of the fruit. Small dark spots may appear on leaves and stems.
Analysis

This plant disease is caused by a fungus (Colletotrichum piperatum) that is a common rot of peppers. Both green and ripe fruit are attacked and become worthless. Occasionally spots may occur on leaves and stems. The fungus is most active in warm (70&deg; to 80&deg;F), wet weather. When it is severe, many fruits become infected in a short period. Heavy dew, overhead watering, fog, and drizzling rain provide the water necessary for infection. The fungal spores are carried on and in seed. Young plants can become infected through the diseased seed, although the disease is not evident until the fruit forms. Spores are spread to healthy plants by splashing water, people, and tools.

Solution

Remove and discard infected fruit. Use drip or furrow irrigation. Do not work among wet plants. Clean all plant debris from the garden after harvest. Purchase seeds or transplants from a reputable garden company, selecting resistant varieties.

Close

Bacterial Spot -

Image of Bacterial Spot
Bacterial Spot
Description
Tan to dark brown spots, up to 1/4 inch in diameter, occur on the lower leaves. Spotted leaves turn yellow and drop. Brown, corky, wartlike, raised spots appear on the fruit.
Analysis

This plant disease is caused by a bacterium (Xanthomonas vesicatoria) that also attacks tomatoes. It affects leaves and fruit at any stage of growth. The bacteria are most prevalent after heavy rains and in very warm weather (75&deg; to 85&deg;F). In damp weather, with frequent splashing rains, they spread very rapidly, often resulting in complete leaf drop. Fruit is unsightly but edible if the blemishes are removed. Molds and decay organisms may enter the fruit through the corky spots and rot the fruit. The bacteria are carried on seed and persist from one crop to the next in the soil and on diseased plant parts left in the garden.

Solution

Clean all infected plant debris from the garden. Plant pepper and tomato plants in the same area only once every 3 or 4 years. Purchase healthy transplants. Use drip or furrow irrigation.

Close

Blossom-End Rot - Peppers

Image of Blossom-End Rot - Peppers
Blossom-End Rot
Description
A round, sunken, water-soaked spot develops on the bottom of the fruit. The spot enlarges, turns brown to black, and feels leathery. Mold may grow on the rotted surface.
Analysis

A lack of calcium in the developing fruit causes blossom-end rot on peppers, tomatoes, squash, and watermelons. This lack results from slowed growth and damaged roots caused by the following factors. 1. Extreme fluctuations in soil moisture, either very wet or very dry. 2. Rapid plant growth early in the season, followed by extended dry periods. 3. Excessive rains that smother root hairs. 4. Excess soil salts. 5. Cultivation too close to the plant. Damage is most severe on the first fruits. It starts at the blossom end (farthest from the stem), enlarging to affect up to half of the fruit. Moldy growths are from fungi or bacteria that may invade the damaged tissue. Other than the rotted area, the fruit is edible.

Solution

Blossom-end rot can be controlled but not eliminated. Maintain uniform soil moisture by mulching and watering properly. Avoid overuse of high-nitrogen fertilizers and large quantities of fresh manure. Plant in well-drained soil. If your soil or water is salty, provide more water at each watering to help leach salts through the soil. Do not turn the soil over deeper than 1 inch within 1 foot of the plant.

Close

Cutworms - Peppers

Image of Cutworms - Peppers
Cutworms
Description
Young plants are chewed or cut off near the ground. Gray, brown, or black worms, 11/2 to 2 inches long, may be found about 2 inches deep in the soil near the base of the damaged plants. The worms coil when disturbed.
Analysis

Several species of cutworms attack plants in the vegetable garden. The most likely pests of young pepper plants are surface-feeding cutworms. A single surface-feeding cutworm can sever the stems of many young plants in 1 night. Cutworms hide in the soil during the day and feed only at night. The adult cutworms are dark, night-flying moths with bands or stripes on their forewings.

Solution

Destroy any cutworms found hiding in the soil. Turn the soil over thoroughly in late summer and fall to expose and destroy eggs, larvae, and pupae. Reduce damage further by putting a cutworm collar around the stem of each plant. Apply an insecticide labeled for this pest, following label directions.

Close

European Corn Borer - Peppers

Image of European Corn Borer - Peppers
European Corn Borer
Description
Pink or tan worms up to 1 inch long with two rows of brown dots and dark brown heads feed in the seed cavity of the pepper. The fruit is decayed inside.
Analysis

Ostrinia nubilalis This moth larva is a destructive pest of peppers, corn, tomatoes, beans, and eggplant. The worms feed and promote decay inside the fruit. The borers spend the winter in plant debris, pupate in the spring, and emerge as adults in early summer. The adults are tan moths with dark wavy lines on their wings. The moths lay clusters of 15 to 30 white eggs on the undersides of leaves. Overlapped eggs resemble fish scales. In midsummer, the eggs hatch, and young borers enter the fruit at the cap. After feeding for 1 month inside the fruit, they pupate; later they emerge as adults to repeat the cycle. Two to three generations occur per year. Cool, rainy weather in early summer inhibits egg laying and washes the hatching larvae from the plants, reducing borer populations. Very dry summers and cold winters also reduce borer populations. Peppers are edible if the damaged part is cut away.

Solution

Remove infested fruit. Keep the adults from laying eggs by using row covers. Clean all debris from the garden after harvest to reduce overwintering sites for larvae. Apply an insecticide labeled for this pest, following label directions.

Close

Tomato Hornworm or Tobacco Hornworm -

Image of Tomato Hornworm or Tobacco Hornworm
Tomato Hornworm or Tobacco Hornworm
Description
Fat green or brown worms, up to 5 inches long with white diagonal side stripes, chew on the leaves. A red or black ''horn'' projects from the rear end. Black droppings are found on the leaves and the soil surface beneath the damaged foliage.
Analysis

Manduca quinquemaculata or M. sexta Hornworms feed on the fruit and foliage of peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes. Although only a few worms may be present, each worm consumes large quantities of foliage and causes extensive damage. The large gray or brown adult moth with yellow-and-white markings emerges from hibernation in late spring and drinks nectar from petunias and other garden flowers. The worms hatch from eggs laid on the undersides of leaves and feed for 3 to 4 weeks. Then they crawl into the soil and pupate; later they emerge as adults to repeat the cycle. One generation occurs per year in northern parts of the United States, two to four in southern areas.

Solution

Hornworms can be picked off by hand effectively. Otherwise, apply an insecticide labeled for these pests, following label directions.

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