Pepper seedlings turn yellow and fall off the leaves: causes and methods of treatment

A healthy pepper bush should be evenly green and strong. This is especially important because weak seedlings will not take root outdoors. As a rule, leaves are the first to talk about problems. They turn yellow and fall off if pepper seedlings are incorrectly contained, stricken with illness or damaged by pests. You need to quickly find out the cause and eliminate it so as not to lose the crop.

Why foliage falls on healthy seedlings

Pepper seedlings require careful maintenance, warmth and moisture. Usually, the yellowing of the bush begins with the lower layer of leaves, and this is the first symptom of illiterate care.

Irregular and improper soil moisture

Bell pepper seedlings consume a lot of water. It is necessary to ensure that the entire soil is evenly moistened, including its lower layer, so the entire root system receives nutrition and a small supply of moisture is created - until the next watering.

Water is introduced approximately every 5 days, focusing on the dryness of the soil. Excessive watering and stagnation of liquid are unacceptable, otherwise the roots will begin to rot, and the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. In between moistening, the soil should dry out.

When planting pepper seedlings in the ground, for each bush it is necessary to make a hole into which water is poured. Subsequently, watering remains fairly frequent, but moderate, as for seedlings.

Advice! The correct selection of water temperature for irrigation is required. It is recommended to moisten the peppers with lukewarm water.

Temperature differences

In the homeland of peppers, there is an abundance of sun, moisture, warmth, in the middle lane, even in summer there are significant cold snaps. A comfortable temperature for peppers is + 22 ° C. A decrease below +14 is detrimental to these plants, they stop taking nutrients from the ground, and freeze. To maintain vitality, the bush begins to take strength from the leaves, which turn pale, wither and fall off.

Subsequently, such conditions will lead to large crop losses or the destruction of all seedlings. Therefore, seedlings are grown at home or in a greenhouse, they carefully monitor the temperature regime. Mature plants also need warmth and minimal fluctuations in air and soil temperature.

Poor quality food

It happens that the weather is favorable, the watering rules are observed, and the foliage on the seedlings is still white and crumbles. This indicates a lack of nutrients.

Nitrogen. With a lack of this element, the bush stretches out, turns pale, first the tips of the leaves turn yellow, then the entire plate, the crown crumbles, starting from the lower tier. To save the plants, a special fertilizer solution with nitrogen is sprayed over the seedlings.

A good result is given by foliar feeding with ammonium nitrate, urea and other nitrogen-containing fertilizers. However, it should be remembered that an excess of nitrogen has a detrimental effect on pepper seedlings. Therefore, a rather weak concentration: a tablespoon of the substance is dissolved in 10 liters of water.

Advice! To prevent nitrogen deficiency, it is recommended to add one granule of the biological growth stimulator "Azogran" under each bush of seedlings.

The treatment will not immediately return the bright green color to the plant. It is recommended to cut and discard spoiled leaves to make room and nutrients for new, healthy plates. If the procedure is carried out on time, short-term nitrogen deficiency will not affect the yield and taste of the fruit.

The lower leaves can deteriorate if the nutrition of the pepper is not rich in magnesium, phosphorus.With a lack of potassium, the edges of the leaf plates turn yellow, which then curl downward.

Iron. Its lack is manifested by yellowing, first of all, of the upper young foliage. If urgent restoration measures are not taken, the bushes will die. The upper leaves also turn pale in plants that receive insufficient manganese, boron, and zinc.

Poor-quality soil containing a meager amount of vital nutrients is a common cause of improper plant metabolism, yellowing of leaves, and seedling death.

Violation of crop rotation

A prerequisite is a change of crops in the garden. This is necessary for a more uniform absorption and saturation of the soil with substances, the prevention of diseases and pests. Peppers can be planted after perennial grasses, early maturing cabbage, onions or cucumbers. You can't - after nightshades.

The latter release toxic substances into the soil, so the pepper seedlings will suffer, which will be expressed in yellowing and leaf fall. On the garden bed after tomato, potato, eggplant and other nightshade peppers are allowed to be planted no earlier than three years later.

Advice! Do not be alarmed when only the lowest cotyledonous leaves turn yellow on pepper seedlings. This is normal during the growth and development of bushes.

Incorrect transplant

If the leaves of the peppers fall off some time after planting in open ground, most likely the reason is a weak root system. Obviously, the seedling did not take root, and its roots are dying off. If the process is noticed on time, the seedlings can be saved by stimulating root development with special dressings.

Advice! To avoid injury to the roots when transplanting into the garden, it is important in a timely manner, at the stage of 2-3 true leaves, and as carefully as possible pick seedlings.

Another likely reason is that the seedlings at home were in a cramped container. After transplanting into open ground, the plant begins to actively grow the root system to the detriment of the aboveground part. It is recommended to feed the seedlings to speed up the process of root development, and after a while - spray the foliage to stimulate it.

Strong seedlings also sometimes lose their foliage due to root problems. With an inaccurate transplant, the roots are tangled or broken, as a result, the metabolism and nutrition of the aerial part are disrupted. To avoid this, when planting, you need to straighten the roots.

The root system of mature plants is sometimes damaged by loosening, recovery will be slow, which will affect not only the state of the foliage, but also the yield.

Pests and diseases

Leaves begin to turn yellow in response to infection or damage from parasites. The latter include bear, whitefly, nematodes, aphids, spider mite, scoop larva, slug, thrips, pepper and Colorado potato beetle. Destroying the roots, stems, leaves, parasites destroy the plant, yellowness and crown dropping is one of the important symptoms. Nematodes and Bears begin destruction from the roots, so damage is not visible until it's too late. In addition to direct damage, parasites are dangerous because they carry various diseases, in addition, rot often penetrates through injuries.

The source of infection (fungal or viral), its carriers often persist for a long time in old greenery and soil. Therefore, if the bed has been attacked by parasites or disease, it is recommended to clean the top soil at the end of the season. Clearing old plant material is a prerequisite for preventing various plant ailments.

For prevention, you should disinfect dishes, tools and soil for seedlings, as well as soil in the garden before relocating seedlings. Preventive treatments with fungicides and insecticides are also effective.

Affected plants usually have to be removed and burned, with a focus on maintaining healthy seedlings.

For the most part, pepper sheds foliage due to inaccuracies in the care of seedlings. It is easy to fix the shortcomings, observing the rules of growing crops and taking the necessary measures for care and feeding in a timely manner.