Leaves on Chili Plant Turning Brown?

Question:

My chili plant was producing lots of healthy flowers and fruits, but now the leaves are turning brown and dying even the new growth. The chilies are still growing but the flowers are dying too. What's wrong?

Hardiness Zone: 9a

Toni from Essex, UK

Answer:

Toni,

Hmm... this is a tough questions to answer without seeing your chili plant, so it is going to take some detective work on your part by answering the following questions:

Do you see any signs of insects (check the undersides of the leaves)? Spider mites, white flies, and aphids will be your biggest threats.

Are you still meeting all of their growing conditions-lots of light (at least 6 hours daily), well-drained soil, plenty of warmth (even at night), keeping soil a bit on the dry side moist, and regular feedings (about once every three weeks)?

Could your chili plant be taking a break? Chili plants have a longer growing season than other peppers and you can usually keep them going for most of the year. Eventually though, they will need to take a break. Chili plants usually go through dormancy in the winter, during which time they start to drop their leaves, turn pale green and generally start to look a bit ragged. This is a good time to trim back the stems an inch or so and cut back on watering until growth starts to resume in the spring.

Has you plant outgrown its pot? A 10- to 12-inch pot will probably be large enough to grow a small chili plant. For larger plants use a 16- to 18-inch pot.

Is your water heavily treated with chemicals? Filtered or bottled water is best. Don't use distilled water as lacks important trace minerals needed to maintain plant health.

Best of luck!

Ellen