brown pepper leaves

Why Your Pepper Leaves Are Turning Brown

Stress, nutritional imbalances, pests, and diseases are all threats to pepper crops. Browning of the pepper plant’s leaves is a regular issue. If the leaves on your pepper plant are turning brown, and it might be due to a number of different things. Read on to learn why and how to treat pepper plant leaf browning. One possible environmental cause of the browning of pepper leaves is frost damage or chilling harm. This kind of damage typically affects the entire bush. The entire plant, not just the leaves, might turn brown and wilt. The flesh of any fruit will become brown as it ages.

Improper watering

Forgetting to water your pepper plants might also cause their leaves to turn brown. Brown, crumbly leaves, especially when they’re accompanied by leaf drops and plant droop, are a sure sign that a plant is being overwatered. Mulch around the plant with organic amendments such as hay or crushed leaves, and water it thoroughly at the roots once or twice a week. If you have already ruled those out and your pepper plant’s leaves are still turning brown, you need to look elsewhere.

Pests

Your pepper plant has been attacked by insects, its leaves may turn brown. If whiteflies, for example, feed on a plant, the plant will weaken and its leaves will turn yellow and then brown as a consequence of the lack of nutrients. Whiteflies may be identified by shaking the plant to send up a cloud of small insects. Wash the plant using an insecticidal soap after catching the whiteflies with a Tanglefoot bug barrier laid on a yellow card.

The Thrip is also another bug that may cause leaves to become brown. Instead of the insect itself, it is a virus carried by the bug called spot wilt that is responsible for discoloration. Eliminate thrips hosts, such as weeds, from the surrounding area and pick off diseased leaves or kill badly afflicted plants.

Funal infection

Leaves can become yellow or brown if they contract a fungal illness. You should not water your plants from above or do any gardening activity if the ground is moist from recent rain. Never plant tomatoes or peppers in the same spot for more than 3 or 4 consecutive years. At the first indication of disease, spray with copper sulfate. Cut down and burn all infected plants. Remove all traces of plant waste.

Bacterial infection

The bacterial spot is the very last thing to consider when diagnosing a pepper plant with brown leaves. The pepper crop has suffered greatly from this bacterial illness. Early symptoms include water-soaked sores on brown, irregularly shaped leaves. On the lower side of the leaves, the dots are prominent, while on the top side, they are not. The leaves eventually turn yellow and fall off. Brown, water-soaked sores or raised scabs are also possible on the fruit.

A bacterial leaf spot can be spread by the use of contaminated seeds or through the use of transplants developed from infected seeds. There is currently no treatment available. Remove diseased leaves and maintain high standards of hygiene in the yard and with your instruments. 

Lesions on the leaves, which could be by bacterial leaf spots, make the plant seem like it has been moist too long. Typically, the disease first appears on the undersides of the leaves. Eventually, the illness will leave a dark purple-brown patch with a lighter brown core. Peppers affected by bacterial leaf spots have spots and rising cracks on them. These fissures offer an entryway for more disease-causing microorganisms. Planting cultivars that are immune to a few of the races of pepper leaf spots may be helpful in preventing the disease. Even though no pepper variety is resistant to all diseases. Copper-based insecticides are also helpful for disease prevention. However, copper is usually ineffective in curing pepper leaf spots once they have already appeared. When you know you are going to have a problem with the illness, use copper-based pesticides early in the season.

Methods for Eliminating Bacterial Leaf Spots On Pepper

It is obviously too late to preserve your pepper crops once the indications of bacterial leaf spots have appeared. You can reduce the likelihood of future peppery leaf spot outbreaks by taking preventative measures before planting next season.

Rotating crops can reduce the risk of bacterial leaf spots.  When the growing season is through, clean up the garden and dispose of any remaining crop trash. Do not bury infected plants. Use a soaker sprayer and avoid watering from above to lessen splashing. If it is raining, it is best to stay indoors to prevent bringing any potential germ carriers into the house.

Similarly, contaminated seeds can disperse the bacterial leaf spot that causes the disease. Invest in seeds and saplings guaranteed to be disease-free. If you have ever had problems with bacterial leaf spots on your pepper plants, it is advisable not to keep seeds from those plants.

Mayukh Saha
Freelance Writer
Mayukh is a Content Marketer and Social Media Manager with over 5 years of experience in the industry. Mayukh believes in the power of content; how it can positively impact lives, scale businesses and touch people. In his spare time Mayukh likes to read about latest tech trends and loves to travel in the nature. You can reach him at [email protected].