whats wrong with my peppers?! :(

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garden_oflove Erie, CO Jul 13, 2010

this is my first time growing bell peppers and anaheim peppers (i've got yellow, orange, and red bell pepper plants). my anaheim peppers were first to sprout peppers however once they got large they started getting outbreaks of, what almost looked like, burning. now my bell peppers are getting rather large and they aren't turning either... my biggest pepper is looking spotted on one side and is kinda soft and squishy... whats goin on here and how can i fix it?!

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onyxwar Greeley, CO(Zone 5b) Jul 14, 2010

Do you have a pic?

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Ozark Ozark, MO(Zone 6a) Jul 14, 2010

Most likely, it's PMMV - Pepper Mild Mottle Virus. That's very common, and while it won't kill the plants it will cause droopy leaves, leaves dropping off, and deformed peppers with soft spots. You'll probably still harvest some good peppers from those plants, but the crop will be much reduced.

I've quit getting pepper seedlings from nurseries because PMMV is so prevalent in nursery seedlings. In seedlings, look for crinkely, instead of smooth, new growth leaves - those plants carry the virus. Unfortunately, once you've got PMMV in your garden soil, you've got it from now on. Bell peppers are badly affected by it, while some non-bell sweet peppers like Gypsy aren't bothered at all. Most really hot pepper varieties aren't affected much, but Anaheims get badly damaged.

I've had that virus in my soil for years, brought to it by nursery seedlings I bought. I just have to work around it by planting non-susceptible pepper varieties, but that's been working out fine.

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organicfarm San Antonio, TX(Zone 8b) Jul 22, 2010

thank you Ozark for the great information.

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