I transplanted my peppers 2 days ago and now they have spots on the leaves. I grew them under lights in my house and I was thinking maybe they didn't have enough airflow. I noticed that some of the leaves had clear spots when I transplanted them but went ahead anyway. Any ideas on what it could be? I looked under the bad leaves and see no bugs.
Sunburn is a serious problem for peppers. If they went from indoors to intense sun, that could be sunburn.
Well I am hoping that's what it is. I didn't correctly harden them off, but we have had mainly cloudy days since. I just want to make sure that it isn't a disease or something that would spread to my other peppers and tomatoes. They are in a makeshift greenhouse also to protect them from direct wind and sunlight. It's just a handful of them like that.
If you are concerned about disease, I would destroy them and plant new plants.
Well this is my first garden and so far I've been successful at getting plants started. I just lack the experience factor for situations like this. Basically the leaves become transparent on the spots. I've searched all over the Internet but can't find any correlation to transparent spots on leaves. Idk maybe it's as simple as the lights I had being too close or fertilizer burn.
Could just be scorch. Keep a close eye and if it is something else, don't let it spread to your other plants.
I looked harder and found the culprit. What do you think it is? Like some sort of tiny caterpillar.
Maybe a fruit fly larva.
Bigwood, don't beet yourself up, the change of environment when getting seedlings ready for outside is the most worrying time, you have to acclimatise the small plants over a period of a few weeks, outside in warm but shaded area in day time, water and bring inside BEFORE the night temps cool, after a week or so, you can leave the little plants out overnight a few days, then when they still look OK, you then know they have been hardened off and can go outside into the beds.
The little catterpillars are a real pest, you know know every year in March / April, they will be about so, when you plant you little veg (any type) you need to throw a closh, / clear cover, sheet of horticultural fleece over the plants to shade from really hot direct sun AND any bugs flying and looking for tender new plants to lay eggs.
You can buy sprays to kill and deter lots of bugs BUT I jusdt crush then between finger and thumb when spotting them, you need to always look behind / under the leaves as the gree / black and white flies all hide there, also all the caterpillars use the underside of leaves as protection from any birds etc that feed on them.
Hope you get this under control and as you have also learned the first lesson most of us learn when new to gardening, is NEVER try to rush the job as nature and plants and bugs all know better than us, just try relax and enjoy, you learn more from mistakes than any books believe me,
Hope all goes well and you stick with the gardening, don't be put off.
Good Luck,
Kind Regards.
WeeNel.
Bigwood, don't beet yourself up, the change of environment when getting seedlings ready for outside is the most worrying time, you have to acclimatise the small plants over a period of a few weeks, outside in warm but shaded area in day time, water and bring inside BEFORE the night temps cool, after a week or so, you can leave the little plants out overnight a few days, then when they still look OK, you then know they have been hardened off and can go outside into the beds.
The little catterpillars are a real pest, you know know every year in March / April, they will be about so, when you plant you little veg (any type) you need to throw a closh, / clear cover, sheet of horticultural fleece over the plants to shade from really hot direct sun AND any bugs flying and looking for tender new plants to lay eggs.
You can buy sprays to kill and deter lots of bugs BUT I jusdt crush then between finger and thumb when spotting them, you need to always look behind / under the leaves as the gree / black and white flies all hide there, also all the caterpillars use the underside of leaves as protection from any birds etc that feed on them.
Hope you get this under control and as you have also learned the first lesson most of us learn when new to gardening, is NEVER try to rush the job as nature and plants and bugs all know better than us, just try relax and enjoy, you learn more from mistakes than any books believe me,
Hope all goes well and you stick with the gardening, don't be put off.
Good Luck,
Kind Regards.
WeeNel.
Looks like it could be sunburn and catapillar damage. If the leaves were wet that will magnify the effects of the sun, causing sunburn. Those little catapillars will eat single layers of leaves so the leaf looks like paper. Smash the suckers!
Baby caterpillar. Hand remove all you can find, and watch them closely.
If there are too many then spray with a product that is specific to caterpillars. Dipel is one brand name. Active ingredient is Bacillus thiringiensis.
I'm sticking with the smash method for as long as possible. I'm hanging in there though. They look better already. Maybe just beginners luck with not hardening, but so much easier for a person with my work schedule. Lol. I read about a garlic/pepper diluted, think this would help with the caterpillars? Just a thought.
Sometimes just knowing what the problem is, is a huge relief.
So true. Yes, the garlic/chili pepper sprays can be effective. Get the undersides of the leaves as well.
You need to read up on bt sprays. They are a life saver for some of us, they are also specific control for what they affect. Just like mosquito dunks are a bt for skeeters and safe for the livestock. There is also Neem oil spray, Dipel. Main ingredient is bacillus thuringis - bt.
Just glad you are getting on top of the pests, we all learned just as you are Bigwood, no better way to learn than from our own mistakes and then pass the lesson onto others LOL.
Hope all is good now.
Take care and Best Regard.
WeeNel.
So true. Nobody knows everything. Life is a learning experience. Keep on learning. :)
Just trying to stay ahead of the game
I know what you mean. I don't like losing plants to anything.
