I am growing red pepper transplants in an EarthBox. A couple of days ago I noticed a fairly large "bad" spot on one pepper. It doesn't seem to have gotten any bigger from when I noticed it, but today I noticed a developing soft spot on another pepper. I think the variety is "Red Beauty", if that makes any difference. I've never grown peppers before, so this is all new for me.
Does anyone know what this is, and what I should be doing about it?
Thanks!
UMass has a great website with photos.
http://www.umassvegetable.org/soil_crop_pest_mgt/disease_mgt/pepper_sunscald.html
Sunscald. Happens fairly frequently on bell peppers. It is accelerated by bright sun on a wet pepper when the sun comes out hot and bright after a rain shower or you water during the daytime. Good foliage cover is the best protection.
Thanks so much for the ID, Farmerdill. Rain isn't too much a problem here, but I did have a pretty spectacular irrigation leak that soaked the peppers in the EB, so I bet that's what caused it.
Is the rest of the pepper OK to use if I just cut off the bad part, or is the whole thing a goner?
Thanks for the help!
You can use the pepper if secondary infections have not set in. In other words right after sunscald happens. Peppers have a waxy coating that causes water to bead up and each bead serves as a magnifying glass. You want to avoid wetting the peppers in full sun.
Great--thanks!
