Growing garden crops is almost always accompanied by certain difficulties, which every gardener should know about. In the case of pepper, a frequent problem is its withering, which negatively affects not only the size, but also the taste of the future crop. Why peppers disappear and how to prevent the tops from withering - you will learn about this from this article.

Why wither and dry pepper bushes with fruits

In fact, there are many reasons for the deterioration of the appearance of the culture. Therefore, if you are confident in the correctness of care, it is worth considering the likelihood of pest invasion or damage to plants by diseases. In general, the list of possible reasons for withering includes the following reasons.

Did you know? Bell pepper contains the substance lycopene, useful for the body, which prevents the development of cancer cells. In addition, a large number of other useful micro- and macroelements that prevent the development of anemia and osteoporosis accumulate in the fruits of the plant.

Crop rotation failure

Not a single crop should be grown in the same place for several years in a row, since the nutrient content of the substrate is significantly reduced, which means that the subsequent crop will no longer be so plentiful. In addition, with the repeated planting of pepper in the area, new plants may become infected with pathogenic spores that have survived in the soil.Ideally, the crop should be returned to the previous garden only 2-3 years after the previous harvest, and before that pepper can be planted after onions, cucumbers, pumpkins, cabbage and siderat plants, which are excellent predecessors for this crop. At the same time, the plot on which tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and physalis were grown last year is not suitable for planting, since they all suffer from the same problems as pepper.

Bad seeds

The poor quality of the seed can cause limited growth of planted pepper or weakening of its stem part, which is why wilting of leaf plates or a decrease in the tone of the fruits themselves are observed. For this reason, before sowing the seeds, they are rejected by soaking in a glass of salt water.

Did you know? Until recently, the largest bell pepper in history was considered a fruit with the interesting name Godzila. (its weight reached 0.5 kg)grown in 2013 by an Israeli farmer from the village of Ein Yahav. However, a little later (in 2015) it became known about another achievement in this direction, and this time a resident of the Krasnoyarsk Territory of the Russian Federation boasted a huge vegetable weighing 535 g.

Viable seed will always sink to the bottom, but empty specimens will certainly float to the surface. After drying, healthy bell pepper seeds can be easily sown for seedlings or immediately in open ground (depending on the climatic region and the characteristics of the selected variety).

Non-compliance with the irrigation regime

Violation of irrigation rules is another typical reason for the deterioration of the appearance of a crop. For pepper fruits, both wetting and lack of moisture in the soil are equally undesirable - however, in the latter case, the withering of individual parts of the plant is more quickly replaced by their complete drying out. To prevent this, it is important to always focus on the state of the topsoil and water only when it dries enough, but does not begin to crack.It is advisable to add liquid in the morning hours or after sunset, otherwise it is unlikely to avoid crusting on the surface of the bed. Excessive compaction of the soil and a limited amount of air entering the root system can also be an answer to the question why the pepper dries out on the vine.

The greenhouse is not ventilated

When growing pepper in greenhouse conditions, the tops can sometimes wilt due to the increased humidity inside the greenhouse. In combination with the high temperature, a real pepper sauna is created in the room, which rarely has a positive effect on it. It is advisable to ventilate the plantings during the day when the air temperature in the street is maximally increased and you don’t have to worry about the cold air flows that have entered inside.

Important! If in the used greenhouse there have already been cases of mass crop damage by these ailments, then before the next planting of bell pepper, it is necessary to disinfect not only the soil, but also all the internal surfaces of the structure, as well as the supports to which the grown seedlings will be attached.

Badly warmed soil

For rapid growth and development of planted seedlings of pepper, the soil at the planting site should be warmed up to + 12 ... + 15 ° C. Otherwise, young plants almost always begin to hurt and lose their ability to absorb nutrients from the soil. Withering of stems and leaves is more often observed when growing in cold earth is supplemented by exposure to the plant in direct sunlight: with increased evaporation of moisture, the roots do not have time to absorb it, especially since they themselves are not able to work normally under such conditions.

Too high temperature

Long-term exposure to elevated air temperature in the place of growing bell pepper in any case leads to a decrease in its productivity. Outwardly, a lack of moisture is expressed in the drooping state of the leaves and stem part of the bush, which is quickly replaced by yellowing and complete drying of the leaf plates. With timely diagnosis and elimination of the problem, the crop can be saved, and the appearance of the plant quickly returns to normal.

Soil pests gnawed roots

If the leaves of the pepper wither and fall off for no apparent reason, then it's time to inspect the bushes for signs of disease or pest activity. Regardless of where the crop is grown (in a greenhouse or in an open area), it is not necessary to exclude the possibility of pests entering it.

Important! A solution of ash will help get rid of aerial pests of pepper, which in combination with water (40-50 g per 10 l) must be applied to the leaves of pepper at least 3 times a season. And you can process crops with chemicals no later than 2-3 weeks before the expected harvest.

Most often, bell pepper suffers from slugs, whiteflies, scoops, aphids and Colorado potato beetles, but the cause of the wilting of its individual parts is usually a bear, damaging the root system. Deprived of the possibility of normal consumption of nutrients from the soil, the rhizome cannot supply them to the aboveground parts, as a result of which the latter quickly fade. Plantations can be protected from this pest with the help of plastic caps from cut bottles (they penetrate the soil by 10-15 cm).

Fungal diseases

Diseases of fungal origin are another common cause of deterioration in the appearance of bell pepper bushes. While some ailments are manifested by yellowing of leaf blades or the appearance of spots on their surface, others are characterized by a decrease in the elasticity of individual vegetative parts, which is also clearly visible in appearance.

The most common diseases in this case include the following:

1. Blackleg - manifests itself in wilting and drying first of the lower part of the bush, and then the entire stem. The main reason for the development of the disease is ignoring the recommended planting scheme and excessive humidity in the greenhouse. Compliance with agrotechnical requirements and presowing treatment of planting material with a weak solution of potassium permanganate will help prevent the disease.
2. Gray rot - Another disease provoked by increased humidity in the place of pepper growth. At the initial stages of its development, brown spots appear in the lower part of the bushes, which over time become covered with a gray coating. Withering of plants is observed only at the last stages of mass destruction of bushes, but usually it does not reach this point and peppers are treated earlier (with chalk or powdered activated carbon, diluted in water). Affected parts of plants or all diseased bushes should be removed immediately from the garden.
3. Late blight - One of the most common ailments of plants from the Solanaceae family. In the case of pepper, the first signs of the development of the disease will be brown spots, which first appear on separate parts of the plant, and then affect the fruits. If you do not look closely at the nature of such “mutilations,” it may seem as if the pepper just changed color and wilted. The main methods of controlling and preventing this ailment include compliance with crop rotation requirements on the site, timely treatment of bushes with chemicals and the complete removal of all affected plants. During top dressing with finished fertilizers, special attention should be paid to preparations with a high content of manganese, iodine, potassium and copper.
4. Pepper wilting - An ailment that manifests itself mainly before the beginning of flowering of the plant and is expressed in the grinding of leaves and the appearance of growing spots on them. If at first they simply lose their elasticity, then they turn yellow and fall, as a result of which only the upper leaf plates remain on the bush, but they also die off soon. Measures to combat the disease depend on the specific reasons for its development: for example, high temperature and low humidity of the substrate or constant planting of the plant in the same place for several years in a row. Sometimes, for the prevention of verticillus wilting of pepper, biofungicidal preparations are introduced into the soil, which simply water the root zone.
5. Fusarium - A disease of fungal origin, starting with damage to the root system of the culture and ending with the closure of the internal stem passages, due to which the pepper first drops its leaves and then completely dries out. Favorable conditions for the development of the disease are sharp temperature changes and excess air humidity.
6. White rot - initially manifests itself in white coating on the stem part in the basal zone, but as it spreads, other parts of the bush begin to suffer, on which harmful growths - fungi can appear. It is almost impossible to save the affected plants, therefore it is better to destroy them immediately.
7. Powdery mildew - more dangerous for specimens grown in greenhouses. It is manifested by the formation on the upper parts of the leaves of large spots with a white coating on them. In the process of developing the disease, all other parts of the plant are covered with similar spots, after which it is deformed and dries. Ideal conditions for the rapid development of the disease - dry weather, with high temperature and low humidity.

Prevention

Regardless of the specific cause of the wilting of the pepper, it is possible to prevent such an undesirable phenomenon by adhering to simple rules:

1. Always follow crop rotation rules and never grow peppers for several years in a row in the same place. It is better to plant plants after “useful” predecessors and to avoid close proximity to other nightshade crops.
2. After harvesting, always carefully remove all plant debris from the site, and if there is a high probability of preservation of pathogens in the soil, it is worthwhile to further disinfect the substrate by spilling it with Fitosporin solution or ordinary potassium permanganate solution.
3. Whenever possible, buy only those varieties of pepper that, according to the instructions of the producers, are distinguished by increased resistance to disease.
4. Before sowing seeds for seedlings, it is useful to soak them in a solution of "Epina", "Zircon" and "Novosil".
5. For watering, use moderately warm and settled water, avoiding the use of cold liquid (it harms the root system of pepper at any stage of its development).

On the whole, withering of pepper is not always considered a verdict for the crop, but if possible it is advisable to prevent even a partial decrease in the elasticity of parts of the plant. Proper preparation for planting and timely care for grown seedlings are the main preventive measures, which in most cases will be more than enough to obtain a high-quality and tasty harvest of fleshy fruits.