Ping Farmerdill...Bell pepper wipe-out!

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Lettuceman Dayton, WA Aug 17, 2006

My 36 (6 different varieties) Bell pepper plants were sailing along just beautifully with lots of healthy looking peppers on them all. Some had begun to ripen. Then one morning I discovered that all of the peppers had shriveled like prunes and gone soft. Every plant was affected. Wha hoppen???

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Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) Aug 17, 2006

Don't know, did the plant wilt and die or were just the fruits affected? The only disease that I have that rapidly takes down peppers is southern blight(Sclerotium rolfsii), which I don't think extends to Washington state. Look through these http://plantpathology.tamu.edu/Texlab/Vegetables/peppers/pmmenu.htm

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Lettuceman Dayton, WA Aug 18, 2006

Well, the plants themselves also got awfully droopy, like they were stressed. No amount of water would revive them. Thanks for the link, and I appreciate your speedy reply.

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Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) Aug 18, 2006

The only two diseases that I have encountered that come close to your symptoms is Southern blight and Phytophthora Blight . There are viruses that stunt plants and render poor fruit formation, but usually they pose a slow decline not death.

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Horseshoe Efland, NC(Zone 7a) Aug 18, 2006

That is mighty curious, Lettuceman.

What's your weather been like lately? Has it been extremely cool at nite (for peppers?) (I can't remember what part of Wa you are in.)

Was also wondering if you've had high winds that may have blown the plants around, twisting the tops of the plants so they may have gotten root damage?

Or maybe there is evidence of burrowing critters? Or, heaven forbid, but do ya'll have nematodes out your way?

Shoe.

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Lettuceman Dayton, WA Aug 20, 2006

Well shoe, the temps have gone down into the mid-forties a couple of nights, but nothing close to a frost or freeze.

We have our times of high winds, but when I pulled the pepper plants, they were very firmly anchored in the ground.

No burrowing critters, the roots looked quite intact and healthy when I pulled them. Just the fruit and foliage were wilted and shriveled. I've grown bell peppers for many years and have never seen this before. Sure is a mystery.

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Horseshoe Efland, NC(Zone 7a) Aug 21, 2006

Thanks, and yes, it sure is a mystery. Your nite temps of mid-forties would tend to simulate refridgerator temps and I've store peppers in plastic bags in the fridge before w/no wrinkling. (Course now, I eat them pretty quick, too! Yummy!)

Sure hope you get to the bottom of this. Sure is weird. Wishing you better luck next time, or for the rest of the season (if you have time left).

Shoe.

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