Why do pepper seedlings drop leaves and what to do?

Growing peppers is a process that gardeners have been doing for many years. And it seems that during this time all the features of growing crops should be well studied, however, summer residents continue to face some problems when caring for peppers.

Difficulties are especially common when growing seedlings. For example, you may be faced with the fact that the leaves fall off and turn yellow. Let's analyze the reasons for this phenomenon.

The first thing a gardener needs to pay attention to is his own mistakes when growing.

It is a light-loving vegetable, and especially good lighting is required for the crop during the seedling development phase. Daylight hours for young shoots should be at least 12 hours. With a lack of light, the plant can shed its leaves.

If the lower leaves of the seedlings turned yellow and fell off, then an incorrectly made pick may be the cause. This is a very difficult process for young bushes, so picking should be done very carefully. To expose the plant to less stress, it is recommended to sow in separate containers. Another option could be planting in peat tablets. The grown bush is transplanted into the ground with a tablet, and therefore the roots are not damaged, and the leaves also remain in place. If sowing is still carried out in a common container, then keep a sufficient distance between future seedlings so that the roots do not touch or intertwine in the future.

After picking, keep the containers in a dark place, since when the seedlings develop after transplanting to a sunny area, the leaves may dry out and fall off. By the way, dying off or improper development of the root system also leads to shedding of seedlings. This usually happens at the stage of active development of the culture, when the roots grow vigorously and begin to bind with each other. In this case, the process of absorption of nutrients is disrupted, and the roots die off.

This is a heat-loving plant, so the seedlings should be kept at a temperature of + 22-25 degrees. The optimum temperature at night is +14 degrees. Leaves can fly if young bushes are in a draft. If the pepper is grown in cold regions, it is best to sow after mid-March.

Leaves can be shed both with an excess and with a lack of moisture. With frequent and large volumes of watering, the roots begin to rot, which in the future becomes the cause of a violation of normal development and growth. With rare moisture, the plant does not receive the necessary substances, the roots begin to dry, and the leaves fall off. Therefore, irrigation is carried out as the topsoil dries out.

Also, the reason can be too cold water: in this case, the roots do not accept liquid. The water temperature should be + 20-22 degrees. Another factor affecting leaf fall is the use of tap water. This is due to the content of chemical elements in it.

Seedling leaves turn yellow and fall off if the plant lacks nutrients. The first fertilizing is applied at the sowing stage, but their culture is quickly absorbed. Pay attention to the peculiarities of leaf fall. If the top leaves have flown around, then the plant does not have enough mineral fertilizers. The lower ones are discarded when there is a nitrogen deficiency. With the yellowing of the leaf plate and the formation of green veins on it, it can be assumed that the seedlings need calcium. If the plant does not have enough potassium, then the leaf plate first turns yellow at the edges, and then the foliage curls, which again leads to falling off.

To correct the situation, you should feed the sprouts with complex compounds. If there is a lack of nitrogen, it is necessary to additionally fertilize the plant, for example, with Azogran granules. Seedlings need nitrogen regularly for high-quality and comfortable development in large volumes. Ammonium nitrate or urea will also work. However, it is important to apply fertilizers carefully, as too much nitrogen can be dangerous. Gardeners advise feeding the plant with weak solutions, for example, 1/2 tbsp. l. composition, diluted in 5 liters of water. A mixture in such proportions will not burn the seedlings' cotyledons.

With this tool, you can not only water, but also spray young bushes. Of course, after this procedure, the yellowed leaves will not recover, they should be removed, but the next leaves will be healthy, and the plant will bear fruit well in the future. Potassium deficiency can be compensated for with complex mineral supplements.

The following ailments can cause foliage to fall off.

• Powdery mildew. The disease can be identified by the many light spots on the leaf blade, the area of ​​which is gradually growing. One large brown spot soon develops. Fungicides will help to cope with the disease.
• Fusarium wilting. In this case, the leaves acquire a lighter shade, wither, dry, and soon fly around. There is no cure for the disease: the affected bush must be destroyed, and the land must be cultivated.

Seedling leaves can also fall off if the plant is infested with insects.

• Aphid. The leaves turn yellow, fade, fall off. Insecticides will help fight the pest.
• Spider mite. In this case, gray spots are visible on the leaf plate. Curling of leaves and their subsequent flying around is observed. With a small lesion, treatment with soapy water will help; in neglected cases, pesticides are used.

You can check the soil for pests by loosening it. If individuals and their larvae are found in the soil, then completely change it. It is possible to treat the earth affected by insects using disinfection in the oven or processing with a hot solution of potassium permanganate.

There are several other reasons why the leaves may turn yellow. Consider certain conditions that contribute to this.

If the plant is grown in greenhouse conditions, then the cotyledon leaves may fall off in the following cases:

• infection with fungal infections;
• rare ventilation or lack thereof;
• draft;
• thickened fit.

In this case, wind, cold, precipitation are obstacles to the comfortable existence of culture. Also, the plant may lose leaves for the following reasons:

• humidification with cold water;
• renewed frost at night;
• burn of cotyledon leaves, obtained under the influence of direct sunlight;
• non-compliance with the terms of transplanting seedlings into open ground;
• the poverty of the land in which the crop is grown;
• damage by insects, which less often attack plants cultivated in greenhouses and greenhouses.

Whatever the reason for the leaves falling off, the problem is not so easy to solve, so use the recommendations for the prevention of this phenomenon.

• Choose good seeds for sowing, purchased from a trusted location. Before planting, treat them in a solution of potassium permanganate.
• Responsibly approach the choice of a site for planting. Plant the vegetable in a garden bed with diffused lighting that is hidden from drafts.
• Avoid planting in an area where tomatoes and other nightshades previously grew, since these crops, during development, suck out all the useful components from the soil, and the land becomes poor.
• Do not neglect preventive treatments for parasites. Inspect your seedlings regularly for pests or signs of disease.
• After each irrigation, loosen the soil, and then oxygen will easily penetrate to the root system.
• If the plant is grown in a greenhouse or greenhouse, remember to ventilate the area regularly. This must be done, otherwise the fungus will not keep itself waiting long.

If the leaves have already flown, treat the drooping bush with Zircon. Now that the defeat has been stopped, the cause of this unpleasant phenomenon should be determined. If, after inspection, signs of the disease are revealed, then destroy the sick specimen, and treat the ground with a fungicide. If the reason was non-compliance with the rules of agricultural technology, then change the growing conditions.