What is sweet pepper leaf oedema and how to fix it
As soon as bumps or bumps appear on the nightshade seedlings, many gardeners begin to panic, believing that they are dealing with aphids, spider mites or some kind of disease. In fact, it is simply the oedema of sweet pepper leaves caused by excess moisture. Nevertheless, if no measures are taken, then such a deviation has a detrimental effect on the yield of the cultivated crop. To successfully cope with it, you need to get to know more about dropsy (popular name).
The main thing is to make the correct diagnosis
In order not to confuse dropsy with other diseases, it is worth studying its symptoms:
- the back of the leafy plate is covered with pimples or dropsies;
- dots or spots of light green color appear on the stem;
- the shade of the green mass does not change;
- with severe damage, the stems and foliage curl.
Despite the progression of dropsy, the plant can continue to grow and appear completely healthy. It has been noticed that sometimes growths affect only individual parts of the seedling.
The tubercle dots formed on the underside of the pepper leaf are quite dense to the touch. The swollen formations are somewhat similar to white mold. Although edema does not carry over from one culture to another, it carries with it a hidden danger to the plant. If nothing is done, then this is fraught with the death of leaves, which eventually fall off and deprive the plant of nutrients. At the same time, some peppers are less prone to dropsy than others.
Overfilled seedlings usually die quickly enough. The reason for this is the death of the root system.
Causes of edema
Disturbance in the development of seedlings is caused by excess moisture or lack of lighting. Most often, such swelling is characteristic of greenhouse crops. Irregular watering of seedlings usually leads to the progression of pathology. Usually gardeners allow the earthy clod to completely dry out or dry out. Then they overly moisturize plants that are unable to cope with so much moisture.
Swelling in nightshades is observed due to blockage of the ducts responsible for the evaporation of moisture from the leaves. It is in these places that water bumps are formed.
The appearance of such build-ups can be caused by a sharp temperature drop. For example, a farmer watered his seedlings abundantly, after which it got colder. As a result, the soil substrate is overcooled. In addition, the development of dropsy is also affected by the thickening of the bushes or lack of ventilation. greenhouses... The appearance of such bubbles is relevant for specimens standing close to each other or located close to the backlight.
Oedema of sweet pepper leaves and methods of dealing with it
It is impossible to restore a healthy appearance to the affected foliage by any means. Since they are deprived of nutrition, they will simply disappear over time. The only way to stop the progression of dropsy is to eliminate the cause that caused it. To begin with, it is recommended to dry the waterlogged soil mixture.The container with seedlings is placed on the battery for some time, placing foam under the container. Others advise making a few holes in the bottom of the box to help the moisture evaporate faster. Seedlings that are too flooded are transplanted into a different soil.
A number of simple techniques are used to treat oedema of sweet pepper leaves.:
- control the amount of irrigation;
- equalize the frequency and regularity of soil moisture (once every 6 days);
- transfer the seedlings to a lighter room, to the sunny side;
- after each spraying, the soil substrate is loosened;
- increase the distance between the pots to avoid thickening;
- moderately ventilate the room;
- provide an optimal temperature of 16-18˚С;
- periodically inspect the plants for bumps.
During the therapeutic course, watering of seedlings is limited as much as possible. In this case, only water at room temperature is used.
All of these procedures negate the formation of new growths on the pepper. Another effective way will be to remove the affected sheets. However, after that, the stem must be buried to the level of the remaining leaves. With elongated seedlings, such an event is not carried out.
As protection of culture from adverse conditions, use Epin drug... The solution is sprayed on the foliage so that the plant can more easily endure the lack of nutrition.
Forewarned is forearmed
A well-designed drainage container for growing seedlings will help prevent the appearance of dropsy. Expanded clay, broken brick or other materials should be ¼ or 1/5 of the volume of the container. At the same time, when sowing seeds or replanting seedlings, excessive deepening of the root collar is avoided. Being too deep in the soil, the sprouts can simply "suffocate". But the substrate is placed at the level of the side of the container.
This provides the potting mix:
- proper aeration;
- drying the top layer;
- no liquid stagnation.
Instead of loosening it regularly, some gardeners simply pierce the soil in several places. Too dense soil is necessarily cultivated.
The temperature regime in greenhouses is controlled using heaters or convectors. Still, you should not allow the air to dry out, because this can lead to other kinds of problems. Special phytolamps will help to provide pepper seedlings with a sufficient amount of light for 12-14 hours.
The oedema has "understudies"
Very often, gardeners confuse dropsy with common diseases of peppers in seedlings. Pimples also occur as a result of the invasion of ticks, aphids, and also scale insects. In such hillocks, insect pests usually settle and lay eggs.
Nevertheless, the main symptoms of the lesion differ significantly from dropsy.:
- Aphid. Deformation of leaves and flowers is observed, which curl and fall off. The vegetative organs are usually covered with sticky honeydew.
- Spider mite. On the deciduous plates, yellow blotches appear, and on the inside - a gray coating resembling dust. Barely noticeable cobweb webs are formed between branches and stems.
- Shield... Green, yellow and brown hillocks protrude along the central veins. A sticky coating on the surface is a sign of the vital activity of parasites. Over time, the foliage turns pale, dries up, curls and falls off.
- Thrips. The eggs laid by insects resemble growths of various sizes, similar to the pimples of edema. They differ in ash or lemon color.
To distinguish swelling of a culture from damage by dangerous pests, it is necessary to use a magnifying glass. It is better to use lenses with a magnification of 10-20. Insects, as usual, actively move around the plant, so they are easy to spot.
Some farmers recommend planting only dropsy-resistant pepper varieties. These varieties include Druzhok, Gina or Shustrik.
As practice shows, the edema of sweet pepper leaves can be dealt with. It is enough just to regulate proper watering and lighting. However, unfortunately, nothing can be saved from the affected foliage.