Topic: Spots 2.

[carolinej]

Hello,

here are some pics of the offending spots.







Hope this helps

cj :)

[Tee Gee]

Thanks for the pics cj

You haven't replied to the watering/feeding issue.

Check the plant stems at soil level, tell me if they are 'mushy'

What concerns me is the leaves dropping off not so much the spots.

Plants are usually dying when you get leaf drop.

I am guessing at neck rot!!

[carolinej]

Hello teegee,

thanks for the reply.

The necks are firm. I havent changed the way I water. I feed them by putting pelleted chicken manure in a pot sunk into the ground near them, and water through this.. I have been doing it like that for months.

The greenhouse window is permanently open, incase that could be it.

Hang on, I just thought of something. There is an ants nest under the chilli plant, so I put some nippon down. I dont think the ants are in any of the other pots though. That was about a week ago. Do you think it could have got into the soil?

If so, will the remaining chillis be ok to eat or not?

I hope thats not it, as I would be ad to be the one responsible for these healthy plant's demise. They were doing SO well :(

cj :)

[Tee Gee]

I'm a bit stumped cj ???

Perhaps they are overfed.

What I have noticed with mine this year is that I have only had to water a maximum of three times a week and feed once and yet I think I am in for a bumper crop of tomatoes & peppers, and touch wood 'no blossom end rot'

In normal years I would water most days and feed at least twice a week and even then I rarely got a crop like I have this year, admittedly the bulk of them are still green but I am getting the odd ripened one each day I go down to the plot.

I think lack of sunshine is playing a large part in this i.e. there is less dehydration so watering is reduced, there is less photosynthesis due to the lack of sunshine so feeding is not required so often.

I think in your case I would remove the most affected leaves and because you have your fertiliser in the pots I would only fill the pots every 2nd or 3rd watering( i.e. feed). Just use plain water around the plants (assuming they are in soil beds) if water is required.

Over feeding can sometimes be as bad as under feeding because there is a limit as to what the plants can use, particularly when you have poor photosynthesis and this I believe can lead to disease. What this disease/s is/are I am not sure not having had the problem you have.

I wouldn't worry too much about the ants & chillis. I think the ants eat any leaves and petals that have dropped of the plant/s rather than the fruit.

[carolinej]

Thanks teegee :)

 I wont need to remove any leaves from the chilli as it is now completely bald!

cj :)