Why Are My Pepper Plant Leaves Turning Yellow? Jenny Graham, February 4, 2024February 4, 2024 While pepper plants are relatively easy to grow, at some point during the growing season, many home gardeners may find themselves asking, why are my pepper plant leaves turning yellow? Why are My Pepper Plant Leaves Turning Yellow? There are 6 possible causes for pepper plant leaves turning yellow. Luckily, most of the potential causes are easily fixed. Water Stress Nitrogen Deficiency Lack of Nutrients Fungal Diseases & Viruses Pest Infestation Cold Weather Inconsistent Watering & Water Stress Pepper plants are well known to love hot, dry weather. Providing your pepper plants with too much water is the most common reason you will find yourself asking, why are my pepper plant leaves turning yellow? Inconsistent watering, too much or too little, is also a common problem of pepper plant leaves turning yellow. How Do You Fix Water Stress? Depending on your climate, pepper plants will need to be watered once a week, maybe even twice a week. Check for dampness in the soil before watering. If the soil is dry two inches down, it’s time to water. Peppers like to be thoroughly watered and then letting the excess water drain completely. They don’t like to have their feet wet by constantly sitting in soggy soil. Improper watering of your pepper plants can be one of the potential causes of pepper plant leaves turning yellow. Be sure to water at the base of the plant but try to keep water from splashing up on the leaves. Pepper Plant Leaves Turning Yellow & Lack of Nitrogen Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for abundant, green growth. If you are noticing that your lower pepper plant leaves are turning yellow and dying, they may not be getting enough nitrogen. Other signs of a nitrogen deficiency are lower leaves and flowers falling off and stunted plant growth. How to Fix a Nitrogen Deficiency Fixing a nitrogen deficiency in pepper plants is easy. Using a balanced fertilizer on a regular schedule is the easiest way to help your pepper plants get enough nitrogen. Depending on what fertilizer you choose will determine how often you need to fertilize so be sure to read the directions. I like to use the Fox Farms trio for a natural fertilizer option. Pepper Plant Leaves Turning Yellow & Nutrient Deficiencies Not only will a lack of nitrogen have you asking, why are my pepper plant leaves turning yellow but a nutrient deficiency, like calcium, magnesium or an iron deficiency, could also be the culprit. A magnesium deficiency will cause your pepper plant leaves to turn yellow but the veins on the leaves will stay green. Whereas a calcium deficiency will have leaves that are yellow and curled. How to Fix a Lack of Nutrients The quick fix for a calcium deficiency or a magnesium deficiency is to use a cal-mag foliar spray. The lack of essential nutrients in the soil will still need to be addressed for a long term solution. Starting with a nice rich soil and adding amendments such as, Epsom salts and crushed egg shells will help prevent calcium and magnesium deficiencies. Doing a soil test is the best way to know exactly what your soil is lacking for essential nutrients. Cold Weather & Yellow Pepper Plant Leaves Pepper plants thrive in hot, dry weather. Once the weather dips below 40*F you can expect to see some pepper plant leaves turning yellow and lower leaves falling off, starting at the bottom of the plant. Pepper plants will die if not protected from extreme temperatures like frosts and freezes. It is possible to overwinter your pepper plants though, as they are actually a perennial plant but are most often grown as an annual. Pepper Plant Leaves Turning Yellow by Diseases or Viruses When trying to determine why are my pepper plant leaves turning yellow, you have to take into consideration diseases and viruses that can cause the yellowing of leaves. Unfortunately, these causes are a more serious problem and not treated as easy as water stress or lack of nitrogen or nutrients. Neem oil is a good preventive measure and can help control some of these issues. Mosaic Virus Mosaic virus can cause yellowing of leaves, bumpy patches on fruit, stunted plant growth, and poor pepper production. There is no treatment for mosaic virus. You should seriously consider pulling the pepper plants up and burning the ones infected by the virus, if you are sure they are infected. It spreads easily through contaminated soil, contaminated seeds, pests, or contact. Be sure to not save seeds from infected plants. The virus won’t effect the germination time but plants will sprout carrying the virus, eventually showing up in later growth stages. Bacterial Wilt Bacterial wilt is also another cause of yellowing leaves. It will also turn the inner part of the stem brown and will kill your pepper plants. If you are sure your pepper plants have bacterial wilt, the best course of action is to pull them up and destroy them. Bacterial wilt often starts on one side of the plant and eventually takes over the entire plant. Watering will not fix this wilt issue. Bacterial Leaf Spot If you are seeing yellow spots on your pepper plant leaves it could be bacterial leaf spot. This bacteria thrives in humid, rainy conditions and can easily be spread through contact or splashing water. The good news is that plants can fight off the bacteria if they are fed properly. Phytophthora Blight While blight doesn’t normally cause the yellowing of leaves it is common and worth a mention. Blight causes large brown spots and wilt on pepper plant leaves. The stem of the plant may also turn black and root rot will set in, eventually killing your pepper plants. It can be spread through the soil and through water splashing on your plants. Blight can somewhat be controlled by trimming off the part of the plant that is showing signs of blight. Pepper Plant Leaves Turning Yellow & Pest Infestations Pest infestations are one of the main causes of disease and viruses being spread from to plant to plant, causing the yellowing of leaves. Keep a close eye out in the garden for pests to keep them in check. There are many excellent organic pest control measures, such as neem oil, that you can safely use in the vegetable garden as an effective way of controlling pests. Common Pests on Pepper Plants Flea Beetles Mites Aphids White Flies Psyllids Unfortunately, Yellow Pepper Leaves Stay Yellow If you are still asking why are my pepper plant leaves turning yellow, you must know that once they are yellow they won’t turn back to green. If you have corrected the problem all of the new growth and existing green growth should remain green and yellowing should not get worse. You can trim off the old yellow leaves so your pepper plant can focus on new, healthy growth. What Should Healthy Plants Look Like? Healthy pepper plants should be full of lush, green leaves that have no yellowing or discoloration to them. Your pepper plants should also have lots of new leaves coming from the top of the plant, flowers, or an abundance of fruit production depending on what stage of growth they are in. Why are My Pepper Plant Leaves Turning Yellow? Now that we know all the possible causes of why my pepper plant leaves are turning yellow let’s get busy correcting the problem and grow some hot peppers. After all, my hot sauce stash is getting a little low. Some Other Posts You May Enjoy Reading How Long Do Jalapeno Seeds Take to Germinate? Jalapeno Plant Stages: Growing Heat From Seed to Harvest What Plants Like Chicken Manure & How to Safely Use It 105 Edible Perennials for Zone 9: Growing a Food Forest How to Add Nutrients to Soil: 20 Organic Garden Amendments Happy Homesteading & Gardening, Jenny @ The GrahamStead Family Farm Jenny and her family have been homesteading for over 20 years. They are currently farming on their 10 acre Florida farm, that they built from the ground up, 8 years ago, growing 100% of their meat and a lot of their vegetables. From their small herd of Aberdeen Angus Cattle, Pastured Poultry, Sheep, and seasonal pigs, they are able to raise enough meat for the family while selling extra to the community. All the while, striving to butcher at home, as much as possible, and use the bits and pieces of their harvest by preserving food, making bone broth, and (Jenny’s favorite) tanning all kinds of hides! Sources: https://peppergeek.com/pepper-plant-diseases-problems/ Gardening Homesteading