Why do pepper seedlings curl leaves and what to do

Pepper is a fairly common vegetable that many growers grow in their gardens. During the cultivation of young seedlings, various problems can arise. For example, very often the leaves of pepper seedlings curl. To get rid of this problem, you need to understand the causes of its occurrence and decide what to do if the leaves of the pepper curl.

Why do the leaves of pepper seedlings curl

Before you start treating bushes, you need to decide why the leaves of pepper seedlings are curled. There are several common causes of this problem.

Uneven development of leaves

Uneven leaf growth in bell peppers is one of the most common causes of the disease. In this case, an active increase in the midrib begins, which is why the leaves begin to quickly lengthen. In this case, the dimensions of the sheet plate cannot develop at the same rate. As a result, because of this, all the leaves on the bushes begin to deform.

This reason for the curling of the leaves by the boat is the most harmless, since the development of the plant does not stop. In just a few weeks, all curled leaves will return to their normal shape.

Lack of nutrients

Another reason why peppers have very curled leaves is the lack of trace elements in the soil. So that the pepper in the greenhouse and garden does not have any problems with leaves and growth, it is necessary to periodically feed the soil. If this is not done, then the amount of potassium in the soil will decrease and this will lead to the fact that the leaves of the peppers in the greenhouse will begin to deform.

At first, each leaf does not curl very much. The bottom sheets will start to fold first. Over time, the disease will begin to progress and spread to the entire bush.

Pests

Often, the leaves are turned inside out due to the influence of insects. At the same time, due to pests, the leaves of the peppers may begin to curl even in the greenhouse, and not only on the street. If the leaves begin to curl due to certain pests, then you need to immediately eliminate the problem.

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It is quite simple to understand that the disease was caused by pests. To do this, you should carefully examine each bell pepper bush. In addition to rolled pepper leaves, there must be other symptoms. For example, the leaves may partially turn yellow and a little cobweb appears between them.

All these signs indicate that the leaves of the pepper began to deform precisely because of the insects.

Many vegetable growers are concerned about the cause of the appearance of pests in greenhouses. Most often they appear due to the fact that before planting plants, people forget to process the soil or process it too poorly. In untreated soil, pest larvae begin to develop and actively spread to plants in mid-April. If you do not treat the bushes and do not get rid of insects, then the pepper will die.

Ways to fight

To get rid of curled leaves in pepper, you should familiarize yourself with the most common ways to deal with this problem. Different treatments are used for each cause considered.

Lack of trace elements

If the curl of the leaves is caused by an insufficient amount of nutrients, then first you need to find out what exactly the pepper needs. There are cases that the plant lacks phosphorus, which is why each leaf folds and begins to gradually change its color. To solve this problem, it is necessary to spray the soil and bushes with a special solution. To prepare it, about three grams of nitrate is consumed per liter of liquid. If there is no nitrate, then it can be replaced with ammophos.

You can eliminate the lack of potassium in two ways:

• Sprinkle wood ash over the area where the bitter pepper grows. The substance crumbles under each plant where there is at least one leaf turned up. The layer of wood ash should not be very large, so it should be no more than 3-5 mm. When the ash is scattered on the site, the soil must be sprayed with heated water. This method is recommended in order not to fertilize the site with nitrate in the future.
• All bushes, where the leaves are spinning upward, are fed with potassium nitrate. This method is several times more effective than the previous one. To prepare a working solution, 100 g of nitrate is mixed with 10 liters of warm water. So that the leaves stop curling, half a liter of the prepared mixture is poured under each bush. Water the area before using saltpeter.

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The effect of the use of dressings will be noticeable in a few days. All the leaves of pepper seedlings, twisted to the top or down, will gradually flatten out and take on a natural shape.

Pest control

If greenhouse pepper suffers from pests and turns out its leaves for this reason, then it is worth familiarizing yourself with the main methods of fighting parasites. These methods include:

1. Bleaching powder. The curling of the leaves can be fought with bleach. Before using it, you must prepare a special working solution. To do this, stir 200-300 grams of lime in ten liters of water. The prepared mixture is thoroughly mixed and infused for about 2-3 hours, after which it can be used to water the bushes of young seedlings.
2. Dry wormwood. When the leaf on the seedlings wrinkles due to pests, it is recommended to use a decoction made from dried wormwood. To create it, you need to boil the plant for about 20-30 minutes. Then the liquid is cooled and filtered. After that, 5-10 liters of water are added to the solution. If desired, you can add 20-80 grams of soap to it to make the mixture more sticky.
3. Yarrow. Sometimes, if the upper leaves are curled, a yarrow decoction is used. With its help, you can protect seedlings from insects. To prepare the solution, chopped yarrow leaves are poured with hot water for 2-3 days. Then the mixture is filtered and mixed with five liters of water and 30 grams of soap. In just a few days, it will be possible to completely get rid of the curling of the leaves from the seedlings of peppers.
4. Infusion of onions. Many growers use onion infusion if the leaves of the bushes curl due to insects. For its preparation, onion husks are poured with 2-3 liters of hot water and infused throughout the day.Treatment with onion infusion is applied once a week for a month.

Conclusion

People who have been growing peppers for more than one year are often faced with the fact that its leaves curl up. To solve this problem, you need to figure out why the leaves of pepper seedlings can curl. This is the only way to understand what can twist the leaves of a plant and how to cure them.