Please help chilli emergency

[veggiechicken]

Well done MBE for posting these photos.
I know nothing about chilies but that tomato looks like its struggling.

[Scarlet]

MBE - you are a superstar!!!

I don't think there's a huge amount wrong with those chilies - I can't see much leaf drop? But those blowaways aren't great for plants. I've used them in the past for seeds and seedlings but in the afternoon sun they just burn plants. If you are leaving your plants in there with that size pot you need to water everyday.

One thing I have noticed is that your plants don't seem to be planted deep enough. I can see roots.

[mrbadexample]

Having had another look this morning, I think they may have dried out as the pots are a bit small. Have you seen them wilting when you've gone to water them? Do the pots feel light when you pick them up?

I'd be tempted to get some bigger pots for them, with a decent quality compost like Jack's Magic, on which I have spent a flippin' fortune this year.

[quanglewangle]

Aren't they supposed to dry out?

I think they may have dried out

It's my first time growing chilli too, but from what I have read letting them dry out between watering is the right thing to do. I suppose it depends on using a compost that will re-wet successfully and not let the water run down to the bottom and make you think you have watered them.

(Again, no experience in the area so don't take anything here too seriously)

[Small pumpkin]

I'd repot them into bigger pots with compost and perlite mix. Like Scarlet I'd plant them a little deeper and give them some support. Some look like they need staking. I'd up the feeding to weekly as well.

The letting them dry out theory is to stress the plants to make the chillies hotter when you harvest. I've never bothered 1, it's just mean 2, they're hot enough anyway.

[Paulie]

In my opinion the chillis would benefit by being repotted a bit deeper in bigger pots.

[Penellype]

I don't have any experience of growing chillies as I can't eat them, but I do grow peppers, which I believe are identical except for lacking the gene for making capsaicin, which makes the chillies hot.

The first thing that jumps out at me from your photos is that you have nothing under the pots. Either the pots have holes in and the water can run straight out, in which case your plants will probably be far too dry, or the pots have no drainage, in which case the plants will drown. Either scenario could result in the symptoms you describe.

I find that peppers don't need that much to drink, but they really appreciate a constantly available water supply. They grow very well with the aid of capillary matting and a water reservoir, either in the form of a "quadgrow" type pot with a wick, or sitting on wet capillary matting with a reservoir below. You can buy these things or make your own and fill up the reservoir when needed.

[mrbadexample]

It's my first time growing chilli too, but from what I have read letting them dry out between watering is the right thing to do. I suppose it depends on using a compost that will re-wet successfully and not let the water run down to the bottom and make you think you have watered them.

(Again, no experience in the area so don't take anything here too seriously)

I do grow mine a bit on the dry side but I don't let them dry out completely.

[Scarlet]

It's my first time growing chilli too, but from what I have read letting them dry out between watering is the right thing to do. I suppose it depends on using a compost that will re-wet successfully and not let the water run down to the bottom and make you think you have watered them.

(Again, no experience in the area so don't take anything here too seriously)

Letting them dry out as SP has said is supposed to make the chillies taste hotter. I would prefer to just grow a hotter variety...

These plants haven't got any chillies yet....a young plant need a good watering/feeding regime.
If you keep a young plant on the dry side it won't grow as well as it could. If you let the plant dry out while it has flowers they will most likely drop them. If you let it dry out too much it will lose its leaves.
I've never let a plant dry so much that it wilts. It stresses them and they often don't recover.

I have read the keep them dry method - I don't believe it works too well. My chillies get watered everyday in the GH in hot weather.

[Mitzi]

I’ve not seen any evidence of a proper side-by-side trial of plants left to dry out completely between watering and those kept moist. I think it’s a kind of urban myth. Someone says it, others repeat it and it becomes established “fact”. Having said that, they definitely don’t like soggy compost so you have to find a happy medium.

[Scarlet]

Having said that, they definitely don’t like soggy compost so you have to find a happy medium.

To be honest there's not many plants that do like a soggy bottom...I see some people growing plants in pots ( toms/flowers/ as well as chillies) with them sat in an inch of water as it's saves watering time. The roots rot.

[stigs]

did you try a thermometer in that GH those leaves look like they've been talking to alex fergusons hair dryer, pot size is a bit small but should be ok, the vivid green of the plants say they are mostly healthy, I let my soil go bone dry for 2 days regularly in the polytunnel, the only other thing I would say is the lighter soil looks like it is packed solid I would add perlite next time.

[robbra]

Don't you just love it when they don't come back and tell you what happened.