My pepper plants! TOTAL panic?! :(

[Lauries]

I grew 7 sweet pepper plants from seed, they are my pride and joy. I was so proud of them. They are very young - only 2 or so inches tall. They are each in their own pot and I put them outside.

At first they seemed fine. But now, the biggest, strongest one has gone almost completely limp! The stem is strong but the leaves are paper thin and weak and drooping over the soil and pot edge. The other seedlings appear weak and droopy too

I took them straight back inside in the warm pronto but are they going to recover?! I hope I haven't done them severe damage? Its been unnaturally cold

xx

[Flobalob]

Far to early for putting peppers out. In England anyway !!
They should recover if you have caught them before the terminal stage.

[Lauries]

Terminal stage?
Sorry I'm almost a complete novice! XD
I definately hope they do recover.
xx

[womble]

Terminal stage = Deaded.

[Flummery]

I only grow them in a greenhouse even in the hieght of summer. I find it useful with any plant to think where they originated in the wild. That's the kind of conditions they want. Think South America!

[pjh75]

I didn't think peppers go outside at all... I keep mine in the greenhouse permanently.

Hope yours recover.

[Nicos]

Time will tell!

But thanks for sharing your problem- you may have saved someone else from doing exactly the same thing!

Fingers crossed you've caught them in time.

[bobbin]

Womble... I've just read your post on the pepper query and it made me laugh out loud!
Thats you good deed for the day,Thanks.

[Lauries]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.
Just to update, quite miraculously, in the space of a few hours they are starting to perk up a bit!

xx

[danmon_81]

i have 3 pepper plants outside...in the poly house unheated and they're doing great so far!

[danmon_81]

it will also be the wind/ sun combination dehydrating the leaves.

[Plot10]

This happened to my tomatoes last week when I went away for the weekend, not expecting frost they were on my covered, but open fronted, porch and covered with fleece but when I came back the lower leaves were all droopy like a shriveled balloon.

I've taken them back inside (although put them out again this morning in the sun) and they've perked up (although the affected leaves are now crispy), I suppose I may lose the first couple of trusses of tomatoes.

[selfraising]

Did you gradually harden them off or did they go straight outside permanent? My peppers are now outside day and night but it has been a gradual process from a warm room in the house to a cooler one, then to the gh with fleece, then without fleece and so on. Obviously if there is a risk of frost they will come back in. Glad they seem to be recovering though

[zazen999]

Lauries; can you pop your location into your profile, so that we know whereabouts you are.....it really helps on questions like this.

[Lauries]

Harden off? Ooops!
I put them straight outside but they look as good as new now back in the warm so the damage wasn't permanent! haha
I'm from Dudley but I will put it in my profile.
xx