Help with a dying Chilli plant please.

[nicoll]

Hi,

I have a chilli plant of the Masquerade variety (the ones that grow purple before maturing). I have had this plant as a house plant for 3 years and it has been fine but all of a sudden the majority of its leaves seem to have dried up and started to fall off. There are a few that still feel soft and fleshy but are wilting fast. I live in a loft room in a student house so having a dormer window means that I can't have the plants right by the window and I only really get the sun (on the rare occasion it is out) in the afternoon. It has been fine for 13/14 weeks in this room and only over the past week or 2 have I started to notice a decline. I'll list features that might help with providing an answer.

1. Majority leaves have dried up but stayed dark green (don't think its a nutrients thing)

2. Stems are still largely green but some are browning at the top.

3. There are a number of seedlings growing around the base of it. They are seem healthy and are showing none of the same symptoms (3 litre pot).

4. Light in room isn't great, not a huge amount of direct sunlight getting to the plant.

5. Generally watered when soil begins to feel dry

Any help or advice anyone could offer would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Andy

[darcyvuqua]

Are you sure it's not just feeling the need to drop leaves as it thinks it's winter with the light levels being low?


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[nicoll]

I'm not sure as I'm still relatively new to plants :S. What I can say is that I have never seen it do this before and the seedlings that I grew from some of its seeds a good few months back have retained their leaves.

[darcyvuqua]

But if this is a mature plant it will have different objective

To survive over winter

Seedling will just simply be to live

The only reason for my earlier explanation is that everything else you've pointed out is pretty normal

I'm not an expert I'm just giving my opinion maybe someone else will say something completely different


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[nicoll]

That makes sense and I suppose because there is less light in this room than in my room this time last year it could explain why it has done it this year at 3 years old and not last year at 2 years old .I sincerely hope that this is what it is as it would be a shame for it to kick the bucket after a decent stretch :P.

[Scarlet]

Although chilli plants are perennials, i do find them short lived and are usually best in year 2. I'd start a couple more! As Darcy has said they do drop their leaves if over wintered so you may be in luck. My over wintered chillies have just started sprouting along its stems, they dropped some of their leaves before Christmas . have you left any ripe pods on?

[nicoll]

There aren't any ripe pods on it as i try to harvest them although sometimes I can be a bit lapse and forget. Should I always take the pods off even if they have gone beyond best or is it fine to leave them to fall naturally?

[Scarlet]

Well I pick mine off as soon as their ripe just in case the plant stops fruiting! I'm not totally set on whether it's right or wrong although a plants life is about setting seed, once it's done its job it's life is over.

[darcyvuqua]

There aren't any ripe pods on it as i try to harvest them although sometimes I can be a bit lapse and forget. Should I always take the pods off even if they have gone beyond best or is it fine to leave them to fall naturally?

If you let them drop naturally the plant thinks it's produces and set it's seed for next year therefor that maybe why it's seems it's coming to a end if you pick them it encourages it to think it still needs to set seed


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[darcyvuqua]

Well I pick mine off as soon as their ripe just in case the plant stops fruiting! I'm not totally set on whether it's right or wrong although a plants life is about setting seed, once it's done its job it's life is over.

You beat me by 10 seconds you lol tyke x ha


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[Scarlet]

I'm usually last Darcy!

[chilli_grower]

Have the stems/branches turned brown, woody and brittle?

Or are they all still quite green?

[Scarlet]

He says in the first post, mostly green- so it may well live yet!

[chilli_grower]

ahh silly me!

In my experience, if green = Dont worry. (Regardless of leaves). I have a plant in my hallway with no leaves at all. But it is still a rich green colour with tiny new shoots forming.

If green is slowly turning brown = Not good.

[SoulBroNo1]

My money is on the lack of light, the plant thinking it is winter and going into survival.

Like others have said, keep an eye on the stems