Sudden Pepper Death Syndrome.

[Worth1]

What has happened to me is for several months now I have had pepper plants die one by one at an alarming rate.
I have no for sure idea what has caused this.
I can rule out several things but not others.

Here is what has happened.
When it happens the plant are as happy and healthy as can be and then all of a sudden the leaves just flop as though you cut them from the stem.
Everything I have found on line explains nothing as I dont have the tell tale signs you would have for the symptoms.
No rotted trunk no nematodes or anything.

Here is how it started.
I planted some banana peppers gypsies and cayenne peppers in one bed.
The banana died first and then everything next to it.
Then some farther away died.
The other bed I had one banana pepper in the corner and as before Everything started croaking away from it working its way down the bed.
It passed up the jalapenos and hit the gypsies all but one.

I thought maybe it was too much water so I cut it way back to no avail.
Now it has taken out every pepper but one jalapeno.

Earlier this year before I planted anything I transplanted a wild pepper to a spot in the yard.
It did the same thing and died after taking root and doing great.
On the other side of the driveway is its mother plant and it is fine.
Here are my options.
The Banana pepper has contaminated my other plants some how.
The nut grass is poisoning them.
There is some kind of critter under the soil eating my roots like maybe a slug.
It took that long for root rot to over take the other plants after I shut the water down.

It has not effected my cucumbers tomatoes swiss chard or beans.
It really ticks me off because I would have had world record pepper plants if they hadn't of died no kidding.
What on earth is it?

Worth.














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[ginger2778]

Did you look under the leaves for whiteflies?

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Did you look under the leaves for whiteflies?

No white flies the plants are as healthy as a horse.
Over night it is like the water got shut down to the leaves.
I wonder if the stink bugs gave them something.
They are gone now too.

Worth

[Worth1]

If you looked at a map of the time line for the plague in Europe this is how it ravaged the plants.
All starting from that one black rat of a banana pepper.

Worth

[rhines81]

Sounds like a serious mineral deficiency in your soil that started with the weaker plants and continued .... I know your views on the voodoo of Epsom salts, but you have nothing to lose by trying it.

[AlittleSalt]

I have several ideas, but they're just guesses.

The strangest thing that killed a tomato plant this year was toads. A lot of them dug a hole beside the plant and moved in - and decimated the roots.

Last year a mole, vole, rat, whatever - tunneled its way under a plant and killed it. Again, it attacked the roots.

One thought is the soil that you filled the bed with. Maybe something odd was in the soil?

I've grown banana peppers every year except this one. Of pepper varieties, Banana seems to have foliar problems a lot like tomato plants do.

Just a few thoughts.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by rhines81

Sounds like a serious mineral deficiency in your soil that started with the weaker plants and continued .... I know your views on the voodoo of Epsom salts, but you have nothing to lose by trying it.

Well nothing was weak this started in the beginning of the season and has continued all summer long and has effected nothing but the peppers.
I had tomatoes and peppers in the same beds and the plants do not have a mineral deficiency.
Nicest things you ever saw.
And then bang in a matter of hours wilted like a wet rag and only one at a time.
A week or so would go by and then another one would do it.

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I have several ideas, but they're just guesses.

The strangest thing that killed a tomato plant this year was toads. A lot of them dug a hole beside the plant and moved in - and decimated the roots.

Last year a mole, vole, rat, whatever - tunneled its way under a plant and killed it. Again, it attacked the roots.

One thought is the soil that you filled the bed with. Maybe something odd was in the soil?

I've grown banana peppers every year except this one. Of pepper varieties, Banana seems to have foliar problems a lot like tomato plants do.

Just a few thoughts.

No pepper disease I have read about describes the symptoms
It has to be root born in some way.

Thanks guys for guessing.

Worth

[4season]

My friend Bruce has grown hot peppers for years and this year he had some wilt overnight. All we could think of was "chile wilt". Some sort of virus that plugged the vascular system.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by 4season

My friend Bruce has grown hot peppers for years and this year he had some wilt overnight. All we could think of was "chile wilt". Some sort of virus that plugged the vascular system.

This is exactly what I think it is thank you so much.
This describes everything to a tee.
All of the heavy rains this spring caused it while I was gone I could shut down the irrigation system.

Here is what they say.
Looks like I cant grow peppers there for 3 or 4 years.

Phytophthora Root Rot. Phytophthora root rot, also called "chile wilt," is caused by the soil-borne fungus, Phytophthora capsici. This fungus is a serious pathogen on peppers worldwide, but the disease is particularly widespread in furrow-irrigated fields in the southwestern U.S.
Conditions for disease: This fungus causes a problem when soils are excessively wet, either from over - irrigation, heavy rains, or both. Disease outbreaks usually occur in heavy soil or in low spots in the field where water tends to sit for long periods of time. It is not uncommon to see fields where diseased plants are grouped together in particular areas of the field, in specific rows, or at one end of the field, while the remainder of the plants may be healthy and show no indication of disease. When disease occurs in particular rows, this often indicates excessive irrigation and the spread of infective spores by the irrigation water. In addition, chile plants grown next to tall trees or buildings may become diseased due to shading which causes high humidity and slow drying, favoring activity by the fungus.
Symptoms: Symptoms of Phytophthora root rot usually occur in the late summer and early fall during periods of heavy rainfall and warm nights, and when the foliage is dense and plants become crowded. The first symptom of infected plants is severe wilting. Within a few days, infected plants collapse due to root and stem infections and die, turning straw-colored (fig. 1). In many cases, plants are defoliated. Diseased plants removed from the field exhibit symptoms of severe root rot, such as discolored, dead roots from which the bark sheds easily (fig. 2).
Phytophthora capsici also causes diseases, called spots, blights, and fruit rots on the leaves, stems, and fruit. Above - ground infections generally occur during the summer rainy season at elevations above 3500 feet. Fungal infections result when rain splashes infested soil onto water-soaked stems and leaves. Fruit become infected when wet humid conditions persist for several days. (For more information on fruit rots, see following section on fruit rots.)
Control: Excessive soil moisture triggers and intensifies the crown and root rot stage of this disease. If possible, avoid poorly drained, heavy soils. Cultural practices that reduce the length of time that soil remains saturated will help reduce disease incidence. These practices include proper field leveling (laser leveling with a slight slope will remove low spots and help water move down the rows), planting in raised beds, irrigating every other row when plants are immature, shorter irrigation periods, and shorter row length.
Phytophthora capsici survives in crop debris and soil as oospores, which can persist for over two years in the absence of the host. Research indicates that 3-4 year crop rotations out of peppers and other susceptible hosts such as tomatoes and alfalfa can reduce residual populations of the fungus in the field. Suggested rotational crops include lettuce, cabbage, onions, and small grains, such as wheat, barley, and oats.
Chemicals have not proved very effective in controlling this disease. Metalaxyl is registered for use on peppers to control root and crown rots; however, once a plant is infected, metalaxyl will not cure a plant of the disease. There are no chemicals recommended for the above-ground spots and blights.
While chile breeders continue to strive for cultivars tolerant to Phytophthora capsici, there are, as yet, no cultivars highly tolerant to this disease.

[kurt]

To be 100% sure take a sample to your local Agri extension office,tell them your concerns to confirm.Our local extentions are more than happy to prevent any localized new crud/malady for the good of our farming community.If that is the malady then solarization,steam soil sterilization,can be a option.

[Cole_Robbie]

I was going to tell you it was falling over disease, but I think you figured it out already. Here is another link about it: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r604100211.html

What happened is that your microscopic soldiers lost the war. If it was cold, wet, and mucky, that would be the cause, due to anaerobic root environment. Other than that, it's just a case of the bad guys taking over. You need to call for reinforcements. Here are a couple products to look at:
http://www.realgrowers.com/product/recharge/
http://www.amazon.com/Pyes-Scanmask-...ct_top?ie=UTF8

I just got some Dr Pyle's - gonna try it to kill fleas on my dog - and I am going to order the recharge to use in the spring.

[Worth1]

It really stinks because both beds drained really well.

To add to the misery I lost several more rosemary plants and a big sotol agave to root rot this year too.
It almost killed my Bird of Paradise as it dropped all of its leaves but came back.

Pictures coming soon.
Worth

[Worth1]

Here is what the root looks like it is rotten and the outer bark just peels away.
You can see how healthy the leaves are except for a few bug bites.
And what the plants look like in death.
The root ball plant was as happy as a clam until about 4 days ago.
Worth
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[BlackBear]

In the theory that the problem is root bourn ...In such mysteries as that ....have you considered putting in a marigold around each plant next year ? ..

as prevention for things known and unknown . Maladies seen and unseen ???...in the theory that the problem is around the roots ...just some extra insurance.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by BlackBear

In the theory that the problem is root bourn ...In such mysteries as that ....have you considered putting in a marigold around each plant next year ? ..

as prevention for things known and unknown . Maladies seen and unseen ???...in the theory that the problem is around the roots ...just some extra insurance.

I have done that before but next year I am going to plant things in both beds I could eat every day and or are expensive at the store.
Or I can freeze, pickle or can and still like.
Okra carrots and beets fit the bill perfectly.
Beets and carrots in the winter and okra in the summer.

Worth