chillies, new leaves & flowers,curling and dry

chillies, new leaves & flowers,curling and dry
09 Jun 2007

Scott hi, having a bit of a problem with my chillies, they grew very well last year with great yields, but this year the new leaves are curling and appear dry, the flower buds also dry and fall off before flowering, i’ve got them in foam cups full of perlite immersed in Green Yeild solution with similar mix to last year after propogating seeds in jiffy pots and transfering when they are approx 75 mm tall, i drain, flush and refill every 10 to 14 days, hope you can help, another question i had was propogating palms in a similar way to the chillies is it a good method ? as i wanted to grow them to about 300mm tall before planting in garden, thanks regards .

Hi there
1. Curling and dry.

a. Is it too cold?

b. Could be too strong Nutrients. Tip burn could happen to confirm this.

c. Over watering/Root rot would show up at slimy black or brown (decaying) roots with yellowing of the oldest/lowest leaves. Make sure there is high oxygen around the roots. Hydroponics is about putting the nutrients in the water, not the roots. The roots should be in air with the lowest amount of nutrient so they can get to the air. Your system seems to have very small containers, lack a lot of root growth area, and probably too much available water/nutrient. Only a guess as I haven’t enough information to judge your system, but keep in mind, the less wet the roots are, the healthier the roots will be.

2. Flower buds dropping off before flowering

a. Phosphorus? Phosphorus becomes unavailable below 15 degrees. If the temp is below this for the whole 24 hours, this could be a reason.

b. Temperature is more important that pH for nutrient availability (i.e. very important)

c. Any other stress/sickness could create this problem. Often plants will try to flower to save the species before dying. I have encountered people who believed they were getting good crops, when the stress was causing a quick and short flowering/fruiting. Improving the system might yield better.

3. Propagating palms.

a. Perlite in a pot and fill the saucer with nutrient. When its gone, do it again. Keep an eye on the nutrient strength.

b. Some palms like full strength, some give you tip burn and want half strength.
Hope that is a start for your questions. give our website a look and read the hydroponic catalogue on perlite.

Have a great day.

Scott Andrew
www.hydrocentre.com.au
Nerang Hydroponic Centre 4/50 Spencer Road Nerang QLD 4211 AustraliaPhone (07) 5527 4155
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