Expert: Don Battales Date: 5/10/2008 Subject: Peppers
Question I have grown peppers for years, some years with great success. This year we are in east Texas and having a very wet spring. This is a new bed and there is a lot of partially decomposed wood chips in the soil. My plants are a lighter green than I have had in the past and are not growing much. I have been told that the wood chips may be the problem, that the plants can't get nitrogen from the soil. What can I do now to fix this. Fertilize or lime???
Answer Laura:
Peppers do not like a lot of water. Also, water tends to depelete the fertilizer. The wood chips do a good job in retaining moisture. The lightness of the leaves is representative of lack of nitrogen.
Try to side dress with liquid fertilizer and it should perk up the leaves to a darker green. This plus excessive water is most likely the problem.
Best wishes and happy growing.
Don Battles in Norther Thailand where it is also raining a lot.
