Why are my banana peppers turning brown? Brown banana pepper plant attachment

Peppers come in different sizes, colours and heat levels. Some, like bananas, are a little sweeter and are delicious grilled or eaten raw or marinated. As with any variety of peppers, you may encounter problems when growing banana peppers. You may be looking forward to harvesting the first pepper, but suddenly you notice the brown pepper plants or fruit of the banana pepper. Why do my banana peppers turn brown? Is there anything you can do about the brown pepper plants? Find out more about it.

Why are my banana peppers turning brown?

There is a difference between the fruit turning brown and the plant turning brown to begin with.

When banana peppers turn brown

Terminal flower blossom rot, or BER, is a common disease of peppers, tomatoes and eggplants. This is what happened to my container-grown peppers, which were otherwise gloriously healthy and plentiful, until one day I noticed a dark lesion on the flower tips of some developing fruit. At first, I didn’t think about it until a few days later when I noticed that the problem was getting worse and the brown areas were getting bigger, deeper, black and tougher.

This disorder is very common and, in cash crops, can be extremely disastrous, with losses of 50% or more. If banana peppers turn brown at the end of flowering, it is almost certainly BER. Sometimes the lesion can be mistaken for a tan, but in reality the tan is whiter. The BER will be brown to dark brown on the sides of the pepper towards the end of the flower.

BER is not caused by a parasite or pathogen. It is related to insufficient absorption of calcium in the fruit. Calcium is necessary for normal cell growth and, when it is lacking in the fruit, it leads to tissue breakdown. Low levels of calcium in the soil or stress, such as drought or irregular irrigation, can affect calcium absorption, causing BER.

To control BER, soil pH should be maintained at around 6.5. The addition of lime adds calcium and stabilizes the soil pH. Do not use ammonia-rich nitrogen fertilizers as they may reduce calcium supply. Use nitric nitrogen instead. Avoid drought stress and wide variations in soil moisture. Mulch plants to retain moisture and water as needed – one inch per week of watering, depending on temperatures. If you are going through a heat wave, plants may need extra water.

Banana and brown pepper plants

Brown bananas and pepper plants pose a different problem when growing pepper plants. The cause is most likely a fungal disease called Phytophthora. It affects pumpkins, tomatoes, eggplants and squash, as well as peppers. In peppers, the fungus Phythophthora capsici attacks and can persist in the garden for up to 10 years under good conditions.

Symptoms are a sudden wilting of the plant, which cannot be repaired by additional watering. Dark lesions appear on the crown and stem. Sometimes the fungus also targets the fruit, staining it with white, spongy mould.

The fungus overwinters in the soil and, as soil temperatures rise in the spring and rain and wind increase, the spores move to the plants, infecting root systems or wet foliage. Phytophthora thrives in soils with soil temperatures above 65 degrees F. (18 C.) with abundant rainfall and a climate of 75-85 degrees F. (23-29 C.).

Cultural controls are your best chance to fight Phytophthora.

• Plant peppers in raised beds with excellent drainage and water using a drip irrigation system. Also, water the plants early in the morning and do not overwater.
• Rotate bananas and peppers with Phytophthora-resistant crops and avoid planting tomatoes, pumpkins or other peppers.
• In addition, disinfect tools in a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water to prevent the spread of bleach or any fungal diseases.

Finally, banana peppers will change from yellow to orange and eventually to bright red if left on the plant long enough. Therefore, what you can see as the brown colour in the pepper could be the next colour change from a little purple-brown to the red end of the fire truck. If the pepper doesn’t smell, isn’t musty or musty, it most likely is and is perfectly safe to eat.