Unhappy new chillie plant.......help

[geepee]

I sowed these seeds on Oct 31st 2017, theyve done and looked good since,.
I potted up a week ago and now they have started to Curl the leaves....
have I done something wrong..?
Will they recover. ???
What might be causing it ??

Help and advice please.

[Scarlet]

They look like they are getting fried! Are they too close to your light? Getting too hot?

[bazzaboy]

This problem of curling chilli leaves has been on GYO before, GP, but no specific cause and solution was located, see:
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...-growth-2.html
If you've scoured the Internet via Google you've probably got about 20 different suggestions - the one I liked best was "It may be due to overwatering. Or under-watering." But if it's occurred a week after re-potting surely that suggests for some reason they don't think much of the new compost? In that regard - could the new compost be too acidic? - there's quite a detailed article about calcium deficiency causing curling: see
https://gardening.stackexchange.com/...re-falling-off
There are several Chilli sites these days and one, Chillilicious, lists about 50 pests and problems that can occur throughout the growing season - not much help on leaf-curl as they suggest infestation which seems unlikely in your case - but with that site you can be ready-armed for the next invasion! You'll find it at:
Chilli Pests & Problems
A note of reassurance - a couple of correspondents about this issue noted that it didn't kill the plants and that they did still produce. But even so I guess you'd like to solve it, so best wishes on that score. Interested to hear if you manage to correct it.

[geepee]

They look like they are getting fried! Are they too close to your light? Getting too hot?

They are 35 Cm below the Lights Scarlet, Lights are LED and give off virtually O heat,the Cabinet Temp is 15 C . Heat is by Cable buried in sand base.

Thanks Bazza, I will have a look this evening.
Thanks for your help both.
Gp

[Penellype]

I don't grow chilis as I can't eat them, but they are from the same family (solanaceae) as tomatoes. I've noticed that when tomato plants are given ideal conditions for rapid growth, particularly after potting on, they often develop curled leaves. Its as though the edges of the leaves can't keep up with the growth in the middle. This usually sorts itself out as the leaves get bigger and I've never had it cause any problems.

Admittedly tomato plants curl downwards rather than upwards, but that could simply be due to a difference in leaf shape.

[Zelenina]

They don't look a very healthy colour either, geepee, unless that's just a photographic effect. I suspect the temperature might be the problem. 15C is below their preferred growing temperature and is usually given as a minimum. And it would be even worse if it drops below that at night. Is it possible to boost it up to about 20C?

They're not spindly so probably are getting enough light, but white paper is a better reflector for plants than foil.

I don't know what that stuff is you're growing them in, but presumably it has enough nutrients as they were recently repotted.

I may be imagining it but I think pepper and chilli plants grow better in round pots than square ones, and not too deep compared to their height, as they have quite shallow circular root systems. Though whether it makes a big difference I'm not sure. Maybe I'll do a controlled experiment some day. Tomatoes are much more vigorous and don't seem to care what shape their container is.

[Mitzi]

Last year I had a similar problem. As pp have said, it can be caused by a number of different things. As you've recently repotted, I'm going to suggest that the compost is too wet. The roots won't yet have grown out into the new compost and it's best (imho) to keep them on the dry side until they do. Even if the surface is dry, the compost might be damp underneath. Let them dry out almost to the point of wilting and see if that helps.

Have they had a change in temperature? I.e. are they in a different location after potting up? That's another possibility.

[Jungle Jane]

Was the compost cold when you potted them on,leaf curls a sign of stress caused by a number of things,hope they get back to normal soon.

[Scarlet]

When you pot on seedlings they often take a while to get their feet settled But as Zel has said, they look a strange colour, the tops looks like they are burnt to me - were they that colour before you potted on?

[Scarlet]

Was the compost cold when you potted them on,leaf curls a sign of stress caused by a number of things,hope they get back to normal soon.

That's a big one for me - I always have my compost indoors for early plants.

[Chris11]

Could be a lot of things, as others have said, although probably not scorching, since you've confirmed LED lights.

Plants look quite small to have been potted up, so they may initially be overwhelmed by larger pot with too much moisture that they can't possibly take up, so they could be feeling waterlogged? If that's the case, they can go pale because of lack of nutrients. If there's too much water and space, it's mainly water going through the plant, which has the effect of diluting the nutrients it's getting.

Good advice already given to keep on the dry side, and ideally water from bottom, not from top.

If you're lucky, the plants will recover from this, although don't expect much growth above the surface temporarily while the plant is trying to grow and spread new roots in all the extra space.

This is assuming the compost/growing medium itself is ok.

[Mitzi]

Was the compost cold when you potted them on,leaf curls a sign of stress caused by a number of things,hope they get back to normal soon.

I made the mistake of potting up into cold compost last year, but the reaction was pretty much immediate, not a week later, so I would rule that out as the problem in this case.

[geepee]

Hi Girls and Guys.......sorry I've been away for a few days and just checked this thread.
Thanks to ALL of you for your advice.....
Before leaving I did 'Up the Temp' to21/23 c.
Now a week on, they are looking much happier and in fact are growing another 1 and some, 2 pairs of leaves which makes me Happy and I think tells me that the compost has sufficient Nutrient and must now be at an acceptable temp etc.
Probably just a shock at being disturbed etc ??Will keep you informed and Many Thanks for your replies.
Gp