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Why Are My Pepper Leaves Turning White – 5 Tried and Tested Solutions

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Did you grow a pepper plant on your lawn and now you are worried about its leaves turning white? Are you here reading this article looking for the answer to your question why are my pepper leaves turning white? If this is the case, you’re at the right place!

Peppers are a warm-season crop that enjoys a long growing season. It is an effortless and inexpensive plant that most home gardeners can easily add to their gardens. Peppers can be sweet or hot, long or short, and of different colors including red, yellow, and green.

The planting of a pepper tree starts indoors as it needs warmth to germinate. When the plant grows some inches tall, it is planted in separate pots to develop and form full-grown plants. The plant pots are then kept outside in direct sunlight.

But sometimes pepper plants are affected by certain conditions which turn their leaves white.

This article briefly explains all the possible reasons and gives a satisfactory answer to your question why are my pepper leaves turning white? So keep on reading to get all the answers!

Why Are My Pepper Leaves Turning White 1
Why are my pepper plant leaves turning white – via Reddit

Why Are My Pepper Leaves Turning White

There can be many possible reasons for the leaves of a pepper plant turning white. Some of the most common ones that can be treated easily are described below:

1. Temperature

Pepper plants are warm-season crops. They cannot stand even a light frost. A sudden drop in temperature can cause the whitening of pepper leaves.

This happens mostly when the leaves of the pepper plant are not allowed to harden before transporting them outdoors. A frost might kill your plant altogether or stop pepper growth that will leave you with bare plants.

2. Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is a common fungus that affects a wide variety of plant bodies, including pepper plants. It is identified by white powdery growth on the surface of the leaves. The spots spread over time and cover the whole plant body.

It starts affecting the leaves of a pepper plant first and slowly travels to the entire plant body, causing damage. It also affects the fruit body along with the plant.

3. Sunscald

Sunscald occurs when plants or fruit bodies are exposed to direct rays of sunlight in hot weather. It causes physical damage to the plant.

Pepper plants require direct sunlight for their good growth. Although sunlight is necessary for their growth, too much sunlight can also cause problems. It can cause sunscald in your plants. It is identified by looking for white or brown spots on your plant or its fruit.

4. Aphids

Aphids are small orange-colored insects present in most lawns and gardens. They live on the underside of the leaves of a pepper plant and survive by sucking nutrient-rich liquids out of the plant, leaving white or brown spots and holes in the leaves. Over time, aphids make the plant leaves paper-thin.

Why Are My Pepper Leaves Turning White 2
Leaves turning white and silvery and falling off – via Reddit

Solutions

1. Hardening Of Pepper Plant Leaves

Hardening of pepper plant leaves can be done by slowly moving the plant seedlings outdoor, exposing them to sunny days, and then moving back the plant to indoors.

It is a gradual process and can be time-consuming. It helps plants to adjust to both the temperatures and prevent temperature shocks when exposed to a sudden drop.

2. Using Fungicides

Fungicides are the most common treatment that shows effective results. Allowing proper spaces between plants can also prevent the transmission of disease from one plant to the other.

3. Well Draining Soil

Powdery mildew prefers humid environmental conditions. The pepper plants should be planted in well-draining soil to reduce the risk of getting the disease, as prevention is the best treatment.

4. Avoiding Excessive Sunlight

Pepper plants require six hours of direct sunlight every day. Anything above that limit can cause sunscald. You should prevent exposing your pepper plant to excessive sunlight to avoid sunscald. Portable umbrellas for providing shade to the plants can work in some cases.

5. Insecticidal Soap

Insecticidal soaps are used by gardeners to kill infestations of pests and insects on their plants. They are preferable as compared to other options as they leave no residue. It is an effective treatment to kill the cause by suffocating the insects.

If aphids are left untreated, the plant will die. To prevent plant death, spray the top and back of plant leaves with insecticidal soap.

Response 

While you are testing a wide range of pesticides and fungicides on your pepper plant, it is better to keep your plant aside and temporarily remove your plant from the garden.

It is necessary to remove your infected plant immediately than to wait for the plant to get better, as the disease can be transmitted to other plants.

Diseases can be transmitted through the soil so plants must be rotated every year to check if the infected soil is causing the plant to get infected.


Conclusion

Peppers are produced in warm seasons but can be easily affected by different conditions, including diseases and pests. There can be many possible answers to the question why are my pepper leaves turning white?

It can be due to any bacterial or fungal infection, it might be because of excessive sunlight exposure, or it might be due to small microorganisms that reside on pepper plant leaves.

Whatever the reason for pepper plant leaves turning white, it can be life-threatening for the plant. The cause of whitening should be identified and treated immediately, otherwise the need to replace the plant will arise.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

We recommend this chain of actions if you want the best solution to your problem of ‘why are my pepper leaves turning white?

  • Identify the problem
  • Use the recommended products
  • Continue to apply the prevention techniques in the long run