Skip to Content

Why Do My Banana Peppers Have Dark Streaks?

Sharing is caring!

You have seeded your peppers in the soil. For it, you had to find the right set of seeds, an adequate-sized fixture, and some pots while ensuring that your pepper plants get the perfect amount of water and feed for their growth.

And in 6 months, your Banana Pepper plants have grown beautiful peppers! But there’s something black that’s starting to grow on their skin. What is this?

If you find this familiar, then you would have asked yourself this question: Why do My Banana Peppers Have Dark Streaks?

Are they sick? Or is this some sort of fungus your plant can’t fight?

This article will discuss more of what these Banana peppers are, what their change in color could mean for you, and why this is happening to them in the first place.

Why Do My Banana Peppers Have Dark Streaks
What’s causing these black spots on my banana peppers? – via Reddit

A Little about Banana Peppers

Banana Peppers have many names. Some call them yellow wax pepper because of their color, and others just stick with Banana chili when referring to this tangy, mild but hot member of the chili family.

It is often used as a pickled condiment, garnishing food, or stuffing. Their tangy, sweet flavor makes them a treat to eat, even without something extra on the side.

Banana peppers are usually divided into two main categories: sweet and hot. Each goes through the same process, various colors, but delivers a different taste to your taste buds.

A banana pepper plant is one of the easiest plants to rear as it can grow well with minimal care. It’s a versatile vegetable to add to your diet.

And that is what brings you again to your question: If it’s so easy, why do my banana peppers have dark streaks? It was yellow just a few days ago!

Colors and Banana Peppers

It may surprise you, but your banana peppers change color often! They change colors from green to black and then yellow or red when they mature. And if you pick your peppers at a color, for example, when they are green, then chances are that they will still stay green after they’ve been harvested.

Similarly, when your peppers are about to ripe, their skin tends to turn black or dark purple at this stage of the process.

So most often than not, the changing colors—yes, even black—is completely natural for your pepper. You can even eat them without any worries. However, if your peppers look unhealthy or have turned soft and there are small black spots on their skin, it could be a sign of a problem.

There are other reasons to answer “why do my Banana Peppers have dark Streaks,” and we’ll explore them below.

Why Do My Banana Peppers Have Dark Streaks 2
I was wondering if the dark stripes are normal. – via Reddit

Why do My Banana Peppers Have Dark Streaks?

UV Light

When your peppers are exposed to too much UV light, they naturally tend to turn purple. Most people call this a suntan; this is a defense mechanism of the pepper against sun exposure.

The leaves of your banana pepper may also change their color with the pepper. When this exposure gets too high, your banana peppers will start getting dry bleached spots on their skin, which are most often white in color.

These spots are called sunscald, and unlike suntan, they could be a potential cause of concern for you and your banana peppers.

Cold Temperatures

Sometimes, your banana pepper will start forming dark purple lines on its skin with cold temperatures. This is just simple discoloration, and it wouldn’t change the taste, smell, and health of your peppers!

Peppers are, however, tender to cold temperatures. If they consistently stay in an environment that goes below 7.7 degrees Celsius, then there are chances that the cold temperature may damage your pepper fruits and their quality!

Blossom End Rot

BER or Blossom end rot is a problem commonly seen in banana peppers. One day your peppers are glorious and eatable, and the other, you see how there’s something dark growing under the blossom end of your pepper.

These dark brown-black areas tend to grow both in size and color; their substance often turns leathery with time.

The cause of BER in your black pepper is due to low calcium uptake by your peppers. Your bell pepper fruits need calcium for healthy cell growth, and when they don’t get a sufficient dosage, their tissues break down to cope with the deficiency.

Lack of adequate water supply can also cause Blossom end rot in your banana peppers. This is mostly because, with the dried-out soil, the roots of your banana peppers have difficulty absorbing the calcium from it. So, in the end, your pepper plant discolors and wilts.

What can you do to fight this? Here are a few good tips:

  • Keep the PH of your soil around 6.5, no more and no less.
  • Use nitrate nitrogen fertilizers instead of anomia-rich ones as the latter reduces calcium uptake in the soil.
  • Make sure to water your plants as per their requirements so that the soil can retain sufficient moisture. In times of high temperatures, such as heatwaves, you would have to increase the dose!

Fungus

You wouldn’t know this, but fungal attacks are some stubborn enemies eyeing your banana peppers. They can persist for more than ten years in your garden if they have the right conditions.

Plus, you wouldn’t even know what went wrong because the effect is sudden: your plant just wilts, and then nothing can revive it back to its former glory. This fungus you need to be wary of is Phyphthora, and it thrives where the soil temperature is above 18 degrees Celsius and gets a bout of rain.

An excellent drainage system and temperature control system may help you protect your plant against these attacks!


The Take-Away

There you go. If you’ve been wondering ‘why do my banana peppers have dark streaks,’ then these were the top few reasons that should have answered your question. Normally, it wouldn’t be a cause of concern, but if it’s soft and mushy, it’s better if you’d decide against having it for dinner.

Hope you like the article; share your views in the comment section below, and if you have any unique experiences, don’t forget to share them, too.

Ralph Boyd

Thursday 20th of July 2023

Your article on dark streaks was very helpful.Thank you so much. Keep up the good work.

Hoang Quang

Friday 21st of July 2023

@Ralph Boyd,

Happy to hear! Thank you for reading our articles. You're always welcome.