Sweet pepper diseases and their control

Before we begin growing sweet peppers, let's take a look at their diseases and learn what to do to protect seeds, seedlings, and mature plants from all sorts of diseases to ensure a good harvest at home. So, let's learn about sweet pepper diseases and how to combat them, look at photos, and be prepared to avoid future failures.

Peppers are a delicate crop, and all sorts of dangers await them from the moment they are planted until harvest, so let's start from the very beginning—with soil preparation and planting the seedlings.
See also: When to plant pepper seedlings in 2016.

Disease prevention measures

• Seeds: Before planting, be sure to soak them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
• Soil: treat with Fitosporin, you can also replace it with Alirin-B, water with potassium permanganate.
• Seedling — Again, apply the above-mentioned treatments after planting, spray the soil with them, and then continue treating adult plants at intervals of 1-2 weeks. Seedlings will also thrive if you treat them with "Zaslon," which will also help combat all kinds of diseases and pests even on adult plants.
• Mature plants: in addition to the above-mentioned preparations, it is good to spray with Fitosporin and a solution of potassium permanganate.

All these measures will help you protect your plants from disease and grow a good harvest. Here are some more tips: don't plant too densely, don't overdo it with sprinkling, and your peppers will grow beautifully and healthy.

Diseases and their control

If preventative measures aren't taken in a timely manner, you'll need to improve your disease control skills. Let's take a closer look at the known sweet pepper diseases, the risks they pose to your garden pets, and how to quickly treat them. And most importantly, identify the disease early.

Bacterial diseases

Of this variety of pepper diseases, the most terrible ones can be named:

Bacterial cancer, which attacks plants very quickly when they're crowded, the humidity is high, and the weather is hot. Therefore, if you've planted peppers in dense clusters, it's scorching hot, and you're overwatering, the disease can develop in just a few days. The leaves turn brown and fall off as soon as you shake the plant.
Prevention: treating tender seedlings with Fitoflaive-300, and also dipping the roots in the solution.

Bacterial rot It causes water spots on the leaves, is accompanied by a foul odor, and quickly penetrates into the tissues and affects them.
Control measures: use of Fitosporin-M.

Viral diseases

Mosaic: manifests itself as leaf spotting, a very persistent virus that lives in plant debris for decades.

Control measures: for preventive purposes, treat seeds with sodium hydroxide; already diseased plants must be destroyed.

Fungal diseases

White and gray rot: - both diseases are treated with ash, crushed coal, liming, and copper-containing preparations.

Late blightTomatoes and peppers are particularly susceptible to this disease, which often wipes out half of gardeners' crops. High humidity, especially when accompanied by cold nights, contributes to this.
Treatment: Bordeaux mixture, treatment with Mitronidazole can save the crop.

Downy mildew: the leaf is covered with spots, its inner part is covered with white fluff, the plant does not develop and dies.
Control measures: treatment with “Oxhom” gives good results, as does the use of “Kuproksat”.

Seedling diseases

When you start growing pepper seedlings, you may encounter the following problems:
Blackleg: From the base of the stem, the plant begins to turn black and rot. This may be caused by a virus in the soil, dense planting, or high humidity.

How to fight - the drug "Previkur" will help, and treating the seeds with potassium permanganate.

Black spot. A bacterial disease, again promoted by high humidity and overcrowding. Often, once both conditions stabilize, plants return to normal and even out their growth and foliage quality.

We've covered just a few of the most common diseases, how to recognize them, treat them, and what preventative measures to take to protect your harvest and ensure a full harvest. By taking all these points into account, you'll be able to grow strong plants that can withstand the variety of viruses and fungi that attack them, and you'll enjoy a bountiful harvest in the fall.
See also: How to get rid of ants in your garden.