Pepper Plant Leaves Curling – Why And How To Treat
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Growing peppers can be easy when growing conditions are perfect. However, even your next-door neighbor can have a completely different environment that can impact their plant growth. As with anything that is alive, stressful conditions cause problems.
With peppers, your plants will give clear signals when something is wrong. One common issue we see with pepper plants is curling leaves. It can happen for several reasons, and in this article I will discuss what you can do when your pepper leaves are curling.
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Why Are My Pepper Leaves Curling?
Of the many potential causes, there are 5 that are most likely to be causing pepper leaf curl. Each has a slightly different presentation of the problem, so try to diagnose your issue and treat accordingly.
Leaves curling is a sign of stress in your plant, and it can usually be remedied with some simple adjustment to your plant care routine. Whether you’re growing in containers, indoors, or in the ground, leaf curl can impact your plants.
1. Overwatering
One of the worst things you can do to your pepper plants is to keep the soil too moist. Pepper plants prefer soil that is evenly moist, while too much water will lead to many problems.
Overwatering can cause pepper leaves to curl due to the roots’ inability to access enough oxygen and nutrition from the soil. Overwatering will also usually cause yellowing leaves and stunted plant growth.
The most common reason pepper plants become overwatered is poor drainage. In pots, make sure to remove the bottom saucer to allow excess water to flow out of the drainage holes. If your pot does not have drainage holes, either drill holes in the bottom, or transplant into another container all together.
The solution: Water only when the soil is adequately dry. You can know that the soil is dry enough to water by feeling the soil 1-2″ below the surface, or by lifting the pot to feel the plant’s weight.
If you allow the plant to dry too much, the leaves will begin to wilt, but will quickly rebound after being watered. You can also try using a cheap water meter from amazon to check soil moisture levels (though the reliability is not great).
Learn more about watering pepper plants in our article here.
2. Plant Edema
Plant edema is a common cellular disorder caused by irregular water retention. It will appear in peppers as a whitish, crystallized texture underneath the leaves. Extreme edema can cause plant leaves to curl.
Edema is most common on indoor pepper plants, but can occur in any conditions. It is not a very well understood disorder, but in our experience, a few environmental changes can help.
The solution: Improve aeration for indoor plants by using a small fan to move the air around your plants. Also, if it the air is very dry, increase humidity with a humidifier.
Some pepper varieties are more vulnerable to plant edema than others. One plant may have a severe case, while a different variety right next to it is unaffected. It is not contagious like other diseases.
Read more about identifying and treating plant edema here.
3. Nutrient Deficiency
One possible cause for ‘bubbled’ curling is a nutrient deficiency. Calcium is a secondary nutrient for pepper plant growth. Among other things, it is used by plants to develop strong cell walls.
When plants lack calcium, leaves can not develop properly and will begin to appear curled and/or bubbly. This is sometimes accompanied by brown spots on the leaves and there may be other signs of nutrient deficiency like yellow leaves.
The solution: Test soil for pH and calcium. Soil acidity affects a plant’s ability to take up and use all the available nutrients.
Keep in mind, calcium is rarely deficient in soil, it is more often that plants are unable to access it (nutrient lockout). Testing your ground soil every 1-2 years will help you understand which nutrients are lacking and whether pH is a concern.
If your soil does lack calcium, it is available to add to soil in many formats (bone meal, etc.) Be sure to add calcium and magnesium, as adding just one nutrient can cause a deficiency in the other. These nutrients are sometimes, but not always included in all-purpose fertilizers, so check the ingredients!
Miracle-Gro Organics is a simple, well-balanced fertilizer that contains calcium and magnesium.
Many potting mixes will also include calcium, but not all. Check your soil to see what nutrients are added. If you are planting in the ground, try sending a soil sample for analysis.
4. Too Much Light
Providing light to your pepper plants is essential from day 1. Most pepper varieties like full sunlight throughout the season, so if you are planting outdoors, lighting is unlikely to be the issue.
A more common issue is caused by using indoor grow lights incorrectly. Grow lights can vary widely in brightness and intensity. They are essential if you start your own pepper seeds indoors, but you have to follow your grow light’s instructions for how close the lights should be to your plants.
See our recommended grow lights here.
If your plants are too close to the light, you will begin to see the leaves curling up and closing in rebellion from the intense light. This problem can eventually cause pepper leaves to dry up and fall off, often turning brown and crumbling when squeezed.
Keep in mind, this issue usually affects young, tender plants more than mature peppers. Seedlings are more delicate than fully-formed plants.
The solution: If you think your plants have light burn, adjust your lights a few inches higher. Our grow light needs to be 12-18 inches away from the canopy of leaves.
Also, make sure the lights are set on a timer to be on for 12-16 hours, and off for the rest of the day. Check that the timer is working properly, as 24/7 light is not good!
If your outdoor plants have leaf curl, the issue is not likely to be lighting. One possible cause is improper hardening off. When indoor plants move outside, they must be gradually adjusted to the direct sunlight. Sudden exposure can lead to curling and sun scald.
5. Insect Damage
Unchecked insect infestations can quickly become the bane of your garden. They come from seemingly nowhere and can wreak havoc on your plants in a matter of days.
Curling pepper leaves can be a sign of a pest problem, though it will typically be focused on individual leaves rather than the whole plant. Curled and bubbled leaves could be the leaves that the insects have been feeding on.
If the entire pepper plant has curled leaves, it is likely one of the other issues mentioned. However, if you notice localized leaf curling, you may have aphids, thrips, spider mites, or another pest.
Unfortunately, pest removal is more difficult than preventative care. However, you can take some measures to try to alleviate the issue and get rid of most of the insects.
The solution: Spray off aphids and other sap sucking insects with water. For extra protection, use insecticidal soap spray. Also, plant alyssum and other beneficial companion plants to attract predatory insects that eat common pests.
As a preventative measure, diluted neem oil spray can be effective – simply work the suggested amount into your soil before transplanting, or spray a diluted solution onto the foliage.
Other Causes Of Pepper Leaves Curling
Though the causes mentioned above are the most common, there are many other potential issues that can cause curling leaves. If you are sure that none of the other causes apply, or you have tried without success, there are some other, less common causes.
- Your plants could be root bound. Learn more about root bound plants in our article here. This issue is caused by plants being kept in containers that are too small. The roots become entangled, sometimes causing distorted leaves.
- Your pepper plants could have a bacterial infection, though this is often accompanied by brown, circular spots. This is often caused by using sterilized soil which can attract new colonizers, or by soil splashing on low leaves. Read more about pepper plant diseases here.
- If you are growing indoors, your plants may suffer from poor pollination, which can cause distorted leaves. Try hand pollinating or shaking the plants after the flowers have opened. This issue is also accompanied by dropped flowers and a lack of fruits.
After treatment for curled pepper leaves, do not expect the leaves to flatten out and look perfectly healthy. Just because the plant doesn’t re-form to look beautiful doesn’t mean the issue hasn’t been resolved.
Expect new leaves to look normal, while any curled leaves will remain curled, even after successful treatment. The best way to solve most planting issues is to learn from past mistakes and avoid them in the future!
Learn more about growing peppers here to give your pepper plants the best chance they have from day 1.
Remember, curling pepper plant leaves are usually nothing to worry too much about! Look at your plants as a whole and try not to get too hung up on just a few curled leaves.
If the newest foliage looks healthy, then be happy about that. Keep an eye out for more concerning issues like fungal infections and garden pests.
Read Next:
I hope this article helped you diagnose why your pepper plant leaves are curling. Growing peppers can be a challenge, but the reward is always worth the extra effort. Good luck, and let us know if you’ve had success with treating your curling pepper plant leaves!
Calvin
One of the original Pepper Geeks! When Calvin isn’t gardening or learning more about peppers and botany, he might be traveling new places or playing some music.
I have some Bell Pepper starters that I purchased a little early from our local Lowes. The leaves on many of them have curled and I think they might be getting root bound. If the plant is otherwise healthy and is up-potted or put in the ground soon, do they still have a chance to be good producers if that is the problem?
Hello there, at the moment i am growing sweet peppers indoors, I have just pruned them around 2 days ago and the new leaves are curling. Im not overwatering them and theyre not too close to any light or getting too much. So any idea on why all the new and small leaves are curling? is it natrual or am i doing something wrong?
New leaves curling happens for a couple reasons in our experience. One, if you pruned any tiny flowers, you may have damaged the young leaves by accident. Two, if the plants have become root bound, the leaves can begin curling. If they are in small pots, it may be time to up-size. Otherwise, they could just need a light fertilizer to ensure they have enough calcium/magnesium for proper cell development.
Hi Calvin,
My pepper plants( 4 of them) grew together healthyly in a medium sized pot and it has pretty huge leaves. As it began to grow… about 1 ft… i did note that all the newer shoots were shrinking and looked curly .
i transplanted into a bigger plant but it still is growing very shrunken leaf shoots. All the 4 of them.
I have sprayed diluted imidacloprid on them, i have given them regular fertilizers… but nothing helps.
Its raining here daily now and is this due to that.
Please help me
Hm, it could be overwatering. I would make sure the pots they are in have good drainage. Also, large leaves are normal for indoor growth when light is less strong (the large leaves can acquire more light to produce energy). Outdoor plants usually have much smaller leaves when in direct sunlight.
The curling could have been due to root entanglement (root bound plants), so the large pot should help over time.
Thanks for sharing. I’ll try a few of the proposed solutions as I’m not sure what the exact cause may be for my curly bubbly chili leaves. It may be overwatering and then also air circulation.
I tray to grow Thai varieties in a grow tent.
🙏
Hey there! Looking for any advice– I purchased and planted some jalepenos and spicy chili plantlings into my raised beds on 5/2 (in addition to tomatoes and bell pepers). I’m in Los Angeles and know they are getting plenty of light and warm air (its been between 60-80 F). I’m watering frequently and at first I thought this was the issue (drip water at 6am, 12pm and 3:30pm for 25 minutes) and while the leaves are curling, they’re not yellow and look withered/dry. The top 1.5 inch of my soil is also dry (just checked at 3pm) or where it’s not dry its slightlyyyyy cool which i’m taking as a sign of some moisture.
I’m skeptical that I’m overwatering given how the soil feels, so am generally at a loss for what to do next. I’ll probably go for the cheap water meter from amazon, but any other suggestions?
Thanks!
That does seem like more water than is necessary, especially for a raised bed and for young plants, but it depends how much of the water is actually getting absorbed around the plants into the soil. Dig down a little further and see where it becomes wet.
I would recommend mulching with some straw or grass clippings and watering less frequently. The mulch should help the moisture stay where it should instead of just evaporating in the hot sun. Then, see how long it takes for the plants to begin showing signs of drought to get an idea for how long they can go before really needing water. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the mulching suggestion! I noticed some started to perk up today, presumably from the increased watering so I’ll keep an eye and experiment some more.
Very informative read. Thank you much. I am definitely over watering as my Serrano plant is between two tomato plants and pretty much is getting watered the same.
Glad you found it useful!
I have a strange one, here, I grew a wide variety of pepper seeds, some of which I doubted the viability of (harvested from supermarket fresno chilli). Only one of those seeds sprouted, it struggled to get out of the remaining shell of its seed, and when it did the cotyldons sort of twisted around themselves. Then the first true leaves showed up, and they are… odd, they more resemble the veiny, irregular shape of tomato leaves than a normal chilli pepper. I’m wondering if I might have a plant with some kind of mutation. It was grown indoors under grow lights with many other peppers and other seedlings, none of which had any noteworthy problems, so I doubt the lights or soil conditions did it.
Hmm, I would doubt a mutation from store bought peppers, but I suppose it is possible. However, it is more likely due to the seed husk being stuck on the young seedling. This can cause irregular leaf shape early on, though the plant should make a recovery in the long run. To help get it off next time, mist the seed husk with water to keep it moist for 20-30 minutes, this can help make removing the husk a bit easier.
Best of luck!
-Calvin
I have an acre of chilly pepper farm.
I need buyers so that I may sell my produce to foot my academic bill. Kindly help me out do this because I am in my final year studying B.Sc. Biological sciences.
Thats amazing! We don’t sell peppers yet. We have seen many people selling their peppers on Esty, Facebook, as well as the local farmers market so we suggest checking there.
Nope
Hi, I have 3 ghost pepper plants. All three of them have been indoors since I bought them. Two of them are in direct sun and the other is in a box with a grow light that has a timer on it. All three plants haven’t produced any fruit. The one in the box is getting bigger and wider with nothing on it. I don’t know what to do. Any help would be great.
Hi Bill,
How old are the plants? Ghost peppers can take 4-6 months to start producing fruits. Fertilize regularly until the plants start producing flowers.
Once they do produce flowers, you will likely need to manually pollinate the flowers (using a small paintbrush or your fingertip). Since there are no natural pollinators indoors and there is no wind, the flowers need a little help to become fruit.
Temperature is important as well, ideally kept between 70-85F degrees.
Also, indoor lighting is rarely as good as true, direct outdoor sunlight (even sunlight through a window is significantly less effective). Consider moving outdoors next season if possible!
Hope this helps!
-Calvin
Hello PepperGeek. I am new to growing peppers. I have several AeroGarden set ups and have planted a variety of hot and bell peppers. Each pepper plant in my first planting started dropping healthy looking leaves until it died. I found what looked like white fly larvae and treated with a spray but it did not help. l tried transplanting and moving them to a different location—no luck. They all died! This condition came on rapidly and it wiped out 6 plants in about 2 weeks. I started again afte waiting a few weeks and I have lovely pepper plant—I’m at about 4 weeks and one has already dropped half of its leaves overnight. Please help me. I love these little guys and I don’t know what to do.
Hi Laura,
Sorry to hear about your troubles, indoor growing can be devastated by pests. We have a neem oil spray that we use on our outdoor peppers that seems to work well for aphids and other sap-sucker insects.
The only other recommendation I can give is to sanitize your Aerogarden units with a diluted bleach solution (see how on Aerogarden’s site here).
Good luck!
-Calvin
My chilli plant leaves are getting curled up especially new leaves, also on thease leaves there are white stuffs.
What could be the cause and what should I do to eliminate this.
Hi Antenette,
Though I can’t be sure without pictures, it sounds like you may have some plant edema – try giving your plants better airflow. If they are indoors, set up a small fan to circulate the air.
Read more about edema in plants here.
Hope this helps,
-Calvin
I have two pepper seedlings, both with upward leaf curling on the edges of leaves.
One is outside, and the other is inside under grow lights.
It’s a little bit cold, 8C at night and 18C during the day.
The only thing they both have in common is the soil and both are a little cold. Soil is a mixture of sand, potting mix and pearlite. There are no pests to be seen on either plant.
What could be causing the leaf curl? I have tried a mild solution of trace elements.
Cheers
Hey Ryan,
So 8C at night is definitely too cold for peppers. This will cause very slow or stunted growth for most pepper varieties…
However, it doesn’t really explain the leaves curling. I would guess that it is caused by low light conditions – not sure where you are located, but if it is very far north, you may have limited sun outside. Curling can also be caused by too much light, as the leaves will try to protect the plant by curling up. This could explain the indoor plants curling – try moving the light further away.
Curling could be due to over watering (in lower temps the plants likely won’t need as much water). It could also be a lack of nutrients (though young plants don’t need much).
A lot of possibilities, but perhaps you can narrow it down from here.
Hope this helps,
-Calvin
Do you think that my hot chilly pepper leaves because of the plants being from shade cover area to full sun?
Hey Andre,
It could be due to the sudden full sun. Changes in soil, water, nutrients can all play a role too. And don’t forget to check under your leaves for any signs of pests (2020 has been a rough year for garden pests).
Best,
-Calvin
Hi I’ve noticed some curling on the leaves of my ancho chili (I suspect spider mites) . I also noticed some orange and white bumps along the stems in certain places all over the plant. I’ve had my plant about 4 years and never noticed these bumps before . What do you think is causing them. To describe they almost resemble barnacles but on a plant stem.
Hi Tameka,
The white bumps may just be adventitious roots. These can form as a result of low nutrition, high humidity or wounding. Basically, the plant attempts to send off roots from non-root tissue (the stem).
However, they shouldn’t really be orange, and would likely not be everywhere on the plant.
Look closely for pests, they can be hard to spot..and keep watering to a minimum if it is humid (though if you’ve had the plant 4 years without issue, you probably know what you’re doing!).
Best,
-Calvin
Hello,
I have 2 jalapeño plants growing in 22cm/5 litre pots on a inside window shelf.
1 growing very nicely, larges leaves and looks healthy, however the other one started of just as strong, but stoped growing at about 15 inches and all the top leaves look more like a cabbage than pepper, all the lower leave appear healthly.
I water approx every 2 days, feed with tomorite ocasionally.
can i fix this ?
thanks in advance
Paul.
Hi Paul,
Strange that this is happening to just one of two identical plant varieties in the same conditions. Here are a few things to consider/check:
– Does one plant get more sun than the other? Try rotating position
– Has watering been consistent between plants?
– Calcium/magnesium deficiency – we use a foliar calmag spray on curling leaves
– Any sign of insect damage on the problem plant? Check under the leaves
Sorry we can’t give you a fix-all, but reply here with any updates so we can learn more about your situation.
-Calvin
Hi Calvin,
thanks for the reply, but just as an update both plants have had exactly the same traetment and sit on the same window ledge next to each other.
the “cabbage” looking on still looks healthly but growth is stunted, the more healthly plant is now some 6 or 7 inchs taller now. will be intresting to see if it gives any fruit now.
Cheers Paul.
Hi My chilli plants were doing so well! Then the leaves started curling (it rained and they got left outside), it also appeared that something was having a nibble so made a remedy (a little washing up liquid with water in a spray) to see if this would kill the little gits!.. now i have woken this morning and the plants are shedding their leaves. What have I done!!! Is there anyway of saving them? I’m gutted!
Hi Fiona,
Sorry to hear about your pepper plant problems. The curling could be due to the rain, though this would only happen from a seriously heavy soaking. Did it get very cold overnight? Anything below 40F degrees could cause issues. Check under the leaves to see if there are signs of aphids or other pests feasting on your plants (check closely, they camouflage well).
What type of ‘washing up liquid’ was in the spray? Stay away from heavy detergents – keep it mild. Check the leaves that have fallen off – are they discolored? Any brown spots? If so, it could be a fungal infection. Yellowing? Could be a lack of nutrients.
Also, avoid spraying during the day – the sun can burn the leaves if you spray in direct sunlight.
I hope this helps – peppers can be finicky.
Let us know how things turn out, we’ll be waiting to hear!
-Calvin
Hello. I just transferred my jalapeño plants to a new container i did have to cut the roots (since the two plants are mixed together)?but there was a good amount of them left. The thing I’m worried about is that the leaves are now curled. I did give them some water and the soil was new potting soil. If you could give be me some tips that would be nice. Thank you
Hi there,
The curling could be caused by overwatering, sudden exposure to full sun, or a calcium deficiency. If they were put outside suddenly into the sun, the leaves may be closing up to avoid overexposure. Allow the soil to dry between waterings, and always allow water to drain.
Good luck!
-Calvin
I bought 4 pepper seedlings on Tuesday and transplanted into 1 gal buckets outside. The plants seem to be growing fine but the lower two or three leaves are slightly yellow on the edges and curled just a bit. The upper leaves are growing large and healthy.
Should I be concerned?
We have had a good but if rain these last few days. Also a couple nights down around 50°F.
Also, should I top off these transplants once they get 3 or 4 leaf sets?
Thanks in advance.
Hi James, the yellowing is likely caused by a nutrient deficiency. Yellowing leaves starting at the bottom of the plant indicate a deficiency in nitrogen. Get a good fertilizer and keep consistent with it until the plants are mature and begin producing flowers.
— Read our post on yellowing leaves here: https://peppergeek.com/why-are-my-pepper-plants-turning-yellow/
— Read our post on fertilizer here: https://peppergeek.com/fertilizer-for-pepper-plants/
As for topping off, it is currently a bit later in the season than we would recommend doing this. You want to make sure the plants have enough time to produce the pods.
If it will be below 40F, I would say take the plants inside overnight if possible. Otherwise , they should be able to handle cooler overnight temps.
Thank you for the information. It has really helped my pepper plant.
I have a pepper plant that had a couple of leaf curling at the bottom leaves. After reading your post, I have adjusted my grow lights further away from my pepper plant. Currently, the new leaves are growing well, and there are no more curling leaves occurring.
I would like to ask will the curled leaves at the bottom recover? Would it be advisable to remove them?
Glad to hear that moving the lights has made a difference – as pepper plants grow, they don’t need as much intense light.
As for the already curled leaves, they most likely will not recover as the leaf cells have already developed in an irregular way. However there is no need to remove them. They can likely still photosynthesize despite the unsightly appearance.
Good luck!
We kept a chilli plant when it was growing it was well only but after some months the leaf had some yellow spots and also leaf curling and the new leafs that are growing are in the same size for a month now
Please say what to do
I moved my starts outside for a half hour to start hardening them off and I got slight curl on two of my starts. What should I do now.
Were they in the shade? It could be due to light overexposure. Could be one of the other reasons in the article. Start in the shade and gradually increase the time in the shade before direct sunlight. Hope this helps!