Question
Cayenne Leaf
Hi there,
I very recently purchased several small cayenne pepper plants (about 6-8 inches tall) and potted them spaced apart in two large, separate pots. I placed them in the warmest part of my apartment - a huge sun-facing window that lets in quite a bit of our summer heat. So far they are loving it, but I noticed a few days ago something that I should have noticed when purchasing the plants to begin with - the top cluster on just *one* plant has yellowing splotches. At first they looked like water stains, little rings that joined in some places; now they look like someone really dripped something on a water color painting and it ran. Tiny bits of the affected leaves are chipping off, like they were burned in little spots. I attached a photo so you can see what I'm talking about.
I've read a little about both bacterial leaf spotting and tobacco mosaic virus, but I just don't know enough to tell what I'm dealing with here or how to handle it. The TMV is what scares me the most - these are my fiance's favorite plants, are they all infected? Can the area be pruned away, or the single suffering plant be removed? Or do we have to go buy all new plants and sterilize everything? I just don't know enough about this sort of thing to know what our real options are. We also have a red chili plant in a different part of the apartment that is doing very well - am I correct in assuming that we should practice our best cross-contamination techniques to keep from infecting it with shared equipment, or is the problem not really that contagious?
Thank you very much for your time!
-Tam
AnswerTam:
I am unable to see much detail from your small photo. Can you resend a larger image. Review it on your computer first- to be sure it is in focus. The "designs" may be (1) a virus infection or (2) leaf miner (insect) trails. Leaf miners look more like wandering/squiggly lines on the leaf. They eat the area between the top and bottom epidermis- kind of like eating the peanut butter and jelly, but leaving the top and bottom slices of bread alone.
If this is a virus infection, then removing the plant is the best thing to do, since it can be a source for other pepper and tomato related plants to become infected. Many viruses are mechanically transmitted (eg. rubbing the leaves)or by insects- anything that can create a wound- viruses must enter through a wound (insect feeding or even scratching the leaf and introducing infected plant juices into that wound.
Regards
Steve
