Question

Habanero Chilli Leaf   Hi Stephen,
I asked you a question the other day about the leaves on my habanero plant and found your answer very helpful however now some of the leaves have a yellow patch on them. I'm wondering if you can shed some light on what might be happening? I have attached a picture.

Regards
Callum

Answer
Callum:
The white spot looks like perhaps an injury, rather than a pathological issue.  The injury may be through contact with something that damaged the tissue.  Difficult to ID the agent here.  Watch for any other spots either enlarging or increasing in number.  If necessary, you should be able to remove the leaf if necessary.  As mentioned earlier, be sure to check for aphids.  Easy to see insects that tend to congregate on tender shoots and on the underside of the leaves.  Spider mites can cause leaf fading/yellowing.  These are tiny 8 legged critters that are hard to see.  You can tap suspected leaves over a white piece of paper and look for these orange/yellow things moving slowly on the white background of the paper.  These pest can produce a web of sorts usually in the crook of the leaf/stem junction.  Check out Google Images of spider mites for some nice photos.  These pests tend to be worse in greehouses or inside since there are few if no predators to keep their numbers down.  They also tend to be worse during hot/dry conditions.

Regards
Steve