Chili Pests And Diseases

Firstly I love growing chillies just about more than anything else, they are extremely rewarding to grow and in general relatively pest and disease free particularly when the chilli plants are grown indoors, however some pests can be particularly hard to rid the plants of once they are infected.

Whilst neither a pest nor a disease the correct amount of water is essential, too much and the leaves will go yellow from the bottom up, yet when they are heavy with fruit then too little water can cause them to wilt beyond repair in just one hot summers days. In hot weather when heavy with chillies they may need watering twice a day, a little often is the key. Also ‘misting’ the leaves with a spray helps.

Aphids are the biggest pest and they can attack a chilli plant indoors or outdoors and take the form of what look like small white eggs, but upon very close inspection you will see they are insects. They will breed in vast numbers on the underside of the leaves and if your plants are close together then you can find the entire chilli crop infected in less than a day.

They can also attack at any point in the chilli plants lifecycle and when it comes to preventing them a mild solution of jeyes fluid sprayed on the plants can help. Washing them with soapy water or spraying them with it also helps, but will need doing repeatedly once they have taken hold. If your chilli plants are outside then you can spray them with a jet of water to wash them off.

If they get infected the best thing to do is place the plants outside near some flowers and natural predators such as ladybirds will feast on the aphids in no time at all.

If left untreated the aphids will feed on the plants leaves causing them to warp and twist, killing the leaf and eventually the whole plant

Slugs and snails will happily eat young plants but are less of a problem with most chillies grown indoors.

Red spider mites – these pests love arid conditions as do chilli plants, they can most often be found on the under side of the leaves and they look like small red dots, however they suck the sap from the leaves and can kill them as a result.

They can be prevented or treated by keeping the plants moist with a water spray, or spraying them with Spidermite, but do not use this when the chilli plants are flowering as it can kill the bees as well.

Caterpillars – whilst they are rare on chilli plants indoors a caterpillar can decimate a chilli plants leaves overnight. Simply look out for any moths or butterflies near the plants. Check the underside of the leaves for caterpillars and remove them by picking them off by hand. If you see their eggs first then do likewise before they hatch.

Mould or rot can occur but typically does so when plants are watered irregularly and takes the form of soft rot or fungus growth towards the base of the plant. Chillies love space and thus this can be avoided by regular watering and giving the plants plenty of room to breathe. Simple trial and error should avoid soft rot problems.

They are easy to grow, so see How To Grow Chillies

By Richard Allen -