I have had these jalepeno and california wonder peppers starting for about 3 weeks now and they have been doing pretty well. But I am concerned about the purple color starting to develop on some of the leaves. I have had the grow light pretty close to them since I started to avoid legging, but I moved it up a bit because I'm concerned the close light is causing them stress. They have also been on a heat mat since I started them and the grow light stays on most of the day. Is this darkening color something to be concerned about? And if so what can I do to make sure they stay healthy as they develop? Thanks for any help!
by ddiamo22
4 Comments
At 3 week old …. pepper seedlings are in a delicate phase -> having developed their first set of true leaves and now they are working on their second. growth may seem slow above grount but they are developing strong root systems.
Purple means they are stressed… could be stuff such as low temperatures below 65 degrees F … this hurts phosphorous intake… could also be phosphorous deficient soil. use seed starting mix as a growing medium for starting seeds
The purple color is likely a nutrient deficiency— once you see the first true leaf, por them up with some potting soil and fertilize at half strength!
purple means they are stressed. They need some light fertilizer and water.
I wouldn’t be overly concerned, they look pretty good. What are the temps in the grow area? I personally would not fertilize yet, wait until the next leaves show up. If those are also discolored then maybe consider a light fertilizer. If you’re using a typical potting soil, they should have plenty of nutrients to get going. Like someone else mentioned purple leaves commonly indicate lower than optimal temperatures