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Leaves
Curled or Cupped Leaves on Bell Pepper
Commonly affects: Capsicum annuum, Grossum Group (Bell Pepper)
Leaves curl upward or cup, sometimes with a leathery texture, distinct from wilting.
Potential Causes
- 1Heat stress during very hot weather, causing leaves to curl as a water-conservation response
- 2Herbicide drift from nearby lawn or garden treatment, which peppers are notably sensitive to
- 3Aphid or other sap-sucking pest feeding causing curling on affected new growth
- 4Occasionally a viral infection, particularly if curling is combined with mottling or stunted growth
Solution Steps
- 1Provide light afternoon shade during extreme heat if curling coincides with hot weather
- 2Check for aphids or other pests on the undersides of curled leaves and treat if found
- 3Avoid using herbicides near pepper plants, and be cautious of drift from treated lawns nearby
- 4Monitor for a viral cause if curling is accompanied by mottled colour or stunted growth, since there's no cure and affected plants should be removed
Prevention Tip
Herbicide drift is an often-overlooked cause of curled pepper leaves â check whether any nearby lawn or garden treatment coincides with when the curling began.
