Peppers yellow leaves are a beautiful and useful addition to any vegetable garden. However, they can turn yellow for several reasons including over or under watering, nutrient deficiencies and disease. Yellow leaves are also a sign of stress which can lead to stunted growth or death of the plant. When your pepper plants turn yellow, it’s important to identify the cause and take corrective action as soon as possible.

The most common cause of yellow leaves on a pepper plant is a lack of nutrients in the soil. Peppers need a balanced supply of nitrogen, potassium, sulfur, magnesium, calcium and iron for healthy foliage. Adding a high-nitrogen fertilizer can help alleviate this problem. For best results, add a balanced fertilizer once per week. Some organic sources of nitrogen that are great for your plants include rabbit manure, composted chicken manure and kelp meal.

Lush and Resilient: Bushes That Thrive in Zone 8 Climates

Overwatering can cause your plant to become stressed and turn yellow, as it will be unable to absorb the necessary nutrients. If this is the case for your pepper plant, try to water it less.

Diseases such as bacterial leaf spot, brown spots and wilting can also cause your plants to turn yellow. In many cases, once a disease infects your pepper plant, it’s best to pull it out and let that ground lay fallow for at least a year.

Other reasons for your peppers turning yellow might be too much chlorine in the soil or too much salt from past feedings. Ensure that you’re using only chlorine-free water and use a nutrient-rich fertilizer to fix these problems.