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Pepper plant over-fertilized / watered - can it be saved?

BhasBhas Posts: 16
edited August 2019 in Fruit & veg
The minature bell pepper plant in the pic was lovely and lush with leaves and buds until a friend's child decided to pour 1/4 bottle of tomato feed on it then drown it last Sunday. I have repotted it. As you can see all the leaves have dropped off and the flowers are brown and dry. The stem seems healthy enough. Is there any value in pruning it back and hoping for new growth? It usually lives in my polytunnel so warmth isn't too much of an issue. Thanks.

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  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 33,113
    Hi @Bhas. Don't want to be a killjoy but I think you've left it too late. :/
    If you'd removed it from the pot and thoroughly washed it down with the hose, it would have removed most of the feed, and diluted anything that was left. Excess water alone would have been less of an issue.
    You could still try that and cross your fingers  :)
    Not sure you can do much with it now. Cutting it back probably won't help, because I doubt it can produce anything worthwhile at this stage in the season. I don't grow them so perhaps someone else can advise better on that. 

    Sorry - that sounds a bit negative. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • BhasBhas Posts: 16
    @Fairygirl Sorry have edited now - I repotted it yesterday! May well have been too late though. The roots looked alright. I'm so sad (and mad) about it!
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 33,113
    Just cross your fingers and hope for the best. It's all you can really do.
    It's just a pity you didn't do it right away, but you never know - plants often surprise us  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • BhasBhas Posts: 16
    Indeed they do 😊 I'd really nurtured this one too. Pesky kid!
  • LynLyn DevonPosts: 16,376
    I think there’s a lesson to be learned here, imagine what might have happened if the  child had tried to drink it, or found some other poisons, fertilisers or what have you. 
    Always keep this sort of stuff way out of reach of children. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • BhasBhas Posts: 16
    @Lyn Whilst I appreciate the sentiment, the kids were being supervised. We were all in the tunnel watering the plants and talking about how to keep them happy etc, he dumped it on because he thought he was helping. He was holding his mum's hand at the time and she was going to help him pour some into the watering can. Please don't simply assume people are stupid / unsafe / lack common sense.  
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 8,908
    Unfortunately I think you may be wasting your efforts trying to get any fruit from that plant now.
    As you know, the fruit probably won't ripen anyway until Sep/Oct even under cover.  Weather looks a bit grim for the next couple of weeks so even less chance.
    Depends where you are but if the plant has a healthy root system and you can keep it frost free, you could chop it down and bring it on again next year ?
    Up to you to train Little Helper - a budding gardener with any luck :)
  • BhasBhas Posts: 16
    @philippa smith2 sadly I think you're right. I'm on the south coast but it's been pretty dull and chilly here. If it doesn't pick up in the next few days I'll start again from seed next year. Good for my little boy to see what can happen though (thankfully he hates peppers... if it had been the carrots he'd have needed counselling!). Such a shame as looked like we were going to get a good crop! 
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