Chili help needed- deficiency, disease or pest?

[Jessiebean]

I know there are Chili obsessed folk on this forum ( I have just been lurking on a forum dedicated to growing chili, far too much for me to absorb there!) and I am seeking some advice on my little chili plant which just isnt't thriving- it has curly leaves and a bit washed out- is it a deficiency (maybe calcium?) or a pest or disease? I guess it may be pest and deficiency as the leaves look eaten but I have never caught anything having a munch...

chili.jpg (125.79 KiB) Viewed 1947 times

[Millymollymandy]

Looks like something is having a munch! It looks pretty healthy to me but the trouble is when pests munch the young leaves just a bit they then grow rather deformed looking (if at all) and that will affect the overall health of the plant eventually. It's very frustrating when you can't find/see who is the culprit.

[grahamhobbs]

Don't you have slugs in Australia? I'd go out with a torchlight sometime after dusk.

[phil55494]

The leaves look lovely and lush there Jessiebean, so there is probably on deficiency on feeding. The most likely problem is a pest munching away at the leaves. Have a good search round for any bugs in the top of the soil and slugs in the evening if you have them.

[Christine]

It looks as though you've got it snuggled into straw - which you might want to remove until you identify or deter the culprit, as it's providing plenty of hiding places

[Jessiebean]

I mulched it only a few days ago but it wouldn't be helping if it is slugs.. I might pull back the sugar can mulch and use coffee grounds instead and see if that gives it a chance to recover.
BTW yes we have slugs.. many many slugs.. they like to come inside mostly and I end up treading on them if I get up in the night
Glad to hear the consensus is pests though- I didn't want to have to chuck it because of some warehouse garden centre based disease...

[MKG]

A bit late - but what's the Tasmanian equivalent of flea beetle?

Mike