Droopy chillis - help

[Ranter]

Due to the current lack of a greenhouse I've brought my chilli plants inside, for several weeks they've been on a bright windowsill. The plants are of 5 different varieties.

They were attacked by moths outside & I'm still finding little caterpillars wrapped up in leaves. But now they're also being attacked by aphids. I've tried spraying with soft soap, but the only thing that seems to work is wiping off the blighters by hand. All 6 plants have fruit of varying size, but the leaves on 5 of them are drooping, curling, turning yellow & dropping off.

Is this natural at this time of year & what will happen to the developing fruit?

If it's not natural, what's the problem: too hot; too cold; under/over-watering; too much/ not enough food..?

[The Chili Monster]

I find that Chilli plants quite often turn yellow when placed in the windowsill. Cahnces are, it's lack of UV rays. If there's any chance you could leave them outside for just a few hours a day, and lack of light is the problem, this could help.
However, you say that your plant has been under siege from the local insect population. There is a chance that your plant has been affected by a virus, although that's quite a remote possibility.
Sometimes, and in my experience the most common cause, the leaves justs curl. It's to do with bad watering habits, although in this case it's likely to have been exaberated by your efforts to repel aphids. Likewise, poor irrigation can leave the chilli plant susceptible to bacterial or fungal wilt. Again, if this is so, the aphids will have helped spread this. It may also explain the yellowing.
Is there a dark ring at the base of the stem where it meets the soil? If yes, then the problem is wilt (although feeding nitrogen-rich fertilisers in excess sometimes causes a similar effect). If not, then the yellowing is likely down to a lack of chlorophyll. Treat your plants with a good seaweed extract or magnesium sulphate and this should yield results.
However, it is coming to the time of year when the plant will simply go into a dormant phase if kept warm, watered lightly and fed monthly. Here, the plant will lose it's leaves but come spring will perk up and yield an early crop.
Hope this helps.

[Ranter]

Thanks CM,
No sign of a dark ring around the base of the stem & yellowing etc preceded my attack on the aphids. Think lack of light is the likely issue, as it's very built up where I live which limits natural sunlight.

I've put them outside, with an old window for protection & will bring them in again when the temperature starts to plummet. Hoping to get the greenhouse up on the lottie soon, so will move them there where the light is much better.

Thanks again for your advice.

[adekun]

Different situation for me but...
I grew three plants over the summer in Japan. Gave them a little water from time to time. I did have an outbreak of aphids that seemed to sap the plants. I used a toothbrush dipped in soapy water to get most of them off (ladybirds and spiders did the rest). This was around the time the plants were flowering, after that pods started growing. It took some time before they ripen though.
The soil here is very sandy I only added a little composted manure at the start.

[Shirley]

I'm still getting chillis on mine... not many... but I have a question... do we cut them back at this time?? Should I repot into larger pots?? I've got a heated propogator underneath them.. should I leave this on to protect from the cold?? *they are on a brick window cill inside but the temperatures get very cold and it's a wee bit draughty (although we'll hopefully have blinds/curtains up before the winter sets in.

If the plants are going into a dormant phase, will the chillis that are on there actually ripen?? I'm hoping that my one and only lemon drop chilli will ripen because it sounds delicious and I want to save the seeds!!

[The Chili Monster]

Shirlz, if you feel your chilli plants would benefit from a bit of pruning, say due to lack of space, then fine go ahead. It's perfectly OK to pot on the plants, even if they are fruiting -the usual practice of protecting the roots and stems should be observed. Remember, in the dormant phase they require only light watering and occasional (monthly) feeds. There's no need to panic if the leaves fall off -it's normal. The chillies will continue to grow and mature but you'll find that this is the only crop you're going to get this year, unless you go down the grow lamp route.