Even if you've followed all the directions on how to grow peppers, diseases and pests can still unfortunately occur. A most common occurrence with peppers is black spots…so why are there black spots on your peppers? The cause is usually due to environmental factors, but if the entire pepper is covered in black spots it may have pepper black spot or another disease. Keep reading to find out more about the pepper black spot, why this is happening, and how to get rid of it.
Pepper Black Spot
If there are black spots on just the fruit, the cause will most likely be environmental, and, often, this is due to inconsistent watering. Blossom end rot is the usual culprit for this and it will start as a small brown to tan spot at the bottom end of the pepper.
Be sure that the soil is always moist just an inch below the surface. Usually, this mean an inch or so of water per week, but it also depends on the climate as well as if your peppers are in a pot – then, they may need a little more water.
Sunscald is another reason why your peppers may have black spots. Sunscald means that intense summer heat can affect your peppers, giving them black spots where the sun is most prominent on the pepper. Think of it as getting sun spots on your skin from prolonged sun exposure. To prevent this, move your peppers to a more shaded area or cover with a cloth during hot, sunny days.
If the entire pepper plant, not just the fruit, is covered in black spots, it means disease. The disease could be fungal or bacterial.
Anthracnose is a fungal disease which causes black or brown spots on the entire plant, and although you CAN try fungicides to get rid of it, it's best to just completely discard of the entire plant.
Bacterial diseases such as bacterial leaf spot, will leave the pepper plant with brown or black spots as well as raised bumps. Again, get rid of the entire plant and make sure to purchase disease-resistant seeds or plants for next time.
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