How to Treat Bacterial Leaf Spot on Peppers

Bacterial leaf spot (BLS) is a most common, destructive pepper plant disease. Signs of bacterial leaf spot include irregular spots on leaves that initially were waterlogged before turning brown, yellowing leaves and leaves dropping from the plant. As the peppers develop, spots may appear on them.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Treat your pepper seeds with hot water before planting them. Infected seeds are a typical source of infection with BLS. Hot water treatment can kill the bacteria within the seeds. Treat the seeds at 122-degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes. Use a thermometer to check the temperature. Plant the seeds within 2 weeks of treating.

2. Choose pepper plants that resist bacterial leaf spot, such as Admiral and Guardian. Seed treatment is not necessary with either plant.

3. Rotate your pepper crop to a different field, or a different section of the field, every three years.

4. Keep your garden area clean of plant debris. Infected plants should be removed and any debris from the plants should be burned or buried. Remove wild plants, such as nightshade and ground cherry, that also serve as hosts for leap spot.

5. Water your pepper plants at the roots. Don't use overhead irrigation, which leaves water sitting on the leaves and encourages bacteria growth. Handle only dry pepper plants.

6. Apply copper fungicides to slow the spread of the disease on infected plants. Copper fungicides do not eliminate the problem entirely, especially if the disease is well-established.