Geez, that looks pretty bad. From what I gather, it has been that way for quite a while now as well. I guess, as long as it isn't dead, stay with it. It might snap out of it. Has it been growing in the last month? Has it gotten worse as time goes on? What is the size on that container? It looks like one of those small hard plastic cups which are pretty small and don't have any drainage. Is that what it is in?

I am not familiar with that variety of pepper but it sure doesn't look normal to me. The only advice I might suggest right now is to re-pot it. New well draining soil and maybe a bigger container with adequate drainage.
Bruce

This post was edited by esox07 on Sat, Mar 9, 13 at 21:54

Bruce.....It is a small plastic solo cup, but it has 5 holes in the bottom for drainage. I germinated all my seeds in them for the past 2 years. It works really well. I saw a guy using this set up on line last year. You take a solo cup and turn it upside down. Use a candle lighter and a small metal rod. Heat up the rod and let it slowly melt a drain hole in the cup.
It's looked like this since it germinated. It is growing, the only difference is it's twisted.

Tim

Hi Tim, looks like pepper mottle virus. Probably transmitted to the seed. I would not keep it, as the seed from this plant may be affected also.

Mark

Wow Tim, that's one twisted looking plant!

I think Bruce was heading in the right direction questioning the container it's in. It's hard to be definitive without looking at the leaves close up but I'd put my money on sever edema caused by too much moisture due to poor drainage. Do the leaves look like they are covered in small blisters?

If it was viral or bacterial I'd expect to see other plants exhibiting similar symptoms.

Of course, I could be wrong and this plant could be patient zero that has yet to spread whatever it has. It's your choice, toss it or try to save it. If you try to save it, definitely isolate it to be safe.

Mark, I didn't think that mottle virus was seed borne. I thought it was only transmitted by aphids and direct contact with other infected plants. Thanks friend... one more thing I need to research ;-))

Bill

Hi Bill, not the seed itself but the outside of the seed case of untreated seeds the virus lingers then affects the new seedling. In rare cases it does enter seeds.

Mark

Here is a link that might be useful: The wiki Pepper Mottle Virus

This post was edited by habjolokia on Sun, Mar 10, 13 at 12:50

Interesting input guys. I'll move it to the side and see what happens. If it is Pepper mottle virus, will the pods still be safe to eat? If not, I don't see any reason to save the plant. I'll have to follow that link Mark and educate myself. Thanks again.

Tim

What growing media are you using? It looks like soil. Do I see clay at the 7 o'clock spot? Whatever it's growing in doesnt look healthy to me. If you want to save the plant, move it to a fast draining soil-less mix.

The soil I'm using is Osmocote potting soil. It drains fairly well, and I also have several drain holes in the bottom of the cup. I had just watered my seedlings when I took this picture, that's why the soil looks damp.

This is only one of about 30 seedlings I have right now, and it's the only one that looks like this. Here's a pic of just a few of my other seedlings. I raised the light for a sec to take a picture. I re-potted them yesterday, because they were getting too big for those little solo cups. Thanks for the input.

Tim

Those look good. Some seeds are just duds. I think I'd get rid of that poor little twisted guy.

I think you're right Ohiofem, it's just so hard for me to toss out any plants. That's how I ended up with over 50 last year. I just couldn't bring myself to kill the extras.

Tim

Yeah. Me too. Sometimes I feel like I'm at risk of becoming like one of those cat ladies who "save" so many stray cats that they end up on the evening news. It's easy to give advice, but not so easy to take it. ;-)

Tim, if it's an Edema issue, you should see bumps/lesions on the underside of the leaves like these. In extreme cases, I've seen leaves curl like yours.

Thanks for the link Mark. Yes, I can understand how the outer coating of a seed that came into contact with the virus could transmit it. Here's the rub though... I think (in my fading memory) I supplied Tim with the Dragon's Claw seed. Tim, yes?

If I am the seed source and it is Mottle Virus, I'm perplexed as to how the plant contracted the virus. I've never personally experienced Mottle Virus in all my years of growing.

Tim, if you got the seed from me please let me know, I'll pull them from my share list to be safe.

Bill

This post was edited by ottawapepper on Sun, Mar 10, 13 at 18:34

Bill....I did get the parent seed from you, but this is seed collected from my plant last year. If there was an issue, I believe it would be on my end. My plant doesn't look anything like that. The only thing I've noticed is the twisting. The leaves seem to be mostly smooth, just twisted. I did move it away from my other plants. I'm just wondering if I should toss the plant out. I had two seeds germinate. The other seedling looks healthy.

Tim

Thanks for letting me know Tim.

Now that you've eliminated edema, it's either mottle or something else yet unknown. Either way, since you have another healthy seedling, I'd genitally move the plant in question to the nearest garbage bag, seal it tightly and get it out of the house ;-)

If it is a virus, strange it's only one plant BUT good it's only one plant!

Bill

I'd repot it just to see if it helps. What've you got to loose?

Bill something yet unknown, possibly pepper leaf curl virus or Mottle both look similar to Tim's plant.

Mark

Going out of town in the morning. Will be gone till Friday. I have it in a separate room in the house. If it's still alive on Friday, I'll repot. Thanks for the input guys. You have to remember, I'm still a novice. I need all the help you guys are willing to offer!

Tim

ottawapepper said: "...I'd genitally move the plant in question to the nearest garbage bag..."

I'm a little confused Bill. Who's genitals are you referring to, the plants' or Tims'? roflmao

Rick

LMAO.......I didn't even catch that Rick. Now I'm wondering if I should be insulted. Good thing I'm not at home, and didn't tell him where I was traveling to. I might be safe till the end of the week.

Tim

Damn You Auto Correct

I gotta pay better attention!!!

Was reading this thread for first post to last post for the first time, must admit I stopped quite suddenly when I got to the genitally moving part... I was wondering, some sort of strange Canadian ritual, eh?

That's one of the better autocorrect mistakes I've seen, for sure!

sunnibel7, nah, if it was a Canadian ritual there would have been maple syrup, beer and back bacon involved ;-)

Unfortunately not my worst auto correct gaff. A few years ago I sent a high priced consultant a draft of terms I expected in our contract. Instead of "bilateral agreement", the terms included "bilabial agreement".

Yeow! I hope the consultant wasn't reading too close! Who even knew that was a word that would BE in an autocorrect program?