be sure to double check the pepper forums for an answer ....

in august heat... it doesnt surprise me at all.. that potted plants do such.. pepper or not ...

is it always on the lawn ... or was it moved for the pic.. baking it on cement in 90 degrees and strong sun.. is a recipe for disaster ....

whats the media in the pot.. and whats your watering protocol ... how old is the media???

i think of peppers as annuals... can they live more than one year? .. i am too lazy to research that part ...

1 million plus scoville.. eh???.. what ???? .. are you nuts... lol ..

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Peppers are perennial anywhere it doesn't freeze. In my experience they have a productive life of a good four years in pots.

snnow, what's going on in the pot? I'd say either not enough water or root rot from too much water.

Some soils become hydrophobic when they dry out. You can pour in water and instead of soaking in it just runs out the bottom. Place the pot in a bucket and fill with water to saturate, or water several times leaving 5 minutes between hits for more to soak in.

If your soil is dense it could be retaining a water level while the surface is dry. Dig down a few inches to see if it isn't wet down there. And start using a wood skewer to show you graphically how wet the soil is down there. Just stick it in the pot and leave it.

As for hot temperatures, I have grown many pepper plants in hot weather and while a plant will wilt a little in the heat of the day, what you are seeing is NOT heat-related, except insofar as the hot temps make the surface of the pot dry out quicker.

Dennis

If the black spots are at the junctions of stems, they are normal.