If not live aphids - although I am pretty sure I see some - that is certainly evidence of aphid remains.

I would also wonder about your fertilizer program. Dry organics like Tomato Tone are just not a very efficient product for container plantings. Containers and container soils rarely or inconsistently support the necessary populations of soil organisms required to convert the organics into a plant usable form. Liquid organics are better but may not offer enough nutrient support.

It is difficult to adhere 100% to organic gardening principles when gardening in containers and remain successful and generate good harvests. They are best left to inground gardening practices. I would recommend a fully water soluble liquid fertilizer like the Dyna Gro or Miracle Gro products diluted to at least half strength and applied weekly.

So for the Aphids...? Do i just hose them off and keep up with the neem?

Hey so thanks regarding the fertilizing program. Only after I started my containers with the dry organic one did I learn that they aren't the best fo containers (even though if you read the label it doesn't really tell you).

That was the reason for the gap in feeding but since reading the thread ( i think it was on houzz) I switched to liquids for all my containers.

I used Schultz 20-20-20 at 1/2 strength for some but since I had this Harris Fish lying around, i decided to use that at half strength for others (including the peppers). I did read that liquid organics are better than dry organics for pots. But I guess the organisms of the pot soil still makes the fish not as readily available to plants.

I'll try the Schultz for my next feeding for my containers. I now switched to using the dry org stuff exclusively in the ground. I guess I'll do the some for the liquids.

Hose them off immediately, yes. But of course that's just temporary.

I'm in a different zone, but I grow Thai dragon peppers specifically to use as pest control. I blend a few of them with water and a dash of dish soap, then spray the leaves with it every few days.

Habaneros have the same heat (maybe more), so if you have any to spare you might try the same technique. I love the flavor of my habaneros and can't bear to waste any, that's why I use the dragons instead (I'm not a fan of the taste) :-)

If it's not too late, you can plant garlic or onions as companion plants with the peppers, that will hold them off. You might be able to spray them with garlic or onion juice for the same affect, but I've never tried that myself.

Or if you can bring in lady bugs, that'll solve the problem permanently (and the lady bug carcasses are good for the soil).

If you look at the Hab photo, I think that's a ladybug (or a cucumber beetle?). I Could i just keep up with the neem or is neem not good with Aphids? I mix neem with some dish soap

I think the basil seems to help, either that or aphids do not like Islamarodas and Jalapenos.

I have som store re-grown green onions, i can plant them with the peppers,would that help?

I have some Bahamian Goat Peppers I think they're somewhat similar to Habs (look em up). Maybe I can use that but at what quantities?

Lastly what you think is up with the Cayenne? is it just nutrition?

I'm afraid that I have no experience with neem, sorry :-( I picked up on using dragon peppers about 10 years ago when a worm was eating my tomatoes, and that's all I've used since then.

Using garlic and onions came from my dad... I have lady bugs like CRAZY (they literally cover the house in early summer!), so aphids aren't usually a problem for me. I wouldn't hesitate to plants the green onions, though... it might help, but it definitely won't hurt!

I've never had a Bahamian goat pepper, but it looks interesting! Reminds me of a scotch bonnet. I think that the heat is the main deterrent so it would probably be fine, unless it's too sweet? The Thai dragon pepper kind of tastes like strong black pepper to me, so I don't blame the bugs for not eating it... LOL

I would suggest using 1 pepper (with seeds), 2 cups of water, and a dash of dish soap in a blender. If you have a lot of them then you could drop in a second pepper, I don't think more heat is going to hurt anything. If you can easily put your nose in the blender and sniff it, though, then it's not strong enough. With the Thai dragons, I open the blender outside or it feels like I've maced myself!!

As for the cayenne, I grew them myself for the first time last year, and had the same result; plenty of fruit, but the leaves looked bad. In my case, I THINK that I had it in too much direct sun, and then didn't have enough water to offset it. I think it would do better in a hot area that's not in direct sun, so this year I'm thinking about leaving it in my greenhouse that's in a part shade area.

Ok will try the peppers. Yes please try the Goat Pepper similar to scotch bonnet. Its very popular here and is sold all over mainly at roadside stalls.

I was under the impression that I was overwatering the Cayenne based on readings. So I'm not really sure, I'll keep adjusting and see how it reacts.

isolate the plants you feel are problematic .... you can do this while hosing them off ...

frankly .... hoses are for shrubs or bigger.. i would use a spray bottle ... ergo.. handling every plant .. so i would be able to isolate the effected ones ...

ken

For the cayenne, do you have it in full sun? Considering the region, I think you might put it in a shadier area, or use a shade cloth to keep it out of direct sun.

Another thought would be that something could be chewing on the roots, but since it's bearing a lot of fruit then probably not. I keep mine in containers, though, because most of my pests are underground.

It's hard to find ANY hot peppers in my area, other than jalapeno!! I love heat, though, so I grow my own as much as I can. I'm growing purple habaneros this year; I saw them in Belize a few years ago, but haven't been able to try them yet. I'm also growing Peach Scorpions and Aji Mango Stumpies (never tried those), orange habaneros (usually my favorite), and if my seeds from last year survived then cayenne, tabasco, and one that I just labeled "Scorpion" so I'm not sure what variety it is. I literally just planted my seeds this week, though, so I'm jealous that you're already getting fruit!!

Ok will try moving it too

There was a study arguing peppers in hot climates should be shaded

Hot peppers are common here in The Bahamas and Carribean since spicy food is plentiful (jerk, curry look up pikliz and souse )

I'm in western North Carolina, US, which has a mostly Irish and Polish heritage, so spicy food is rare here! We've had an influx of Hispanic immigrants in the last decade or so, which explains the increase in jalapenos, but that's all.

I have a few friends that came from Laos, and to my knowledge we're the only ones locally that eat habaneros or hotter. I convinced a local grocery store to stock some habaneros once, but they said I was the only person to buy them!

One of my friends that emigrated from Laos about 15 years ago is growing Kraken Scorpion Orange, Black Scorpion Tongue, and Black Fire, so in a few months we'll be trading some peppers around :-) He also grows Ghost Peppers, but I'm not a fan (all heat with no flavor). Reapers are OK, and I like scotch bonnets, but my favorites so far have been scorpions and habaneros.