This year I admittedly got to a late start. My pepper seedlings (various types) were started in mid April and were hardened off carefully, then transplanted to larger pots or planted in ground. Up to that point, they went from seed tray to Dixie cups then to their final destination (some in large pots, a few in ground) which is what you see in the pictures. they were all looking fantastic, lots of bushy leaves and healthy growth that i was carefully maintaining via conservative trimming.

What I am baffled about is they’ve all lost the bulk of their leaves. Only my reapers and one cayenne has peppers.

The leaf drop started well after the hardening off period and while some were in the Dixie cups. After transplant to larger pots, they would seem to do well, show new growth then start dropping leaves again.

We’ve had tons of rain here in coastal SC and it’s been brutally hot/humid. They have been fertilized on a regular schedule about every 2-3 weeks. I thought pest initially. I had tried a light neem oil solution just on base of plants and insecticidal soap on leaves which I had thought to be a cause and stopped.

Any idea what could be happening and suggestions on what I can do?