Pepper plant got droopy, leaning over. Stem is a bit mushy

[banjo]

* Admin added picture to post, see below


This is the second pepper plant to have the stem get mushy where it contacts the grow sponge. Super bummed as the first flower just opened. I've seen plenty of others grow peppers in aerogardens/hydro of some sort, so I feel like I'm doing something wrong.
It had been dropping a couple leaves the last few days, didn't seem like a big deal, then today it just kind toppled over to like a 45 degree angle. The stem is still connected, but not firm at the point of contact with grow sponge. In this picture, I propped it back up, but it can't stand on it's own.
There's another pepper plant next to it, looking healthy and robust, but I just looked and that stem also seems browning and not the full diameter of the upper green part, so only a matter of time before it does the same.
Appreciate any thoughts/tips/etc. This one might be a goner, but hate to keep doing this.

TIA

 


Larger photos here

[lynnee]

Hi banjo! That's an odd problem all right. From your photo, it looks like the pepper seed might have been planted too high in the sponge, because the base of the stem is above the sponge.

What is the white stuff on the roots at the right of the stem (in the closeup)? Fungus?

Are you using standard AG pods and sponges? Are you filling the water reservoir only to the fill line?

There are people here who are more expert in growing peppers than I am. Hopefully one of them will have a solution! 🌶🌶🌶

[banjo]

Hi Lynee, thanks for your reply, first time poster here....
the key here is that I did NOT plant from seed.  I brought some small plants from outside that were not doing well in soil, thought I'd give them a chance in an aero and just see what happens, they were likely going to die outside.  This was a first time experiment, based on seeing people grow roots from cuttings just by leaving cuttings in water.  They almost all grew GREAT!  and most went back outside into soil. 
I kept this one in the aero.
My "mistake" was that I put the original stem all (or almost) the way down the length of the grow sponge, with some roots sticking out the bottom.  So for many weeks, was growing both plant and roots robustly, but the original stem was slowly rotting inside the grow sponge.  I pulled it apart and it was a shriveled, brown, skinny stem.  So, recently, it must've stopped passing water up the plant.  
The others that I took back outside only had their stems submerged for a short time while they thrived in the aero (roots and plant look great), and I planted them outside, they seem to be doing amazing now.   The just didn't have time to rot. 
But this one had stem under water much longer, and was rotting.  After I posted, I went to pull the pod out to inspect the roots, and the plant just fell off.  However, roots look super healthy. 
LESSON LEARNED: do not submerge the stem.  I needed to somehow only put roots in the sponge, if I put a seedling/starter in a sponge (or maybe just a bit of stem). For a small plant, this should work and stand up on its own. 

to be complete: white stuff is the dried end of a cut stem, slightly out of focus.
Yes to AG pods and sponges.
Yes only filling to the fill line.  

pardon the lengthy answer, but wanted to get it all down in case anyone else has similar issue, as I could not find any info online similar to this.  

All the best, happy growing!

[Shawn]

Hello and welcome banjo.  Glad you posted and happy to have you with us.

It can be a few things.  Was that stem soft at all when you placed it in the sponge?  If it was placed too far in as you stated, all that water could have soaked that stem too much which caused it to flow upward too far.

I have had pepper plants that were grown in the AG and needed a chop stick or two to keep it upright.  But I think you may be correct in your assessment that it was planted too deep in the sponge even if you had healthy roots.  It was just that section of stalk that could not handle all that water and got water logged.  It is also hard to say because I do not know what it looked like prior to planting (height etc).  It is similar to what they say about outdoor trees.  Never built up a bark of a tree with dirt or debris because that will kill the tree at the base.  It can be the same concept here just with water.  I am no expert but I thought of this because we were just speaking to our landscaper about a tree in our yard and the dirt around it.

It is always disappointing when you lose a plant that is flowering.  Sheesh it has happened to me many times.  But that is one great thing about the Aerogardens, we can plant all year round and change up when we want to.

Sorry for my long answer . 

Hope to see you post some more of your gardens. 

[banjo]

Hi Shawn, thanks for sharing your experience.  
the stem was in great health when I started it.  As you described, it sat water logged for way too long, and degraded, which I described in my reply to Lynnee. 
I chopped off the bad part, put the plant in a glass of water and it perked up overnight.
I'm guessing all the flower buds will drop?  But at least I know the main plant seemed healthy, and it was not some other problem.  Who knows, maybe it will root, keep a bud or two. 
And YES, I will be going through my first winter with aero's, looking forward to it.
After I figure out these plants, looking forward to planting from seed. 
Happy Growing and good luck with your tree!

[scarfguy]

Do plant from seed, banjo !   I think you will get better results PLUS...,

it's really cool to see your seedlings pop out of the pod and reach for the light.

[lynnee]

banjo, it does sound like you figured out the problem! Stems definitely don't like being submerged in water, or in soil. When you transplant seedlings, you always want to place the base of the stems at the level of the soil in your pot, so that only the roots are actually in the soil.

I've never tried to transplant something from soil to a hydroponic system--what an interesting experiment! Did you rinse the roots first, to get the soil off?

I wonder whether you could do a successful transplant to a Kratky setup? Kratkys require you to leave an air space below the plant Itself, for the "air roots"--only the ends of the long roots are actually submerged in water. There is a lot of information on Kratkys in the "Kratky System" section of this forum.



EDIT: I forgot about strawberry crowns. Those definitely start their lives in soil, and they grow reasonably well in AGs if you keep the pH right and do frequent R&Rs. So I have tried a soil-to-AG transplant, sort of!

[banjo]

I do believe "Problem Solved".

Pepper and tomato plants do really well if you plant the stem deep into the soil, they will put out roots.  Very common when up-potting, or transferring from pot to garden bed, etc. But as I learned, not water.
Yes, absolutely rinsed all the soil off the roots before putting in the aero, didn't want to bring any pests in from outside.
While I haven't done all these combo's, you absolutely could transfer to Kratky. 
If you ever want to go down the rabbit hole, check out Khang Starr on Youtube.  He's a bit of an underground guru in the pepper community, and has videos on just about everything "pepper" and a whole lot more, including use of indoor systems like aero (and other brands, homemade, Kratky), as well as make many of his own hybrids, which he gives out seeds, asking only that they never be sold, only gifted or traded.  Seriously, at least take a peek.  He does many other vegetables.

Here's what came up just by searching "kratky"...

Khang Starr "Kratky"

and here's "aerogarden"

Khang Starr "aerogarden"

He also happens to have an infectiously nice personality.
There are so many videos it's almost overwhelming.

thank you for all the help, seems like a great community here!
best, 
banjo

EDIT: I just searched, and I see Khang Starr is WELL REPRESENTED on this site, and highly regarded.

[lynnee]

Ha! I didn't know that pepper and tomato plants will put out roots from the stem if planted deep in soil, banjo!

[banjo]

I just read up on it a little more, make sure I wasn't totally off.  It seems the key is that this works when the plant is young and the stem hasn't hardened, or lignified.  At a young state, they are more flexible.  If you've ever grown tomatoes, you might have seen some little nubs forming at the base of the stem, these are essentially proto-roots, the plant is prepared to put out new roots as soon as conditions are favorable. 

[lynnee]

That explanation makes sense, banjo. I definitely have seen those proto-roots on my mature AG tomatoes!