I have these gorgeous pepper plants in pots/containers, loaded with unripe fruit and just waiting for that to happen. Now suddenly the top leaves have turned yellow.
I'm thinking the combination of extra water (rain from Debby) plus the fruit load means it's past lunch time and they need to be fed?

I have some 4-6-8 ferts that have been bringing the tomatoes back to happy as they start ripening fruit - so this is what I'm thinking, to top dress and water that in.
Actually expecting more rain so maybe I should just put it on there and wait to see how much they need to drink.
In the past, I used fish fert with a bit of molasses to feed potted peppers, but I don't have the same product as I once used.

Your thoughts about yellow pepper tops would be appreciated - I've not seen it before.

@bower check them for spider mites.

My prized supers got them suckers,was out of town came back,holy moly.Gots them nuked with Dr Dead bug.Now we be trimming,or just shake and leaves will fall.If it ain’t one critter it’s another

bower wrote: ↑Mon Aug 12, 2024 3:44 pm I have these gorgeous pepper plants in pots/containers, loaded with unripe fruit and just waiting for that to happen. Now suddenly the top leaves have turned yellow.
I'm thinking the combination of extra water (rain from Debby) plus the fruit load means it's past lunch time and they need to be fed?

What strikes me as odd is that it's the top leaves turning yellow, not the lower leaves. I thought normally in nutrient deficiency, the plant scavenges nutrients from the lower leaves to support the newer growth, and thus the lower leaves turn yellow and drop off. And if it's bad enough, the whole plant could turn yellow. I don't think I've ever seen a situation where the upper leaves turn yellow while the lower leaves are fine. The only things I could find with an internet search for yellowing new growth on pepper plants are sulfur deficiency and iron deficiency. Any chance of that?

Do the leaves look weird at all, not just yellow? Meaning, any spots, curling, deformity, mottled-ness, interveinal chlorosis? I've definitely had disease turn my upper pepper plant leaves yellow, but those leaves also looked terrible in other ways, not just yellow.

Did the plant sit in water for an extended period (full saucer under the pots)? That seems unlikely, given your gardening experience/skills!

If you haven't fertilized much, I think you're right to try adding fertilizer now. Hopefully it's just a nitrogen issue.

Kurt wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13, 2024 12:15 pm IMG_0503.jpegMy prized supers got them suckers,was out of town came back,holy moly.Gots them nuked with Dr Dead bug.Now we be trimming,or just shake and leaves will fall.If it ain’t one critter it’s anotherIMG_0504.jpeg

I use a 2 gallon pump sprayer where the wand has been heated and bent up to allow me to spray under the leaves. Dawn, Garlic Juice, Hot Sauce and Black Pepper is pretty effective at killing even the most difficult bugs. About the only insecticide I use is Bifen IT for the lawn and around the house.
Roundup, Crossbow and 24-D is another story, I go through multiple gallons of each every year.

Chlorosis on the newer leaves tends to indicate an immobile nutrient deficiency, such as iron or sulfur. I forgot which other ones are immobile, but iron and sulfur are probably the most common for deficiencies. Chlorosis on the old growth tends to indicate a mobile nutrient deficiency (like NPK).

All that being said, I would suspect a virus, too. They also tend to affect new growth, and can potentially cause chlorosis (although it's maybe not the most common thing).

Tx for all the good advice. In hindsight I do remember this happening to a pepper plant that was indoors, and it was some kind of mite infestation, but these have been outdoors for months so I didn't think of it. I think mites may be part of what's happening with my upper tomato leaves as well.
Overwater is not impossible, since Debby passed through the night before they may have gotten more rain than they liked (and the worst affected were in smaller pots).
Either way I decided to do both, purge the top leaves in case it's tiny insects I can't see (or disease that will dump extra spores), and feed them some 2-4-8 in case they are peckish.
They got rained on again last night, but not a big lot. And it's way cooler today with a forecast high just 15C/ 60 F! They may not like it but mites will like it even less. That is unless we actually get the frost they're warning of this morning! Guess I'll be tucking them in tonight...