Hi NGA,

Two of my pepper plants have stopped growing and the top leaves are growing in lopsided and look shriveled up.
I am wondering if its too much sun maybe, because its only happening to the top area.
PLEASE HELP!!
Thanks.

-greenthumbwannabe3

Those leaves look nibbled on to me. Have you checked for critters on the undersides of the leaves?

Looks like that to me too. Something appears to have the munchies.

While I agree that there might be some munching from critters, the leaves' deformity looks to me to be a nutrient deficiency of some kind. When a plant is weak due to nutrient deficiency it is susceptible to all kinds of critters. So yes, do look for pests...but do provide nutrients needed for healthy growth. This is just my observation from my own experience with pepper plants

Doesn't appear to have anything to do with the amount of sunshine it gets.

My pepper plants all look like that at some point during the year, although it usually happens in late May/early June. I've never figured out exactly what causes it, but they always grow out of it and look good later in the summer. It looks like there may be three or more plants in that pot? If so, that's probably too many and you might want to thin them to just one.

Sunshine isnt the problem. Sometimes heat stalls apparent growth. It is also full season for stink bugs and they have 8 different instars(stages). Check for early morning and late evening bugs

KentPfeiffer said:My pepper plants all look like that at some point during the year, although it usually happens in late May/early June. I've never figured out exactly what causes it, but they always grow out of it and look good later in the summer. It looks like there may be three or more plants in that pot? If so, that's probably too many and you might want to thin them to just one.

I agree - my peppers sometimes do that, too, with no longstanding effects. Not likely too much sunshine, since peppers love full sun. Could be overcrowding in the pot -- or, could be nothing.

It also looks to me as if you might have several plants in one pot? Can't tell for sure from the picture, but . . well each plant needs its own large pot to grow to a good size and bear peppers.

Leaves sometimes are deformed like that by aphids, which suck on the newest juicy growth, and cause the leaves to form crooked or curled. Spray the plants off with a gentle spray of the hose, then watch carefully for pests on the stems and back sides of the leaves especially. A spray of soapy water once in a while will get rid of white flies and spider mites too.

Agree with everyone else - pepper plants need full-on sunshine all day long. As long as they're getting enough water and nutrients they will grow in just about any heat and sun.