Help with Habanero leaf vpd

[Habfanatic]

Hello all
I realize this is mainly a cannabis forum & I'm growing Habaneros but also realize this is where most of the knowledge is !

This is my 1st grow so a total noob but am committed & always had ocd with hobbies ( i have to understand & dial everything right in if possible ) , 1 have 4 Orange Habaneros & 2 Red Habs in my oversized 2x4 tent with 3 spider farmer sf1000 led, lights are 18" away from canopy, canopy ppfd is approx 575-600 ( about 80% of max on the dimmers )..My issue is leaf temp is equal to or higher than air temp by 1 degree, I have several measurements for air temp, i have read the leaf temp with 2 different ir meters & they both read about 1 degree higher than air or equal too depending on current conditions...I'm controlling humidity to reach my vpd targets, have an internal fan circulating air inside,I just dont think my conditions are dialed in due to that leaf temp vs air temp, been using vpd charts assuming leaf temp at o deficite to -2f up till now & keeping things in a late veg/early flower type of vpd ( .85- 1.25 ish range ) .the plants are flowering & starting to fruit ..some are doing better than others, the 2 red habs have some leaf curl but no burning so i'm thinking maybe adema ? I guess I should try raising the lights ? just dont have alot of room left on the led dial...any help would be much appreciated...happy growing

 

[compostmike]

Those plants don’t look in crisis to me. They look like peppers being run a little “too dialed” in a tent, if that makes sense.

I wouldn’t chase a 1 degree leaf temp difference too hard, especially on glossy habanero leaves. IR guns can get goofy readings off shiny leaves and angle. Peppers also don’t follow cannabis VPD charts perfectly. They’ll fruit just fine without being held to late veg/early flower cannabis numbers.

The curl on the red habs looks more like transpiration/root-zone balance than a straight light burn issue. Edema can happen when the roots are taking up water faster than the leaves can move it out, usually from wet medium + higher humidity + not enough real airflow through the plant. Same thing shows up in tomatoes and peppers a lot.

I’d probably back the lights down a little or raise them for a few days, keep VPD moderate, and focus more on dryback and airflow than the chart. Let the root zone breathe. If the new growth starts coming in flatter, you found it.

What medium are they in and how often are you watering?