If your hot pepper or chile plants have leaves that are beginning to yellow, this may be caused by excess nitrogen in the soil. To check, look at the plant carefully. If the lower leaves of the plant are yellow and the veins in the leaves are dark brown or green, this is probably the problem. Luckily, if this is caught early, you can still save your pepper plant. Begin over-watering the plant for the next few water cycles. This will flush out the excess nitrogen and allow the plant to recover.