Please help - Bell Pepper plant

Hi - I have a small plant just bought from a very reputable garden centre. I have noticed that parts of the leaves have been eaten clean away. I have moved the pot around the garden as it was on a wire shelf inside one of those small plastic type greenhouses (with the front rolled up). I have looked at the plant but can't see anything on it. Any ideas what the problem may be and how to stop it???

Also the soil does not hold together and when I try to remove from the pot to repot it looks like its going to crumble away. The soil is moist.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

 

If the pot is not full of roots and holding together I wouldn't pot it on just yet.

The leaf damage could be all kinds of things but my guess would be slugs.

 

Thanks Pete - should I bring it inside for a bit or should it be left out now? I will have a look around for the best way to stop slugs!

 

Difficult to say really, it may have been "checked", growth wise, brown roots are a good indication, along with the root ball not holding together.
They are not that expensive at the moment, Dare I suggest you buy another plant from a good nursery that has undercover plants.

Your plant "could" take a while to recover, and you would be losing "growing time", something that peppers need here, in the UK

Until recently its been very cold for pepper plants.

 

I've brought it inside & will watch it this week. I am hopefully off to the garden centre at the weekend so may buy another one. Thanks for all your advice.