Plant stalk splitting, which one do I chop off?

[mini670]

Being new to growing, im not entirely sure how to deal with this plant, let alone grow!
Its either a Tabasco or a Scotch Bonnet, but i`m almost sure its a Tabaso as my other Scotch Bonnets are still really really small.
The plant seems to have split and looks like its growing two main stalks. My Dad told me tomato plants do this sometimes, and may need some attention, by chopping one of the stalks off. There is also the problem of what look like dead parts on the leaves.

Whilst here I have uploaded a photo of my other bigger plant which is either a Tabasco again or a Birds Eye (need to pay attention to labels when repotting them ).
Also a photo of a White Habanero that appears to have three seed leaves, is this normal? (my others had two, but have now died along with the chocolate ones)

Please see photos. Any help would be cool

The two stalked plant

Closer

A strange leaf on this plant, and dead leaf tips, this is growing to the `more upright` stalk.

My other plant that seems to be doing well?

Poor photo of the White habanero

 

[Dibs]

I know nothing about tomato plants, but from what ive learned here on these forums so far for peppers is to just let em grow! More stalks means more nodes and more nodes mean more peppers, and thats what we we want! That pic that you say has two stalks, its looks like there are gonna end up being three that small one on the left looks like its branching off also. I think this is something you should embrace and not cut off lol. Ive learned the hard way that trying to do too much and get too fancy just isnt good for peppers.

 

[djsketchie]

I have heard the gardening urban legend of pinching off the "suckers" that shoot out in between branches on tomato plants to divert energy to making fruit, but I would say leave that chile pepper alone. As discussed on many threads on this board, more branching = more nodes = more flowers = more peppers, especially with C. Chinense.

 

[mini670]

Cheers guys, I think ill leave it alone then.

Any ideas what is causing the dried up dead leaves, and the three leaved white habenero?

Edit,
Dibs just realised you have the fallout3 avatar, cool. Just started playing that game, first game Iv`e played in years!

 

[Siliman]

A lot of tomato varieties will develop a main stem. Look closely and 'favor' that stem by staking it. You can allow other side stems to grow also, but keep the main stem going up up up.

Peppers different story. I think some of the wild peppers I've seen on this board might like that kind of 'main stem' treatment. But overall, the more splits and bushier, the better, especially if you seek production and not size of pods.

edit: answered while posting. the leaves might be nute burn, but looks to be clearing up some (maybe).

 

[J762]

Your dirt looks really wet. Make sure you don't over water them.

 

[Hot Pooper]

Yeah, I wouldnt touch it at all. Let it do its thing.

 

[UltraZelda64]

Not to mention more stems means more leaves, which means more energy from photosynthesis. Which, on top of what others have mentioned, translates to the potential for one hell of a head start for that plant.

 

[halo_players_junkyard]

I agree, tomatoes are different in that area.

 

[Kite09]

I'm still very much a newbie, but it looks like the beginning of fert burn. I had a similar problem to my Bhut a little while back.

 

[franzb69]

you leave them alone. =D

 

[mini670]

thank you for the replies. yup ill leave it as it is then.
regarding the dead leaves, I think it could be putting nitogen on them, will they survive if I hold off with the nutrients for a while? cheers

 

[OrganicChiles]

thank you for the replies. yup ill leave it as it is then.
regarding the dead leaves, I think it could be putting nitogen on them, will they survive if I hold off with the nutrients for a while? cheers

lay off the nutes until its in its final growing container for the season. and then dont use high nitrogen use very low dose fish emulsion or something liek that. And fertilize with epsom salts to maximize fruiting.

 

[megamoo]

what everyone else said

as for the three leaf seedling - It happens some times. I have heard people say that they are not as healthy as regular plants but i had one grow like that and it did fine, even outlasting a lot of normal ones which died off in a hot summer.

let it grow and do its thing as well

 

[Dibs]

Cheers guys, I think ill leave it alone then.

Any ideas what is causing the dried up dead leaves, and the three leaved white habenero?

Edit,
Dibs just realised you have the fallout3 avatar, cool. Just started playing that game, first game Iv`e played in years!

Its a pretty sweet game, almost too deep for me lol.

 

[mini670]

cheers guys.
I'm going on holiday on Saturday for a week, I have heard that a heat wave is expected here. would the plants survive on their own, or should I take them to someone to look after?

 

[RaelThomas]

Yeah leave it go
Edit: Rant*
When it comes to tomato plants, you can take off the 'suckers', but rather than giving you more fruit, it just tends to give you larger, but fewer fruit. So that's kind preferential.
I have just taken to cutting them off, dipping them in rooting hormone, and replanting them. They seem to out-do their mother plants! which is weird, but cool!

 

[LGHT]

I agree with the majority and say let it grow. I have 2 overwintered plants that both did the same thing and it's almost like having 4 plants because both of them have 2 major stalks and several nodes growing out of each stalk. I posted some picks of them and between the 2 plants I have hundreds of flowers.

 

[RedtailForester]

I'm going with the Leave 'Em Alone crowd on this one. Let that guy turn into a nice pepper bush.

 

[harry]

My second Trinidad Scorpion plant to sprout forked immediately above the cotyledon nodes:

Forked Trinidad Scorpion

It lost its first true leaf early and remained stunted for a long time due potting mix problems. It recovered after I transplanted it to a larger pot filled with better potting mix.