Extreme pruning

ebh · Mar 3, 2014

Hi all

Hope everyone's season started well this year!

I have started a few varieties myself in mid january and they seem to be asking for a pot up really soon. The thing is I don't really want to do it for lack of space and not wanting to use more pot sizes.

A couple of days ago I stumbled upon Spicy Chicken's glog from las year and found something interesting in the form of extreme pruning which might be useful for me.

These are the post I was talking about: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/37439-spicy-chickonas-mmxiii-grow-log/page-4#entry804216
and the results: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/37439-spicy-chickonas-mmxiii-grow-log/page-8#entry852869

This is how crowded my peppers are right now. The small pot size is fine for now, but they are just too crowded together.
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b519/andreiebh/DSC_0011_zps6d0ee9b0.jpg
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b519/andreiebh/DSC_0012_zpsbbe3ca49.jpg
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b519/andreiebh/DSC_0013_zpsf412924b.jpg
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b519/andreiebh/DSC_0018_zpsf739d50b.jpg
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b519/andreiebh/DSC_0017_zps6fe74e4c.jpg

Did anyone else tried this type of pruning (all the leaves)? If so, how did it turn out?

Thanks!

juanitos · Mar 3, 2014

i trimmed like that but left like 3 or 4 big leaves on there.

theres already new growth coming out of some.

geeme · Mar 3, 2014

I personally don't like "extreme pruning" for starts, but have used it for overwintering. With young starts, I prefer to take measures to slow the growth, such as reducing the temperature, reducing the amount/frequency of fertilizing, and reducing the available light. But to each his own....

TexasChef · Mar 3, 2014

Great information.... Will be thinking about trying extreme pruning on some of mine soon as well as leaving some to natural growth and see the differences

jojo · Mar 3, 2014

juanitos · Mar 3, 2014

i just finished all my trimming.

@ glog

From THIS

To THIS

TexasChef · Mar 4, 2014

Looks nice....good luck...hope the peppers produce the heat we like

willard3 · Mar 4, 2014

This is extreme pruning

10 weeks later

TexasChef · Mar 4, 2014

That would be major extreme but they look great

ebh · Mar 5, 2014

done... now we'll see how it goes

Didn't cut the 4 bolivian rainbows and also kept one black scorpion's tongue which I have promised to someone...

smileyguy697 · Mar 5, 2014

This congo was pruned like those and only in a little ten inch pot. I've pruned a lot of dif plants like this.. They will be just fine!

ebh · Mar 13, 2014

One weeks growth... Looking good.

Sometime the next week I think they will get pruned again. I wil be topping everything I didn't the first time because, as you can see, that's were the biggest new growth took place and they are starting to shade each other too much again. I want a bunch of small little growth instead of big leaves at the top.

Enjoy the pics:

Balduvian · Mar 13, 2014

my question is does pruning promote plant growth in anyway?
also pruning when large does that promote pod production or no?

Teurf · Mar 13, 2014

Pruning forces the plant to branch out to form new leaves if they need them or can afford them. Big roots, lots of leaves. It improves plant nodes thus pod starting site.

With what I understand, to improve pod formation site, you would prune any Y forking. But I also read about the FIMimmng technique where you cut right after the fork and cause something similar.

I would trim before forking site on the core of the plant to create a bush and use the FIMing technique on terminal branches.

I might be out of my element here. Lets hear the professionnals.
Teurf

Big Kahuna · Mar 13, 2014

Teurf, what on earth is FIMing? :confused:

Could you please post a link? Cheers!

Teurf · Mar 13, 2014

I think it originated from a canna grower who wanted to prune before forks and accidently missed and cut after the fork, hence the FIM (f*** I missed) technique.

Unfortunately, I can't post a link to the site right now. Mainly, what you do is you only prune after the fork.

Teurf

You can find info on this thread:
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/44952-to-prune-or-not-to-prune-done-thanks-folks/?hl=%2Bto+%2Bprune+%2Bor+%2Bnot

Big Kahuna · Mar 13, 2014

Interesting, thanks! I think I'll try FIMing on at least a couple of my plants.

ebh · Mar 16, 2014

Got some nice weather outside today, so I felt in a trimming mood... These are the results:

Even done the hydro reaper this time.

Hopefuly the weather will be nice in April, as I don't think they can last any longer in the small cups they are in now.

Cheers!

Helvete · Mar 16, 2014

In the spirit of the thread, I'll post a Thai plant that I've extreme pruned...It was in the aquaponics system about 2 months ago, putting off a few pods every few weeks. It also happens to be the same plant as the one in my forum picture. It was rather brown about a week ago but it's bouncing back nicely from spending some days outside. I might put it in some dirt soon. I like how it has nodes all the way up the stem now. It's probably about 13 months old

I'll post an update when it starts coming back full swing.

ebh,
what are those purple leaf plants in your picture?

ebh · Mar 16, 2014

ikeepfish said:
ebh,
what are those purple leaf plants in your picture?

Bolivian Rainbow(s). They didn't get pruned as they are having massive side growth as they are...