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Who Tops Their Peppers?
- Thread starter SvtCobra
- Start date
I top all of my plants. I like having solid lower branches and trunks on my plants, so I don't have to worry about wind and other environmental factors.
Baccatums seem to rebound the fastest from a good topping/pruning. Pubescens take a lot longer to recover from a topping in my experience, I still do it, but I expect an extra 3 weeks or so of recovery time compared to Baccatums and Chinense.
Baccatums seem to rebound the fastest from a good topping/pruning. Pubescens take a lot longer to recover from a topping in my experience, I still do it, but I expect an extra 3 weeks or so of recovery time compared to Baccatums and Chinense.
I've done some LST on some pepper plants. It works well.
Never felt the need. Let them grow; even the occasional 'bean stalk' plant will branch out eventually. Your plants have had millions of years to practice and they DO tend to 'know what they are doing!' Humans and their control-freak neuroses are neither required nor, I suspect, appreciated.
That said, I could see doing a light 'FIM' as an experiment and to encourage branching.
But to whack half the plant off, or (shudder) strip the big, resource intensive, main leaves is just punishing the the plant's efforts.
That said, I could see doing a light 'FIM' as an experiment and to encourage branching.
But to whack half the plant off, or (shudder) strip the big, resource intensive, main leaves is just punishing the the plant's efforts.
Nice trunk you have there. I'm sure nutrients will pass quickly through that log.Thegreenchilemonster said:
I will always top my plants from now on.The ones which I do not top grow a single tall stem and then split into either 2 or 3 main stems,then split again etc.With topping they grow many strong branches from the base.I think they produce much more although they really do need to be staked properly.I have lost many a branch this year because I was to lazy to stake my hydro plants.Theses were last seasons topped plants.
I agree on chopping half the plant off. I only take about an inch or two off the top when it begins to Y.Geonerd said:
This is what I want to avoid. The splitting then splitting again. I want a stocky manageable plant that is bushy.Swampy_NZ said:I will always top my plants from now on.The ones which I do not top grow a single tall stem and then split into either 2 or 3 main stems,then split again etc.With topping they grow many strong branches from the base.I think they produce much more although they really do need to be staked properly.I have lost many a branch this year because I was to lazy to stake my hydro plants.Theses were last seasons topped plants.
That one is a Baccatum. Lemon Drop. I have some pubescens with some big trunks as well from topping though.az1000 said:
Yeah I always top, I like a short bushy pepper plant. To me a topped pepper plant tends to look healthier and more vigorous.
By size, I usually do the initial topping when it starts to branch into a y. Once that topping recovers, I top/prune the new branches when they begin to form there own y's. After that, the trunk is usually solid enough that the plant can get huge with no issues. If the plant starts getting really huge, like over 4-5 feet, I usually clip the ends of the highest branches to sturdy higher limbs.
Thegreenchilemonster said:
I can't speak for Geonerd, but mine sure do! But topping plants won't have much of an effect on the sturdiness of the plant's stem. It just grows in proportion with the rest of the plant. A big plant will need a wider stem to feed and support the canopy and vice versa. A short, bushy plant will have a stem that is about the same diameter as a tall, bushy plant.
Last year I topped one of my plants and it produced so many peppers, but I can't say for sure this was due to the topping of just the plant itself. So as an experiment I am growing 2 plants of 5 selected varieties this year and I will be topping one plant of each variety to see which one will produce more. I wish I could grow more plants of each variety to get a more accurate comparison, but I have limited space.