Too late to top?

Yoimthatguy

• Apr 29, 2016

• #1

How late in the season will you all top your peppers until? I've got two shishito peppers which I got a late start on this year and are finally up to topping height. All of my other peppers have been topped a 1+ months ago and are large, bushy and ready to be set out in another week or two.
 
If I don't top the plants they will probably start flowering by the time they are ready to be set out, if I do top them they will probably be set back by several weeks, possibly as much as a month. So is the setback of topping worth it in the long run right now?

 

Comptine

• Apr 29, 2016

• #2

I think you can top whenever. I top mine when they are flowering or bearing fruit, to contain them. Well, I'm sure you should be careful with tiny seedlings. Having said that, topping isn't actually necessary. Some people like it for size management, but You can skip that. 

 

Yoimthatguy

• Apr 29, 2016

• #3

I usually top for fruit production, but I do like the look of a shorter bushier plant.

 

LordHill

• Apr 29, 2016

• #4

I top to promote a thicker stem. I top until about 2 weeks before expected last frost.

 

Thegreenchilemonster

• Apr 29, 2016

• #5

Yoimthatguy said:

How late in the season will you all top your peppers until? I've got two shishito peppers which I got a late start on this year and are finally up to topping height. All of my other peppers have been topped a 1+ months ago and are large, bushy and ready to be set out in another week or two.
 
If I don't top the plants they will probably start flowering by the time they are ready to be set out, if I do top them they will probably be set back by several weeks, possibly as much as a month. So is the setback of topping worth it in the long run right now?

Click to expand...

I usually plant out the 3rd week of April, so I won't top, or drastically prune my plants past mid March. I have a couple of leggy rocoto plants that I started from seed in January, currently getting pelted with 5 days straight of rain, wind, and cold weather. Initially I was worried that I should have topped them, to sturdy them, but they are doing just fine. I don't think it will be worth your time to top them right before May hits. The new shoots might not pop up for several weeks, setting back your plants chances of an earlier harvest. Topping could always make a larger later harvest possible though...