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Re-shaping umbrella shaped plants

afbb12

afbb12

Hey everyone,
So I have 2 plants of mine, both habaneros, that have become extremely umbrella shaped. As they continue to grow they are growing horizontally and a few branches are even moving towards the ground. Are there any methods to train the plants to grow upwards or should I just trim the long flat branches shorter? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 
 
CIGfVme.jpg

 
this entire canopy comes from a single stem.... exactly like an umbrella
 
if you place a grow light directly above them they will eventually grow towards it but it may not be what you are looking for. if you bunch the outside edge of the "umbrella" back in towards the center you will essentially be damaging the plants ability to produce fruit. the plant normally grows outwards like that to collect the most light and provide space for pods under the canopy... if you are worrying about branches collapsing or what have you just point a fan at them for 3 or 4 hours (or more) a day, the constant waving in the breeze will strengthen the stems over time.
 
Malarky said:
What kind of light do they get? Looks like you're on a balcony? What's your exposure?
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Unfortunately it was indoor under lights over the winter when it flattened out and started growing horizontally. It has been outside getting lots of good light since and is growing a lot but out and not up.
 
thats becuase your light source (the sun) is moving... it may be too late to do anything about it, and besides, the plant is doing exactly what its supposed to do. why do you want it to behave otherwise?  unless its a space thing i would just let it do its thing, you will get a better yield and have a healthier plant if you dont start fiddling with it :)
 
there are a few interesting threads on THP about pruning and shaping, perhaps you could reshape the plant the way you want but it will affect your yield. id make a few suggestions but I don't have anywhere near the amount of experience most of these guys have...
 
afbb12 said:
So I have 2 plants of mine, both habaneros, that have become extremely umbrella shaped. As they continue to grow they are growing horizontally and a few branches are even moving towards the ground. Are there any methods to train the plants to grow upwards or should I just trim the long flat branches shorter?
Click to expand...
 
 
Ya mean like this? I hate to tell you how many Habs on this plant are not in the pic.....
 
IMG_0768_zpsg7oaaroj.jpg

 
afbb12 said:
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
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OK, leave them alone.....
 
 
NECM
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
 
 
Ya mean like this? I hate to tell you how many Habs on this plant are not in the pic.....
 
IMG_0768_zpsg7oaaroj.jpg

 

 
OK, leave them alone.....
 
 
NECM
Click to expand...
I agree, your plant looks good.
This plant is pretty good, too :)
 
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