Pruning Side Shoot?

Bakemeacake · Jul 12, 2019

Hey guys,

I went ahead and decided to top my ghost pepper plant a few days ago after my buddy recommended it and I confirmed with info from here, but now I have a question. As you'll be able to see from the pic below, there's a large side shoot that is almost as long as the growing stem was. Should I prune that as well or leave it as is? I didn't know if it will cause the plant to grow unevenly or something.

karoo · Jul 12, 2019

Just let it be.
It looks like a healthy young plant and it will grow a lot of side branches and bush out.
There is no need to try and train your plant into a certain shape or growth pattern.

Doelman · Jul 12, 2019

Pros: The shoot will continue to grow and create more pods than you would have with just the single stem.
Cons: It's going to cause the plant to lean to that side so you'll have to support it properly.

DWB · Jul 12, 2019

. If you're leaving them in the pots, I wouldn't prune or top anymore at all. I wouldn't prune that first fork, regardless

If they're going in the ground, maybe a different story.

I never topped or side pruned any of this and just let it grow. In retrospect, I sure wish I pruned all side shoots and quickly cut all initial forks til they were at least 1½ to 2 ft tall

Bakemeacake · Jul 12, 2019

That's good info, guys. So basically if I snip that side shoot, it's going to get bushy on that one side and make it uneven growing?

Doelman · Jul 12, 2019

Bakemeacake said:
That's good info, guys. So basically if I snip that side shoot, it's going to get bushy on that one side and make it uneven growing?

no, if you don't snip that side shoot it's going to probably grow unevenly but you'll get more production. You're going to have to support it regardless at some point, it really isn't a big deal for it to be lopsided.

Doelman · Jul 12, 2019

DWB said:
. If you're leaving them in the pots, I wouldn't prune or top anymore at all. I wouldn't prune that first fork, regardless

If they're going in the ground, maybe a different story.

I never topped or side pruned any of this and just let it grow. In retrospect, I sure wish I pruned all side shoots and quickly cut all initial forks til they were at least 1½ to 2 ft tall

so the opposite of topping lol is it just a crowding issue for you? What in the hell do you do with all those pods?

Bakemeacake · Jul 12, 2019

Doelman said:
no, if you don't snip that side shoot it's going to probably grow unevenly but you'll get more production. You're going to have to support it regardless at some point, it really isn't a big deal for it to be lopsided.

Oh I see. The only reason I was really concerned is because I am planning to overwinter these plants and would like it to have a healthy structure.

Pruning Side Shoot?

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