indoor Any Way To Keep Indoor Plant Smaller

[Ronin]

Hi, quick question.
I'm growing some pepper plants and I want to keep one or two plants inside all year round. But was wondering if there is any way to try and keep it from growing too big? Would putting the plant in a smaller pot, say 3 gallons, keep it from growing large, or would it hurt the plant?

 

[Dinsdale]

Hi, quick question.
I'm growing some pepper plants and I want to keep one or two plants inside all year round. But was wondering if there is any way to try and keep it from growing too big? Would putting the plant in a smaller pot, say 3 gallons, keep it from growing large, or would it hurt the plant?

 
Top them to keep them from growing tall.
 
Also, I'm currently growing plants in 2 to 3 litre pots, which is less than one gallon. They're less than 2 ft tall and they seem to do just fine.

 

[Ronin]

 
Top them to keep them from growing tall.
 
Also, I'm currently growing plants in 2 to 3 litre pots, which is less than one gallon. They're less than 2 ft tall and they seem to do just fine.

Thats around the size Id like to keep it, 3 ft max. Would I be hurting the plant if I keep topping it for its whole life?

 

[Greenguru]

Small flower pots will restrict Growth 
 

 

[Edmick]

Topping it will keep it from getting tall but it will grow wider. Also, what kind of plants are you growing? That's important to know.

 

[Ronin]

Topping it will keep it from getting tall but it will grow wider. Also, what kind of plants are you growing? That's important to know.

Im thinking of keeping a MOA Stotch Bonnet and Hot Paper Lantern. I dont need them to be small, Id just prefer for them not to be 6 ft tall. I was just wondering if there was a way to keep them a little smaller.

 

[Justosmo]

Grow it like a bonsai!

 

[Hafners]

Using a grow tent or cabinet will keep them from spreading too wide and keeping the lights close to the tops of the plants will slow the height growth a bit. I'm growing in 3 gallon grow bags and my Thai's are still 3 feet tall but no longer stretching upwards since I quit raising the lights, but the habaneros are spread pit to all corners of the 3 x 3 foot tent. When the plants hit the sides, they start growing upwards, so a little pruning should keep them under control. I'm not gonna say I don't have a jungle in my grow tent though, with only 4 plants.

 

[Mr.W]

Interesting topic, maybe try a combination of pruning back top growth and root pruning.  I've never tried this but some thoughts are...
 
It wants to keep reaching a certain size which is larger than you would prefer.  It does this by growing stems, leaves and roots.  By occasionally trimming back all of those it can still be happy doing what it wants to do (which is grow new stems leaves and roots) but within the size range you want.  Similar to bonsai.
 
I would keep it in a smallish pot.  Try taking the plant out of the pot from time to time, work some of the dirt loose from the roots, trim the roots back a little and repot in the same pot with some new soil.  It's all stress on the plant so probably best chance is to have healthy plants to begin with. 
 
Good luck with it!

 

[Ozspicymojito]

Thats around the size Id like to keep it, 3 ft max. Would I be hurting the plant if I keep topping it for its whole life?

Avoid topping until plant has at least 4 sets of leaves and the only top again after the new growth is at the height the it was last topped. But eavoid over topping and cutting back more than a 1/3 of the plant to avoid stress as I've found most of the Really hot pepper plants are teadious lol

 

[Ozspicymojito]

Small flower pots will restrict Growth 
 [/quote

Yes' but also causes root bound and nutrient deficiency

 

[Ozspicymojito]

Small flower pots will restrict Growth 
 [/quote

Yes' but also causes root bound and nutrient deficiency if left in too small pots for long period

 

[willard3]

Pruning works well
 
 
birdaji by Willard Bridgham, on Flickr
 

 

[Winegums]

Pruning and 2-3 gallon pots should be good if you want to keep plants around 30"-36". Smaller 0.5 - 1.0 Gal pots are better if you want to keep plants around 20" high. I have some 1-2 Gal pots but they are growing almost too fast for my liking.
 
Pepper plants are tough and will survive being severely pruned down in size to form a bushier more compact plant. I have very limited space and I'm trying to keep plants small and Bonsai like so I find myself pruning every week as well as pinching buds and branches. I've also recently started Low Stress Training on some of my plants in an effort to get even denser foliage, lower height and a smaller foot print. 

 

 

[Genetikx]

That's a nice looking plant Winegums