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Fixing leggy chillies

3

36above

Hello everyone. I have been reading the forums for a while but this is my first time to post.

I have bit of a problem with one of my small chili plants. (I don't know the correct name in English. In Japanese its called 'Korean Chilli' it sets hot 5" red fruit) When I got it, it had been kept in shade all day and grown super leggy. It was a foot tall single stem. Since receiving it (and moving it to full sun) it has branched out at the top and started setting fruit.

Which sounds all fine, however it has outgrown its mini greenhouse and now needs to be kept outside as we are coming into rainy / windy / typhoon season. I have it kinda staked the best I can, but that's not a real solution. Is there anything I can do to strengthen it or encourage more growth lower on the stem? (I'm growing on a 3rd floor balcony so burying it super deep is kinda not an option)

Photo of the plant.

kankokutogarashi.jpg



Also, a photo of the Habanero that has been growing next to it from a seedling, just because habaneros are awesome.

habanero.jpg
 
The only real option is to cut it down to about 5 nodes from the bottom. New branches will grow out of those nodes and the plant will be much more stable in the long term. You'll have to delay getting fruit but you'll have a much stronger plant.
 
I would suggest potting up to a much larger pot [10>15 gals], with the right drainage, irrigation, nutes and sun she’ll thicken up in good time. This has been my experience last season growing 100 supers in pots.
 
Thanks for the info everyone! Really helpful. I'm not too keen on cutting it down as the growing season here isn't the longest (Nagano, Japan) but I guess what has to be done just has to be done.

I will stake and fertilize it, see if it starts thickening up. If not I guess chop it. I wonder if I could get the upper section to root and grow after cutting?
 
I wonder if I could get the upper section to root and grow after cutting?
Click to expand...
I wonder if you could graft it. :think:

As you say your growing season isn't that long and maybe you want to keep the peppers that are growing on it at the moment, I wouldn't pot up any larger and I wouldn't prune either. A stake to support the main stem should be enough.

Perhaps take a different approach next season. My indoor plants would do what yours did due to poor lighting, and for that reason I now cut them down to about 4 to 6 inch stumps as early as I can and let them bush out from low down. Of course, if you want a larger plant then definately use a big pot.
 
Staking it up for awhile and putting a fan on it should help it thicken up - they are pretty good at doing what they need to do to survive so a bit of wind on it will make it toughen up fairly quickly and the support the stake gives should keep it from snapping off until then.
 
Even if you don't want to prune it back to the 5th node due to the short season you might still cut the tops off just to keep it from getting any taller. If the wind is very strong consider a 3-point staking method with stakes in a triangle around the plant. That can allow tying the plant sufficiently that there is very little movement in strong wind.

Your pot is not big enough for two plants as Superhot has mentioned, but you could still add a fair amount of soil around the perimeter of the pot to increase potential root area.
 
Ok, well I've staked the thing, enough to hold it upright for the season and will nip the tops off so it gets bushier not taller.

I think when I bring it in for the winter I will cut it down a lot and re-pot it, See if it is happier next year.

Thanks everyone :dance:
 
I heard you can pull the bottom leaves off and repot the plant higher up the stem. The buried stem will then shoot out roots making the plant more sturdy. I have never done this though so don't take my word for it... Just saying.
 
how to prevent tall leggy plants?...pour the light and wind to them as soon as they emerge from the soil....

another thing no one has mentioned is that your tall plant is an annuum and the other is a chinense....as a general rule of growth habit, the annuums tend to be more lanky the chinense...at least that has been my experience...

as far as how to repair this years situation...just do as has been suggested...staking and maybe repotting, then but it back at the end of your grow season and she will fluorish next year
 
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