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How to pick?
- Thread starter Slimbob
- Start date
what do you mean by flower? you clipping off flowers of actual ripe pods? if pods clip off the stem. for the future, there is a search bar at the top right of every screen and you can de a search inside the section of the forum I.E go to "growing hot peppers" and anything you search for will be looked up in that section.
Clip them at the base of where the stem comes off the plant and forms the pepper. Don't leave the stem of the pepper on the plant. Use a pair of scissors, your fingernails (pinching it until it cuts through) or get a pair of tiny pruning scissors. (I don't know there actual name but they are very small and great for cutting off pods)
If I interpret your question correctly, you are defining "the flower" as what was originally the base of the flower, before the petals fell off. This is called the stem of the flower, and becomes the stem of the pod. There may be some confusion because a) the flower stem is not very long on most pepper plants, and b) it starts out very slender (though in some cases it becomes quite thick as the pod develops.)
Since you were using unfamiliar terminology, some of the answers above might be confusing for you, in turn. As 3/5King stated, clip the stem of the pod where it joins the rest of the plant. Alternately, as sicman stated, you can slowly turn the pod and see if it just pops off. If it's not ready, the stem will twist, but not easily come off the plant.
If you are going to cut the pods off, a hand-held pruner works fine - here's a link to an example of a pruner. You can find less expensive ones than the ones I linked to, but that's just for a visual (though I like the slender tip on that pair!)
Since you were using unfamiliar terminology, some of the answers above might be confusing for you, in turn. As 3/5King stated, clip the stem of the pod where it joins the rest of the plant. Alternately, as sicman stated, you can slowly turn the pod and see if it just pops off. If it's not ready, the stem will twist, but not easily come off the plant.
If you are going to cut the pods off, a hand-held pruner works fine - here's a link to an example of a pruner. You can find less expensive ones than the ones I linked to, but that's just for a visual (though I like the slender tip on that pair!)
DatilDaddy
Banned
No new pepper is going to grow into that cap. 
They want you to cut that stem off.
They want you to cut that stem off.
That little green cup is called the calyx. The fruiting part of the plant includes the stem, calyx and the pod with its seeds. The first pic shows that the pepper broke off at the calyx, some peppers do this, others are strongly attached at the calyx and instead separate easily at the base of the stem. No new pepper is going to form in the empty calyx, but there is no need to snip off the empty stem as it will naturally dry up and fall off. The plant will usually produce a new flower at the same junction if the growing conditions are right.
The best thing for getting more fruit is to keep the plant happy with the right nutrients, sun, and water. Nature takes care of the rest.
The best thing for getting more fruit is to keep the plant happy with the right nutrients, sun, and water. Nature takes care of the rest.
