Since most of my pepper plants are small still(under a foot) and were starting to produce flowers I topped them so the plant would focus on growth. I left maybe a 1/2 dozen plants in their natural state which are my 3 rocoto's, 2 choc scotch bonnets and a choc bhut. I'm seeing a ton of new growth on them and they are more stout and less leggy then they were a 1-2 weeks earlier. Below is one of my Rocoto plants and my 2 choc bonnets.
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Pepper plants starting to produce nodes,flowers to early
- Thread starter SavinaRed
- Start date
I've been pinching flowers on all my plants. Last year I let my Goats weed flower on its own and it didn't get over a foot tall. I'll take my chances this year and see how it works out.
Starting too get a couple, should I pinch them off?
I wonder if the topping would have made a big difference compared to just pinching off the new flower buds? Make sure you keep us updated, I look forward to your results!
ÂStudent of Spice said:
Done correctly, topping makes a huge difference over time.
I have topped in years past. Bushier plants. My season is short. I've had better luck tying the plants down when there young. Get the same bushy effect. Lots of bottom growth. As far as pinching flowers goes, I think it depends on zone. Lots of the warmer parts of the states get two harvest's. In that case, I wouldn't. I get one harvest, so I want my plants as big as can be. Especially Chinese and other plants with late maturity date's.
Good ^_^ Don't ever pinch the flowers on pubescens, man. We are lucky when we get them to fruit to begin with in our climate. In my experience they need to set those fruits before summer temps hit hard. Mind you i've only grown 1 pubescens variety before, with 1 more type this year... so perhaps there are much more heat-friendly ones.
Do you mean putting branches into the soil for them to root?OCD Chilehead said:
Im not cloning. It's called Low Stress Training. Ever notice how the tops of the plants are nice and bushy? All the nodes under them, take forever to start to branch. That's because, they don't get the same amount of light. There shaded by the the top canopy. I pull the tops towards the ground by tying them to the containers. They get the same amount of sun as the top. Encourages bottom growth quickly. Here is a vid https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ws-ryg65E_oSpicy Mushroom said:
I had some side by side comparisons a few seasons ago. I accidentally erased my glog pics last year. I'm trying to find the pics on SD. I start when there young, as not to damage the plant. When the lower branches catch up with the tops, I cut them loose. Nice bushy plants.Malarky said:
 Totally ditto on that.OCD Chilehead said:
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The climate here can make them ditch the flowerbuds, I can't afford that, though people in other climates may be able to cut and pinch all they want.
