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Plant out Pinching Problem..........

cheezydemon

cheezydemon

Last year I was a "HIPPY" type pepper grower....no pinching flowers, "live and let live man.....".

My crop last year was planted out with a full head of flowers and hit a growth wall.

I thought it was the new light and temps, I thought there was transplant shock.

But as new growth sprouted out from lower on the plants, and eventually outpaced the growing shoots on top, I decided that pinching was the way to go.

SO now I am a PINCHER

This year, 2-3 hundred is my best guess at what I have pinched off of my overwintered 7 POT (hereafter referred to as "THE QUEEN"...as in ALIENS).

MY QUESTION IS..........

ASSUMING THAT MY PINCHING HAS BEEN THE WAY TO GO......WHERE DO I DRAW THE LINE???????

Tonight, as I sensed that plant out would be soon, I kept my pinching fingers sheathed.

"Let 'em RIDE" I rasped, (imagining myself to be Clint Eastwood in a Sombrero....)

BUT.....

AM I SETTING MYSELF UP FOR DISASTER?

Will the plants go out all hell bent on fruiting the suddenly un pinched blossoms? I kinda think so.

So pinch until MAY? Pinch once more? Pinch once more after they are out? OR.....LET THEM RIDE.

I will plant out next week. What do you think? Thanks.
 
i pinch all the way through the season...

last year was my first season, and i had some pretty good results..

this year i will also pinch all the way through...
 
....Like......you pinch even in the height of summer? I wouldn't even dream of pinching in August.......

DOH! But I did end up with a ton of green pods come november. Maybe A well placed pinch or 30 is advisable after all!
 
Cheezy you have gone to the two extremes here, you have to find some middle ground. Feel lucky if you can grow a seedling in two months that is producing bud sites. As for overwintered mine were never cut back and flowered all winter long but no fruit. Flowers just feel off the plant, natural pinching. My 7 Pod has been outside no more than a couple day and I counted no less that 5 peppers already forming. I love flowers.
 
I do not think there is a wrong or a right way to do it. I personally pinch everything that I possibly can but for me it is a overwhelming task so I just pinch them as best I can. My reasoning is that I do not want the plants to put any energy towards fruit set. I had over 300 plants in the garden last year and at plant out every single bud was pinched off and the day after transplanting the last plant i give them a dose of heavy nitrogen 30- 5-5 (something along those lines). This is given to them through a drip system, I just screw on the ferts and it is done automatically. About two to three weeks after that when they start to show signs of budding again I give them a 5-54-5. Now I don't know if this is right or wrong and I do not know much about the application of ferts but this has worked very well for me and I never had any plants not produce ripe pods. If you want large plants that produce alot of fruit I say pinch em now until plant out and let the plants get big. JMO. This year though since I will be selling, anything that is not going in the garden will have buds on it.

Dale
 
I usually pinch everything I can until there's consistant warm weather and sun, although flowers usually drop on their own for me with little fertilizer and lower light levels in the spring. Plants that I've let fruit early usually have only small pods and new growth is stunted and overall plant size/production is noticably reduced:(
 
Thanks!

Dale, that sounds right. I hear about people giving seedlings bloom fertilizer and I cringe. The high nitr is key at plant out to set the right tone for growth.

Right on Potowie.

That is certainly better than what I did last year, syd, and it is probably about good enough.

So.......

The plan is to pinch until plant out, put spurs to the nitrogen (within reason), and let nature take over.

Sound like some middleground PRF?;)
 
Sounds about right cheezy, you all are making me think I should go chop my 7 Pod peppers. It is the only plant so I may just let this one ride. The peppers are still very small.
 
Tough call. Mine seems healthy enough to allow it to set fruit before plant out, but I know that will rob lots of potential growth, and ultimately result in less peppers.
 
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