Pruning Manzano

[Aj82]

This is my ???? year old Orange Manzano. It was at this house when i moved in and is the reason i was inspired to attempt growing other peppers

It's been 3 1/2 years and I'm now realizing i should have cut it back, I have to prop it up for it to not hang down like giant vines all the way to the floor.

Anyone have experience/reccomendations on pruning it? Is it too late in the season? It lost most it leaves and has 1 pepper left from the last crop.

here is a pic

 

[synclinorium]

Rocotos/Manzanos usually need some sort of support, there's really no way of getting around that. The stems don't grow to be stocky very quickly but they do grow huge, so there's a tendency to take on an almost vine-like habit...

Don't really have any suggestions for pruning as I have little experience with it... someone else will chime in.

 

[Burning Colon]

i wish i could help but i am in the same spot as you. but my plant is much smaller and in hydroponic.
i brought in a tomoto ring to retrofit into my dwc for support but still haven't figured out how to handle the rocoto growth.

good luck and i will monitor this post, to see what others recommend.

 

[OROZCONLECHE]

Nice plant mine is very small but from the look of yours I would leave it like that looks very nice, specially when it gets some pods

 

[PepperLover]

smokemaster is the king of rocotos. he may help you

 

[harry]

This is my ???? year old Orange Manzano. It was at this house when i moved in and is the reason i was inspired to attempt growing other peppers

It's been 3 1/2 years and I'm now realizing i should have cut it back, I have to prop it up for it to not hang down like giant vines all the way to the floor.

Anyone have experience/reccomendations on pruning it? Is it too late in the season? It lost most it leaves and has 1 pepper left from the last crop.

here is a pic

I trimmed back my plants in late winter to early spring when shoots developed lower down at the nodes. Pruning back only part of the plant has worked for me too.

I'm considering cutting back some of the younger plants to improve their shape once I harvest the crop off the sprawling branches.

 

[Helldozer]

Good to know this information about the Manzano. I'm attempting to grow one myself.

Question about the Manzano. I have one that sprouted about a little over a week ago, but it still has its seed cap on. There are no leaves poking out or anything. Just a solid casing. Is this normal for the Manzano?

 

[synclinorium]

It happens occasionally to any seedling. If it's your only sprout so far, I would just leave it and see if the problem corrects itself- rarely the seed cap will just be stuck but usually the seedling will manage to escape in time, albeit perhaps developing a bit later. If you have several seedlings that have sprouted you can attempt to loosen the seed cap if you don't mind risking the plant, but it's difficult to do this without accidentally crushing/severing the cotyledon. Then again, maybe there's a trick to it I'm unaware of, but I'd just leave it alone. I've killed more seedlings trying to correct the problem than I have saved.

 

[nitwit]

i have cut them before, i waited until the new growth started at the lower bumps

then cut down to about three buds above a lower split

in a couple weeks
they grow like "funny roses"

good growing