Should I Top A Forked Plant

B

Beardedpepper

Hey everyone,
 
So this may have already been discussed a dozen or more time, but I wasn't able to find any information on it. I have some plants that are naturally forking. Does it make sense to top them? Isn't it already directing the energy the same way topping it would? I just don't see how it could benefit the plant in any way.
 
If you top them before the fork they bush out, but the growing is slowed a lot. Your choice, but I personally wouldn't cut it if it's already old enough that it is forking. 
 
The vast majority of my plants end up as bushes and I don't purposely top any of them. Some always end up getting topped by nature but they all end up similar and bush like in the end.. with the ones topped by nature generally a bit behind and certainly later to bear their first pods. 
 
I did a test with some cayenne peppers
They both naturally forked out but one of them I topped just before it's fork and it grew a lot more branches and is more bushy
 
They untopped one flowered earlier but now there are less flowers
 
I think if you have a short season it would be best to top
 
I have the same thing going on with one of my plants that I know of, One of my carolina reapers has decided to split on its own, Much like it would as if I had cut the top off, My plan is to let it go a little longer vertically then snip each of the tops. Id want to see what comes of it. I like seeing for myself what the best base of action is. Onward:
 
I have learned that it is completely up to the grower. Topping will produce a shorter, bushier plant with more side shoots and a thicker vegetative growth, also it is said they will produce more pods as the vertical energy is re directed laterally, Stronger stem and branches=heartier plants which in turn makes for a heavier crop. If you decide to let nature take its course, again from what I have seen here, You may need to stake the plant, cage it or provide some kind of vertical support. Production may not be as abundant. Just what I have learned from some of the members here. Basically, it is up to you :) Happy Growing.
 
Thanks for the replies. So Powelly - if you lived somewhere in Zone 7b you wouldn't top? I think I'm going to experiment a little too. I've seen some plants that don't seem to ever fork, and I can see why someone would want to top.
 
Blitz527 said:
I have the same thing going on with one of my plants that I know of, One of my carolina reapers has decided to split on its own, Much like it would as if I had cut the top off, My plan is to let it go a little longer vertically then snip each of the tops. Id want to see what comes of it. I like seeing for myself what the best base of action is. Onward:
 
I have learned that it is completely up to the grower. Topping will produce a shorter, bushier plant with more side shoots and a thicker vegetative growth, also it is said they will produce more pods as the vertical energy is re directed laterally, Stronger stem and branches=heartier plants which in turn makes for a heavier crop. If you decide to let nature take its course, again from what I have seen here, You may need to stake the plant, cage it or provide some kind of vertical support. Production may not be as abundant. Just what I have learned from some of the members here. Basically, it is up to you :) Happy Growing.
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So is it ever too late to top? This is one of the ones that forked naturally. This one is on its second set of forks. Would it benefit me at all to top it at this point?
 

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Beardedpepper said:
Thanks for the replies. So Powelly - if you lived somewhere in Zone 7b you wouldn't top? I think I'm going to experiment a little too. I've seen some plants that don't seem to ever fork, and I can see why someone would want to top.
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Well they have to fork in order to make peppers..each fork = a node. and peppers can only grow from the nodes.
A pepper that never forked would never make any peppers.
 
Has anyone here ever seen a BIG pepper plant that is not at least somewhat bush like? I don't think they really exist..not on an old plant anyway.  Otherwise people with a long growing season would have 2 meter tall top heavy plants with long trunks.
Lots of people do however have a fear of the foliage touching the ground so cut away the lower leaves & branches making things less bushy. I just let them grow and don't cut anything off unless its sick. Not sure how much more bush you want.
 
Pretty much what happens if you do nothing, is they grow to about 6 inches tall and fork. Fork again. Maybe few fork again on the top canopy. You will have flowers and peppers forming here. Now all the lower nodes start to sprout branches once the top has a bit of a canopy. Those fork. and fork and fork etc etc and a bush like plant is formed.
 
 
IMG_2593_zpslrw2mh0p.jpg

 
EDIT; if you do nothing to the plant in your image. It will flower and maybe produce fruit at the nodes/forks that are already there. And see those small leaves starting to sprout out from down the trunk? Those will grow outwards into branches anyway.
If you cut it off. Your loosing the fruit that will potentially be there, and the plant looses much of its energy producing potential. Pretty much you will just set it back. Give it what it needs and it has the energy to do everything..at once.
 
edit again - I also think you need more intense light in order to reduce the spacing between the nodes/ forks, which will in turn create a more compact & bushy plant :) 
 
Thanks for the detailed response nzchili. I agree. I just can't think of a reason why it would do much more good to top, even if I had topped earlier on. I have 12 4 foot t8 (daylight and sunshine) 5000(6) and 6500(6) flourecent lights on these guys. This particular plant hasn't had the best of days. Also, the pic makes it look a little more stretched than it is. Below you can see it compared to my hand. The reaper and a few other varieties I have are short and bushy. I honestly just think it's this particular plants genes (cayenne). Idk. Of course I could use hps and metal halide lights lol but these guys will be going outside within 4 weeks. Below is a pic of one of my reapers too.
 

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Yea I would say those look fine in that image. Could do with bigger pots if you have the space. Also annum types  (cayenne) will in general be more lanky so it does come down the to variety as well.
I can only see an argument for topping if space/time is a constraint, as they can take up a bit of room (and time) before the lower branches decide to start to fill out. but they will fill out. 
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
You could try the thread at the top of this page, A Simple Guide to Topping and Pruning
 
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Thanks for the link! After reading through a lot of the posts, I'm more confused than I was before though lol. It seems like most people assume topping causes side shoots. I have side shoots on plants that I haven't topped. Isn't that the way a pepper plant naturally grows? I can understand the idea that it causes the side shoots to grow quicker, but then again, I have a few plants that are no more than 9 inches tall, less than a month and a half old(started Feb. 11), and are already on their second natural forks (the two original forks are forking). They also have shoots coming out of each node. I had always thought topping was done to keep a plant short and bushy, and not necessarily for greater yield. I'm just not sold. I guess all experiment with both methods to see.

Has anyone experimented before? Same plant, same time of planting, etc?
 
When you top it, it will fork - it's not the only way for it to fork and will do it naturally
Topping will also thicken the stem and will result in a lot more nodes earlier on
 
I'm not a believe in topping, myself.  Not on a single season plant, anyway. After all, the plant is going to have to put energy into growing back what you've cut, PLUS the time it takes to develop fruit.  And the more fruit on a plant, the longer it takes, if you don't have the plant mass to support it, etc, etc, etc.  When you have one that's been around for awhile, there's no way around it.
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Here's my case for topping:
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Note: I do not have small hands.
 
So here are the unlucky contestants to get topped for the season for my experiment. I hope this hurts some of you too see just as much as it hurt me to do it..
 

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Why to pepper people top so funny? You literally only have to pinch the top off the newest growth node and it will fork from there. I see guys chopping like 2 feet off plants snd it baffles my mind. Pinch the tip off, forks and side shoots take off.
 
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