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Stems too small?

F

fireface

I have a few super hots growing this year where the stems are disproportionately smaller than the rest of the plants. I have had a fan on them since they popped and have had it set to keep the leaf canopy swaying 24/7 for 3 months, but the stems haven't gotten any bigger.

Does anyone know of alternative ways to thicken up the stems? I'm scared the stems are gonna snap once fruit starts to set.


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are they "willowy" or are the stems strong?
 
Looks like wood to me. You can always tie them off to a post if you're worried about them. Not sure if there is anything specific that can be done to make the stem grow bigger.

Cory what is an amino treatment? EDIT: Nevermind. Just the latest in the ever increasing types of fertilizers that are supposed to turn a pepper plant into a Redwood. Getting tired of the hype.
 
Shoring them up with some sticks sounds like a good remedy if a solution is not found.

Are those pots a little small for the size of the plants though?

Any why is it leaning away from the light? Overcrowding?
 
Looks just fine for a plant that has been indoor its whole life. Having a fan helps a bit but there is nothing quite like ol ma nature to get the girth you are looking for. But also indoors you dont have to worry about the sudden wind gusts so I say you are fine.
 
I had a similar issue with a Datil that I kept in my office window. When I decided to bring it home it didn't support its own weight in the constant breeze I have outside. I cut it back pretty aggressively and it has since become a much stockier plant with a good sized main stem. This did mean, of course, that it was not producing and pods for about three months though, so it really is a pretty drastic measure.
 
HwyBill said:
Shoring them up with some sticks sounds like a good remedy if a solution is not found.

Are those pots a little small for the size of the plants though?

Any why is it leaning away from the light? Overcrowding?
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This pot is only for another month or so until I can get it into a 7 gallon smart pot outside. I turned it away from the light to get a better picture. Although I have massively overgrown the area around my window.

Thanks for all the other responses, I guess I will have to throw a tomato stake in when I start putting them outside. Pruning back isn't really an option, since it's all I can do to get any pods up here. Hopefully with this head start I can get a decent harvest the year.
 
A fan will only help out small plants that it can blow around a lot. It helps more to circulate air then aid in stem growth once you get to a certain point. Staking it will definitely help support your plant but you can try other things to help the plant before taking it out. You can try topping the plant so it grows bushier rather than tall, that way there is less torque on the stem when pods come. Try to get more light into that stem too if you can with some CFLs or something at the very least to encourage that bushing out. The plant should naturally get a nice stem as it grows older and stresses from higher winds blow it around. You can also manually simulate a high wind by grabbing the plant by the base and giving it a real good shake now and then. This can help thicken your stems more than the gentle breeze of a fan.

Good luck!
 
The main stem and adjoining branches wil thicken over time. You'll see the difference once they're in direct sunlight. I would stake the stem and tie up the laterial branching to adjecent stakes. They can be fragile in the wind or you might crack them when reaching in to inspect the plant.....I've done so
Its a familar sound.................... :tear:
The way my containers are set up I have a stake pretty much every 3 ft. My containers are layed out in groups not rows.
Another method is to cutback the growing tips to force inner growth. With more of a shrublike plant it becomes self supported...
You'll be fine juslt get those dang plants outdoors

Greg
 
patrick said:
Looks like wood to me. You can always tie them off to a post if you're worried about them. Not sure if there is anything specific that can be done to make the stem grow bigger.

Cory what is an amino treatment? EDIT: Nevermind. Just the latest in the ever increasing types of fertilizers that are supposed to turn a pepper plant into a Redwood. Getting tired of the hype.
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+1. The stalk looks thin but that happens. It looks like the OP has done things right and strengthened the thin stalk, making it nice and woody. If it goes outside, it will probably need a cage or a stick to provide it support. I don't think there is anything that can be done other than fanning it to make the stalk more woody. My cayenne has a fairly thin stalk but it's super woody and is supporting the plant very well so far (we get terrible gusts here that turned that stalk into wood fast, lol).
 
I just hope we don't get another tropical storm up in CT this year. I can't bring my plants inside for gusts over 60mph when they're in the ground and that would wreck plants no matter how thick their stems are :confused:
 
My TS growing in hydroponics looks just like yours. The bottom stem part is woody and strong but very slim, upper part thick and green. I do have a fan blowing on it and enough light. Dunno whats the reason. I'm not worried though :)
 
mrz1988 said:
I just hope we don't get another tropical storm up in CT this year. I can't bring my plants inside for gusts over 60mph when they're in the ground and that would wreck plants no matter how thick their stems are :confused:
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Hehe, I'm originally from CT. Fortunately tropical storms are rare there. Mine made it through Irene, a nor'easter, terrible gusts (lots of those here) and several tropical storms last year. Irene almost hit us dead on last year, lol. That storm scared my family in CT. I think you guys got hit worse than we did oddly. I put mine in the ground too. I'm hoping for no hurricanes! Maybe there is something that can be done for tropical storm weather. I dig huge trenches around my plots to avoid flooding. The gusts might be a blessing for the climate here because it strengthens the plants for when we get tropical storms and such. the gusts keep knocking my plants over while I harden them off and emptying out all the soil :( . Already getting wind damage but nothing devastating, hehe.
 
I like to supercrop the stems. But in your case it looks like it might just break. Works really good on fresh growth where the stems doesn't look like wood. I just rub them in between my fingers til it feels soft and then bend the stem over so its just hanging there. It will trick the plant into thinking it was topped and focus more on the growth below the point you bent it over. In the long run you'll have a stockier, bushier plant that is super strong with lots more pods.
 
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