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Suckers

LUCKYDOG

LUCKYDOG

Should I pulling off the suckers on my pepper plants? I was walking around last night pulling suckers off my tomato plants and I began thinking about the pepper plants... So how about it do you take the sucker branches off your pepper plants?
 
I often pinch off lower leaves and branches since the sun barely reaches there, but it really depends on the variety you're growing. My Bonda ma Jacques plants seem to always want to branch out huge from the bottom but most C. chinenses grow best for me only above the first fork
 
I take all of the lower leaves off only if they are touching the ground. I read somewhere that the lower leaves touching the ground can promote disease.
 
I do pull the suckers and lower branches off all my plants...I don't like anything touching the soil beneath the branches is the main reason...not saying this is right or wrong, just the way I do it...
 
POTAWIE said:
I often pinch off lower leaves and branches since the sun barely reaches there, but it really depends on the variety you're growing. My Bonda ma Jacques plants seem to always want to branch out huge from the bottom but most C. chinenses grow best for me only above the first fork
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AlabamaJack said:
I do pull the suckers and lower branches off all my plants...I don't like anything touching the soil beneath the branches is the main reason...not saying this is right or wrong, just the way I do it...
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I pull the ones touching soil or yellowing but I figured that I pull the tomato suckers because the new stem is competing for nutrients with the original plant. The plant may be setting more fruits if I let the suckers to grow, but the fruits will be smaller and the plant will be more cumbersome. So I thought about peppers? If I do the same....
I'll have a few of the variety and test it out...
 
Letting the suckers go may lead to a bushier plant but not neccessarily smaller pods. Sometimes if there is a lot of space before the first fork in the plant, there will be enough sun to make for a strong lower branch. I've had lower branches come straight up and do better than the rest of the plant, but that is a rare occurance.
 
Anything that is sickly, stunted or in the shade, gets the knife. Lower leaves I'll leave alone untill the plant sucks them dry and then I help them off with a little flick.

When my plants have lots of peppers on them, I'll pinch all the buds off so the pods get really large. Then, most of the pods should ripen about the same time, so I can remove them and have mostly empty plant ready to load up again.

I find that when a plant flowers with lots of pods still on it, they tend to be much smaller.
 
I have had really good luck w/o taking the suckers off honestly I thought maybe I was missing the boat by omitting a step. I will try on one Biker Billy and one Cherry Bomb

Thanks Potawie and everyone for your input I appreciate it
 
imaguitargod said:
I never pull...anything (well...except Corn suckers). More branches=more fruit=more leaves to convert sunlight to energy!
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I agree with you on that Iggy. Leaves = power = pods.
 
I''ve let the lower branches go on all my plants, and many of them have actually climbed above the canopy of the main forks, filling holes in the canopy to capture more light. Even the lower branches that stay low have nice heavy pods on them on the one Chinense I've got podding up. I'm going to leave mine.
 
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