I see your point, and given the adequate lighting, temp, etc - you wouldn't be wrong. Taking all your leaves off wouldn't likely kill the plant but it really is just an unnecessary step to take. ÂPfeffer said:
Âbeardedchunk said:
 Genetikx said:
ÂPepper-Guru said:
Well, it depends. If you have a near perfect soil environment and weather conditions, then it doesn't matter what you do, short of chopping the plant down, to interfere with how many pods its going to throw at you. On the other hand, if your plant isn't growing near its full potential or your root zone environment isn't so great, etc then sure, picking a immature pods will make it seem as though it begins to produce more flowers...and even that is variety dependent. Really though, the plant is only taking a impermanent opportunity to utilize what little nutrients are there to begin with and are now, due to being picked of existing fruit, for a short time freeing up soil nutrient to produce more flowers. After all, the plant is trying to ensure survival. Â So the real answer is that "It shouldn't work this way in our minds". Pepper plants vegetate and flower simultaneously. There isn't a photo period sensitivity, and again they are perennials. We should look at them as a continually fruiting vine that fruits linearly down each vine arm and any side branch that occurs due to a nutrient rich soil environment. The more ideal the root zone environment, the more branching that occurs. The thing is, once a node has produced its initial fruit set, that's it. There is rarely a time where an older, mature node will just outright produce more flowers. That is unless the plant is pruned significantly and given a new rooting environment. Then more branching will occur at older nodes and on those branches is where new pods will form. I've even under watered plants in containers to the point that I've had complete leaf drop. Then to come back after some good rains to find completely new branches forming at each leafless node.Fearnoth said:
