Topping Sweet Peppers?

I'm a novice grower, but I got the impression that sweet peppers grow like hot peppers. Since topping/pruning can increase yield for hot peppers I guess its the same for sweet peppers.
 
newril said:
I'm a novice grower, but I got the impression that sweet peppers grow like hot peppers. Since topping/pruning can increase yield for hot peppers I guess its the same for sweet peppers.
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Right I was thinking that too, but so far what I am reading suggest the opposite. Wondering if anyone can verify from first hand experience. ;-D
 
I read somewhere people recommending not to top annums. This is my first year to start sweets from seed rather than buy starters so I am going to try topping some of them to see what happens. For some reason my sweets don't usually turn out well anyway so might not matter either way.
 
Topping is usually done for a reason. IE: Space constraints, desire for more low shoots/growth, or other similar reasons.
 
Sweet annuums are generally short, more compact plants already.
 
Personally, I just let peppers of most vars do their thing unless I have a need to change the growth habit.
 
I toped a few of mine with varying results , some bushed out and grew lots of pods and were better for it, others had weird wirey branches growing of in bad directions that I eventually had to cut off as they were not very effective for potted peppers. I am going to defiantly top my plants this year again but I'm going to make sure I keep on top of them and circumvent any poor branch choices.
 
KrakenPeppers said:
I toped a few of mine with varying results , some bushed out and grew lots of pods and were better for it, others had weird wirey branches growing of in bad directions that I eventually had to cut off as they were not very effective for potted peppers. I am going to defiantly top my plants this year again but I'm going to make sure I keep on top of them and circumvent any poor branch choices.
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I noticed this as well last year. Two of my Jalapenos branched out really well and produced a lot, the third + two poblanos and a corno di toro had the wirey, lanky branches you mentioned and produced very little. I wonder if its a genetic thing.
dan5505 said:
Here is a couple annums that I topped real early after their first 4 nodes.  They seem to be bushing well.  
 

 
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Very nice examples! Did you top above or below the first split?
 
Sorry, I do not have pics available, but due to my stupidity of starting seeds in early January, I did have to top most of my plants, but 90% of my sweet peppers had to be topped.  They do appear to be surviving well.  I have a few peppers on them as I type too, so I do not see any ill effects.
 
i've topped both of these plants 3 time each, because i was running out of head room:
Fresno


Red Cayenne

edit: have not had enough lighting by the way and i keep the fan leaves on; i"ve been topping my sweet peppers, which look the same as my hot annuums
 
filmost said:
 
I noticed this as well last year. Two of my Jalapenos branched out really well and produced a lot, the third + two poblanos and a corno di toro had the wirey, lanky branches you mentioned and produced very little. I wonder if its a genetic thing.

 
Very nice examples! Did you top above or below the first split?
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Well below.  I probably topped them way to early while they were still seedlings.  I was trying to get them to split or branch low on the plant.
 
As far as I know, commercial growers dno't top annums, but rather do selective pruning. They keep big branches and cut off smaller ones; they also cut leaves as well as flower/small fruit to increase yeald in ponds/kg, not necesarily number of fruit.
 
This is all done in green houses, as plants grown outside are mostly left alone - it would increase costs too much to get so many people pruning daily.
 
I think all of this is pretty well documented for bell peppers and tomatoes.
 
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