Pruning peppers?

Rfdillon · March 30, 2015

I have several questions regarding pruning peppers.

Do you all recommend pruning them?

Where do you start cutting?

When do you suggest doing this?

How often do you prune, for maximum yield?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Worth1 · March 30, 2015

I dont think peppers need to be pruned they need to be in a cage.

Worth

biscgolf · March 30, 2015

i don't prune mine either... too many plants (1000+) for marginal return on the labor.

drew51 · March 30, 2015

I don't prune either, if conditions are right, they will branch by themselves. I tried it a couple years and saw no difference. I saw videos where they compare. The topped pepper does better but the control was in a smaller pot, never watered, and the person admitted to the neglect, yet reported like that made no difference. When I did my own trials, I didn't see any advantage at all. The biggest influence for me was temps. Best temps were 70 to 80F They did the best in this temp range. Growth slowed above and below those ranges.
I bet it where pepper is from plays a role. Some do better at higher temps. Ritght now it's 47F I have my peppers in a cold frame and it's over 70F in there.

peppero · March 30, 2015

I started to prune last year out of curiosity. It has provided stockier plants that are bushier and with an increase in production. I noticed the same efects when the deer trimmed them for me. I plan on doing all of them this year and as Worth mentioned using cage.

jon

Worth1 · March 30, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by peppero

I started to prune last year out of curiosity. It has provided stockier plants that are bushier and with an increase in production. I noticed the same efects when the deer trimmed them for me. I plan on doing all of them this year and as Worth mentioned using cage.

jon

I have 50 really nice cages that I use for peppers.
They were sold as large tomato cages but we all know how that works.

Every year just like this one something comes along and prunes a pepper plant or two.
The year so far it is sweet banana and Poblano.
The Poblano was growing back and it got pruned again last night.

Worth

FarmerShawn · March 30, 2015

OK, so those who prune - what exactly do you prune, and when? What is the pruning goal? I might be tempted to experiment with it, if I can learn the how. How different is it from pruning tomatoes (which I do all the time)?

drew51 · March 30, 2015

My experience with pruned plants is a decrease in production as the season goes on as the plant tries to recover, those not pruned are producing. Just like summer pruning trees. You prune in the summer to supress vigor. It works well with peppers too.

I like to prune if you plan to overwinter. Here is a manzano I striped down. It has 4 main branches and is about 3 feet tall, never pruned till now. I prefer a sturdy upright plant to a bush.

Here is an unpruned pepadew from last summer, they bush out fine on their own. This plant is 5 feet tall.

An unpruned Lemon Drop. Seems plenty bushy to me.

Worth1 · March 30, 2015

Just remember a tomato is more like a vine.
I pepper plant is more like a bush or small tree.
My wild one has bark on it.

Worth

drew51 · March 31, 2015

I prune tomatoes too. It's worth trying it may work for you.
Here is why I do not. Here is a pepper started about Feb. 25th

Here is a close up on that photo

It's already starting many secondary branches without being topped. I'm not sure how topping improves on this? It will just knock it down. But to each his own. if you have a long growing season it may not matter. I do not, everyday is important.

Father'sDaughter · March 31, 2015

I would only prune them at the end of the season, after the harvest, if I were going to overwinter them.

roper2008 · March 31, 2015

I am pruning some this year for first time. I have so many, I might
as well. The ones that were getting to tall and hitting the grow lights,
we're the first candidates. I will compare them to my unpruned
plants. So far they are looking good.

luke · April 6, 2015

I prune the ones I overwinter, but not by much. They are all superhots, and I've found the produce better if they keep some size to them.

guruofgardens · April 8, 2015

I pruned about half of my Superhots last year but not really knowing what to do, I just pruned the tops when the plant made a Y. Not all of the plants did this.

This year, my friend who pruned all of his Superhots last year, and I talked about pruning and came to the conclusion that we had better things to do than worry about pruning 200+ peppers. Besides, it's time to worry about tomatoes and transplanting.

Stvrob · April 8, 2015

What would be the goal of pruning? To limit the number of branches? (Like pruning a tomato?) Or increase the number of branches?

The peppers I grow branch quite readily, maybe I could get bigger peppers if i pruned these branches off, but I dont feel any compulsion to prune them for that.

March 30, 2015	#1
Rfdillon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 121	Pruning peppers? I have several questions regarding pruning peppers. Do you all recommend pruning them? Where do you start cutting? When do you suggest doing this? How often do you prune, for maximum yield? Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

March 30, 2015	#4
drew51 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Sterling Heights, MI Zone 6a/5b Posts: 1,302	I don't prune either, if conditions are right, they will branch by themselves. I tried it a couple years and saw no difference. I saw videos where they compare. The topped pepper does better but the control was in a smaller pot, never watered, and the person admitted to the neglect, yet reported like that made no difference. When I did my own trials, I didn't see any advantage at all. The biggest influence for me was temps. Best temps were 70 to 80F They did the best in this temp range. Growth slowed above and below those ranges. I bet it where pepper is from plays a role. Some do better at higher temps. Ritght now it's 47F I have my peppers in a cold frame and it's over 70F in there. Last edited by drew51; March 30, 2015 at 01:06 PM.

March 30, 2015	#7
FarmerShawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,001	OK, so those who prune - what exactly do you prune, and when? What is the pruning goal? I might be tempted to experiment with it, if I can learn the how. How different is it from pruning tomatoes (which I do all the time)? __________________ "Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!" -- Tommy Smothers

March 30, 2015	#8
drew51 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Sterling Heights, MI Zone 6a/5b Posts: 1,302	My experience with pruned plants is a decrease in production as the season goes on as the plant tries to recover, those not pruned are producing. Just like summer pruning trees. You prune in the summer to supress vigor. It works well with peppers too. I like to prune if you plan to overwinter. Here is a manzano I striped down. It has 4 main branches and is about 3 feet tall, never pruned till now. I prefer a sturdy upright plant to a bush. Here is an unpruned pepadew from last summer, they bush out fine on their own. This plant is 5 feet tall. An unpruned Lemon Drop. Seems plenty bushy to me. Last edited by drew51; March 30, 2015 at 05:44 PM.

March 30, 2015	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I dont think peppers need to be pruned they need to be in a cage. Worth

March 30, 2015	#3
biscgolf Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 353	i don't prune mine either... too many plants (1000+) for marginal return on the labor.

March 30, 2015	#5
peppero Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: selmer, tn Posts: 2,944	I started to prune last year out of curiosity. It has provided stockier plants that are bushier and with an increase in production. I noticed the same efects when the deer trimmed them for me. I plan on doing all of them this year and as Worth mentioned using cage. jon

March 31, 2015	#10
drew51 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Sterling Heights, MI Zone 6a/5b Posts: 1,302	I prune tomatoes too. It's worth trying it may work for you. Here is why I do not. Here is a pepper started about Feb. 25th Here is a close up on that photo It's already starting many secondary branches without being topped. I'm not sure how topping improves on this? It will just knock it down. But to each his own. if you have a long growing season it may not matter. I do not, everyday is important.

March 31, 2015	#11
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I would only prune them at the end of the season, after the harvest, if I were going to overwinter them.

March 31, 2015	#12
roper2008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Virginia Bch, VA (7b) Posts: 1,337	I am pruning some this year for first time. I have so many, I might as well. The ones that were getting to tall and hitting the grow lights, we're the first candidates. I will compare them to my unpruned plants. So far they are looking good.

April 6, 2015	#13
luke Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Mississippi Posts: 177	I prune the ones I overwinter, but not by much. They are all superhots, and I've found the produce better if they keep some size to them.

April 8, 2015	#14
guruofgardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: zone 5 Colorado Posts: 942	I pruned about half of my Superhots last year but not really knowing what to do, I just pruned the tops when the plant made a Y. Not all of the plants did this. This year, my friend who pruned all of his Superhots last year, and I talked about pruning and came to the conclusion that we had better things to do than worry about pruning 200+ peppers. Besides, it's time to worry about tomatoes and transplanting.

April 8, 2015	#15
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	What would be the goal of pruning? To limit the number of branches? (Like pruning a tomato?) Or increase the number of branches? The peppers I grow branch quite readily, maybe I could get bigger peppers if i pruned these branches off, but I dont feel any compulsion to prune them for that.