Pruning Pepper Plants - Should You Do It?

Should You Prune Your Pepper Plants? Its a bit of a tricky one, but I aim to find out! First up, if you're sold on Pepper Pruning, then I have you covered. I go through it all step by step with the how and when all detailed. If you're wondering why you would prune a Pepper Plant, well, I have you covered as well!

In this video we go over the possible benefits of pruning, or topping, your Pepper Plants, as well as everything you need to know about how and when to do it! Stay tuned to the end as we set up an experiment with 32 'California Wonder' Sweet Bells to see once and for all whether or not we should be pruning our Peppers!

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#gardening #peppers #howto

[Jeff-rdhb]

I'm doing a similar experiment this year. I started all of my peppers indoors from seed, Dec-Jan & topped them off at 4-6 leaves. Most of them bushed out nicely. I hardened them off & they're all planted outside in my raised beds under makeshift hoop houses until it gets warmer. I'm plucking early flower buds to encourage more leaf growth before I let them set fruit. So far so good...fingers crossed...

[TheRipeTomatoFarms]

If you're just starting out gardening in 2021, this inexpensive set of tools from Amazon can get you and your Peppers up and running this spring! I know there is a fevered and renewed interest in gardening and many of you are seasoned vets. But remember that there's a whole population out there that hasn't gardened before. Let's help them out and encourage as much as possible!

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Gardening Gloves:

[WinsomeWinslet]

Finally someone is doing this in a clear and easy way so we can see if it's worth it. Well done. My tip for growing peppers is to water less than you think you should. Peppers thrive when they feel a little threatened.

[jonathan_r_lee]

Look forward to seeing if there is an actual difference between pruned and unpruned pepper fruit production!

[auntmayme]

Closing my eyes as I can’’t bear to see them pruned. I can happily do it to my tomatoes, but peppers are not it for me. But the tip on doing it to basil is priceless. Thanks!

[OSGCourtWatch]

Couple of thoughts for what they are worth...first, huge believer in topping peppers but above the third or fourth node to allow for more branches to develop below the prune point. Also, this works MUCH better if u start your own peppers early in the season indoors...we don’t plant out until mid May but I start pepper seedlings in early Feb...that way the pepper plants can develop and be completely over any stress well before they are planted out. Some varieties benefit more from pruning than others...smaller fruited peppers tend to branch more easily than bigger fruited peppers (bells, Anaheim’s, etc) so causing additional branching in the larger peppers is very beneficial. Support is also key. If interested in seeing how I prune and support my peppers with horizontal netting & T posts search either IG for OldSquishyGardener or Reddit for OldSquishyGardener2 . Did quite a few posts on topping this season as well as overwintering last season (this year’s overwinter fell victim to aphid infestation so ditched them to start earlier seedlings I could prune heavily).

[livableincome]

Thanks. 😊 I will let you do the experimenting and will follow your lead next year.

[gpapink]

Here in zone 7 I think I set out my peppers to early when night time temps were still near freezing. We’ll see. Thanks for your excellent videos. I am a retired wine grower, now learning about organic food production.

[infamos]

In the UK the growing season is short, from what I've observed is that it does produce a stronger plant but takes longer to produce fruit which doesn't ripen in time, again this is in England where the weather is up and down.

[NanaAnnaMe]

I’m so doing this! Good luck I hope it’s a successful experiment! 😊

[cloud_]

I pruned or “Topped” my Bell Peppers last year at the third node and it shocked them for about 3 weeks with minimal growth. The new leaves grew twisted and shaped like an Eagles Claw. I was happy with production but lost several branches due to branch breakage. I’m not topping this year but I’m growing more plants and using 34” pepper cages instead of bamboo supports for a comparison. Zone 7b. Can’t wait to see your results! ☮️

[elliottvaughn]

Had an animal attack on the garden weeks ago and it topped multiple different plants. I didn't know about pruning peppers as this video is teaching me. One of my peppers got topped and I thought it was done for. Thankfully I didn't take it out and now it's healthier than ever bushing out!

[elizaC]

I am glad to have found this....I am just debating whether to prune or not😊

[monikas]

I pruned 1 of my pepper plants this year and I see a huge difference the one I pruned is much bushier

[SpiceyKy]

I'm gonna experiment with you. About to choose a couple to do this to. We shall see!

[qmoonwalker]

I learned I was waiting too long to trim.... now I know. I've done this a couple times but not sure if it helped or not. Looking forward to your next video!!!

[FarmerJay]

Best explanation I've found on YouTube! I plan on pruning mine for the first time in the UK. We have short summers so I've been told it's essential. Feels a bit upsetting cutting my babies lol
Just become a subscriber thank you

[theloosemonkeybackyardgard]

Nature pruned my peppers this year with a late frost. I did not dig them up and they have all came back out with multi branching and really bushy with plenty of blooms. We will see what kind of production they have. Karma Bells, Cayenne and Tabasco.

[michaelmarchione]

This is a great video, thanks! I don't prune my peppers by cutting off the tops. I keep everything growing below the blossoms pruned off. I end up with tall peppers with bark growing up the base. I do have to stake my plants, but I find just as big a harvest as if I did nothing at all. Once I pruned the tops off 24 plants and pruned everything below the blossoms and did not see a difference in my harvest that year. The peppers on the bushier plants did get mud splashed on them when it rained because I didn't mulch them. Our growing season here in NNY at times is not long enough for a cropped pepper to bush out here in zone 4a. Staking 4 dozen plants can be a pain, but I like the large harvest with huge peppers. It is always a flip of a coin when gardening. My method might not work for everyone, but it does for me. I look forward to your comparison. Experimenting is a great tool! Take care!

[dahutful]

Thanks Jeff.
I'm always a little puzzled by the compulsion to chop away at pepper plants.
Looking forward to your results
David