Bottom Pruning and Mulching Pepper Plants - Pepper Geek

Get our eBook!

In this video, we discuss the benefits of mulching and bottom pruning pepper plants. These two techniques are great for creating an easier-to-manage pepper garden that is also more attractive.

Mulching peppers is a great way to prevent weeds, reduce soil splashing and insulating the roots from the cold. We love using straw, but it can be a bit messy. You can also use grass clippings, black plastic, or wood chips (though you should use some caution with these).

Bottom pruning is optional, but definitely worth considering for its benefits. The goal is to remove lower foliage (but not low branches) from the plant, up to about 6" above the soil. This helps avoid soil hitting the leaves, and makes it much easier to access the plant for watering and harvesting.

Join our Patreon to grow peppers with us!

🌶️ HOW TO GROW PEPPERS

📸 INSTAGRAM

*****************************************
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:37 - About bottom pruning
1:50 - How to bottom prune peppers
4:35 - About mulching
6:22 - How to mulch peppers

*****************************************
Thanks for watching Pepper Geek!
#peppers #pruning #mulching #gardening #growing

[JT-ikcm]

Just found myself out bottom pruning my pepper plants at 12 am 🤣

[ryanr]

trimming the base makes everything look bigger and better

[tmoutdoors]

Watched this, immediately went out and bottom pruned 37 pepper plants, never thought to do this. Thanks!!

[mwright]

Now I know to go mulch my pepper plants when I’m back from vacation. I worry about my little plants but hope family who is watering them don’t forget any of them.

[paisley]

I bottom pruned mine and took the leaves, cut them with scissors scattered them in my garden to help repel bunnies. My jalapenos are producing like crazy.

[thetangieman]

TBH I often remove the first 4-6 lateral nodes, keeping each plant to 4-8 stems diverging from the main stem, and I typically leave the leaves on the mainstem 2-3 weeks after pinching out the nodes before removing them. This gives the plant time to use those leaves to provide energy to the overhead stems until they can grow a little more and focuses energy on the intended stems. Ideally resulting in a 6 inch bare stem forking into 4-8 branches.

[ahnaahna]

Kitties always bring good energy to my plants! I do also put little colorful plastic forks/spoons/knives from Dollar Store, all over the top of the soil, to discourage any kitty using the plant pot as litter box. Is a great hack! It works great!!! Ahna Atlanta/Georgia

[klincecum]

Wood chips are fine. They aren't going to reduce the nitrogen in the first few inches of soil unless you are mixing them in to the soil.

[SuperStruct]

You can get free straw mulch from Farm Supply by asking them if you can sweep up near their stray bales... But I use that for containers only because it does have wheat seeds in them, could get gnarly if you let the weeds grow. Worth it to me, got enough for the year in one day!

[Wheelman]

I love bottom pruning. Puts more energy UP and makes it look like a tree

[rosswoodland]

This was the perfect timing man. Thank you. Actually answered part of my question from my Dm on Instagram. I thought the lower sprouts were a sign that the plant was too root-bound. I'll just let them be and see how that goes.

[iwuvwaffles]

the snap of the leaves coming off has a satisfying sound lol

[hollynelson]

I never heard about trimming the bottom and that it would make more shoot, thank you.

[LateNightYinzer]

Another great video Calvin. One thing I might add.. Make damn sure you get straw mulch that's WEED FREE. Mine was 99% weed free, and now I'm growing wheat with my peppers, lol.

[DustyNonya]

It's nice seeing a bottom pruning video on peppers. I don't generally prune mine at all unless the leaves become damaged or too close to the soil...but I've found it stunts the plant less (if at all) compared to topping them, and you don't generally end up with compact growth that weighs the plant down from being bushed out artificially.

I've seen both methods harbor success for certain peppers or growers, but the bottom pruning method always seemed to be more the more logical choice in general. The leaves are older, closer to pathogenic "splash" hazards, and there's less guesswork involved in determining the effects of losing a fully mature leaf/plant segment.

[richardsanchez]

Thanks for the tip. I have some peppers and having some growth problems. I’ll give this a try

[TimBeitz-vpfw]

My greenhouse peppers are setting fruit. Pruned the tops and looking good.

[mikeconklin]

I learned to use Pine Straw to keep weeds from germinating. Mulching every month.

[davidniemi]

I've long been removing low leaves and sometimes branches, starting with seed leaves, when they (a) no longer look healthy; (b) are dragging on the ground or close to it; and/or (c) are completely shaded out by higher leaves and branches.

I experimented a lot with topping 2 years ago and did not find it very helpful except on leggy plants, and my pepper plants are rarely leggy even indoors under my grow lights. However, I do remove tops (and move plants out to pots to quarantine) if I suspect a virus like whatever causes the curly, smaller, dark, shiny leaves. In that case I remove the parts of the plants that don't look 100% healthy and hope for it to regrow. This works about half the time.

[Robert-xpii]

Those companies would charge us for poop. Oh wait, they do. 😒

Anywho, great video as always. You're my bible as I grow my first peppers (habanero and piñata).