You prune your tomatoes, why not your peppers?
Well-timed pepper pruning provides surprising benefits.
While it is not necessary to prune peppers, there certainly are benefits to doing so.
Credit: Getty Images
Learn why pruning improves plant health and yields, and how to prune pepper plants to reap those benefits.
When we remove plant material through pruning, we alter the growth pattern of plants.
Higher branching also leads to more fruit production later in the season.
Our goals for pruning at these two times are quite different.
Late-season pruning is done to hasten fruit ripening when frost threatens.
Let’s look at how to prune pepper plants to accomplish these goals.
How To Prune Pepper Plants
The pruning basics are the same regardless of timing.
Use a clean, sharp hand-pruner and make cuts just above a branch or leaf node.
It is important to keep pruning tools sanitized between plants to prevent the spread of disease.
Disinfect tools easily by dipping them in a 10% bleach solution.
When pruning, discard any diseased material in the trash rather than the compost.
Early-Season Pruning
Most gardenersgrow pepper plantsfrom transplants purchased at the store.
Many pepper transplants have a single, long stem that is often quite weak due to growing indoors.
This is called topping or tip pruning.
The plants respond by sending out branches along the stem, resulting in a fuller, stronger plant.
For these varieties, identify the strong stems forming a Ythis will be the main structure of the plant.
Prune away any smaller branches or suckers, taking care not to damage the main Y-shaped branches.
Root Development
Remember that young plants are also setting down roots.
you’ve got the option to encourage healthier root development by removing the first flush of flowers.
This may seem counterintuitive, but healthy roots will lead to higher yields through the course of the season.
Removing the lower leaves helps prevent plant diseases by reducing the chance of soil-borne pathogens from splashing onto foliage.
Peppers take a long time to ripen, especially those that develop color.
As fall approaches, encourage fruit to ripen by removing foliage shading the fruits.
This allows the heat of the sun to reach developing peppers.
More severe pruning about three to four weeks before the first expected frost forces remaining fruits to ripen.
Remove branches that do not hold any fruits.
This redirects the plant’s energy into only those fruits that have a chance of maturing.
