Do you have to exhaust the pepper plants? Opinions are divided on this question. Here you will find some reasons that speak for this care measure as well as instructions for pruning bell pepper plants.
Own in the garden Growing peppers and reap a plentiful harvest - many dream of that. In reality, however, it is often not that easy to get your peppers (Capsicum) to stimulate the production of many, large fruits. In addition to sufficient sun, warmth, water and nutrients, pruning the pepper plants is a measure that can increase yield and prevent diseases. The exact procedure, what to watch out for and what applies to skimming chilli and hot peppers can be found in this article.
Do you have to exhaust peppers?
As with cucumbers (Cucumis) it is not absolutely necessary to prune peppers. But it offers some advantages:
- Removal of excess side shoots: The growth energy is put into the formation of fruits and not much leaf mass and long shoots. This means that the plant may produce less fruit, but it has enough energy for it to grow well.
- A better microclimate in the stand: If the foliage is too dense, it is often warm and humid in between - perfect living conditions for many pests and pathogens. If the crop is thinned out, it can dry out faster and air can circulate better. In this way diseases can be prevented.
- In nature, bell pepper plants usually shed a few flowers on their own because they do not have enough strength to produce fruit from each flower. So pricking takes some of the work off the paprika plants. At the same time, you can direct the growth of the plant into the desired shape.
If the pepper plant is left alone, it has a rather bushy growth, because a new shoot forms in each leaf axil. The number of side shoots increases quickly. If you max out peppers, you direct the growth of the plant from the width upwards.
tip: Attach the stripped peppers to a support - the growth in width does not correspond to the natural growth of pepper plants.
Paprika, chilli and hot peppers all belong to the same genus of plants (Capsicum). For this reason, the maintenance is also very similar. Since the fruits of chilli and hot peppers are smaller, you can easily leave more side shoots and thus bring in a larger harvest. The pricking out of chilli or hot peppers should therefore only be carried out in a greatly reduced form, if at all.
Tip: Opinions are divided on the question of whether or not you have to skim paprika plants. However, it has been proven that at least the breakout of the royal flower usually increases the yield. The royal flower is the first flower that is formed at the top of the plant, between the main and first side shoots. If it is broken out, the pepper plant usually produces more fruit overall.
Skimming peppers: instructions
If you decide to prune your pepper plants, you should start with the young plants. The earlier a stingy shoot is removed, the smaller the wound and the less unnecessary energy the plant has already put into this shoot. You should therefore regularly check your pepper plants for new stinging shoots and, if possible, remove them in the morning and in dry weather. This reduces the risk of infection. But which shoots have to be removed? There are various approaches to this, of which we would like to introduce two:
- Remove each side shoot directly from the main shoot. With this method, only the flowers and fruits are left on the main shoot. If the side shoots are discovered in time, they can still be broken out with your fingers. However, if they are a bit larger, it is better to use a sharp knife or sharp secateurs. The wound stays smaller and does not fray, which promises faster healing and a lower risk of infection.
- Cut the tip of the side shoots after their first flowering and the formation of the first leaf. As already described, a new shoot forms in each leaf axil of the side shoot, so that with this method the side shoots of the side shoot must be removed. What speaks for this method is that you stick a little more to the natural growth of the plant. In contrast to tomatoes, the side shoots of pepper plants are also often more fertile.
You can be a little more relaxed when skimming hot peppers and chilli. The plants often have very fertile side shoots and with the smaller fruits, chilli plants usually have enough strength to allow their fruits to ripen, even without pruning.
Tip: Paprika fruits are often large and cost the plant a lot of strength. Regular watering and an adequate supply of nutrients are therefore essential to ensure a bountiful harvest. If you want to be sure that your plant is optimally supplied, you can go to ours, for example Plantura organic tomato and vegetable fertilizer to grab. It is completely animal-free and, with its slightly higher potassium content, also has an ideal nutritional composition for paprika plants.
Skimming the pepper plants is therefore not absolutely necessary. It looks similar with cucumbers, but pruning can also make sense there. In our guide to the Skinning cucumbers you will find out in which case the maintenance measure is worthwhile and how to proceed.
