There is an art to pruning sweet peppers, and you must not copy methods blindly

Sweet pepper planting densities vary greatly, yet the number of main branches retained is the same, which invisibly reduces yield. Because every sweet pepper plant is kept with four main branches, while 2000 plants per mu versus 1200 plants per mu, the yield difference lies in those 800 plants. So to catch up with or surpass the yield of 1200 plants per mu compared with 2000 plants per mu, you must retain 1-2 more vigorous side branches on top of the original four main branches, to guarantee yield.

Pruning sweet peppers is done to improve field ventilation and light penetration, raise photosynthetic efficiency, promote vigorous growth of the main branches, concentrate nutrients for supply to the fruiting branches, favour setting more peppers and larger peppers, and improve the market quality of the pepper fruit. At the same time, it also gives every pepper branch and every fruit reasonable growing space, ensuring good sweet pepper quality and high yield. Especially for coloured peppers, fruit shape and colouring directly relate to price and income, which is very important. Therefore, in sweet pepper management, rational pruning and branch retention are indispensable.

So when pruning sweet peppers, you must first look at planting density and not blindly copy other people's experience. The growing space for sweet peppers per mu is fixed, and the suitable number of branches is also fixed. Planting practice shows that the number of main branches of sweet peppers per mu is best kept between 5000-7000. That is to say, at a planting density of 2000 plants, each plant should suitably retain 3-4 main branches; while at 1200 plants per mu, on the basis of retaining 4 main branches per plant, retain 2 more vigorous side branches.