How do you prune and remove branches from chili peppers, and when is the right time to do it?
Summary: How do you prune and remove branches from chili peppers, and when is the right time to do it?
During the growth of chili peppers, many side branches appear, and these side branches grow very quickly. If pruning and branch removal are not done in time, the growth of the chili peppers will be affected, and both light exposure and yield will suffer. Therefore, timely pruning and branch removal during the growth of chili peppers is very necessary.
What is the purpose of pruning and removing branches from chili peppers?
During the process of growing chili peppers, pruning and branch removal work needs to be done frequently, so what is the purpose of removing branches from chili peppers? Timely pruning and branch removal work on chili peppers is mainly related to the growth habits of chili peppers. Friends who often grow chili peppers probably know that the side branches of chili peppers grow quickly, and the main fruit-bearing branches of chili peppers are the first-level and second-level branches. If there are too many branches on a chili pepper plant, not only will it not increase the yield of chili peppers, but it will instead cause problems such as chili pepper diseases, insufficient light, and a decline in chili pepper quality. It is precisely because of this that timely pruning and branch removal work is needed.
The time for pruning and removing branches from chili peppers
The time for pruning and removing branches from chili peppers should not be too late, nor too early. When the side branches of the chili peppers grow to about 15 cm, pruning and branch removal need to be carried out. It is best to choose a sunny day for branch removal, to avoid infection of the chili peppers on rainy days.
The methods for pruning and removing branches from chili peppers
At present, there are mainly four methods for pruning and removing branches from chili peppers, namely three-main-branch pruning and branch removal, four-main-branch pruning and branch removal, multi-main-branch pruning and branch removal, and irregular pruning and branch removal. This is mainly determined by differences in chili pepper varieties and growing environments, and will be explained separately here.
Three-main-branch pruning and branch removal: this training method is mainly suitable for large-fruited chili pepper varieties. It is generally carried out when the chili peppers' four-door peppers set fruit. At this time, leave three first-level branches, and keep two second-level branches on each first-level branch. Apart from the retained first-level and second-level branches, all the remaining useless branches can be removed. Afterward, pruning and branch removal need to be carried out in time according to the growth of the chili peppers.
Four-main-branch pruning and branch removal: this method is mainly suitable for sweet peppers and bull horn peppers. The four-main-branch pruning and branch removal method is similar to the three-main-branch one; the difference is that in the four-main-branch pruning and branch removal process, four first-level branches with good growth direction and growth condition are retained.
The multi-main-branch pruning and branch removal method is mainly suitable for the pruning process of goat horn peppers. During the pruning process, generally 5 to 6 first-level branches are retained. Chili peppers pruned with this method keep relatively many branches and bear many fruits, but the early yield is not high, and the light exposure of the chili peppers is easily affected.
The irregular pruning and branch removal method is generally suitable for open-field cultivation or early-maturing chili pepper varieties. Pruning is generally carried out when the side branches of the chili peppers grow to about 15 cm. The pruning method is to cut off all side branches below the first pepper, and later attention should also be paid to timely pruning.