Pruning tomatoes improves their aroma and the vigorous growth of the plants. But is this method also desirable for pepper or chilli plants?
For most tomato varieties, amateur gardeners agree: less is more – cutting off young, infertile side shoots that grow in the leaf axils makes a lot of sense in our latitudes. For pepper and chili plants, this method is controversial – it can bring some benefits, but you have to distinguish between peppers and chilies.
Pruning pepper and chili plants is not necessary, but it makes sense
Whether to prune pepper plants is a matter of debate. But it prevents diseases, for example. © Panthermedia/Imago
Due to the climate, pepper plants on German balconies or in gardens cannot produce the same growth performance as in their Central and South American homeland. When they have developed ripe pods with us, the season is almost over. If you don't stingy the plants, they get a bushy growth with perhaps more fruit heads – but have even less time to put their energy into the formation of the fruits.
Pruning pepper plants until they bear fruit is said to bring the following benefits:
- Protection against pests and diseases: Dense foliage offers ideal growing conditions and a great climate for unwanted roommates. Fewer leaves mean more air circulation.
- The plant can put all its energy into the formation of the existing flowers and fruit plants - these are then more likely to reach full maturity this season.
- In nature, pepper plants themselves shed flowers due to a lack of strength. This can also be observed occasionally if you simply let the plant grow. In order to save the peppers the strength for this unnecessary growth process, it makes sense to remove superfluous shoots.
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In any case, you should not cut off too much, otherwise you will hardly have any fruit later. It is considered certain that the eruption of the royal flower, the first top flower of the branching between the main and the first side shoot, will later bring a higher yield.
The situation is somewhat different with hot pepper and chilli plants: the plants naturally grow bushier and the fruits become smaller in their final size and ripen faster, so the plants also have enough strength to form more fruits. Here, pruning only makes sense in exceptional cases (for example, if you want to overwinter the chilli plant) so that you do not reduce the harvest.