Pinching out growing tips

[SarzWix]

I pinch out the tops of my tall (6ft+) heritage peas when they reach the top of the supports, but I'm fairly sure that shorter varieties stop naturally - I never had to pinch out waverex for instance.

[Alison]

I was wondering that myself, never pinch mine out but a friend of mine was asking and I wondered whether it was something I should have been doing to make a bushier plant.

[BertieFox]

I don't know if this thread from 2009 is so old that my reply and question won't be read, but perhaps I will try!

I have had a very poor year with my peppers this year, both in the polytunnel and outside. The main problem is that the fruit have been invaded by slugs which gain entry through small holes made by something, possibly slugs but I suspect something else.

As a consequence although the fruits look great on the outside, apart from the small hole, as soon as you cut them open the inside is black and rotting, and a slug is usually crawling around in there.

I have heavily mulched the beds with woodchips, which may not have helped, but the bushy plants tend to drag on the ground and fruit can rest there, even when I try to tie up all the various branches to small canes.

On the outside plants, I have the same problem but also a lot of the fruit goes mouldy and soft before ripening. There is sometimes a grey patch over the surface of the pepper. The long, 'Macaroni' type seems to be worse affected.

I have been considering trying to grow peppers as cordons next year, on the basis that straight taller plants won't have the same problem and the fruit will be clear of the ground and pests. This is the method used in professional horticulture, I know, but may not be suitable for the shorter season of we amateurs.

Has anybody grown their peppers as cordons, and what were the results like?

[skeggijon]

My Pepper and Chilli plants have been hit by snails this year, but hasn't particularly affected their productivity - in fact one of my pepper plants was so heavy with fruits that two of the branches broke off under the weight

I don't like my plants too bushy. I think it's better to have an open structure to the plant wihich helps prevent moulds forming in my opinion and also aids ripening

[sparrow100]

Sounds like you have botrytis on the peppers. I've got a bit now on the padrons as they are very bushy and 2ft tall. I don't bother pinching out chillies, they produce enough for my needs as they are and that's one less job to faff about with. My habaneros are 2 years old and 18inches-2ft tall too.