sweet pepper side shoots

[jase]

I am growing sweet peppers for the first time this year.My question is do you pinch out the side shoots as recommended for tomatoes ?

[shirlthegirl43]

hi and welcome to the vine.

Leave the side shoots on - peppers are bushy plants and the more they bush the more fruits you will get.

[jase]

cheers shirl.

[OllieMartin]

Yay, the search function yields positive results!

Thanks Shirl!

[COMPOST CORNER]

hi and welcome to the vine.

Leave the side shoots on - peppers are bushy plants and the more they bush the more fruits you will get.

Is there a "safe" number of peppers per plant? You know, 6 trusses on a tomato to ensure ripening etc. I have a Torro de Rosso pepper with currently 10 peppers, the biggest of which is about 5" long. I'm really pleased with this, but am not the biggest fan of green peppers but adore red peppers. Is there an optimum number or do I just keep feeding and watering and hope for a good summer?

[I have an Olive tree]

I've been away for a few weeks and although my pepper plants have been watered they look like Palm trees should I pinch the tops out and hope they bush and produce fruit?

[Florence Fennel]

I've been away for a few weeks and although my pepper plants have been watered they look like Palm trees should I pinch the tops out and hope they bush and produce fruit?

I asked this on another thread and was told not to pinch out the tops, but if they're tall with no side shoots I think I'd be tempted. Does this now make you Palm Olive?

[I have an Olive tree]

He he thanks Florence, I've just been out to the greenhouse and the plants are still tall nut now have side shoots but no flowers and certainly no mini peppers. On the plus side I have some tomatoes and quite a few cucumbers but, got no flowers on my chilis either so I don't know aht I doing right or wrong....

[Alice]

For peppers and chillies the question is when did you plant them.
They benefit from an early planting - I sow the seeds in February.
There's no need to pinch anything out, but if they are going straight up in the air you could pinch out the tops but usually they branch themselves.
To get them into flower early keep them in 3" pots until you can see the roots out the bottom then move them up to a 5" pot. Leave them in that pot until you can see the flowers forming then move them to their final pot. They come into flower sooner if they're just a little stressed.
If you have them in big pots and they haven't come into flower then if you have the courage and plenty of plants then try this
Choose a victim and let it dry til it's fainting then give it a good watering, it will think the end is near and it better get on with the job and come into flower straight away.
Once they come into flower the fruits form straight away.

[rustylady]

I agree totally with Alice - if they're getting too tall with no flowers then pinch out the growing tip. Also don't overpot them. If a plant is in a small pot then it will feel the need to reproduce itself (e.g. produce flowers and seeds) - pot then on gradually

[Flobalob]

I started mine early as Alice says in February. I have 50 in total all in pots. They all flowered profusley lending to good crops. I sprayed with liquid seaweed extract at the early flowering stage, and continued at weekly intervals.
june+harvest+013.jpg (image)

[Florence Fennel]

I was going to pot mine on again this weekend as they don't seem to be moving, but I'll torture them a bit first as suggested by Alice and see what happens. I suppose you sometimes have to treat em mean to keep em keen. I've said that before on here, but I can't remember what I was referring to .............. lots of senior moments this week.