When we grow pepper plants, how we care for them can affect their growth and the amount of peppers they produce. Some people prune their plants, while others leave them as they are.
So the question is: to prune your plants or not to prune your plants?
When researching this question, I stumbled upon a video (link below) in which a gardener tested out both methods to see how his pepper plants would grow. He used two serrano pepper seeds with the intention to prune one and let the other one just grow.
After about 45 days, he decided to prune the pepper plant that is slightly taller than the other one (as you can see in the picture below).
The pruned plant started new growth out of the upper leaves’ armpits after only a few days. The unpruned one grew way past the pruned one and started branching off well above its sibling.
By the second week, the pruned plant was well on its way to growing a bunch of strong and full shoots. The unpruned one started flowering and producing peppers before the pruned one; however, no more than a week ahead.
By the sixth week after pruning, the pruned plant had more flowers and was on its way to producing more fruits than the unpruned one.
Pruning also keeps the total height of the plant down, which is really good for keeping the wind from knocking it over. It also made the plant look a little fuller.
So, you can see how pruning affects the plant and fruit production. However, that doesn’t mean that your unpruned plant won’t grow and produce any pepper flowers. It’s totally up to you if you prune your plants.
Full video is available at this link: https://youtu.be/EIo6Wz3ApFw