Is it necessary to pick off the leaves of peppers in the greenhouse and how to do it correctly: instructions for novice gardeners

How to form peppers in a greenhouse correctly, how many leaves to remove and whether it is necessary to do this - such questions are of interest to novice gardeners. The opinions of experienced summer residents about the advisability of this procedure differ, so we will consider the issue from different sides, weighing all the arguments for and against.

In order not to harm the plants, learn how to pick the leaves from the peppers correctly, following the simplest instructions.

Do I need to pick the leaves from the pepper in the greenhouse

Vegetables that are traditionally grown in the greenhouse - tomatoes and cucumbers - are usually pinned, that is, cut off part of their leaves to increase the yield. But is this method suitable for peppers?

Initially, pepper seedlings develop into one stem, but after that it branches out. In the internodes, many stepsons are formed. Pruning leaves, pinching empty shoots and excess buds allow you to properly form a bush.

It is believed that pruning helps the peppers grow larger fruits and improves the quality of the crop. They make it so that there are more peppers and they ripen earlier.

Points for and against

Strong arguments for:

1. Peppers are light-loving plants. With an excess of green mass, they suffer from a lack of lighting. Bushes with a thinned crown are more evenly and efficiently illuminated.
2. The greenhouse has a humid microclimate, so it is desirable that the plants are well ventilated. This is important for prevention diseasescaused by high humidity, especially in dense plantings.
3. After removing excess leaves, the peppers are easier to care for: to water, make fertilizers, loosen the soil between plantings.
4. The correct formation of the bush improves the palatability of the fruit, contributes to an increase in their quantity.

Arguments against:

1. Pepper painfully tolerates pruning and stepsons... The growth of the bush slows down.
2. If the extra leaves are removed too early or during a plant illness, it will stop developing or even die.
3. Removing the stems important for fruiting will increase the risk of a poor crop.
4. It seems to some gardeners that the bare bush does not look aesthetically pleasing.

The solution to this question depends on the variety of pepper, the time you are willing to devote to caring for it, and the amount of expected harvest.

How to remove leaves correctly

To avoid harming the peppers, follow these simple instructions:

1. When the ovaries of the peppers are formed, and the fruits on the lower branches have already begun to reach technical ripeness, remove all leaves on the main stem from the ground to the first fork.
2. When the fruit is ripe at the fork above, remove all the leaves underneath and trim off the branches that have already been harvested.

Required tool

Get your garden shears or hand pruner ready. Be sure to disinfect them to prevent infection. Some gardeners do not cut the leaves, but break them off by hand.

Different methods

You can remove leaves in different ways:

1. In tall varieties, all lateral shoots are additionally pinched at each fork after the first bud. But one sheet is always left. With proper care, an adult bush will reach 1-1.5 m in height and will be evenly covered with fruits.
2. In medium-sized varieties, only the crown bud and the lower leaves are cut off before the fork.
3. Dwarf varieties need slight leaf thinning so that the fruits are open and ventilated.If your goal is a small but early harvest, save the crown flower and the first buds.

Each method is correct depending on the type of pepper. When in doubt, check the instructions on the back of the seed package.

Do I need to cut off my stepsons

Stepsons actively grow from all the forks and take away strength from the shoots, on which the main crop is formed. To prevent thickening, they are removed.

Council. Shape the peppers, keeping 2-3 stems. Cut off excess shoots above the first leaf in each new fork, leaving 1-2 of the most powerful branches. Do not touch the first sheet of the next fork. It will feed the ovary.

First buds

When planted in a greenhouse, the potted pepper seedlings already have their first buds. Young peppers, until this time limited by the space of the pot, have poorly developed roots. After transplanting to a permanent place, active growth of the root and leaf mass will begin. In order not to interfere with this process, the first buds are removed.

The earliest bud on the pepper appears at the bottom fork above the first leaf. It is called the crown flower and is usually advised to be removed immediately after planting the bush.

If they did not manage to do this at the flowering stage, they cut off the already developing lowest fruit. Growing at the very base, it will draw out all the juices of the bush. As a result, the pepper will grow only this fruit, and the ones above will not ripen, they will become smaller or fall off.

When the pepper begins to flourish and bloom, many buds form on it. Some of them are barren flowers, so be sure to pluck them out. If this is not done, the plant will not have enough strength for the full development of all ovaries. The fruits will be small, tough, with thin walls; they will take longer to ripen.

Council. Calculate the number of leaves required for full development using the formula: 2 leaves = 1 fruit. For a harvest of juicy, tasty peppers, leave 12-15 buds per bush, ruthlessly remove the rest.

In what cases you should not pick off the leaves of peppers

The leaf-picking procedure is harmful in some cases:

1. When the plants are planted very rarely or one at a time. Without the lower leaves, they will suffer from a lack of shade. As a result, moisture will quickly evaporate, and the soil at the roots will dry out. This will reduce the yield.
2. When the plants are weakened. The formation of a bush is shown only to healthy peppers who can easily tolerate this procedure.

It is not recommended to cut off, but you still have to do it when:

• the lower leaves lie on the ground;
• they turned yellow;
• when planted in open ground, some of the leaves were below the level of the hole.

Tips for experienced summer residents

Seasoned gardeners have different points of view. Someone advises to be sure to remove the leaves and considers this procedure extremely important. For some, on the contrary, this is a waste of time.

Here are some tips to help you get a guaranteed good harvest of peppers:

1. Tear off the leaves when the first fruits are ripe. Do this gradually, two leaves at a time, starting with the lowest branch. When the lower branches are harvested, begin to tear off the leaf plates located above, and cut the lower branches.
2. The optimum planting density of peppers in a greenhouse is up to 8 pieces per 1 m².
3. Dwarf and undersized varieties do not need pruning, but for ventilation, sterile branches and lower leaves are cut off from them.
4. In late August, remove the tops of the peppers along with all the leaves and new buds. At this time, the formation of new ovaries is no longer relevant, they will not have time to ripen, so get rid of all growth points. The bushes must give all their strength to ripen the fruits formed earlier.

Conclusion

Follow the tips and instructions given when growing peppers in a greenhouse. There are enough arguments for and against forming, but only from your own experience will you understand whether to pick off the leaves from the pepper. Experiment more boldly, try different varieties and methods of caring for them.Have a good harvest!