Do I need to pinch peppers: arguments for and against, step-by-step instructions on how to remove stepchildren and useful tips

Pepper is a delicate and whimsical plant that requires constant care. Among the main principles of agrotechnical cultivation of pepper is the obligatory pinching during the period of intensive growth and setting of ovaries. With strict adherence to the rules of pinching, the quantity and quality of the fruit increases several times without additional watering and feeding.

What is pinning

Stepsons are shoots growing from the axils of leaves from the main stem of the plant... Grasshopping is the manual removal of excess lateral shoots.

Why do stepchildren cut off

Removing excess shoots on the bush helps the plant maintain a large amount of strength and nutrients that go to the formation of the vegetative mass. After removing unnecessary parts, the bush instantly gives a lot of high-quality ovaries.

Do I need to pinch peppers

The need to pinch peppers directly depends on weather conditions.

In hot and rainy weather, pepper actively forms side shoots and thickens the bush.... Abundant vegetation prevents sunlight and increases the risk of infection with fungal spores. In this case, pinching not only increases the yield, but also prevents the development of late blight on the site.

In dry periods, the bushes give a small number of shoots... The scanty crown does not sufficiently shade the stem and the peri-root zone. The soil dries up quickly due to the lack of shade from the leaves, the beds need mandatory mulching.

Important! Experienced growers recommend pinching all tall and hybrid varieties of pepper. Varieties with a bouquet-bearing type of fruiting, such as Winnie the Pooh, Kapitoshka, do not stepchild under any growing conditions.

Points for and against

Pepper is a delicate and vulnerable vegetable crop. Before carrying out the removal of stepsons, it is worth weighing all the arguments and take into account the comments of agronomists.

The advantages of removing shoots from the bush include:

• prevention of the development of fungal diseases of nightshade crops;
• intensive appearance of the ovary on the bushes and increased productivity;
• an increase in the flowering period of the bush in the open field.

Be careful when removing lateral shoots from diseased plants.... Weakened pepper bushes often do not withstand the traumatic procedure and die. Beginners often do not know how to properly thin out and inadvertently remove important ovaries.

Sweet bell pepper pickling

Fully on a bush of pepper no more than 10-12 fleshy peppers can form and mature... A larger number of fruits will yield a crop with low technical indicators. The peppers will have a rough skin, bitter taste, small and gnarled.

Sharp

Hot peppers like Tabasco Habanero, Flame, Confetti, have small fruits and grow lush bushes. They look decorative and bush abundantly, they do not need pinching. Hot peppers with large fruits are stepson similar to a salad tall.

How and when to pinch pepper

Sweet and bitter pepper pickling is carried out with utmost care.so as not to damage delicate and whimsical plants.As a rule, the optimal period for removing excess shoots occurs when full-fledged 10-11 leaves appear on the bush.

Attention! Until the bush reaches 30 cm, it is strictly forbidden to remove the stepsons due to the weakness of the plant.

Scheme

The scheme for pinching a pepper bush is extremely simple:

1. Upon close examination of the bush, 2-3 leading shoots are selected, which will become the basis.
2. When cleaning the bush, remove all stepsons, flowers and leaves that grow on the stem to the first fork.
3. After sanitary cleaning of the stem, pinch the growth points of the left 2-3 shoots to stimulate lateral branching.
4. At the forks of the second order, leave one flower at a time, the rest are removed.

It is recommended to remove those flowers that look inside the plant... Thus, as the fruit ripens outside the plant, the bush will become better ventilated.

The optimal scheme of the formed bush - these are three main branches on the main stem and 4-5 flowers on each of them.

Required tools

Tall peppers and greenhouse peppers are stalked with a sharp garden pruner with long thin blades. It is recommended to pinch the growth point manually, without cutting tools.

In a garden with beds of 20-30 bushes, pinching is carried out manually, without additional tools.

Step-by-step instruction

The process of cleaning a plant looks like this:

1. The bush is carefully examined.
2. Choose 2-3 main shoots.
3. Remove leaves and flowers before the fork.
4. They clean the crown, pinch the growth point.

Stumps are left on the stem, 2-3 mm long, no more... The sprouts do not need treatment of wounds.

Interesting on the site:

When to shoot peppers in a greenhouse

Why do peppers fall off ovaries

What are the diseases of sweet pepper

The nuances of pinching in the open field

In the garden, in the field, the peppers are not protected as in the greenhouse. Thinning intensity is less than in closed greenhouses, but the scheme is the same.

In the greenhouse

In a protected ground, crops grow actively and quickly thicken... Excessive development of the vegetative part harms the yield, thinning is carried out intensively. The top of the bush is pinched closer to the end of the season, and not in spring.

Advantages and disadvantages of pinching

In addition to increasing the overall yield, pinching creates additional favorable conditions for the growth and development of pepper.

Bushes after removing excess parts:

• well ventilated, especially indoors;
• get enough sunlight and moisture.

Manicured ridges are easy to look after, identify diseases and pests at the initial stage of damage.

Grasshopping is stressful for any plant, especially pepper... After removing the vegetative part, the bush gets sick for some time and recovers. It is recommended to carry out the first cleaning of seedlings within a strictly specified period (9-10 true sheets). Otherwise, the plant will begin to form extra shoots, which will lead to a reduction in yield by 30-40%.

Inexperienced gardeners often damage fragile plant stems, remove strong buds, form a thickened crown. Regular practice will help to avoid such mistakes.

Useful tips from experienced summer residents

Summer residents with extensive experience noticed the following:

1. Pepper is a collective culture and grows best in the neighborhood of each other. If the bushes are planted at a considerable distance, sparing pinching is carried out.
2. If the pepper is sick or infested with pests, cleaning will kill the plant.
3. On the bush, lethargic and small buds should not be left, which will not bear fruit, but will take away the strength of the plant.

It is recommended to carry out pinching in dry, weather the weather at sunset.

Conclusion

Pepper grazing is the most important agricultural procedure. With proper practice, an attentive and responsible approach to business, the question of whether it is necessary to pinch peppers disappears by itself. And the harvest pleases the hardworking grower with quality and quantity.