Why pinch pepper and how to do it correctly

Bright and uplifting, bell peppers are an excellent source of nutrients and nutrients. There is more vitamin C in this vegetable than in lemon! It is not difficult to get a good harvest of sweet peppers in your area. One of the secrets to increasing yields is pinching.

What is pinning and why is it carried out

Grazing, or removal of lateral shoots, is an agricultural technique aimed at increasing yields... Stepsons emerge from buds in the axils on the main stem. Removing unnecessary shoots allows you to grow larger fruits of the correct shape and accelerate their ripening. The plant does not waste energy on lateral shoots and provides adequate nutrition to the formed fruits.

What varieties of pepper must be pinned

You need to carry out this procedure wisely., since it is not shown to all varieties of pepper. High and medium-sized varieties of culture need to remove excess shoots.

Leave only the strongest and healthiest processeslocated at the top of the bush. The optimal number of stepchildren is 3-5 pieces per bush. The rest are superfluous. Damaged and diseased branches are also removed.

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Stepson helps solve the problem insufficient light, especially if the plants are densely planted.

Removing shoots from low-growing varieties of pepper makes no sense... Short bushes do not have strong lateral shoots, therefore, they do not affect the nutrition of the main part of the plant. Low-growing varieties of culture (up to 65 cm high) require only the removal of infertile and weak stepchildren.

Advice! It is worth carefully examining the seed packaging. Often, manufacturers indicate on it a pinning scheme suitable specifically for this variety.

Features of the removal of shoots from pepper

Pepper culture is tender and vulnerable, so the shoots are removed very carefully, following certain rules.

The main features are as follows:

1. The first side shoots appear when the plant has formed 9-10 leaves. At this stage, 2-3 strong and healthy processes are left.
2. Do not start pinching before the bush reaches a height of 25-30 cm. After that, pinch the upper part.
3. All the stepsons on the bottom the plants are removed.
4. All shoots without ovaries, sore branches and yellowed leaves are removed.

It's important not to overdo it... Unlike tomatoes, which tolerate pinching painlessly, pepper bushes do not recover as well. If you remove too many stepchildren, the bush will stop growing or discard the fruit that has set.

Important! All actions are carried out with utmost care so as not to damage the fragile stem.

Influence of temperature and humidity

Do I need to pinch peppers in the greenhouse and greenhouse? Yes need. The same rules apply as for peppers grown outdoors. However pinching culture in a greenhouse has its own characteristics... This is due to a different temperature regime and high humidity. In greenhouse conditions, lateral shoots develop better, so all stepchildren below the branching of the stem are removed.

Otherwise, air circulation will deteriorate. in the upper part of the bush, which will lead to the development of diseases (white, bacterial or gray rot).

Shoots are cut with a tool with a well-sharpened blade... This minimizes injury.The tool is disinfected after processing each plant. This simple technique prevents the transfer of diseases from one bush to another.

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Pinching technology

Now we will consider step by step how to correctly pinch a pepper culture. Form a bush in several stages:

1. Remove the crown bud... It forms on the first fork of the vegetable stem.
2. Form the base of the bush out of 2-3 strongest stems. This is done when the plant has grown and matured enough (9-11 leaves have formed). The bush will now expand in width.
3. Remove barren shoots and leavesshading ovaries. In this case, it is important to cut off no more than two shoots or leaves at a time, since the plant may die from injuries received.
4. Pinching the kidneys on the top of the plant. 15-25 ovaries are left on the bush (depending on the variety), the rest are removed.

Subsequently, pinching is carried out after the appearance of new shoots in places of branching. One leaf is left for the removed stepson to feed the fetal ovary located in front of the stepson. Instead of removing, pinching is allowed, limiting the growth of unnecessary shoots.

The procedure is repeated every 3-4 days.... The scheme for pinching peppers in a polycarbonate greenhouse is similar. The only difference is that the polycarbonate allows more light to pass through, which means less leaves shading the plant are removed.

Important! The last removal of stepchildren is carried out 45 days before the final harvest. Plants need time to recuperate after pinching. If you carry out the procedure later, the last fruits will not have time to ripen.

Conclusion

Pepper grazing is an important activity in helping to increase yields. Too many shoots do not allow the plant to focus on the development of large juicy fruits. However, the procedure must be carried out carefully and deliberately, otherwise the bush may die.