Topping Chilly Pepper Plants
What is topping?
ØCutting off the growing shoot at the top of an immature chilli plant, before it has split to a Y or produce flower buds.
What are the benefits?
ØMore fruit: the removal of the main apex growing shoot sends the key plant growth hormone, auxin, down the stem to encourage many more growing shoots to develop further down the plant. The result is more growing branches, more flowers and ultimately more fruit.
ØMore compact plants: Topping also deals with a plant that is undesirably tall early in the season. Topping makes the plants bushy by promoting branching.
ØMore stable plants: Some chilli plants could reach up to 2 meters tall. By encouraging a bushy style, it will avoid plants that can be blown over in the wind, or knocked over if they are dry. Single tall stems can be easily snapped, especially ones that have larger fruit. Multi stems not so much. There is less need for staking too.
When to top?
ØTopping is done after the plant has 3-5 sets of true
leaves. Healthy and bushy topped chilli plantsØIf the side branches grow leggy, then topping can be
done in them too.
Remember !
* All varieties of chilli pepper are not responsive to
topping.
* Topping is more preferable on tall plants. Short and
bushy plants do not require topping.
* Topping delays flowering and fruiting.
