Brazilian Pepper Weak Growth: Am I overwatering, or what?

13 years ago

All,

I put in a Brazilian pepper in February or March and it seems to be doing very well. Maybe too well? The problem is, it's growing like crazy, but in pretty much every direction but "up." Its branches are all going sideways or even downward, apparently bending under their own weight. So there's kind of a hole in the center of the tree.

I was thinking it may be happening because it's growing so fast, maybe it's growing faster than it can support itself. I believe with mesquites this can happen due to too much water. Could that be the issue here? I am giving it "plenty" of water -- I'm not drowning it, but I'm being generous. Or is this "normal" for a Brazilian pepper, and I just need to do some serious pruning?

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Comments (2)

lazy_gardens
13 years ago
Prune back the floppy branches enough that they can support themselves. Follow good pruning practices, don't just hack them off. If you have to stake the leader, do it.

Those branches will eventually be pruned off when the tree gets bigger, but for now it needs the foliage for growth.
sparklynnrose
Original Author
13 years ago
Oh, shoot, I should have included this: it's a "multitrunk" (3 total) with (obviously) 3 "leaders." All 3 are staked now, but because of the geometry, NONE of them is technically vertical. Obviously having all the "trunks" on an angle doesn't make it easier for it to support itself.

So how does that change the situation of trying to make it grow upward and eventually become self-supporting, or does it?
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