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dmforcier_gw

How would you prune this guy?

DMForcier
11 years ago

You can see how low on the plant the side branches come off the crown (terminology?). Some of them have their own roots.

From what I have seen here, the common practice is to knock off all the side branches and stay with the main / central stem. But there are so many of them!

Comments (13)

  • DMForcier
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Here's the whole plant [this was supposed to be the first message, but GW just ignored it an posted the reply instead.)

    This is my big fatalii, shutting down for winter. You can see how much of the foliage is (was) in the side branches.

  • DMForcier
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    There is, naturally, a complicating factor. There is a large split at the first (?) node of the main stem. The plant has been supporting the broken branch just fine, with the help of the brace, but it will have to come off. Seems to me that this will scar that stem node so I shouldn't rely on it.

  • esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
    11 years ago

    I would prune to just above the first or second main node on every branch. As for the broken branch, I would probably try to prune that as carefully as possible next to the break. My guess is that it will eventually die anyway.
    Bruce

  • DMForcier
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Yeah, I plan to take off the branch (it still has some nice pods on it). The concern is more that the damaged node would compromise the main stem - an issue if the main stem would be the preferred survivor.

    But you're recommending to keep all 11 "stems"? Might be worth a try.

  • smokemaster_2007
    11 years ago

    I'd just top it and make it into a hedge.

    Plant doesn't look too happy to me right now.
    Might be root bound among other things...

    I wonder if it is 2 separate plants.
    I see a hab. type pod and pointed Annuum looking pods...

  • esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
    11 years ago

    Yes, that plant does look a bit "sad" right now. I assumed it had been left out in temps into the 40's and even 30's and that was the reason for the lack of leaves and sickly looking leaves.
    Bruce

  • DMForcier
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Only one plant. The one non-pointed pod you see is leaning bottom away from you.

    It's been declining for the past month or so, recent temps down in the upper 30s. There are still some growing tips and even flowers. It could be root bound, but there's an awful lot of dirt in that pot. I'll know in a couple days as the forecast for Sunday is mid-20s.

    Hedge sounds interesting. Like "benching" a flowering rose. I'm just trying to project what the branch development would be like next spring, though. How much of it would be into the center of the plant, like a rose does with interlocking its canes. I suppose I could guide it..

  • smokemaster_2007
    11 years ago

    {{gwi:1239631}}

    {{gwi:1239632}}

  • DMForcier
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Please don't tell me that's a single plant. I think I see three.

  • smokemaster_2007
    11 years ago

    It's a hedge of 4 plants.
    I only wanted 1 but nobody came to pick up the 3 I sprouted for them.
    I just can't kill a perfectly happy pepper plant.

    Needs trimming again but I have too many pods on it now.
    Purple flowers.
    Pods :
    Purple to white,to yellow,to orange then red.
    SBS purple variegated ornamental.

  • DMForcier
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Okay, here it is after the hack job and re-pot. I'm not happy with the pruning, but there are other plants to hack.

    You can see that I left the new central branch still with a few pods on it. This may not be a pepper jungle plant (see nearby thread), but I still took nearly 200 pods off it this year - way more than I could every use.

  • DMForcier
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Another view with flash.

    I complained about the root development when I up-potted to the big one. That is still and issue. Contra smokemaster's suggestion, "rootbound" is exactly the wrong word for it. There seems to be a mat at the top 1.5" then fairly tight core down to about 8", but not much spread (although to be fair the outer inch or so was nasty dusty peat). The bottom was wetter than I expected - not PWT wet, but I'm starting to see the potential merit of a loose draining mix. I have something like that that I'm going to try in other peps. The little cubanelle is in about 60% 5:1:1 analog now (left the core in MGMC).

  • smokemaster_2007
    11 years ago

    I used to get plants that had all their roots in the top 1/4 or so of the pot whenever I used soil with lots of sand in it.
    Old peat seems to do the same thing as it breaks down.
    forms a bottom layer that doesn't seem to let roots grow in it.

    As the plant got watered the sand migrated down forming cement in the lower portion of the pot and the larger particles in the soil mix were on top.

    For the heat we have here in the summer,unless I watered 2 times a day 5/1/1 was too fast of a soil mix.
    Especiall in pots under #15(5-7gal.).
    I ended up having to use a 5/2/2 mix.
    I used 5 parts orchid bark/2 parts peat or 1 of peat and 1 old potting soil , 1 part pomice(for weight in the wind) and 1 part perlite or all pomice or all perlite.
    Pomice alone isn't as good as perlite alone but a 50/50 mix seems ok so far.

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