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Early Pruning of Red Rocoto

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Posted by brien_nz New Zealand (My Page) on
Sun, Nov 15, 09 at 18:58

My first Red Rocoto didn't produce much in the first year but was tremendously prolific in its second year. However it grew so huge that it was too big to move and when I came to prune it there was too much 'dead' wood before the first active node. So I sowed 12 seeds from the last lonely fruit that was still on the plant and now have 11 seedlings! (It is early summer here in New Zealand). I thought that I would start pruning early to try to keep the plant a reasonable size, and wondered if anyone could give me any advice?
I thought that I would try two different schemes:-
1) Let the plant develop about four nodes and then pinch out the growing point. Then continue to cut back anything that grows outside the support trellis.
2) Pinch out the growing point as above and then allow half of the plant to grow unchecked (for maximum production) and prune back the other half (to retain over winter).
I am also growing two other pubescens for the first time - Manzano Amarillo and Chile de Seda. Has anyone grown these? Do they have a similar growth habit as the Red Rocoto?
Thanks for any help.
Brien

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RE: Early Pruning of Red Rocoto

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I have mostly Manzanos and they didn't like being trimmed the first year.
It seemed like the ones I trimmed the seond year at seasons end are more bushy rather than trying to grow a few LONG branches like the first year ones I trimmed did.

I think with mine , that letting them get as big as they wanted the first 2 seasons let them grow more nodes so that when I did trim them at the end of the second season they grew more bush like branches instead of vine like ones.

1st year plants in 3.5 - 5 gal. pots.
Pics were taken a week or 2 ago.Now they are filled with a ton of pea sized to golf ball sized pods.

Smaller plant underneath is an Equador Pubescens PI 593930
Smaller tighter plant in the middle bottom right of black nursery pot.

These haven't been pruned and are putting out their first buds and pods.If you look real close you can see a few pods.
Red,yellow and orange Manzanos along with a couple peach colored ones.
They will get spread around acordingto color next spring to different areas for seed saving.

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Yellow Manzano 15-20 gal. container,2 plants

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Untrimmed until a month or so ago.pics in reverse as it grew.It was completely hiding the trellis when I trimmed it but I can't find the pics.6 ft. trellis.5 ft. above pot.

Last spring before going into bigger pots.

A lot of the manzanos think they are vines where others if kept the first year or so in smaller pots seem to take up a more of a bush shape.Like the ones I have in the first set of pics above these.

I have some Rocot , Manzano and Locoto plants but I can't tell the difference without looking at the tags.

The Equador Pube doesn't seem to get as big as the Rocoto and Manzano.

  
 

 

 


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