Pruning Banana Peppers

[mustang3115]

I just have a quick question for you guys. I'm growing sweet banana peppers in a 10 gallon pot and its about 18 inches tall as of today. My question was should I cut off the flowers and allow the plant to keep growing or just allow the peppers to grow?

[gixxerific]

I'm no master gardener but I have never trimmed a pepper plant ever.

[TZ -OH6]

At 18 inches you are pretty safe to let the flowers set fruit.

[mansgirl]

I had 2 banana pepper plants that never reached that height last year, and produced a TON of peppers. I never pruned either of them. Depending on where you are, I'm in Michigan, I would NEVER do anything to inhibit pepper growth. I don't know if I'm right.. but I figure I'm way north of their natural growing area, I'm going to let them do what they do and not get in their way.

Either way, I'd say let them flower and enjoy! It sounds like you have nice, big, healthy plants there! And get ready to preserve or cook! Those little babies will kick the peppers out! I had a hard time keeping up with my smaller plants last year. : )

[garden5]

From what I've heard, pruning peppers only results in lowered production.

[TZ -OH6]

Around here peppers often get a slow start because of cool soil or what not so they are often quite small when they flower, and it is not uncommon to have a single early bell pepper stunt the growth of the whole plant. That is why I'll pinch flowers off of small plants early in the season. If you have conditons where pepper plants grow quickly and strongly you shouldn't have to do that. My pepper plants don't start to grow strongly until July, but will flower in early June.