Gadenin日本語Get the appStart with how it works: How Pepper and Chili Branches Multiply: Forking at Every Flower, the Three-Stem Frame, and What to Prune
Pick the first fruit small
When the first flower sets fruit, the plant is barely a foot tall with roots and leaves still developing. Letting that pod size up pulls energy from the branches, growth stalls, and the season's harvest shrinks. Pick it at thumb size and let the plant build. This is one of the highest-return moves in green-chili growing.
- Take it at 1.5 in (3 to 4 cm) When the first pod reaches thumb size, snip the stem above the cap. It is small, but minced as a garnish it is not wasted.
- Keep the second and third tiers small too Until the plant reaches about 20 in (50 cm), pick the next tiers a little smaller than normal. Let pods reach full size only once the plant is established.
- Late plantings need it most A plant set out at the end of summer has little time to build. Pinch the first bud entirely if you like; the second tier of branches will push faster for it.
How to tell a pod is ready
Three to four weeks after a flower opens, the pod reaches the variety's full length. Look for a pod that has filled out, with taut, glossy skin that feels firm under your thumb. That state lasts about a week, after which the skin darkens and the pod turns red. Pod size varies by variety, so judge by skin tension rather than length.
| Pod | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Thin, soft skin | Too early | Heat and aroma not developed |
| Filled out, taut and glossy | Pick now | Full heat and a good snap |
| Fine cracks (corking) on the skin | Pick right away | On jalapenos this marks maturity; fully edible |
| Darkening with a red blush | Overdue | Costs the plant; pick and preserve |
| Fully red | Use as a red chili | The plant is shifting out of green production |
How and how often to pick
In high summer check the plants every two or three days, at least twice a week, and take every pod that is ready. Pods left on tell the plant to ripen them, and it stops making new flowers. Frequent picking is the single best way to keep a green-chili plant producing.
Pulling by hand splits branches, so always cut the stem above the cap with scissors. Capsaicin gets on your hands from the cut end, not just the inside. Wear gloves from the moment you start picking and keep your hands away from your eyes.
- Pick in the cool of the morning Pods picked in midday heat wilt fast and the plant suffers. Morning-picked pods are firm and keep longer.
- Cut just above the cap Snip the stalk a quarter inch (5 mm) above the pod with clean scissors. Twisting tears the fork and lets dieback in.
- Wipe the blades between plants Mosaic virus spreads in sap. Wipe scissors with alcohol as you move from plant to plant. With five plants it takes no time.
- Record date and count A log of dates and pod counts shows you exactly when a plant begins to flag. Falling counts are the cue to revisit feeding and pruning.
What makes a pod hot
Capsaicin forms in the white tissue inside the pod where the seeds attach. On the same plant, pods from hot, dry weeks are hotter and pods from cool, rainy weeks are milder. A plant stressed by drought or root crowding also makes hotter pods, but for green picking you leave the plant comfortable and let the weather decide.
| Condition | Heat | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Run of hot, clear days | Strong | The hottest pods of the year come at the height of summer |
| A rainy week | Milder | Less capsaicin is made, not diluted |
| Cool fall weather | Clear and sharp | Smaller pods with concentrated heat and aroma |
| Picked young | Milder | Pick early if you want less heat |
| Left to turn red | Strongest | A red pod on a green-chili plant is a red chili |
For a fall plant, 59F (15C) nights are the line
A plant set out at the end of summer flowers and forks within a few weeks and gives its first pods as fall begins. The trouble comes next. Once nights fall below 59F (15C) growth visibly slows, and flowers that open from mid-fall on often pollinate but never swell. In a temperate climate the turning point comes a few weeks before the first frost.
So for a fall plant, concentrate on turning the early-fall flowers into pods. Pinch buds that appear after that and let the set fruit size up. When frost is forecast, strip every pod, however small, and preserve them.
| Period | Night temperature | Plant stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late summer | Around 68F (20C) | First flower, stem forks | Three-stem frame; feed on schedule |
| Early to mid fall | 59 to 64F (15 to 18C) | First pods ready, still flowering | Pick the first fruit small; turn open flowers into pods |
| Mid to late fall | 54 to 59F (12 to 15C) | New flowers rarely set | Pinch new buds; size up what is set |
| Approaching frost | Below 50F (10C) | Leaves begin to drop | Strip all pods; move pots indoors |
Overwinter a potted plant and cut it back in spring
Peppers are treated as annuals in cool climates, but they are perennials. Kept from frost, a potted plant will sit through winter on a bright windowsill and, cut back in spring, fruit earlier than a new seedling. A second-year plant already has its roots, so it can skip the long run-up to the first flower and start producing in early summer.
- Bring it in before frost When lows are forecast below 46F (8C), pick the remaining pods and move the pot to a sunny window. At night keep it back from the glass and out of cold drafts.
- Cut back by half and thin the leaves Before moving it, cut the branches back to about half their height. A plant with too many leaves wilts indoors because the roots cannot keep up; thin crowded branches to a manageable size.
- Water sparingly, no fertilizer Through winter, water two or three days after the surface dries. Do not feed. Some leaf drop is normal; as long as the stems stay green, the plant is alive.
- Move out in spring and repot Once nights stay above 50F (10C), set the pot outside by day to harden off. Repot into fresh mix, start feeding, and new shoots will flower within a few weeks.
Aphids and spider mites ride indoors on overwintering plants. Rinse the undersides of the leaves before bringing it in and check them weekly all winter.