Remove first pepper?

**Flummery** · 31-05-2009, 08:22 AM

I never have. I've never heard this advice either. Can't see the need and I get good pepper crops.

**Mrs Dobby** · 31-05-2009, 08:35 AM

Not heard that one, and usually do well with peppers! Already got small flowers ready to open on a few plants in the greenhouses!

**tamsin** · 31-05-2009, 12:45 PM

Only if it has one flower/pepper well ahead of the rest. Are you pollinating the flowers? If it's inside then that maybe why your not getting more peppers forming.

**BarleySugar** · 31-05-2009, 03:01 PM

I've got 2 good sized peppers on each of my plants, and several smaller ones forming as well as more flowers coming, so I don't think its needed.

**COMPOST CORNER** · 31-05-2009, 04:37 PM

Been digging through my books, and found this in "The organic salad garden" by Joy Larkcom "A small "king " pepper may develop early low down on the main stem inhibiting further production. Remove it either at the flower bud or young fruit stage."

I'm in a quandary now, but as it is fairly early in the season, I'll give it a few more days to see if any other flowers develop.

**leoblackcat** · 31-05-2009, 05:25 PM

I definately had this issue last year - I had one green pepper on my plant for most of the summer and thought I couldn't harvest it until it went red so left it and no other flowers formed. Eventually decided to cut it off and got about 20 flowers within a few days. I am definately cutting off my first peppers this year when they are a reasonable size!

**Alison** · 31-05-2009, 08:48 PM

Sounds like a pile or rubbish to me, only take mine off when I want to eat them and they only stop producing if I don't feed them or the weather gets colder. It is however worth taking a few off while they are still green as letting them all go to red will gradually reduce the number of flowers as the plant thinks it's done it's job.

**Incy** · 01-06-2009, 09:40 AM

Both chillis and sweet peppers are supposed to crop more heavily if the first fruits are harvested while they are still fairly small and green. I didn't get any peppers last year only chillies and as I had one small pepper that never amounted to much on the plant suspecty this may have been the problem. We like our chillis green so they were being regularly harvested and were still going strong into October.
I will be trying the cut your first fruits early and see what happens this year. At the end of the day it can't hurt. And anything that increases the yeild is worth a go in my book. Can't get enough of them!

**Keith2202** · 01-06-2009, 02:37 PM

My first bell peppers are being removed, but not intentionally!

Flowers have formed and withered and there appears to be the start of peppers, however the first few have all fallen off, the whole arm has dropped off the stem. Any ideas why? Is the plant just concetrating on growing rather than fruiting so the joints are weak?
It looks healthy. The window sill is rather windy but I'm still surprised about how easily they fell off, I just barely touched one and it went.

Cheers
Keith

**Reks** · 01-06-2009, 03:00 PM

Originally posted by COMPOST CORNER View Post

In the dim & distant past, I seem to remember (I sometimes think my mind makes this stuff up!) that the first pepper to form on a plant should be removed as it inhibits the formation of other fruits.
I can sort of see the logic behind this, and it has been brought to mind as my pointed pepper plant has startd forming it's first fruit, and the other flowers that were initially abundant, seem to have disappeared and the buds that were forming seem to have stagnated.
Any suggestions?

Hi - I too remember reading this somehwere on this forum. Will have to try and trace that post.

**tamsin** · 01-06-2009, 04:23 PM

Originally posted by Keith2202 View Post

It looks healthy. The window sill is rather windy but I'm still surprised about how easily they fell off, I just barely touched one and it went.

Have you been pollinating them? Tickle the flowers with a paint brush and hopefully you'll get some stay on.

If they are going to grow they are very sturdy, the stalks soon thicken up so they won't just drop off. I've repotted with them developing without them falling off.

**Keith2202** · 01-06-2009, 04:30 PM

Yes I think they have pollinated, it isn't the flowers falling off that I'm worried about as I expected that, the whole arms are going!
Hopefully if the plant get stronger it will grow arms that stay on.

**tamsin** · 01-06-2009, 05:23 PM

When mine fall off they have always been stalk and all - I've presumed these are the unpollinated ones. I haven't had any that just the flower end falls off leaving the stalk behind.

**Mac** · 02-06-2009, 10:39 AM

Noted this discussion, and am having a similar quandry with my chillis. All was doing well, all flowers turning to little chillis, but last night 5 flowers came off. Each cheyenne plant has 7 chillis at varying stages (first one appeared about 2 weeks ago and is about 1inch long, down to a couple of little pea sized ones) and lots of flowers opening. I've been tickling each flower with a paint brush daily. Do you think I should take off the biggest chilli's (and if so what do I do with them as still hard and green)?

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