Chilli plants by nature aren't geared up for hiberation, but that's not to say they can't. Surely if a living, breathing creature the size of a bear can sleep in a hole for 6 months and come out the other side alive, so can a plant.
Although technically classified an annual, in more temperature climates you can cut a chilli plant back to a bare skeleton, leaving it dormant for the cooler months. Doing this puts the plant in a shut-down mode, which is how it remains until the first warm rays of spring sunshine hit its frame. At that point, with the warmth back running through the soil, the 'bloodflow' of the plant returns, and regeneration is imminent.
When you have identified a great performing chilli worth keeping, pruning it will help you develop the plant so that it improves through the seasons. If you happen to be living in a cold climate, with severe frosts through winter, consider growing your chilli plants in pots so that once pruned they can be stored in a warm spot.
Here's how to prune your plants;
1. As autumn intensifies, the cooling weather changes the temperature of the soil, and warm blooded creatures like chillies begin to lose their vibrancy and turn colour. At this point, take the last remaining harvest (perhaps make some chilli oil), and begin to prune.
2. Much like when pruning a fruit tree, you want to cut back fairly hard and decisively, leaving a few main branches and good structure/airflow.
3. Depending on the size of the plant, and how often you have cut back already, leave approximately 3-4 main branches, and remove all foliage.
4. If grown in a pot, move it to a warmer space for the winter. It doesn't need to hog sunlight where you'll grow your cool season crops, just somewhere protected from frost (such as up against a wall).
5. As spring settles in again, the plant should begin to show signs of life with new shoots. Remember that chillies are late spring plants, so be patient as it could take a while to reshoot.
6. Not all cutbacks are successful, and some may sadly not take. Those that do however can be cutback in the same fashion each year and will develop into stronger, more productive plants.
Watch video on pruning a chilli plant
FAQs
At the start of the growing season or with newly planted plants, lightly tip prune new growth to encourage bushiness. This is more important if your plants are in a shady spot. In autumn, after the last fruit of the season has been picked and the plant is dropping leaves, you can prune the plant back quite hard.
How many times do you prune pepper plants? ›
There are two main times when you'll want to prune plants: early in the season and at harvest time. Early season pruning is usually done when pepper seedlings are first transplanted into your garden in late spring.
Should you remove leaves from chilli plants? ›
If you have managed to overwinter your chilli plant it might well need some dead leaves and twigs removing in the spring to encourage it to shoot again. Generally though, apart from pinching out in the early stages to get a bushy plant, they should not need any pruning.
How to prune chilli plants for maximum yield? ›
To increase the fruiting yield of the plant
Removing the top growing tip of a young chilli plant triggers the plant to redirect its energy towards lateral growth. The more lateral branches and nodes a plant has, the more flowers it can produce, and therefore, more fruit.
How do you keep chilli plants from growing too tall? ›
You might call topping, pinching out, top pruning or even FIMming (Google that for an explanation). The Chelsea Chop works on the same idea too. They are all pretty much the same thing. Snipping off the growing shoot at the top of an immature chilli plant, before it has split to a Y or produce flower buds.
How to make chilli plants bushy? ›
Pinch out the growing tips when plants are about 20cm tall to encourage bushy growth. Tall varieties may need staking. Water your chilli plants little and often. As soon as the first flowers appear, feed weekly with a high-potash liquid fertiliser such as tomato feed.
Should I cut the bottom leaves off my pepper plants? ›
For smaller varieties such as jalapeno, shish*to, and Thai peppers, remove foliage from the lower 6-8" of stems. Removing the lower leaves helps prevent plant diseases by reducing the chance of soil-borne pathogens from splashing onto foliage.
Should you pinch out the tops of chilli plants? ›
To encourage side-shoots, which should carry more fruit, pinch out the shoot tips once plants reach 30cm (1ft) tall.
Does pruning peppers increase yield? ›
If timed correctly, proper pruning encourages strong sturdy stems, good branching, reduced disease and pest pressure, fruits that ripen quickly and evenly, and for many pepper varieties, it also results in improved yields. While pruning peppers isn't 100% necessary, it can improve the health of the plant.
Should all pepper plants be topped? ›
According to Homestead and Chill, topping pepper plant seedlings will help them grow side branches, which bear more flowers, and eventually fruit. Topping isn't exclusive to peppers—it's also useful for tomato gardens, eggplant and other nightshades. You don't have to top your pepper plants.
While in starter cups, and soon after transplanting, gently pinch off flower buds to help the plant generate more growth before flowering. Pick peppers soon after they ripen. Regularly harvesting the plant's peppers encourages it to produce more. If fertilizing, reduce nitrogen level once plant begins to flower.
Do chillies need pruning? ›
Pruning to re-shape a plant may be needed if it has grown a little too much towards a bright window, or to remove dead growth while over wintering a plant. As long as you provide good spacing and good light, chilli plants usually develop into a natural bush shape.
What does an overwatered chilli plant look like? ›
Overwatering is like that overbearing friend who doesn't know when to leave. It smothers your pepper plant, causing its leaves to droop. They're so full of water, they curl in on themselves, looking like they've been hitting the gym too hard.
Should I cut the top off my chili plant? ›
If you want them to grow big and produce lots of Chillies, there's a helpful technique called “topping.” It involves cutting off the main growing tip of the plant to encourage more side branches and more Chillies. Topping means cutting off the very top of your Chilli plant.
Do you remove side shoots from chilli plants? ›
A: If you wanted to train the plants into a more vertical shape, then pruning out the side shoots would be necessary. This is a technique used by large greenhouse pepper growers to maximize the area under glass.
Should I cut the flowers off my chilli plant? ›
Rather than focusing all of its energy on growing fruit right away, removing the first few flower buds will redirect the young plant to continue to grow bigger in size first – so it can produce more peppers later in life!
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