How to prune pepper trees

When to prune pepper trees

Pepper trees can be pruned after leaf fall and before bud break, mainly during the dormant period. However, in areas where the annual average temperature is below 8 degrees, it is best to prune before bud break in early spring to avoid frost damage to the cut ends.

Pepper tree pruning

First, you need to cut off the completely dead or old branches on the side of the pepper tree to avoid wasting nutrients. You also need to select some weaker branches among the dense branches and leaves and thin them out, so that you can concentrate nutrients on the remaining branches.

Pepper tree pruning

1. Natural open-heart shape (the natural open-heart shape can generally be shaped in 4 years). The advantages of this tree shape are fast formation, early fruiting, good ventilation and light transmission, and high yield.

2. Multi-main branch cluster shape (multi-main branch cluster shape can generally be shaped in 3 years). The advantages of this tree shape are light pruning, fast shaping, early fruiting, wind resistance and high yield.

How to prune pepper trees to make them grow faster

Pepper trees need to be pruned four times a year. Timely topping and pinching can effectively promote the dwarfing of pepper trees, adjust the branch structure, and reduce nutrient loss. A vigorously growing tree can yield more than 10 kilograms of fresh pepper trees. Even a tree with poor growth can still produce about 5 kilograms of pepper trees.

Cuttings of pruned branches of pepper tree

1. The best season for pepper cuttings is early spring or late autumn. Cut healthy and pest-free branches from 1-3 year old pepper trees as cuttings. The thickness of the cuttings should be about the same as a cigarette and about 20 cm long. There should be at least three full buds. The incision should be flat and there should be a distance from the buds.

2. It is best to carry out cuttings on the cutting bed. The cutting medium should be vermiculite or sandy soil, which must be disinfected. The cutting seedlings should also be soaked in a carbendazim solution for 5 to 10 minutes for disinfection. The cutting depth is three centimeters and the density should not be too large to ensure that each leaf can receive light.

3. The humidity of the newly transplanted seedlings must be maintained to avoid drought. After they have taken root, there is no need to water them every day. The seedlings must be kept ventilated during their growth period. After they have taken root, they can be transplanted and normal field management can be carried out. Fertilize and water them appropriately according to the growth of the seedlings.

Notes on pruning pepper trees

1. When pruning pepper trees, the incision angle must be above 30 degrees and must be smooth to avoid water accumulation and stump rot.

2. For some households with a large area of ​​Sichuan pepper and a large number of peppers, they cannot be picked all at once and may have to wait until mid-to-late July to complete the picking. This will affect the normal growth of fruiting branches and shoots in the following year and affect the yield. In June and July, you can first cut off the main large branches and then fine-tune them. This will be beneficial to the differentiation and growth of small buds next year and ensure that late pruning will not reduce production.