Is it necessary to pick off the leaves of peppers in a greenhouse and how to do it correctly: instructions for beginner gardeners

How to properly form peppers in a greenhouse, how many leaves to remove and whether this should be done - such questions are of interest to novice gardeners. Experienced summer residents have different opinions about the advisability of this procedure, so we will consider the issue from different angles, weighing all the arguments for and against.

In order not to harm the plants, learn to pick off the leaves of peppers correctly, following the simplest instructions.

Is it necessary to pick off the leaves of peppers in a greenhouse?

Vegetables that are traditionally grown in a greenhouse - tomatoes and cucumbers - are usually pinched, that is, some of their leaves are cut off to increase the yield. But is this method suitable for peppers?

Initially, pepper seedlings develop into one stem, but after that it branches. Many stepsons are formed in the internodes. Trimming leaves, pinching empty shoots and excess buds allows you to properly form the bush.

It is believed that pruning helps peppers grow larger fruits and improves the quality of the harvest. They make it so that there are more peppers and they ripen earlier.

Points for and against

Strong arguments for:

1. Peppers are light-loving plants. With an excess of green mass, they suffer from a lack of lighting. Bushes with a thinned crown are illuminated more evenly and efficiently.
2. The greenhouse has a humid microclimate, so it is desirable that the plants are well ventilated. This is important for prevention diseasescaused by high humidity, especially with dense plantings.
3. After removing excess leaves, peppers are easier to care for: water, bring in fertilizers, loosen the soil between plantings.
4. Proper formation of the bush improves the taste of the fruits and helps increase their quantity.

Arguments against:

1. Peppers are sensitive to leaf pruning and stepchildren. Bush growth slows down.
2. If excess leaves are removed too early or when the plant is sick, it will stop developing or even die.
3. Due to the removal of stems important for fruiting, the risk of getting a meager harvest will increase.
4. Some gardeners think that a bare bush does not look aesthetically pleasing.

The solution to this issue depends on the type of pepper, the time you are willing to devote to caring for it, and the amount of the expected harvest.

How to properly remove leaves

To avoid harming your peppers, follow these simple instructions:

1. When the ovaries of the peppers are formed and the fruits on the lower branches have already begun to reach technical ripeness, remove all the leaves on the main stem from the ground to the first fork.
2. When the fruit on the fork above has ripened, remove all the leaves underneath it and trim off branches that have already been harvested.

Necessary tool

Have garden shears or hand pruners ready. Be sure to disinfect them to avoid infection. Some gardeners do not trim the leaves, but break them off by hand.

Different methods

You can remove leaves in different ways:

1. In tall varieties, additionally pinch off all the side shoots on each fork after the first bud. But one sheet is always left. With proper care, an adult bush will reach 1-1.5 m in height and will be evenly covered with fruits.
2. In medium-sized varieties, only the crown bud and lower leaves up to the fork are cut off.
3. Dwarf varieties require slight leaf thinning to keep the fruit open and aerated. If your goal is to get a small but early harvest, save the crown flower and the first buds.

Each method is correct depending on the type of pepper. If in doubt, check the instructions on the back of the seed packet.

Is it necessary to cut off the stepsons

Stepchildren actively grow from all forks and take away the strength of the shoots on which the main crop is formed. To prevent thickening, they are removed.

Advice. Shape the peppers, keeping 2-3 stems. Trim excess shoots above the first leaf in each new branch, leaving 1-2 of the strongest branches. Do not touch the first leaf of the subsequent fork. It will nourish the ovary.

First buds

When planted in a greenhouse, pepper seedlings grown in pots already have their first buds. Young peppers, until this time limited to the space of the pot, have poorly developed roots. After transplanting to a permanent location, active growth of root and leaf mass will begin. In order not to interfere with this process, the first buds are removed.

The earliest bud on a pepper appears at the bottom fork, above the first leaf. It is called the crown flower and is usually recommended to be removed immediately after planting the bush.

If you did not have time to do this at the flowering stage, cut off the already developing lowest fruit. Growing at the very base, it will draw out all the juices of the bush. As a result, the pepper will grow only this fruit, and those higher up will not ripen, will become smaller or will fall off.

When the pepper begins to rapidly develop and bloom, many buds form on it.Some of them are barren flowers, so they must be plucked out. If this is not done, the plant will not have enough strength to fully develop all the ovaries. The fruits will be small, hard, with thin walls, and they will take longer to ripen.

Advice. Calculate the number of leaves required for full development using the formula: 2 leaves = 1 fruit. To get a harvest of juicy, tasty peppers, leave 12-15 buds per bush, and mercilessly remove the rest.

When should you not pick off the leaves of peppers?

The procedure of tearing off leaves in some cases is harmful:

1. When plants are planted very rarely or one at a time. Without the lower leaves they will suffer from lack of shade. As a result, the moisture will quickly evaporate, and the soil at the roots will dry out. This will reduce the yield.
2. When plants are weakened. The formation of a bush is indicated only for healthy peppers, which will easily tolerate this procedure.

It is not recommended to cut off, but you still have to do it when:

• the lower leaves lie on the ground;
• they turned yellow;
• when planted in open ground, some of the leaves ended up below the level of the hole.

Advice from experienced summer residents

Experienced gardeners have different points of view. Someone advises to remove leaves and considers this procedure extremely important. For some, on the contrary, it is a waste of time.

We have selected tips that will help you get a guaranteed good harvest of peppers:

1. Pick off the leaves at the stage of ripening of the first fruits. Do this gradually, two leaves at a time, starting from the lowest branch. When the harvest from the lower branches is harvested, begin to tear off the leaf blades located above, and cut off the lower branches.
2. The optimal planting density of peppers in a greenhouse is up to 8 pieces per 1 m².
3. Dwarf and low-growing varieties do not need pruning, but for ventilation, fruitless branches and lower leaves are cut off.
4. At the end of August, remove the tops of the peppers along with all the leaves and new buds. At this time, the formation of new ovaries is no longer relevant, they will not have time to ripen, so get rid of all growth points. The bushes must give all their strength to ripen the previously formed fruits.

Conclusion

When growing peppers in a greenhouse, follow the tips and instructions you receive. There are enough arguments for and against shaping, but only through your own experience will you understand whether you need to pick off the leaves of the pepper. Experiment boldly, try different varieties and methods of caring for them. Have a good harvest!