A stingy instinct is a sterile side shoot. This grows from the leaf axils between the summer shoot and the petiole. In addition to peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers are also used. Choosing peppers – does that make sense? And what needs to be taken into account?
What does pepper extraction mean and how do you do it?
Piculating peppers means removing side shoots that have become infertile in order to enable optimal care of the main shoot. This may result in more fruit, but is controversial. It is recommended to take it out in the morning to enable faster wound healing.
Using the peppers doesn't do any harm
If you want to harvest plenty of ripe peppers, it's best to break off the plants' side shoots. But be careful, only remove the shoots, not the fruit bases.
The advantage of thinning out peppers is that instead of having to deal with many shoots, the plant now takes care of the main shoot as best as possible. By removing the stingers, all the fruit hangs on the main shoot. The fruits on this shoot are developing well and promise significantly more fruit.
Gardening experts argue about whether this actually produces significantly better harvest results. The fact is: it doesn't do any harm to skimp. If you want to know exactly, it's best to take the practical test. One pepper plant is culled and another of the same variety is not. Then you'll be smarter next year at the latest.
Best time to prune and care for peppers
The best time to remove the shoots is in the morning because that's when the cuts dry out quickest. Because the larger the shoots, the larger the wounds that appear on the plant when they break out.
Peppers prefer a location with slightly acidic, sandy, loose soil. The space required and ideal planting distance depends on the type of pepper.
Maximizing peppers also has disadvantages
Through thinning, the peppers are forced to grow unnaturally. The plant naturally tends to grow in width. Austerity prevents development in this direction. This contradicts the basic ecological idea.
At the same time, it becomes clear that the pepper plant is not able to develop sufficiently strong shoots for height growth. The shoots are designed to grow widthwise and are too weak to grow upwards. In order to be able to hold the main shoot with the large fruits, the pepper plant needs a bamboo stick (€13.00 on Amazon) or other supports.
Find out more about pinching tomatoes.
Tips & Tricks
If you prefer to eat peppers without gloves, you can alternatively apply a lot of cream to your hands. This makes it easier to wash off the dye from the plants later.