How to Prune Anaheim Peppers

Occasionally, pruning is necessary for the health of your Anaheim pepper plant.

You don't hear a lot about pruning Anaheim pepper plants. In fact, it's not a recommended practice, as it does little to affect pepper yields, according to the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension. Anaheim peppers also are not an ornamental, so regular pruning is essentially a waste of labor. At times, however, pruning Anaheims can be beneficial for the health of your plant. When pruning is necessary, it is simple to do and requires few materials.

Things You'll Need

• Bucket
• Bleach
• Pruning shears or sharp knife

Instructions

1. Fill a bucket with water and add a couple of capfuls of bleach. This creates a sanitizing solution for your pruning shears or sharp knife. Before making each cut on your Anaheim pepper plant, dip the shears or knife into this solution to prevent spreading any diseases from one part of the plant to another.

2. Cut any yellowing or browning stems from the pepper plant with the shears or knife flush to where it meets the rest of the plant. This removes dying parts of the plant, allowing the plant to focus its energies on the remaining healthy parts, potentially extending fall pepper production. Also, remove any yellow or brown foliage by hand.

3. Remove any debris created from pruning from the garden. These stems and foliage may harbor harmful insects or disease that can hurt the remainder of your healthy Anaheim pepper plants.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not excessively remove foliage, as it will impede the chlorophyll production of your pepper plant and could potentially kill it.

References

• Aggie Horticulture: Pepper
• University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension; Does Pruning Peppers and Eggplant Pay; Jude Boucher; Crop Talk; Vol 5, No2; May 2009