Small varieties of peppers and tomatoes prunes tomatoes and peppers Trim the lower branches backwards to allow light, air and water to enter the plants For plants medium to small size pepper and tomato, growing to 36 “or less at maturity, remove the 6” from the bottom of the branches and foliage at the base of the plant.
This would include peppers like Jalapeno, Cayenne and Hungarian wax, and tomatoes like Roma, San Marzano and the more determined varieties of tomatoes
The 6 inch pruning on these plants leaves plenty of room for air circulation and allows water to easily find its way to the root areas.
With regard to the middle and upper sections, there is generally little need to remove more than the occasional wild branch on smaller varieties.
Large varieties of peppers and tomatoes
Large old and indeterminate tomatoes, as well as large pepper plants like green, yellow, orange and red bells, you will need to prune a little more.
The bottoms of these large plants can be pruned from the ground 10 to 12 inches.
For the middle and top sections, start by pruning all the “wild branches” that cross paths. Then remove a few branches from the middle to let the light and air out on the tomatoes that have formed on the vines.
Try to select branches with lots of foliage, but little or no flowers. Reduce them to the main stem so that more productive branches can continue to develop.
With large plants, especially old tomatoes, this space is essential for maintaining healthy plants and promoting maturation.
