Trimming Pepper Plants

[karlapep]

I have two pepper plants growing nicely in a Bounty. I wanted to attach a photo from my computer but can't figure out how to do it on this forum. It doesn't appear when I copy and paste, and the insert image icon seems to be asking for a URL.

Anyway, one plant was grown just with a few red bell pepper seeds I grabbed directly from a fresh red pepper I cut, decided to throw them in the AG and growing well (I usually can't grow anything but mold and algae so I am thrilled).

The other plant is regular green jalapeno from seeds I bought.

Both were planted 40 days ago. My question is, should I be weeding out leaves at this point? Or should I wait until they start to flower and produce? And when and if I trim, should I just trim leaves at the bottom? They are doing so well without any intervention so far, I don't want to mess them up by doing or over-doing.

Please advise & thanks!!!

[scarfguy]

I prune my peppers when the canopy (the top of the plant) gets dense. Too many leaves block the light from penetrating lower into the heart of the plant.  Yes, you should prune bottom older leaves that show signs of not getting enough light.  They are a burden on the plant and not contributing to the growth of the plant.

I just look for leaves and clusters that are disfigured and look like they don't have enough room to thrive. I thin that area out a bit.

If your canopy is lush, need pruning, and you aren't getting a lot of flowers, it's time to supplement your nutrients with a formula that encourages flowering.  Most people here recommend that you just add 4-5 ml of General Hydroponics Kool-Bloom (0-10-10) fertilizer every time you fertilize with the aerogarden nutrients.

That has worked very well for my peppers.