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Originally Posted by AlittleSalt
I've been watching the hot peppers we planted this year. I've noticed that pepper plants that start setting peppers don't seem to grow taller like the plants that don't have pepper growing on them. I've never had this problem before.
I have read that tomato plants that start producing tomatoes while the plant is small - all the energy goes into producing the fruit instead of growing the plant larger. I'm guess the same holds true for pepper plants. Should I cut the peppers off the plants until the plants grow bigger?
In the first picture is a Thai Chili that is basically the same size as when I planted it back in late March. The second picture is Aji Amarillo, and it is growing more like my pepper plants have in past years. The third picture is a Tabasco plant. It looks healthy and no peppers growing on it. I grew Tabasco plants last year, and they are about the same size this year as they were last year at this time. I've never grown a Thai chili or Aji Amarillo until now.
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Thai chiles are tiny plants in my experience.
I use a lot of kelp and fish emulsion. I finally got mine from Amazon this weekend and the difference in the tomatoes from yesterday and Friday is amazing.
Alfalfa also has growth factors and is another favorite additive of mine. Get the horse or rabbit alfalfa cubes/pellets and add a handful or two each plant. They will break down slowly, while the kelp and fish emulsion give rapid response. I don't think you have a big issue. You could nip the blooms and fruits but I really don't know if that helps.
I use neem,spinosad and BT, plus Dr.Bonners peppermint Castille soap if bugs are an issue.
Once it gets hot, peppers usually start growing, unless it's AZ hot. Make sure they have decent pH,too.