"To be honest, at first I was really scared to cut the top of my chili plant. I kept thinking, 'What if the plant dies instead?'
But finally, I gathered the courage and did it. And guess what... it really works!
The plant became bushier, grew more branches, and now my hope of harvesting lots of chilies feels a lot closer. Here, let me share the process and the photos with you. Hopefully, it can inspire anyone who wants to grow chilies in their home garden."
"Small Seedling, But Full of Big Hope"
It's only about 3 weeks old since I moved it to a used gallon. The growing medium is a mix of soil, kitchen vegetable scraps, and factory compost. When the plant reaches 10-15 cm in height and has 6-8 leaves, that's the perfect time for pruning. If we wait too long for it to get taller, all the nutrients will just go to the top.
*The Nerve-Wracking Moment - The Scissors Go In
This was the most nerve-wracking part. Using clean scissors, I cut right above the 4th leaf from the bottom. The goal was simple: "not to grow tall, but to grow wide."
When you cut the top, the nutrients will automatically be redirected to the side branches. So instead of a tall, skinny plant, you’ll get a short, bushy plant with lots of branches and more chilies.
After Cutting, Now We Just Wait for New Shoots
This is what it looked like right after I cut it. Looks pretty normal, right?
But 1-2 weeks later, new shoots will start to appear in the leaf axils. From 1 main stem, it can turn into 2-4 branches. Imagine if all 4 branches bear fruit... the harvest could be 4 times bigger, right?
The key: don't forget to water it and feed it with organic fertilizer once a week.
Not Just One, But a Whole Row
I didn't just plant one tree. Here I have several pots made from used gallons. It's great for saving space. Planting in pots like this is convenient because I can move them around if there's heavy rain or really hot sun.
I also mixed the soil with rice husk charcoal or factory compost so it doesn't get waterlogged. Chili plants hate root rot the most.
Mini Garden" Behind the House
This is the vibe of my mini garden behind the house. It's still messy and made with whatever I have there are used gallons, and a small drainage ditch for water runoff.
For me, gardening is stress therapy. After a tiring day at work, coming home to see all this green feels so calming. My goal is to be able to harvest in 3 months for my own kitchen needs. It helps a lot in cutting down grocery costs.
Free Fertilizer from Kitchen Scraps
Oh yeah, to keep the chilies healthy I also make my own fertilizer, these are vegetable scraps from the kitchen that I chopped up. I ferment them for 2 weeks first, then use the liquid to water the plants.
My principle is: "kitchen waste turns into gold for plants." It's free, organic, and makes the plants thrive.
3 Lessons From Daring to Cut the Top
What do you guys think? Has anyone tried this technique before? Or do you have other tips to make chilies grow even bushier?
Share in the comments! I'm still learning too
