Prune and Pinch for Bushier Plants
Pinching off the primary growing tip when plants reach 10–12 inches tall stimulates lateral branching, doubling or tripling flowering sites. Later, remove any non-productive suckers at branch junctions to focus energy on fruit-bearing stems. This yields a denser, more fruitful canopy ideal for big harvests.
I’m always amazed how quickly a pinched jalapeño bush fills out! And those extra branches become cozy real estate for parasitic wasps, which lay eggs in hornworm caterpillars—nature’s own biological control emerging right in your garden.