"swimcoach" wrote in message rthlink.net...
I've got several small jalapeno plants that I started this spring. A couple
have started to produce flowers buds.

I've grown basil for years and know that pinching off the flowers forces the
plant to keep putting on new leaves - the object of my desire.

However, am I correct that I should NOT remove the flowers from the jap
plants if I want peppers to form?


I have some sweet banana pepper plants that were small and spindly,
yet still trying to produce their first set of flowers. On the advice
of the good people here on this newsgroup, I pinched off these first
flower buds to put energy into leafy growth.

As a result, they have put out new sets of leaves and are getting
downright bushy compared to what they were like a few weeks ago.

My advice would be to do the same...there's a lot of growing season
left, and I figure you'll get better yields if you let the plants get
a good head start on their leafiness first.

Mark