Nobody likes seedlings with long, thin stems! (Seedlings with long thin stems are when your plants are stretched out because they are trying to reach the light source). You can avoid this fate for your plants by keeping a grow light just 2 to 5 cm away.
If you grow your peppers on a south-facing window, you won’t have to move the light but you will need to move the plant. Reposition your pepper plants every few days so they don’t lean to one side. You’ll probably turn them every day after they first germinate, then every few days once they get a little more established.
4. Pinch (cut) the chili peppers at the 8 to 10 leaf stage:
Want strong stems and lots of lateral growth? So, you need to prune your pepper plants! When the plant reaches the 8 or 10 leaf stage, cut off the last 2 to 4 leaves on the top of the plant.
Yes, you’ll probably feel like a plant killer for pruning your plants like this. But I promise you’ll be rewarded with thick stems, a bushy chili plant, and lots of fruit!
5. Plant in the right place in the vegetable garden:
Once you’ve grown that perfect chili plant from seed, your work isn’t done! Chili peppers don’t grow very tall and like as much sun and heat as possible. Plant them in a container or area of the garden that receives 6 or more hours of sun per day, in the warmest location possible. (Unless you live somewhere really hot.)
If you have access to a greenhouse or tunnel, giving your peppers some of this valuable tool will help you grow much better peppers. The peppers benefit from the extra heat and have a much better chance of getting bigger.
And what are your tips and advice for chili peppers?