re: Lets talk pepper plants

You don’t prune them so much as “top” them. The goal is to encourage branching. The tops are evident because they are the new growth with small leaves and buds at the end of the branch or main stem. Generally peppers produce buds from there, but if you “top” them it will terminate and new branches will sprout from the crooks of the branches below it, creating more branches that will produce.

Honestly it’s not entirely necessary, and my most productive Tabasco plant was never topped. It can help very heat intolerant varieties set a lot of fruit before they get stressed in the summer, if you do it right. In my experience a good fertilizer pattern will make the most difference. I use a lot of epsom salt and calcium, go heavy on the nitrogen early to get foliage, then transition to a balanced mix when the plant is big enough to support pepper growth.