Should I cut Thai pepper down

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I have a Thai pepper that is 5 feet tall. Should I cut it down to make it shorter (2-3 feet) in the spring? I don't know if it's recommended to trim pepper plant down every year or not.
 

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I have a Thai pepper that is 5 feet tall. Should I cut it down to make it shorter (2-3 feet) in the spring? I don't know if it's recommended to trim pepper plant down every year or not.
IIRC the longest on record of the life span of a hot pepper was 7 years, somewhere in Malaysia. However, this was in PERFECT growing conditions. In almost every other case of keeping peppers for more than a year, production decreases and diseases increase. The only hot pepper that does not is the chilipitin. In your case what I would do is repot into a larger container or place in the ground. The most important part of a plant is its root system so take care of anything that pertains to the roots first. This will include being root bound, encircling roots and dead roots. As far as pruning what I would do is top the plant. In your case cut about a foot off of all of the limbs. In your area I would do this in Jan or Feb.
 
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Thanks. So you don't recommend cutting it down so it will be 1-2 feet tall instead of 5 feet?
 
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Thanks. So you don't recommend cutting it down so it will be 1-2 feet tall instead of 5 feet?
No. This plant will be under enough stress as it is. Just top it. This will encourage new growth while at the same time it will be less stressful by not making the plant grow complete sets of branches and leaves. A word to the wise. This plant will be nothing but trouble. I would keep it away from other plants.
 
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Thanks. I didn't know it's recommended to grow new pepper plant every year. I can keep the seeds of this pepper plant and grow new plants for next year. I'll google to find out how to do that
 

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