Topping pepper plants — yes or no?

There’s a lot of debate around it. Some say it helps the plant grow stronger and bushier, while others prefer letting it grow naturally without pruning the main stem.

Personally, I’m in favor of topping. I’ve noticed it encourages more side shoots, which means a fuller plant and often more fruit over time. It might slow things down a bit at first, but in my experience, the payoff is worth it.

Would love to hear what’s worked for you!

Here a full guide for growing bell peppers on a balcony- from seeds:

For various bell pepper plants I grow, they all follow a pattern of structure if they have the right nutrient and ample sunlight. When the seedling grows about 12 leaves, there comes the terminal flower. Right below that, two opposite buds will develop into two side shoots. These two will quickly be terminated with flower buds again and send out 4 side shoots. These first 1+2 flowers are removed so the plant will spend energy in growing. The four shoots will each has a diameter of 1/2 of the main stem and they no longer branch out but putting out flowers on the nodes. I usually get 10 to 12 large bell peppers per plant in the main season. After this flush, the tips start to branch out again and the plant has a more umbrella shape. If the season is long enough,  there comes another flush of smaller bell peppers. If you have multiple plants, leave some topped and some as is for comparison.

I came to gardening from growing just chiles. I've been part of pepper groups around the net for years and years. Everyone has their own preference on this one but the scant actual evidence that exists seems to show that you don't actually get a greater yield. (I don't have anything to cite, just that's my impression from reading when people post stuff.)