Legit question: are my plants TOO big?

[u/paapsuave]

Have seen several posts like this one (https://www.reddit.com/r/HotPeppers/s/uuByKV8END) of a person bringing in their 4yr old plant that looks to be about 12"-18" tall.

All of my mature plants dwarf these sizes by a couple of feet and it makes me wonder if there are pros/cons of larger vs smaller pepper plants when we're talking about plant health and productivity.

All of my plants are healthy and producing. Just curious if I should change what I'm doing or keep growing monsters.

[u/PiercedAutist]

No, they're not too big. They're looking pretty awesome, actually!

The plant you used for comparison is an established specimen in the process of being overwintered. It is not actively growing the same way your plants are. The text there says it was brought inside because of a 4°C low temp, so it's been intentionally cut back and is basically in a state of semi-dormancy from the cold.

Because it-s an older plant that's been through this before, there's a nice, big, thick trunk supporting it, and a well-established root system in that grow bag that's just itching to explode with longer arms, foliage, and fruit in the spring, at which point it'll look a lot more like yours do in these photos.

Don't worry. You're not doing anything wrong by growing them this large! The bigger the better, IMO!