Normally once the plant is planted in the location where it will live out its life you stop pinching. Pinching them off before it is transplanted is common but not really needed after.

Any blooms that develop on a plant that can't feed and support them are usually dropped anyway. So assuming it has the space and nutrients it needs, just let the plant do its thing.

Dave

Good to know dave! I've been pinching small buds off tiny tomatoes, it now I will let them be :)

I slightly disagree with Dave here. You certainly CAN let the pepper plant go ahead and do its thing. But the total harvest will likely be greater if you continue pinching off buds from a very small plant until it reaches a larger, more mature size. That is because the plant will then devote more energy to getting bigger and the bigger plant can bear more fruit.

So you can do exactly what Dave says. But whether you should depends on what you are trying to achieve. For earlier fruit, do it. For greater harvest, keep pinching a little longer.

Angie

Angie - Is there any research that supports the claim of "greater harvest"? How long do you recommend pinching after planting?

Since the plant grows in approximately 2 week cycles of foliage growth and then blooming, if all blooms are removed prior to transplanting then new blooms shouldn't appear for another 10-14 days.

Pinching those blooms it ends up being almost a month after planting (assuming proper planting time and proper transplant size). That would seem to greatly reduce production since it would put many growers into the high heat periods where blossom-drop and dormancy become the main issue.

Dave