algarve, Portugal

Have a pepper tree which is about 3-4 meters high now, forgot when we planted it. Anyway, I never did some cutting on it and now it is full of some sort of pepperstrings. I wonder if I have to cut off the lower branches - they are on the ground now - in order to get real peppercorns, because when I pull on the strings, the corns seem to fall off. Don't know caused by watershortage or else, I never watered the tree anymore and here in the Algarve it's becoming warmer and warmer. Would apreciate any suggestions.

• 15 Jun, 2013