I received a Jalapeno pepper plant as a gift from my daughter two years ago. I live in Minnesota and have managed to keep it alive and fairly healthy. Last fall, the top 4-5 inches of the stem started turning yellow and appeared to be migrating downward. I am not a plant person, but I thought I had heard that the yellow portion should be pruned before it affected the rest of the plant. I looked up pruning on the internet and it said to prune about 3/4 of an inch above a good (branch) of the plant. When I performed this procedure about 3 weeks ago, I noticed the stem is hollow and is open to the elements. This (wound) has not healed over and I don't know what to do about it. Is there some kind plant patch or something to protect the plant, or do I just leave it alone? Any help would be greatly appreciated!