Overwintering Pepper Plants

[recruiterg]

I have a Peppadew plant in the ground in my garden. I am beginning to get a few ripe peppers from it and I really like them. It is a late producer for my climate and I am thinking of overwintering it in my house. My plan is to prune the foliage way back, prune the roots & shake off the dirt from the garden, plant in new potting mix. Does the plant need to be in a sunny spot in the house? Are there any other steps I should be taking? Do pepper plants attract insects in the house?

[Worth1]

It needs as much light as it can get even artificial light.

Make sure there are no insect eggs on it and you should be Ok.

Then this spring you will have to harden it off again.


Worth

[BigBrownDogHouse]

I've had luck doing it in the past with my sport and thai peppers.
This year I have a few Thai's that I picked up really late and they are just starting to produce heavy.
They are also in pots so they can come in any time as the cooler nights are already approaching.....40 later this week.

They will be happy guests this winter in my four season room earning their keep by supplying fresh hot peppers!

[vegomatic]

I grew a Hungarian Yellow four years. I dug up the rootball in fall and plunked it, attached soil and all in a suitable pot. I didn't prune. It pruned itself multiple times but always made new leaves. Production slowed down but it made a few during winter. In spring back in the gh it went, right into the beds, again no special treatment. My gh sheeting blocks enough light that hardening off is minimal. Maybe prop a sheet of something to shade it if necessary.

Have fun!

-Ed

[fortyonenorth]

How much of a benefit do you get from overwintering (versus starting from seed) in terms of early production and overall vigor in year 2. Is it significant?

[austinnhanasmom]

I overwintered a Peppadew last year - but oops I put it about in the dark!! and it must be three times as big as it was last year, when I dug it up.

The increased productivity is well worth the effort! I bet the ripe fruits I'll harvest have quadrupled, if not even more.

I overwintered a few plants last year that did great in the containers. When I transplanted them to the ground, they all died.

Not sure where I messed up...

But my favorite peppers will be overwintered and then grown in pots; I guess stored in more light.

[vegomatic]

Overwintering is a recent "hot" topic, maybe because we're anticipating fall and frosts and all that nasty cold stuff which follows! Nothing's more fun than keeping a few plants going to convince you all is not lost and your favorite pepper plants can keep on producing indoors.

Here's some pics of the way I endeavored to overwinter several peppers and toms. The nice big Hungarian lasted 4 years, but I think most the others were retired in their second year due to diseases or just looking too tired to nurse indoors.

No special care, other than 8 tubes worth of shoplights or window light, plucking/pruning the dead stuff and enjoying the occasional ripe pepper.

The advantage beside the fruit and doing some "gardening" while the snow flies is getting it back out the following spring. it's already well-established and in flower/fruit stage as soon as it hits the dirt. It otherwise takes special care and an early start to get peppers started fresh from seed to ripen well here. Several years I got few to none, so overwintering sure seems to work for me!

The first pic of the Hungarian was taken in September. All the rest were in November. The last two are of the same Hungarian as the first pic. It lived by the sliding glass patio door and loved it. It made an attractive (and functional!) houseplant.

-Ed

[recruiterg]

How many hour per day do you keep the lights on?

[vegomatic]

It was a pretty basic experiment, so I am sure it could be improved upon. The shop lights were timed for 8 or more hours, with no nearby window. I used the upright side lights for awhile, but after the toms got too gangly I pruned them back heavily and moved them to a window. I did that mainly to reduce the electricity use. Later in winter, I shut the lights down as production wasn't worth it. The Hungarian by the front door got shorter with pruning, but survived quite well and that's all the light it got.

These pics were taken in 2003. Since then, we've built an addition to our home with seven 3'x5' windows facing south and west, so I'm sure I could do much better now. I planted some peppers in the gh, but in typical fashion for me they never grew much this season. Maybe I'll pot a couple up and try overwintering again.



-Ed

[jtjmartin]

I know there is a longer thread somewhere.

I'd like to give this a try this year. Here's my plan - suggestions?

Trim up some healthy looking cheese pepper plants.
Dig out the plants
Shake most of the soil off the roots.
Transplant into grow bags of fresh-bought potting soil
Do not water unless bone dry
Store in garage - never goes below freezing; most days will get natural sunlight; supplement with some grow lights.

Tips for better success?

Jeff

Originally Posted by jtjmartin

I know there is a longer thread somewhere.


Jeff

Yes, one called Why We Like to Over winter Peppers, started by ScottinAtlanta in 2014 and last posted in this June.

[vegomatic]

Hi Jeff,

I wouldn't try to make them dormant at all. In their native habitat, the season is long and winters mild to non-existant. They'll just remain in flower as vigorously as the light, warmth and nutrients allow.

Re-read my posts above in this thread. My best plant was placed by our sliding glass entry door and kept like a house plant. With no more care than the other plants received. Water, pluck dead leaves, cull a bare branch. Repot if it would help, just like any other potted plant.

I dug it up, didn't stress the roots or alter the root ball in any way, then plunked it in a nice pot with whatever new miracle grow filled it. No extra light. It didn't even drop flowers. Though later in winter indoors, I had to lend a hand with pollenating.

The following year I just left in that pot, but moved it to the gh, then back indoors again come fall. I grew this same plant four years continuously.

With the waxy leaves, it did well indoors.
Ed

[vegomatic]

Well, I guess if you have a bunch, or not enough window space for them, making them dormant is the wiser choice. That's something I didn't try. 8 hours a day of low light intensity with no window light in my bedroom wasn't too successful for me. But they did live to have a head start come spring, though they were heavily pruned of dead branches by then. Prune once or prune many times as it dies back, same difference in the end.

So it's either dormant or active growing, in-between wasn't worth the effort and electricity.
-Ed

[jtjmartin]

Thanks. I'll check out the newer thread and give the vegomatic technique a try!

(Love the Black Hills - what a hauntingly beautiful place the first couple times you see the Badlands, etc.)

Jeff

[vegomatic]

Good luck with your-off season grow experiment! It doesn't hurt to try and you can always make it go dormant later on if it doesn't pan out to keep it in flower and fruit.

Here's the thread you spoke of, I missed it, so reading it now!
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=32760

I agree on Hills scenery. We had a summer cabin since I was age 6 and moved here permanently in '71. The friendly folks and laid back atmosphere make it worth staying! It's pretty rural where I live and I'm no City Boy!
-Ed