So… I'm completely new at this, grew peppers for the first time this year, and now considering overwintering a few plants.
Ignore the background in the pic, it's just temp location. What does it look like and what else do I need to know about the process?
by Quis_curat
18 Comments
It looks like you just chopped off everything but the bottom few inches and then dug up the roots and soil and threw it in a pot and stuck it under the sink.
RIP
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What pepper is it?
I’ve only ever over wintered a handful of times but mine looked quite similar to this. Came out alright. Make sure it gets some sunlight but not too much as you’d want it to go dormant.
I gave the roots a good bath with neem oil then packed the new soil with a healthy amount of dry plant based nutrients. For me it worked quite well.
Did ur dog do this
chocolate habanero should overwinter fine, they’re pretty tough. the main thing people don’t mention is keeping it genuinely cool, around 10c, so it actually goes dormant. if it’s too warm it’ll try to keep growing with no light and just get leggy and stressed. cool dark corner or unheated room is better than a warm house.
Keep it in a dark cool place and it will be fine. Make sure to not overwater, they will not need a lot. If you didn’t change your soil there is a good chance of bringing spider mites/thrips inside where there are no natural predators to control them. If they start leafing out in the middle of winter your gonna need to treat them like a houseplant. Not the worst but not the best. Ideally you want them to start waking up 6-8 weeks before you can put them back outside again.
For reference, here’s my overwintered mad hatter
https://preview.redd.it/c1nqof2ttnrh1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c5431fd71571fcb6ffdfaf8d22caa8b3050a9fce
r/bonchi
I think you’ve cut it way, way, way too short. If it survives, the main stem won’t continue to grow. Everything is going to branch off from the current main stem. It’s so short, you’re going to have most of your branches and leaves on the ground, it’ll be overly bushy and I doubt many peppers will like it. But good luck anyway!
When I overwinter I only overwinter my potted plants so your mileage may vary, but my process is hose them down, spray them with insecticidal soap, bring them into the garage for a few days, and then bring them into a basement room. I might water them once or twice over the winter. If pests become a problem I release ladybugs in the bedroom. Yes ladybugs in the house. No they don’t go everywhere. That’s literally all I do. When spring comes, I bring them up cut them back, give them some time in the garage, then drag them in and out and let them Harden, and then off they go. It’s really complete and utter benign neglect.
you did something and you will learn from it, that’s just how working with plants works sometimes. it’s not optimal, but it’s also not a fail. you will get a good experience from it and you will optimize it the next few times. as long as the plant survives you totally nailed your first time imo, which is definitely possible by the looks of it (not guaranteed of course). some comments are just unnecessary pessimistic imo. might want to plant some more next season because this one might stay smaller and bushier, which leads to a smaller yield. good luck
I grow the same hot thai pepper plants for up to 3 years by growing them in pots all summer until it starts getting cold and I have harvested all the peppers then prune them down , cut off 2 inches above the first crotch 2 branches. I leave them in the pot and keep them in a dark cool place and leave soil moist. But after the 3rd year they are too tired and they will leaf up a little but won’t fruit again.
First, you’re supposed to allow the plant to go dormant from the cold. You don’t just cut a plant that’s still actively growing. It’s now wasting all this energy trying to regrow what you cut off.
Next time allow the cold to hit and the leaves to start yellowing and dropping. That’s signaling the plant is starting to go dormant from the cold and not wasting any more energy trying to grow. Then you can cut it down.
Still not sure why you all keep butchering your peppers every fall. All I do is stop watering them for a while and bring them inside. Then water like it’s a houseplant, let it get dry soil between waterings, place near a window. Some of my extras go into the basement. No trimming, nothing. I get flowers and fruits all winter long, though they take longer to mature inside. Stop butchering them.
I overwintered my ghost pepper plant. Pruned it back watered once a month from last October till this may I think. Stayed green but sparse. Just got my first peppers two weeks ago. 4 total. Not worth the hassle in my opinion. The first year harvest for it was huge. Definitely disappointed with the second year results.
I hack mine down. It’s called tough love. Just prep them for winter dormancy before they get a frost.
Does anyone know if it’s possible to overwinter peppers in a raised bed outside? I have about 6 plants that I would like to keep and don’t have the space to overwinter them inside. I get mild winters (nighttime lows typically 40s-50s) and can cover them with a row cover
I got a habanero as a sapling two summers ago. I just pruned off the smaller branches and left it to do its thing in a room for the winter. It bloomed in winter and gave me 3-4x more than last summer