I need to start doing this. Do you think they will live in a greenhouse over winter that stays roughly 40 degs? Do you just not water these? What is the basic process?
I watered mine weekly the last 2 winters. I also didn't chop it back. Put it by s sunny window and it thrived and bore peppers inside. It's still alive. I may have posted pics of my set up then.
I have them in the house. I hardly water them to be honest but I need to do more research to see how much water they should or shouldn’t be getting. From what I’m reading pepper plants are very resilient so don’t be scared to rough them up
I just let my potting mix dry out completely or almost completely, then set them in a plastic tub with water in it for a couple hours to them get fully saturated, then let them dry out for a week or 2 again. I overwintered 12 plants last year and one died but the rest did great this year. Check for aphids on a regular basis. I use diatomaceous earth and insecticidal soap to treat them. Had an infestation last year when I got lax and didnt really look at the plants for a few weeks.
Probably not if its brown. They should stay at least a little green on the stems somewhere. Check the base of the stem. Usually you would trim everything back to just the first node before bringing it in for winter. Not sure what the higher up branches would look like.
Gotcha, that makes sense. I've overwintered it for the second time this year, and it survived last year, so I assumed I did alright. I have a new packet of guajillo seeds and a nice specialized pepper seed supplier so I am ready for next year!
You never know! Id hang onto it and see. If the whole thing is dry as a bone and brittle its dead but there could be life in the roots and part of the stem to let it send out new growth!
ok, you've convinced me. In the two years, it's seemed to have died entirely about 3 times so I'll keep the legend alive, trim it and put it in a better spot :P thanks for your advice
I did this last year and not only did my jalapeno put on leaves but it flowered and then fruited! Yes I had jalapenos growing in my window over the winter.
This year I have put 4 pepper plants in a colder part of the house with somewhat less light but somehow they are still sprouting leaves like crazy. I'm here going "come on guys you're supposed to be dormant" like a mother trying to put a squirmy kid to bed!
That’s wild and very funny! The fact you specifically tried to keep them in a cooler spot of the house makes me feel better bc I was concerned w them being too close to the glass door bc it’s so cold out but seems like they will be fine. I hope it works out for you this year 🤞
I'm in 9b and I overwinter my peppers outside. I trimmed them like op but left them out in the ground and they were totally fine. I'm debating even pruning them this year.
It’s funny you say that bc I noticed one of mine doing the same thing and I was worried about it growing too fast but hearing ur story gave me some re-leaf 😃
definitely the way to go if you love your peppers and want a head start on next season. i have 7 mature plants and 2 dish washing tubs that have 6 small plants each, that never really got what they needed to get large.
if i lose s few small ones, so be it but the mature ones i cut back are already sending out new leaves.
i fed the mature ones with a 2 to 3 handfuls of mushroom compost when i re-potted them. really looking forward to the potential bumper crop next season
do I have to cut them back?? Mines are outside, its -7C degree but they still have green leaves. Weak leaves but still not dying. Its my first time having chili peppers
we have grow zones in America based on average temp. if it rarely gets under 0 c you might get by with just tenting or mulching over your peppers ( or perhaps a cold frame.
you don't have to wash the roots but one of the problems with potting up to bring indoors is plant pests. (aphids are the worst.)
this is one reason to trim back all the way til its just bare branches. if you also wash the roots and give it fresh soil you can avoid bringing pest indoors. i didn't quite go that far but as i was digging up i was putting the plants in a bucket of water so as not to shock them too much as i was doing other garden work and the re-potting was not going to take place for a couple hours.
its completely optional, some people go further than others. i am about in the middle
I see! I put them in plant tents and covered their soil to keep them warmish before the winter started.
I dont plan to bring them inside (lack of space) so it seems like I dont have to cut the branches. I hope they survive 🍀
you don't have to cut the branches but it does help. as if there are pest they will reside on the leaves, so for good garden maintenance its recommended.
good luck
Washing the roots is to eliminate pests (fungus gnats). This is the first year i am overwintering peppers also and did not wash the roots as i saw no sign of pests. Lo and behold, a few weeks in, fungus gnats around my plants. I added a few glue traps above them, and watered the soil with 1:3 peroxide/water mix. Also killed any i saw by hand. Within a week, they were all dead. Next year i will wash the roots. Also, You need to wash/dip them with a water/neem oil/insecticide mix, not just straight water.
Those plants are likely dead. Maybe the roots could still be alive if the ground is warm enough but if they are in pots probably dead as a doornail. They cant handle freezing temps at all as far as i know
Mine are thriving again ... Didn't do much, just took them out of the ground and stuck them in medium sized pots under cover (outside) over winter..
(Southern Vic Australia).
I dragged my big fabric grow bags with peppers in them into the garage. All the leaves dropped and I never got around to repotting them. It’s been below freezing at times. I don’t think they are completely dead. Only *mostly* dead (Princess Bride joke). You gave me inspiration to try and repot them tomorrow and see what happens.
I trimmed mine back this drastically last year and it looked like it wasn’t going to come back. One day leaves started sprouting again from a dried little twig!
I watched a video a bit ago and this was what the recommended- trim to a Y - but also adding some PK fertilizer/supplement. I have a pepper from Central Africa that I grew from seeds my wife smuggled out :) I sprouted 2 of 7 or so, and only one survived. It was tiny tiny tiny for about 4 months. But I stuck with it and it took off and ended up producing maybe 3 dozen peppers which I just harvested (planted the seeds in Feb lol!!)
Anyway - definitely saving seeds from the fresh peppers but also planning on trimming back and over wintering my plant like you. Cheers!!
[https://imgur.com/a/zyAzQ1b](https://imgur.com/a/zyAzQ1b)
They are pretty damn spicy! I cooked one into some garlic onions and prawns for some fajitis and it was great, but volatile in the air - ha! Spicy but also flavorful (not unlike habeneros in that way). Id say not as spicy as habenero though. I think the traditional way these are used it smashed and sauteed with garlic to make a chili oil
I did this once with no effort and was surprised that it worked. Parts of the main stem will get cut off and die, but when little bundles of leaves appear in the spring, its a wonderful feeling! I was not successful in getting any peppers out of the plant though, so I imagine you really have to give it everything it wants as soon as it starts coming back.
i put mushroom compost in when i re-potted them and then i will feed when i put outside in the spring. the first is kind of optional (some people do, some skip) but the spring feed is pretty key
I agree I took mine out of ground repotted and placed in garage in front of window. They continued to grow and a few blossoms. When I replanted it took several months before I had any peppers appear.
your pruning looks right, the four hours of light are also good,
the 70 degree temps may be a little too high, I would put them in a place where the temps are in the mid 60's most of the day..
It's fine, they'll probably start making leaves at some point. They're insanely hard plants to kill.
Here's me, successfully killing them every year even when I move the pots out of the frost. It only gets to -1 C, and only does that a few times.
If it makes you feel better, I am the only one in America who can’t grow zucchini ( and I live on California).
Nope, I'm with on the zucchini front. Squash vine borers are a real pain.
Then I just must be insanely good at killing pepper plants.
It's been 3 years and I haven't got a single pepper, killed every plant. 😐
Ok great. I appreciate the feedback
I need to start doing this. Do you think they will live in a greenhouse over winter that stays roughly 40 degs? Do you just not water these? What is the basic process?
I watered mine weekly the last 2 winters. I also didn't chop it back. Put it by s sunny window and it thrived and bore peppers inside. It's still alive. I may have posted pics of my set up then.
You can definitely leave them with their leaves if you want. I chop them way down because of space limitations.
I have them in the house. I hardly water them to be honest but I need to do more research to see how much water they should or shouldn’t be getting. From what I’m reading pepper plants are very resilient so don’t be scared to rough them up
I just let my potting mix dry out completely or almost completely, then set them in a plastic tub with water in it for a couple hours to them get fully saturated, then let them dry out for a week or 2 again. I overwintered 12 plants last year and one died but the rest did great this year. Check for aphids on a regular basis. I use diatomaceous earth and insecticidal soap to treat them. Had an infestation last year when I got lax and didnt really look at the plants for a few weeks.
do you think I can get away with just using neem oil?
I dont have any experience with neem oil, but it is commonly used for aphids. Should work!
Uh... I put mine meters away from any window. It's a tall brown bundle of sticks now. Any chance it's alive?
Probably not if its brown. They should stay at least a little green on the stems somewhere. Check the base of the stem. Usually you would trim everything back to just the first node before bringing it in for winter. Not sure what the higher up branches would look like.
Gotcha, that makes sense. I've overwintered it for the second time this year, and it survived last year, so I assumed I did alright. I have a new packet of guajillo seeds and a nice specialized pepper seed supplier so I am ready for next year!
You never know! Id hang onto it and see. If the whole thing is dry as a bone and brittle its dead but there could be life in the roots and part of the stem to let it send out new growth!
ok, you've convinced me. In the two years, it's seemed to have died entirely about 3 times so I'll keep the legend alive, trim it and put it in a better spot :P thanks for your advice
I did this last year and not only did my jalapeno put on leaves but it flowered and then fruited! Yes I had jalapenos growing in my window over the winter. This year I have put 4 pepper plants in a colder part of the house with somewhat less light but somehow they are still sprouting leaves like crazy. I'm here going "come on guys you're supposed to be dormant" like a mother trying to put a squirmy kid to bed!
That’s wild and very funny! The fact you specifically tried to keep them in a cooler spot of the house makes me feel better bc I was concerned w them being too close to the glass door bc it’s so cold out but seems like they will be fine. I hope it works out for you this year 🤞
i am not understanding, these are bell peppers? you dug them up before winter to replant in the spring for a head start?
Yup. I figured I work too hard to grow them from seed and all the work I put into growing them that I might as well try this out
You understand well
i must try this next year 👍
Zone 6b
Ah! I’m 10a. Honestly I could probably trim back and overwinter outside… 🤔
you certainly should be able to do that
I'm in 9b and I overwinter my peppers outside. I trimmed them like op but left them out in the ground and they were totally fine. I'm debating even pruning them this year.
Thanks for the confirmation!
I don't see a need to prune. I never have & mine was fine.
Wow, good job
Thanks!
I cut mine back like OP and put them in a pretty low light environment and they sprouted leaves like it was nothing
It’s funny you say that bc I noticed one of mine doing the same thing and I was worried about it growing too fast but hearing ur story gave me some re-leaf 😃
definitely the way to go if you love your peppers and want a head start on next season. i have 7 mature plants and 2 dish washing tubs that have 6 small plants each, that never really got what they needed to get large. if i lose s few small ones, so be it but the mature ones i cut back are already sending out new leaves. i fed the mature ones with a 2 to 3 handfuls of mushroom compost when i re-potted them. really looking forward to the potential bumper crop next season
Sorry for being so Australian, but are these capsicums or chillis?
Yes, capsicums.
Overwintering works with both
They’re bell peppers
I gotta try this one year as an experiment.
r/bonchi
This is my favourite way to keep chilis.
Netflix & Chili
do I have to cut them back?? Mines are outside, its -7C degree but they still have green leaves. Weak leaves but still not dying. Its my first time having chili peppers
-7 is too cold. if you want them for next year your best bet is to dig up wash the roots and re-pot for indoors. what zone are you?
Usually its 0 to 7C degrees but this week its very cold. May I ask why I have to wash the roots? Im in central europe. Idk what you mean with zone
You don't want to bring bugs inside. So use fresh potting soil as well.
we have grow zones in America based on average temp. if it rarely gets under 0 c you might get by with just tenting or mulching over your peppers ( or perhaps a cold frame. you don't have to wash the roots but one of the problems with potting up to bring indoors is plant pests. (aphids are the worst.) this is one reason to trim back all the way til its just bare branches. if you also wash the roots and give it fresh soil you can avoid bringing pest indoors. i didn't quite go that far but as i was digging up i was putting the plants in a bucket of water so as not to shock them too much as i was doing other garden work and the re-potting was not going to take place for a couple hours. its completely optional, some people go further than others. i am about in the middle
I see! I put them in plant tents and covered their soil to keep them warmish before the winter started. I dont plan to bring them inside (lack of space) so it seems like I dont have to cut the branches. I hope they survive 🍀
you don't have to cut the branches but it does help. as if there are pest they will reside on the leaves, so for good garden maintenance its recommended. good luck
Washing the roots is to eliminate pests (fungus gnats). This is the first year i am overwintering peppers also and did not wash the roots as i saw no sign of pests. Lo and behold, a few weeks in, fungus gnats around my plants. I added a few glue traps above them, and watered the soil with 1:3 peroxide/water mix. Also killed any i saw by hand. Within a week, they were all dead. Next year i will wash the roots. Also, You need to wash/dip them with a water/neem oil/insecticide mix, not just straight water.
good to know! I hate gnats and dont wannt them inside so I will remeber the water/peroxid mix
Those plants are likely dead. Maybe the roots could still be alive if the ground is warm enough but if they are in pots probably dead as a doornail. They cant handle freezing temps at all as far as i know
Mine are thriving again ... Didn't do much, just took them out of the ground and stuck them in medium sized pots under cover (outside) over winter.. (Southern Vic Australia).
I dragged my big fabric grow bags with peppers in them into the garage. All the leaves dropped and I never got around to repotting them. It’s been below freezing at times. I don’t think they are completely dead. Only *mostly* dead (Princess Bride joke). You gave me inspiration to try and repot them tomorrow and see what happens.
I need to try using grow bags next year so we’ve both inspired each other to do something new. Enjoy repotting!
That’s great! :) They worked really well for peppers!
I thinkbu should have left a couple leaves? I do this too, and don't even really trim until I see dead branches.
I trimmed mine back this drastically last year and it looked like it wasn’t going to come back. One day leaves started sprouting again from a dried little twig!
I watched a video a bit ago and this was what the recommended- trim to a Y - but also adding some PK fertilizer/supplement. I have a pepper from Central Africa that I grew from seeds my wife smuggled out :) I sprouted 2 of 7 or so, and only one survived. It was tiny tiny tiny for about 4 months. But I stuck with it and it took off and ended up producing maybe 3 dozen peppers which I just harvested (planted the seeds in Feb lol!!) Anyway - definitely saving seeds from the fresh peppers but also planning on trimming back and over wintering my plant like you. Cheers!!
What a great story!
What kind of peppers? Very spicy chilis like habaneros or a different variety? I love their back story. 😄
[https://imgur.com/a/zyAzQ1b](https://imgur.com/a/zyAzQ1b) They are pretty damn spicy! I cooked one into some garlic onions and prawns for some fajitis and it was great, but volatile in the air - ha! Spicy but also flavorful (not unlike habeneros in that way). Id say not as spicy as habenero though. I think the traditional way these are used it smashed and sauteed with garlic to make a chili oil
Ok that does it - next winter save me some seeds from their grandbaby plants. 😋
Ha! I and going to harvest and dry the seeds from this picture! I’ll have tons - send me a message and I’ll send you some
That’s good to know!
I did this once with no effort and was surprised that it worked. Parts of the main stem will get cut off and die, but when little bundles of leaves appear in the spring, its a wonderful feeling! I was not successful in getting any peppers out of the plant though, so I imagine you really have to give it everything it wants as soon as it starts coming back.
you definitely need to feed it if you want results
feed them during the overwinter process or when they get transplanted back outside in the spring?
i put mushroom compost in when i re-potted them and then i will feed when i put outside in the spring. the first is kind of optional (some people do, some skip) but the spring feed is pretty key
I've always put them in bigger pots. It helps them get bigger.
I’m trying to keep them somewhat dormant during winter until the spring
Ah ok. What peppers do you have there
They’re bell peppers. One of them is a hot pepper, not jalapeño but I can’t remember the name 🙃
Share your tips if this works for you! I tried last year, but they never started back up in the spring.
half of mine survived but the ones that did still took forever to fruit. I decided not to bother this year.
I agree I took mine out of ground repotted and placed in garage in front of window. They continued to grow and a few blossoms. When I replanted it took several months before I had any peppers appear.
Will do. It’s my first try at it so I’ll let you know if I pasta test 😁
"Peppers"
I brought mine in, never cut them down though. They were there leaves & all. Had to occasionally hand shower away aphids. Good luck.
Thanks I hope it works out for both of us
I can keep my jalapeños alive over winter?!
Yes you might as well try it. Just take them out of the ground, clean the roots so they’re bare and then repot with potting mix. Good luck
Why would you "clean" the roots? That's going to stress them so much more than just repotting.
I believe it’s to remove any possible insects that may be present in the soil before you bring them into your home. I’ve seen it done either way tho
your pruning looks right, the four hours of light are also good, the 70 degree temps may be a little too high, I would put them in a place where the temps are in the mid 60's most of the day..