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misc How old is/was your oldest hot pepper plant?

I'm just curious about how long people have kept a pepper going in the ground or in a container. I kept one C. frutescens pequin type from Mexico for 3 summers and two overwinters...it dried out while I was on vacation the third overwinter...even though I had someone that was supposed to water it.
 
3 years of OW seems to be the magic number for me. If I've overwintered any peppers a 4th year, I don't remember it at the moment.  I'm sure plenty would go longer with proper care, just life or something always seems to get in the way over a couple/few years of plant life and the older ones fall aside and get replaced.
 
I'd love to get a big strong rocoto plant growing in a huge barrel though and see what it could do over a good number of years.
 
solid7 said:
 
That's probably what I'm going to do in a grow tent when I get settled out there.
 
Maybe you can adopt it, when I leave. :)
 
If you get started in November you might be in great shape to get spring pods. I just started a couple new rocoto varieties a few days ago with that timetable in mind.
 
Have any particular variety/ies in mind for your next rocoto grow?
 
CaneDog said:
 
If you get started in November you might be in great shape to get spring pods. I just started a couple new rocoto varieties a few days ago with that timetable in mind.
 
Have any particular variety/ies in mind for your next rocoto grow?
 
 
Ecuadorian Sweet.  It's the only thing I want to grow right now.
 
CaneDog said:
 
If you get started in November you might be in great shape to get spring pods. I just started a couple new rocoto varieties a few days ago with that timetable in mind.
 
Have any particular variety/ies in mind for your next rocoto grow?
 
 
solid7 said:
 
 
Ecuadorian Sweet.  It's the only thing I want to grow right now.
 
 
Things that make one go "hmmmm"....
 
Coincidence? perhaps.... :think:
 
DomGardens said:
@canedog does starting in November give you leggy plants with longer node spacing come the spring?
 
Most will grown just fine as long as there's sufficient lighting, plus I'll manage each plant as needed based on its growth pattern. Only certain varieties that really want to grow tall without branching will be a hassle.  If they have too much distance among the first 2 or 3 nodes to effectively keep the plant shorter and bushier by topping, then they won't fit in well with my overall growth profile, but most peppers aren't like this.  During my last winter's grow I set up a separate tent with HID lighting due to a few unexpectedly taller/stretchier varieties, notably a Pimenta de Neyde, where most of them were under T5HO.  I use the T5's for plants up to about 15" to maybe 18" tall from the media level, but much above that and the lumen drop-off means the lower plant won't get sufficient light.  For the tall stuff I use an HLG100 or 250W HID to get better lumen penetration to the lower plant.
 
My Jalapeno mother plant is going into its third year and it seems to be doing ok.  Ghost is just starting life this fall, so it is still to early to tell if it will overwinter effectively.
 
I was gifted an offspring of a Piquin cross that was planted when our friends moved into their home seven years ago.  Their original plant is still going strong!
 
Looks like it's been a while since we discussed multi-year chile plants. Since I'm growing fond of (some of) my chile plants and want to keep them going as long as possible, I wonder how long I can expect them to keep on going.
 
You have some nice ones worth the OW @MarcV - plus that would mean not having to germinate everything anew for next spring. My oldest scotch bonnet is a Jamaican Long in it's 3rd or 4th season. I have older wilds, but they seem to be different animals. The SBJL seems happy and healthy, though it probably would have appreciated a bigger pot this year. I gave it some new soil, but didn't up-size it.
 
Speaking of the SBJL... how does that compare to other SBs? Is it just a stretched SB or is there more difference besides the shape?
 
Habanero de Arbol - 3 or 4 years. Don't remember exactly.

Edit: Forgot to say @MarcV, you might want to develop a good strategy to fight %!@#$ aphids. They're almost a given when overwintering. Sadly, I have yet to crack the code to their demise. 😞
 
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