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overwintering Wintering

So we nearly had a frost last night (42 degrees) and it's looking like I may be wintering my peppers sooner rather than later.

With everything in 5 gallon buckets, I need just trim them down to stubs and bring them in my basement correct? After that water very sparingly and bring them back out in the spring?
 
So we nearly had a frost last night (42 degrees) and it's looking like I may be wintering my peppers sooner rather than later.

With everything in 5 gallon buckets, I need just trim them down to stubs and bring them in my basement correct? After that water very sparingly and bring them back out in the spring?

You could prune the main stem just above where it branches out, (I usually leave about 1.5" in each direction)
Take the plant out of the pot or uproute it out of the soil, remove all excess soil by hand, (I add that soil to the compost pile) You'll find hardly any soil left when plantind in a container
Give the roots a good spray of water with a hose,
I then let the roots hang down (this makes it easier to do when wet) and using scissors, I cut the back a bit
I then dunk the plant into a 5 gal bucket filled with with "insecticidal soap and water"
One more good rinse, then repot into a clean pot with "New" potting mix.
Then bring the plant(s) indoors,
Either keep in a or around a window with north facing light, or as I do because I have more than a couple I keep them in the basement,
give'em water once every few weeks, and in Jan/Feb introduce them back into my grow area.
Haven't had a problem with aphids..."knock on wood"
But with any pest there's always a treatment.....god luck and Ihope this bit of info helps...


Greg
 
Thanks PIC, that sounds like a plan!

Do I need to do anything different if these will see no real-world sunlight until spring? The basement has no windows whatsoever, it's totally underground. :) My own 1500sq ft cave...
 
Thanks PIC, that sounds like a plan!

Do I need to do anything different if these will see no real-world sunlight until spring? The basement has no windows whatsoever, it's totally underground. :) My own 1500sq ft cave...

The plants are perennials so they will go dormant, no light needed, don't let the soil become completely dry, one good watering a month especially if the basement is unfinished and damp, the key is to keep the soil more on the dry side, I generally check the bottom of the pot first,
The bottom of my pots are lined with 2 layers of paper coffee filters, I'll check the filters through the holes on the bottom and when their semi dry then I'll water from the top until the water starts coming through the bottom,
That's usually enough for a few weeks, Don't use any fertilizer until you introduce the plants back to a light source, and when that happens it takes about 2 weeks and you should start to notice new growth between and around the branch tips, keep in a sunny window on more preferably under grow lights...........good luck on the journey
 
Thanks again PIC.

Coffee filters is a great idea. When I swap out my dirt this year I'm adding that, should keep the spillage even further in check. I have the bottom 2" filled with perlite, and the holes are about a 1/2" up on the sides of the buckets.

I'll leave them completely dark aside from some cheap fluorescents now and then when I check them for moisture. When I reintroduce them next year I won't have enough grow lights, so they'll be headed straight outdoors (probably late March timeframe).
 
around a window with north facing light,
You mean south facing...


Thanks PIC, that sounds like a plan!

Do I need to do anything different if these will see no real-world sunlight until spring? The basement has no windows whatsoever, it's totally underground. :) My own 1500sq ft cave...


The plants are perennials so they will go dormant, no light needed,
They will need some light. Leave the fluorescents on or else the plant will terminate...
 
You mean south facing...

Actually I do mean "North light", the soft exposure usually keeps the plants in check, where as the "southern exposure" or south facing window
would promote new growth fairly soon, with my situation I'd rather not fire up my lights until December, so I like to keep the plants in the dark for awhile, and once their put under a light source they'll stay there until the outdoor move in May.......hopefully early May
 
Actually I do mean "North light", the soft exposure usually keeps the plants in check, where as the "southern exposure" or south facing window
would promote new growth fairly soon, with my situation I'd rather not fire up my lights until December, so I like to keep the plants in the dark for awhile, and once their put under a light source they'll stay there until the outdoor move in May.......hopefully early May
I see...That is a way to go about it. I just wouldn't have anyone leaving them in the dark for 4 months...
 
I see...That is a way to go about it. I just wouldn't have anyone leaving them in the dark for 4 months...

Your right, I misunderstood, not complete darkness with the pepper plants...
Although I've known people to put "Poinsettias and Cyclamon" plants in a closet, in a bag with no light what so ever, and were able to re-trigger flowering them after a couple of months..... after introducing them back to light...
 
I'll hang a few extra bulbs, but we're talking like 8x4' T8's for all 50+ buckets. I can leave them run 24x7, but that's still very little light.
 
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