338 replies to this topic

[belltold12]

will a plant adjust its foliage automatically to lower light conditions? Like if I'm starting to see a little more than usual leaf drop, is that a sign of not enough light, or something else? Or if they're still getting plenty of light but in the next three weeks not so much, will they drop leaves to adjust? I'm just a little worried of cutting back too much and was wondering if it'd be easier so just let the plants do their own thing through the shorter days and just make sure they have sufficient water and nutrients.

[Pepper-Guru]

will a plant adjust its foliage automatically to lower light conditions? Like if I'm starting to see a little more than usual leaf drop, is that a sign of not enough light, or something else? Or if they're still getting plenty of light but in the next three weeks not so much, will they drop leaves to adjust? I'm just a little worried of cutting back too much and was wondering if it'd be easier so just let the plants do their own thing through the shorter days and just make sure they have sufficient water and nutrients.

If you are having leaf drop then you cut back too much root zone and not enough foliage. Bringing in a fully grown plant under low light conditions, without cutting back foliage, will also give you leaf drop. The plant just can't sustain the leaves.

[PIC 1]

will a plant adjust its foliage automatically to lower light conditions? Like if I'm starting to see a little more than usual leaf drop, is that a sign of not enough light, or something else? Or if they're still getting plenty of light but in the next three weeks not so much, will they drop leaves to adjust? I'm just a little worried of cutting back too much and was wondering if it'd be easier so just let the plants do their own thing through the shorter days and just make sure they have sufficient water and nutrients.

The Guru's right...

On an unrelated note, I bring my tropicals outside with a few other indoor plants to bathe in the summer warmth and sunshine,
I'll repot and bring them back indoors before the weather change, certain plants such as my "Ty and Ginger" and a few other tropicals tend to loose some leaves, either
due to repotting, loss of light or as what happens to my "Ficus Tree" drops leaves due to relocating it...
if you plan to continue to robustly grow and winter-over your peppers indoors you will need adequate lighting, but if your plans are to cut back your plants and over-winter then due as Pepper-Guru states in his earlier threads about stem and root proportion, pruning...
Which is what I do, with the only exception, I've also taken cuttings and started clones, which usually produce pods after the holidays...
That keeps me busy before the January "seed" start-up

Greg

Greg

[talas]

Great Post P.G see your still spreading your wisdom and its the best overwintering guide ive seen,the picture examples and knowledge is worth its wait in gold,Nice one.

[gnslngr]

I've also taken cuttings and started clones, which usually produce pods after the holidays...
That keeps me busy before the January "seed" start-up

Greg
[/quote]
As to cuttings- can these be taken in the fall, as long as blossoms are removed along with a percentage of the leaves?Always heard it had to be before the plants start to bloom.

[Pepper-Guru]

?Always heard it had to be before the plants start to bloom.

With peppers, there isn't really a "veg and bloom" thing going on like with other plants . Its both at the same time. Peppers should bloom throughout the entire cycle of growth. If given ideal conditions, peppers form flowers as they node out. Your nodes are your "bud-sites" so to speak, and as long as your branching out, then your also forming blooms/flowers.

So.... Having said that, taking cuttings can be done at any stage. HOWEVER, if you're planning on taking anything other than the "newest growth tips", then you're going to be going with something like an air layering (just another way to propagate). New growth tip cuttings or old node cuttings, "when" shouldn't be the question, its "where?"

[Pepper-Guru]

Well, the mothers finally got the axe today. This is one of my favorite parts of the year; its a bitter sweet time for me as well. Hate to see it end, but know next year is right around the corner.











Can you see the roots coming out of the bottom of the branch? Look closely and you'll see little nodules reaching down, much like on tomato plants.



Some friends to help out with the aphids indoors this winter





I'll post back once all the plants are indoors. Happy Harvests THP

[PIC 1]

Hey gnsingr,

Heck, I purposely look for a budding branch, the growth continues.
You can propagate ANY time as long as your cutting from the green portion of the stem not a woody part

Greg

[sfmathews]

Thanks for posting, it is timely. I wanted to try this for the first time this year, but wasn't sure how to go about it. Now I have no worries!
Susan

[PIC 1]

Well, the mothers finally got the axe today. This is one of my favorite parts of the year; its a bitter sweet time for me as well. Hate to see it end, but know next year is right around the corner.











Can you see the roots coming out of the bottom of the branch? Look closely and you'll see little nodules reaching down, much like on tomato plants.



the plants are indoors. Happy Harvests THP

All that hard work payed off, you've got some outstanding "matured" plants...
Nice idea with the mason jars, and that series of photos shows that you are an "Articulated Gardener"
and very meticulous at what you do, I like the "tarped rows" and the organization...

Good luck your O.W. topic

Greg

[Pepper-Guru]

Thanks for all the kinds words guys! I just like to share knowledge and learn right along with everyone else. Where would we be if everyone kept to themselves what was supposed to be passed along? Nowhere substantial, that's for sure.

All that hard work payed off, you've got some outstanding "matured" plants...
Nice idea with the mason jars, and that series of photos shows that you are an "Articulated Gardener"
and very meticulous at what you do, I like the "tarped rows" and the organization...

Good luck your O.W. topic

Greg

I am a bit meticulous at times. It pays to form good habits. I learned the hard way coming up as a grower in the beginning. Always trying to short cut things and never really understanding what the plants needed from me. I learned that so long as your habits and practices are inhibiting good results, it often times becomes easier to do well than to mess things up lol

Funny you should say that, because before you even said that, I had recorded a short vid during the final harvest that day the pictures were taken. My intentions for the video was to show my "plant to mason jar" practice and how to pick those stubborn pepper strains without tearing up your plant. Some of them can be a real pain to pick because no matter how good you are at bending the flower stems, they just don't seem to want to come off of a hardy node. Here's the vid and sorry about the first attempt at demonstration...lol it works out in the end...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-9D_ceDht0

Edited by Pepper-Guru, 09 November 2011 - 12:31 PM.

[wrightdaddy]

Great information.nice pics I love this site so much valuble info and great people wish I had found it earlier

[joydeep]

yes, nice thread, i had many q regarding overwinering my chiliplants, as i have prunned them leaving only few leaves and main strongest stem with a bit doubt...but seems it normal practice in cold countries

[souf]

thanks for the tutorial!

[Smiter Q]

If I ever start to see the presence of aphids, I treat with a great organic mixture of sulphur and pyrethrins. The two are all natural pesticides, fungicides, and bactericides. ......

This is literally the ONLY thing I would ever have near my food.

Can you please explain this more. As to what to use and what ratios?
For us new folk wanting to use natural, this would be very helpful.

Really great service this thread is!

Thank You

Edited by Smiter Q, 08 December 2011 - 02:05 PM.

[Pepper-Guru]

Can you please explain this more. As to what to use and what ratios?
For us new folk wanting to use natural, this would be very helpful.

Really great service this thread is!

Thank You

Sure. Most of the organic sources of sulphur you are going to find are going to be of volcanic origin. There are too many places out there on the interwebs to mention just one and they change up all the time. Most likely you will find this in powder form. Same with Pyrethrins, its just extract from the seed cases of the plant pyrethrum. The best way to find your ratios is to experiment. You want your mixture to be just around 10% sulphur/pyrethrin concentration. I use about 2-4 oz per gallon of water. Making your own is much cheaper and more flexible, but if you want some pre made stuff then go with a product. There are many out there. Bonide makes a great one called "fruit nut and Orchard spray". Try that if you want something now. You can find it at any hardware store just about.

[PIC 1]

Hey Rich,
How's your overwintering progress going? Are you letting your plants run under the lights yet?

Greg

[Pepper-Guru]

Everything is going fairly well considering what happened before I brought them inside! lol If you can remember, I cut them back and left them in ground to try and get another week or two out of them. This allows them to really begin to re veg and give me more options with structure in regards to new green branches. Well...a sneak frost hit and took out most of the foliage that was left...needless to say I was quite mad. I dug em up and brought them inside in hopes of them making a recovery. Luckily, most of them have displayed new shoots, and are doing well. There are two that are taking longer than the others but I do see areas that are trying to produce branches, so all is not lost. I've got flowers on every plant and will have fresh peppers to eat within a month. I'll post pics soon.

[gnslngr]

Well, overwintering got to pruning stage for the outdoor plants I intended to keep, the ones in the ground will remain as an experiment for the most part.
Unfortunately this includes my favorite bhut plant. But, 2 purple bhuts,1 yellow seven, 2 Chocolates are going get nursed through the winter when I am home....I may have to find a tender to assist though- my other half "says but doesn't do", she is more like "pepper stress tester"! I they do survive her this trip, they will be some tough mothers!

[Pepper-Guru]

Hows everyone's winter going? Thought I'd give everyone an update on this part of the process. As I said before, things got slowed down a bit due to a freak frost that hit the mothers before I had them dug up, but overall we skated through by the skin of our teeth
Here is the Fatalli mother.


The red Fatalli mother



The Aribibi Gusano mother (remember the one with the bamboo shade roof)



Here's where the luck and a little patience starts saving us...lol Im telling you, I was shocked when I found these plants froze over...

The White Bullet mother



The Bhut Jolokia mother ( 4 visible shoots near the base...got scary there for a month)



And just by the skin of our teeth... The Trinidad Scorpion ... (one shoot near the base...CRAZY)




Needless to say, once these girls have enough foliage, I will be taking cuttings and rooting them immediately. I love these girls here and I know they will do just fine with some tender care.

You see, while pepper plants are perenials, much of thier tissue above soil is more like that of a tender perenial. Meaning that when it is exposed to frost or below freezing weather, the tissue dies and cannot be reused next spring. The plant will be forced to create new shoots and branches. Well what does that mean for the pepper gardener? It just means be careful how much you prune, or damage to the point of death. I would never take any more than the braches and levels at which you see here in my photos. In many cases, small shoots of growth and new buds will re generate nutrient highways back up a thought to be dead stem. Usually when they become very thick and woody, like these, the inside wont ever really go completely dormant. This means, that while there arent any new shoots at the top of the plant, it doesn't mean it wont happen. Once new leaves begin to form from anywhere on the plant, they will super charge this proccess, making it possible for the rest of the plant to vegetate.

All in all, considering the circumstances, Im happy with the outcome. Most of the plants that did well despite the frost are flowering...



and I will probably have peppers to enjoy within a month or two And even though I have plenty pure, seed storage of these genetics, its great to know that the original plants live on and will be the monsterous trees they deserve to be this summer!

I'll keep this thing going until set out this spring. This thread will show at least one full cycle of the entire process of overwintering, hopefully providing some informative entertainment along the way! lol Damn frost...

Edited by Pepper-Guru, 06 January 2012 - 11:37 AM.