container Bonchi Attempt

Tybo

Tybo

Some of my plants are done for the season and I have started cleaning up.  At least those without pods.
I was on the Fatalli dot net website a while back and was checking out the "bonchi" section and thought it was interesting so I had this datil plant that I chopped back to nothing and set it aside while I did the same with some other plants.  Meanwhile, life gets in the way with my mother having to be placed in a nursing home so it's been kinda busy here.  
While everything else is going on, a couple of the plants I chopped back to a nub began growing new growth.  This datil looked like a good candidate to try my hand at the bonchi thing.
I didn't have to cut any more of the top but quite a lot of the roots had to be cut off.  I figured for sure I would kill it but so far it is doing well.  I still want to find something to add on top of the dirt for decoration.
I wanted to add that I did wash off the roots and top section and give a good spray with neem/dr. bronners so I'm hoping I didn't bring in any gnats!
It's not a very good pic but hope you get the idea.
Any tips for keeping it alive but keeping growth slow for the winter.  I don't want it to get huge again.  At least not until I transplant it back outside next spring.
IMG_0902.jpg

 
 
 
Keep the roots small and pick off the leaves that start to get big, leaving the small ones. Cut back branches that get long and make them fork nearer the node they're growing from. Basically, restrict the plant's energy and direct it to many smaller leaves and more, shorter branches. I also up the nutes when they start to produce.
 
Your datil looks great for a bonchi.  Good roots showing and a cool curve to the main.
 
saiias said:
Just the thread I needed. Looks good Tybo.

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
 
Thanks.  Wish I could have gotten a better pic.  Maybe something else in the pic for size comparison.  I'll try again later.
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
Elaborate please?
Click to expand...
 
Smaller shallow container mainly, of course, but also as they become too constrained by the container cutting back the roots some and repotting and letting them grow back into the new pot. That way you don't have to upsize, at least not significantly, so the plant doesn't take off.  That's worked well for me.  Can also lift the bonchi at repotting to expose more of the cool upper/bigger roots. When/if I bring my current ones in for the winter I'll trim back both foliage and roots somewhat like an OW and repot them with fresh media.
 
Thought I'd share some bonchi notes for anyone who's thinking of trying this.
 
After two years of poor results at over-wintering I went the bonchi route.  I started with nine plants - mostly scotch bonnets - and all survived the winter and looked really great.   Then something a little odd occurred:  the exact day that my starters arrived two of the plants began a rapid decent and were dead within a few days.  Almost like a tag-team thing.
 
I normally plant starters in pots, but this May I planted all of the bonchi in the raised bed.  Two died fairly quickly and the others did much poorer than the starters that were planted in the raised bed.  They have survived but have not yet started flowering.   My guess is that the problem was the drastically different soil - I should have also planted them in pots, as opposed to the raised bed.
 
After thinking about this a lot, I believe the main reason the bonchi survived the winter better than traditionally-overwintered peppers, is simply that they were more fun and so I gave them the proper attention.  Being small, it was simple to take them outside for watering and aphid-spraying, and they were on a table near a window that I walked past constantly.  The overwintered plants were kept in larger pots in a bedroom (better sunlight) and didn't get the attention they needed.  On the other hand, the overwintered ones that survived were very strong plants and gave the best yields when re-planted in May.
 
This winter I'll probably pick a few for 'permanent bonchis' (won't get moved back outside) just because they were fun to take care of, and over-winter a few but give them the attention they need.
 
Ive had allot of plants this year do great then die the next day, does not make sense, weather is the only thing I can think of, drastic change outside but they still feel it inside.
 
dragonsfire said:
Ive had allot of plants this year do great then die the next day, does not make sense, weather is the only thing I can think of, drastic change outside but they still feel it inside.
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, it's weird how that happens.  The two bonchi that died indoors looked great right up until they didn't.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top