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gorillamotors

I have about 12 hot pepper plants, including carolina reapers, trinidad scorpions, scotch bonnets, ghost peppers, etc. I received a good bounty on each of the plants this year. All have now lost their leaves. I live in Florida where the temps rarely fall below 35-40 degrees. Can I keep these plants for next year or pull them up and start new plants next year?
 
gorillamotors said:
 All have now lost their leaves. I live in Florida where the temps rarely fall below 35-40 degrees. Can I keep these plants for next year or pull them up and start new plants next year?
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I've over wintered a few...My temps a bit cooler than yours...
 
 
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But I was able to bring indoors so the plant lived----But note the upper left corner looks pekid..
 
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Trim the deadwood & rake the yard
 
 
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Add a little nute infused water - sunshine - temps above75ºF and Voila!
 
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gorillamotors said:
I have about 12 hot pepper plants, including carolina reapers, trinidad scorpions, scotch bonnets, ghost peppers, etc. I received a good bounty on each of the plants this year. All have now lost their leaves. I live in Florida where the temps rarely fall below 35-40 degrees. Can I keep these plants for next year or pull them up and start new plants next year?
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What part of Florida do you live in?
 
gorillamotors said:
Just north of Tampa
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You'll be fine to leave them out all season long.  Be careful not to let them dry out during the non-hurricane season, and also, don't get tempted to do a lot of feeding/fertilizing/fiddling, and you'll be fine.  I just started seeds in September, and we got a cold night in the low 40s a week or so ago.  It wasn't even a thing.
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Start thinking about resuming normal service again in maybe March or April.  They'll definitely keep going, but something closer to maintenance mode.
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There is no such thing as "overwinter" for anything higher than zone 9a.  You are most likely in 9b.
 
gorillamotors said:
All have now lost their leaves. 
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I actually kinda missed/glossed over this before.  Can you post pics?
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That's really not something that should have happened where you're at...
 
That's odd...  I just looked at 60 days of temp data for Tampa.  I don't see anything that should have produced a deciduous effect on your plants. 
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For reference, I'm almost straight across from you, on the East Coast, and this is what my plants look like right now - I literally took this photo right now, for this thread:
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I've actually had colder temps than what I've seen for Tampa, and all of my plants are in #1 nursery pots.  So maybe it would be good to ask for more info, here...  For that kind of leaf drop, I'd first ask how wet the containers are.
 
gorillamotors said:
But mine have been producing for about 9 months now and might be at the end of their life cycle.
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Peppers don't have a "life cycle".
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I've had plants that have gone almost 4 years.  Would have gone longer, but got wiped out by hurricane.
 
I had a talk with the chief botanist at a well known nursery supplier and he told that the plants had a mild freeze that told the plant to drop its leaves but not enough to kill it.
 
gorillamotors said:
I had a talk with the chief botanist at a well known nursery supplier and he told that the plants had a mild freeze that told the plant to drop its leaves but not enough to kill it.
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So the answer to your question????
 
gorillamotors said:
Can I keep these plants for next year or pull them up and start new plants next year?
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gorillamotors said:
I had a talk with the chief botanist at a well known nursery supplier and he told that the plants had a mild freeze that told the plant to drop its leaves but not enough to kill it.
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What day did you have a freeze in your area???  I didn't see that in the weather data. 
 
gorillamotors said:
Yea. I just pruned the tops and roots and put them in new potting soil. I will see come spring time.
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I gotta say man...  I've been in Florida for almost 20 years, and I've never seasonally topped and root trimmed a plant.  Not sure what others do in other parts of the country, but I posted pics of my plants, as they are right now.  I typically get a little leaf yellowing, and SOME drop.  But not what you were showing.  Typically, when I see that, it's accompanied by a pest problem, and/or overwatering.
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How far north of Tampa did you say you were? ;)
 
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