overwintering Just a couple overwintering questions

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PepperZ

 I've got some 5ish foot+ plants in containers I want to cut back and bring inside.
 
1) Exactly what size containers should I be moving these too? I have a bunch of 2 gals but maybe 3 would be better?
 
2) What temperature range do I need to keep them at for them to be dormant and not die?
 
3) I read that a lot of people like to soak the root mass in soapy water for a few minutes to remove any insects/kill eggs before transplanting inside? Is this fine to do?
 
Thanks~
 
PepperZ said:
 I've got some 5ish foot+ plants in containers I want to cut back and bring inside.
 
1) Exactly what size containers should I be moving these too? I have a bunch of 2 gals but maybe 3 would be better?
 
2) What temperature range do I need to keep them at for them to be dormant and not die?
 
3) I read that a lot of people like to soak the root mass in soapy water for a few minutes to remove any insects/kill eggs before transplanting inside? Is this fine to do?
 
Thanks~
Click to expand...
 
Here is a good source on THP that may answer many of your questions. http://thehotpepper.com/topic/25596-the-comprehensive-guide-to-over-wintering/
 
I'll tell you about my technique and try to answer your questions as I go.
I like to do a very heavy pruning on my plants. If they are 5ish feet, they usually end up around 2ft. I leave four nice branches for next year's growth. When I prune I also pay attention so that my cuts will redirect the growth to the direction that I want it to go. 
After the pruning, I start working on the roots. I take them out of the pot and rinse off as much of the old soil as possible. There are always critters in the soil and this washes the majority of them away. (I've never thought about using soap but I think I may just add some soap as I rinse out the old soil. Thanks for the idea.)
The size of the containers doesn't really matter if you just want to have the plant go dormant. There shouldn't be much root growth in the winter so go with whichever container it fits in better. You can also prune some of the roots to fit it in the pot better. 
 
From my experience, the plants do ok in the 60's. I keep my home cool in the winter so it is never over 70 degrees in my house. I recommend putting your plants NEAR a south facing window if you just want to keep them alive and semi-dormant until next growing season. If I put mine right in from of the window it will actually keep growing but the new growth is weak due to the short daylight hours and no wind to toughen them up. Putting my plants near the  window instead of in front of it seems to kind of make them go dormant. They never seem to stop growing but I can get them to slow down a lot until I am ready for the next season. 
 
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