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overwintering My Capsicum Cardenasii Survived Virginia's Winter

Dulac

Dulac

I'm in the Southeastern part of Virginia, and last year I only grew c.chinese, c.annuum, and c.cardensaii. Two of the c.cardenasiis unexpectedly survived the winter. The two other capsicum species died as expected. Our winter was mild, but it got below freezing and snow was on them for about a day. Usually my tropical milkweed dies, but that also survived. I was wondering if anyone else had high cold tolerance c.cardensaiis compared to other capsicum species. One of the two plant has an original leaf and started to grow new ones prior to the snowfall. None of the branches or stems were damaged by the cold. They only dropped their leaves. We've had some warm weeks for them to produce new leaves. today was also 60 but the other day was in the low 30s.
 
That's awesome Dulac!  I haven't taken it that far, but I have a few overwinters in cool indoor conditions that are killing it, having turned from cut-back sticks into strong bushy plants under conditions that many others aren't growing as actively.  Given your experience, I may move them outside early this season along with the rocotos.
 
Were yours in the ground or in containers?
 
They were in clay pots. I thought about taking them in on cold days, but I was a bit curious since they outlasted the the other species. I'm not sure if I'll get lucky next winter, but I'm thinking about putting them in the ground. Hopefully I can get them to cross with sugar rush peach. I'd love it if my peppers could survive the winter, lol.
 
Dulac said:
 I'd love it if my peppers could survive the winter, lol.
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, wouldn't that be the ticket   :party:
 
Then all you have to worry about is insects,
hornworms, snakes, rabbits, viruses, wilts
and the like!
 
Hmmmm. Maybe our PNW climate isn't so
bad, after all!
 
PaulG said:
 
Yeah, wouldn't that be the ticket   :party:
 
Then all you have to worry about is insects,
hornworms, snakes, rabbits, viruses, wilts
and the like!
 
Hmmmm. Maybe our PNW climate isn't so
bad, after all!
Click to expand...
 
Especially with viruses!
 
Dulac said:
I'm in the Southeastern part of Virginia, and last year I only grew c.chinese, c.annuum, and c.cardensaii. Two of the c.cardenasiis unexpectedly survived the winter. The two other capsicum species died as expected. Our winter was mild, but it got below freezing and snow was on them for about a day. Usually my tropical milkweed dies, but that also survived. I was wondering if anyone else had high cold tolerance c.cardensaiis compared to other capsicum species. One of the two plant has an original leaf and started to grow new ones prior to the snowfall. None of the branches or stems were damaged by the cold. They only dropped their leaves. We've had some warm weeks for them to produce new leaves. today was also 60 but the other day was in the low 30s.
Click to expand...
 
 
you must be quite close to me in se virginia. that's the exact weather ive had.
 
Is this a wild variety? I've been wanting to grow some wilds but don't know where to get seeds. Judy's site is down and that was the only place I have seen them for sale
 
NDE said:
Is this a wild variety? I've been wanting to grow some wilds but don't know where to get seeds. Judy's site is down and that was the only place I have seen them for sale
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, it's a wild variety. I forgot the name of the vendor, but they are from Whales. I went with him since he had capscium flexuosum seeds last year, which I need to replant (I neglected the plants that year).
 
Just an update. I noticed that my bhut jolokia also survived our winter, so I think there is nothing special about it. However, it's pretty cool these species survived our winter! It must have been just mild enough. The bhut looked like it just had dead wood but now it's growing after having no leaves for the whole winter. I honestly forgot about it until I went to use the pot it was in, lol. They got some hail today. Peppers sure are hardy!
 
I have many many many plants that survive the winter. I used to think it was special and I'd save them but once I started getting more old plants than new varieties I quit doing that. Almost all of my multi-year trees are from ones that survived their first and/or second winter. They die back but emerge from the stump or from what's beneath the ground. In one case they died back to the mulch level every year, so now it's got a little short squat trunk. After the second winter I figured I'd just let it live in the greenhouse. I had 8 survive outside, this year, including a chacoense (CAP 499). I didn't think to test my rhomboideums, though. Maybe I'll toss one out this year.
 
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