On average... how long can one expect a hot chili plant to live for?

SaintSteven

SaintSteven

I'm curious how long a hot pepper plant will survive.  I have a red scotch bonnet and a serrano pepper that wintered over and wondering if they are lively to suvive a second wintering over?
 
The will live for years and years if you keep them away from frost. In the tropics where they originally come from they keep growing all year round. I know people with ten year old plants.
 
True. But also know it varies by variety. The bigger question for most growers is not how long a plant will live, but how long it will keep up production. Rocotos are in the top list for both age and production, btw. Several other varieties are only really productive up to their 3rd year.  
 
if taken care of, maybe moved into bigger pots after a few years, keeping up on nutrients ive heard of them living over 10 years, if you lived in south cali where winters wont kill it you could plant in ground and probably keep for longer, ive heard production after 5 years starts to drop drastically though, and there are some plants i believe the tepin that can live 40+ years.. so all depends on how you look after it, weather while outside, potting conditions ect, if you took care of it perfectly id assume you could do 15 years easy, most 5 is long then get neglected lol
 
If you live where they can be perennials I'd say put those mo frockers in the soil. If winter doesn't kill em the complex root structure will definitely benefit them. I wish I had a Mediterranean or, to a lesser extent, subtropical climate. I've heard third and fourth year production is the best, with proper pruning.
 
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