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overwintering OverWintering questions for our experienced flock...
- Thread starter huntsman
- Start date
1. No you don't need to cut back, but
2. It saves on space. I like to let plants go semi-dormant for the winter
3. Yes
4. Indoors so they won't freeze in my climate
5. They need some water but not usually very much, and very little fertilizer until they start growing well again
Your biggest concern will likely be aphids
2. It saves on space. I like to let plants go semi-dormant for the winter
3. Yes
4. Indoors so they won't freeze in my climate
5. They need some water but not usually very much, and very little fertilizer until they start growing well again
Your biggest concern will likely be aphids
I was bringing plants in two years ago. Never again. Killing aphids became my full time job. The plants looked like shit. I couldnt take it and my wife was on me like white on rice. So i got rid of the plants.
Now i grow approx 5 of my favorite plants or new ones i want to try out in the middle of summer and they stay indoors. I polinate them myself and get harvest around in November. No More aphids, no more fungus gnats no more problem. Then those five get semi overwintered and go out the next year with the main crop and the cycle begins again.
In my experience chiles will die even if there is no frost and is exposed to very cool temperatures for a long period of time.
cuting back or pruning also prepares the plant for its dormancy stage and when it is time to bring it outside again you increase the water and fertilize slowly.
Now i grow approx 5 of my favorite plants or new ones i want to try out in the middle of summer and they stay indoors. I polinate them myself and get harvest around in November. No More aphids, no more fungus gnats no more problem. Then those five get semi overwintered and go out the next year with the main crop and the cycle begins again.
In my experience chiles will die even if there is no frost and is exposed to very cool temperatures for a long period of time.
cuting back or pruning also prepares the plant for its dormancy stage and when it is time to bring it outside again you increase the water and fertilize slowly.
I agree aphids are the worst part of the process. I brought a couple in for the winter, 1 was already in a pot, the other I dug up out of the ground. 1 was trashed in January because it was already growing and the aphids were devouring it, so I figured get rid of it, clean the area and save the other. Didn't work out that way. The aphids did spare the other one. It is growing nice and will be ready to go out with the others, but the aphids found my seedlings instead. I have been fighting them for the last 2 months. They have weakened a couple of plants so much before I first saw them that I believe they are a wash at this point. Luckily, I will still have at least 1 plant of each variety. If you bring some in, make sure you don't keep them in the same room, side of the house, whatever, that your seedlings will be in when you start them.
Good luck!
jacob
Good luck!
jacob
POTAWIE said:
Potawie, I brought in two tepins around October and by December one of them was completely ravaged with aphids. The other one was completely fine. They were still in their original 20 litre pots. So I remember reading some of your overwintering techniques in older threads. Here is what i did :
1. Completely cut off all branches, foliage and cut the stem to about 12 inches high.
2. Pulled plant out of pot and shook all the dirt off.
3. With knife I trimmed the roots until I had a rootball about the size of a fist.
4. Filled my laundry tub with water and threw the two sticks in. Then I shook them vigorously until every speck of old soil was removed.
5. Replanted into small half gallon pots.
Three months later they have now grown to the size of bushes with not a single aphid in sight
I figure I got rid of most of the aphids with the foliage chop. But washing the stem and small rootball may have purged any that might have been lingering in the soil. The experiment completely decontaminated the plant. I now have no fear of overwintering my THSC Scorpions next winter.
POTAWIE said:
Checking out this and the later replies, it seems that this is the standard in your Northern Hemisphere locations, and certainly the older threads that I researched indicate the same. I am trying to equate this to SH OverWintering, which may or may not be the same, though our winters are obviously not very harsh.
Cutting back will certainly conserve the plant's energy in the slow period, but perhaps I could leave them in the ground, as I have less space indoors than in the veg patch, even if they are cut back strongly?
Water/ferts comments noted -
Aphids will be guarded against, thanks!
It's actually a bit weird - I'd feel more comfortable OverWintering up north than I do here, as I'm so familiar with everyone's methods from various threads! Lol!
For me overwintering has become a pain in the ass, and at this point in time I don't plan on overwintering ever again, although by fall I'm sure my mind will have changed. First year plants that I start early enough usually catch up to the overwintered ones anyways. Actually my biggest plants ever were all first year plants.
I live in Canada so my outdoor plants die around October at which time they get composted. I have very few pepper plants in the ground, I grow almost all my chiles in containers so I can extend my season with my greenhouse or indoors. How often do you get cold weather and frosts in your climate. Maybe you can just throw blankets over the plants on cold nights?
I too live in Canada and I over winter my jolokias. If they are already in containers, just bring them in, keep it next to a window and water them every week. Let the peppers still on the plant ripen. Mine now is 3 years old and is all ready producing flowers this year, it is 6 months ahead of starting from seed this way
--Jay
--Jay
We actually have a kind of netting/cloth material which is designed to cover plants in general during frost, so that will probably work, but I wasn't sure if peppers should be treated differently...
We have temps that hover above freezing in mid winter, and about ten or so nights below, when the frost hits, but that's about it.
We have temps that hover above freezing in mid winter, and about ten or so nights below, when the frost hits, but that's about it.
Personally I'd cut off all pods and trim the plant back at least somewhat to conserve the plants' energy. I usually drastically cut back the tops and the roots, otherwise the plants just get to big to bring in the house.
In your case I'd probably try leaving a few plants outdoors, and protect when needed and maybe try bringing a few indoors in pots just to see how things work out.
In your case I'd probably try leaving a few plants outdoors, and protect when needed and maybe try bringing a few indoors in pots just to see how things work out.
Yeah, I'll definitely trim back drastically, but I'm concerned that if they are brought in, my temps will be too high.
The only available space is at around 80F all winter for my insect breeding endeavours...might have to leave 'em all...
Jake - do you also just mulch up any plants that you are not bringing in, and then plant more in the new season? (I had no idea this was done at all. We generally put something into the ground and leave it there until it, or we, die of old age!)
I guess in this way, you can avoid the ones that were less than marvellous and still have space to keep experimenting. Great!!
The only available space is at around 80F all winter for my insect breeding endeavours...might have to leave 'em all...
Jake - do you also just mulch up any plants that you are not bringing in, and then plant more in the new season? (I had no idea this was done at all. We generally put something into the ground and leave it there until it, or we, die of old age!)
I guess in this way, you can avoid the ones that were less than marvellous and still have space to keep experimenting. Great!!
If you are only getting light frosts a couple of times over the winter, I wouldn't worry about trimming them back, I'd just cover them on the cold nights, maybe build some row covers. The row covers would act like a mini greenhouse, you could also put a small heater, light bulbs, or water jugs under the row covers to help generate more heat. Your plants will probably start looking a little rough when the temps drop below 40.
EVERY BODY IS SUFFERING FROM APHIDS...... i was same way lost alot of my plants but after buying some lady bug NOOOO problem at all we pay alot of money on our plants any some times stupid things... so i think if you can afford eating out side once amonth paying $20 you should be able to buy1500 lady bug same pice but worth more than your outside meal.... so i do over winter alot of plants now and yes i wish to see some aphids cuz the ladybug will be in tis way i buy mine from avery good company in california they have awebstore on ebay sell them cheaper that thier own web in 2days u will have the lady bug and in less than that u will have no aphids .. so why suffer if there is a way to rest.
That's tough for a lot of us to do. 
Chris
Chris
willard3 said:
The answer to your questions really depends on your specific location, your specific weather, how much square footage you have available, how much heat you have available and how much light you have available.
1. Do I need to cut back for winter? (We do get some nights with frost, here)
If you are leaving your plants outside, it wouldn't be a bad idea to prune a little. If you are bringing them inside and you have the room and the light, no you don't have to prune.
2. If so, why?
People prune plants back so the plant conserves energy in low light/heat conditions. Don't know if you have those conditions or not, but judging from my experience in South Africa during your winter (in Limpopo and the Cape, primarily) I don't think you need to prune a ton, if at all. Use it as an opportunity to clean up the plants.
3. Those of you with plants in the ground - do you dig them up and pot them?
I'm with Potawie- if I put it in the ground, it's gonna die there at the end of the season. It's interesting to see how long some last.
4. If so, why? Are they taken indoors?
N/A
5. Do I water the plants during winter?
Again, this depends- if you have the room, the light, and the heat, you can keep growing which means keep watering. If you are going to prune back and force the plant into dormancy then you only water sparingly.
1. Do I need to cut back for winter? (We do get some nights with frost, here)
If you are leaving your plants outside, it wouldn't be a bad idea to prune a little. If you are bringing them inside and you have the room and the light, no you don't have to prune.
2. If so, why?
People prune plants back so the plant conserves energy in low light/heat conditions. Don't know if you have those conditions or not, but judging from my experience in South Africa during your winter (in Limpopo and the Cape, primarily) I don't think you need to prune a ton, if at all. Use it as an opportunity to clean up the plants.
3. Those of you with plants in the ground - do you dig them up and pot them?
I'm with Potawie- if I put it in the ground, it's gonna die there at the end of the season. It's interesting to see how long some last.
4. If so, why? Are they taken indoors?
N/A
5. Do I water the plants during winter?
Again, this depends- if you have the room, the light, and the heat, you can keep growing which means keep watering. If you are going to prune back and force the plant into dormancy then you only water sparingly.
Lots of good advice here - thank you!
I reckon a good pruning is always a good idea in late Fall, but I really wasn't sure if peppers were treated the same way.
My indoor space is really limited so bringing them in is problematic and to be avoided if possible.
Willard, I hear you with regard to Hydro, but I'm just not set up for that. Perhaps in a few seasons...
PepperLover, I really like the idea of adding 'friendly' bugs to the situation, but no-one I can find in South Africa offers this service and they will die in transit from the 'States - I've checked. ;-)
Do most of you fellas tend to use winter as a chance to rid yourselves of 'less than ideal' species?
I reckon a good pruning is always a good idea in late Fall, but I really wasn't sure if peppers were treated the same way.
My indoor space is really limited so bringing them in is problematic and to be avoided if possible.
Willard, I hear you with regard to Hydro, but I'm just not set up for that. Perhaps in a few seasons...
PepperLover, I really like the idea of adding 'friendly' bugs to the situation, but no-one I can find in South Africa offers this service and they will die in transit from the 'States - I've checked. ;-)
Do most of you fellas tend to use winter as a chance to rid yourselves of 'less than ideal' species?