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overwintering Overwintering

S

swilllx2p

I live in Ohio, And my question is, is it worth starting new peppers from seed to over winter at this point? Or will they be to small? I'm thinking about starting trinidad scorps.


Also! Do these look like bhut jolokia plants? They are just starting to flower and I got them off ebay at the start of the season.

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swilllx2p said:
I live in Ohio, And my question is, is it worth starting new peppers from seed to over winter at this point? Or will they be to small? I'm thinking about starting trinidad scorps.


Also! Do these look like bhut jolokia plants? They are just starting to flower and I got them off ebay at the start of the season.

1041f067-orig.jpg


680834ae-orig.jpg
Click to expand...
Its a great time to start plants right now. They can easily be started outdoors due to the temps, they will be plenty healthy before winter, and they will be your next year's early set out! Win Win!
 
Awesome I think I will start some! Can they be pruned and set next to a window for winter by then? Or will i need to invest in a grow light? I would prefer pruning. :dance:
 
I'm in the Cleveland area, and IMO it depends upon all of your conditions. I'm in an old house will little insulation, so frankly my house stays pretty cold all winter. Plus, having leaves on your plants increases the chances of getting a nasty little aphid outbreak. So under my conditions, I've found it best to let the plants go dormant - you won't necessarily need to prune them, but definitely remove all the leaves to prevent aphids, then keep them cool (above 50F, still, but cool enough to let them sleep), and water them less often. You'll be that much further ahead when the temps start to warm up.

On the other hand, if you have a grow room/closet (ie - room and equipment to keep them warm and appropriately lighted), go ahead and let them keep growing, unless you end up with a nasty aphid outbreak. Even at that you can just remove all the leaves without changing the temp and light, but take whatever other measures to get rid of the aphids at the same time.
 
Isn't pruning how you get them to kind of go dormant for the winter? I guess i'm kind of confused about the different processes. Which brings me to another question, if I were to purchase the lighting equipment necessary. How much impact does that have on the electric bill for those that do it?
 
No, pruning in and of itself does not cause plants to go dormant - the temperature does it. Evidence: I picked up a plant about a month and a half ago, and then discovered it had a nasty bug eating away at its leaves. I cut off ALL the leaves, but kept watering it regularly. Since the temps were warm, it started putting out new leaves and kept growing almost as if nothing happened - it's HUGE now. (And of course, with the added benefit that the nasties were all gone!)

Keep in mind that peppers are perennials in tropical climates - they don't die off when outside over the winter. Compare that to other perennials in this area you are already familiar with, which are outside. They go dormant (stop growing above ground and lose all their leaves) when temperatures start being cold on a regular basis. Peppers just shouldn't get as cold as our winters get - their roots don't like to be below 50F, which is why I recommend not much over that. If you've got a particularly chilly room in your house (I do), that will probably work. Some people use their basements or attached garages - just check the temperature before deciding on a place.
 
I am going to try this, I'll keep you all documented with pics on this process beginning whenever i get germination :dance: . Pointers along the way will be much appreciated!!
 
I planted a few chinense last year and kept them at work. Beautiful plants that are just now podding up! And this was in a north-facing window north of the arctic circle...

The plants in your pics could be bhuts, you'll see soon enough ;)
 
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