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tutorial The Comprehensive Guide to Over-Wintering

Peru-Geru,

Perfect timing for the start of this topic,

It's nice to see someone willing to give up their trade secrets on "overwintering"

I've started mine, hopefully the weather permits to finish it up today, I'll have a total

of 30 plants in 2gal. containers, takes me awhile to clean and trim the roots, none of

the original soil or compost enters the house, plants are potted up with a new medium,

Mine will stay semi-dormant, at the time being I have 6 3x8 ft tables butted together

with numerous flower cuttings on top under flours, the overwinter peppers will stay

under the tables with minimal lighting until December. That's when I start the main

seedling grow in another room, and these peppers will be moved under the Hid's.

I (too) hope others will enjoy this spin-off of their growing season,

For those who've never tried this before, it will amaze you to see how fast the new

foliage grows once it appears!

Good luck to all :)

Greg
 
thanx Guru. i have it pinned!looking forward to the rest of the process. i'll be starting my trimming sat.only 2 plants because of space, but i'm going to try.
 
Good info, I have a few in Pots, I will probably take a wait and see approach on my Beds. I have like 6 tobasco like plants that i really only need one. The 3 beds I use have a mix, next year, better labeling and placement. So if the beds die, I will till in fresh seaweek from the lake, if not I will pull the ones I want out, and till the rest, then replant, with a haircut like ya showed. i guess this year it will be the strong will survive for some. I also have some new varieties I want to try next year too.
 
I have a question or 2, The first- I always hear and read you should not regrow peppers in the same soil as used previously by peppers-this seems odd if you had no problems the year before.Containers I can see adding fresh mix,but don't peppers stay in the same soil when grown as perrenials outside in natural habitat?
The second; What is a good treatment to kill overwintering aphids!!!!????I'm leary about fresh trimmed roots and pesticides, but thats just an uneducated opinion!
Okay 3-Does it matter about pulling and cutting back roots if you are using the same container and can bring it inside, or can I just cut back the top a bit?
Thanks a million...
Dave
 
gnslngr said:
I have a question or 2, The first- I always hear and read you should not regrow peppers in the same soil as used previously by peppers-this seems odd if you had no problems the year before.Containers I can see adding fresh mix,but don't peppers stay in the same soil when grown as perrenials outside in natural habitat?
The second; What is a good treatment to kill overwintering aphids!!!!????I'm leary about fresh trimmed roots and pesticides, but thats just an uneducated opinion!
Okay 3-Does it matter about pulling and cutting back roots if you are using the same container and can bring it inside, or can I just cut back the top a bit?
Thanks a million...
Dave
Click to expand...
There are many reasons growers choose to not re use soil. Some growers think of it as "spent" instead of "renewable". You see, in the wild, the top soil is continually renewed with nutrients through natural processes of rain, decomposition of nearby plant material, etc ... Think of the top soil as the location that nature's "ebb and flow" hydroponic system occurs. Anyway, if you start thinking of your soil as a medium that can be constantly revived via composting then hardly ever will you want to discard of it.

Another reason people avoid re using soils are their fear of pests and soil born diseases. Truth be told, when you start growing organic, these are issues that rarely occur due to natural disease/pest resistance build up within the plant. If you're paying attention to your soil food web, then all the beneficial critters in your soil should be doing their job and eating all the bad ones for lunch :)

If I ever start to see the presence of aphids, I treat with a great organic mixture of sulphur and pyrethrins. The two are all natural pesticides, fungicides, and bactericides. Completely safe up to day of harvest. You can mix your own with a few natural derivatives in liquid form. There are products similar on the market, some are of good quality, some are not. This is literally the ONLY thing I would ever have near my food. It has saved my butt on very humid seasons with leafspot, and has always been a one two punch for aphids, while still seeing the presence of benificial insects SAME DAY. Thats good news in my family :) Yes it can be used on bare stems/branches after a cut back...but why would you need it with no leaves for aphids to even infest in the first place? I mean, you could use it to water into the soil if your that worried about dormant aphids that are soil born but Its gonna knock out some of your food soil web for a few days. Nothing some organic aact tea treatments can't fix though :)

And as for cutting back roots of already potted plants....it isn't nessessary and will do just fine in its new growth but If I cut back I prefer to give it a nice new aerated, nutrient rich mix to enjoy. I feel it makes up for the small shock and you barely even notice the lag time. Just me though. There are lots of ways to skin a cat. :cool:
 
So do you use the rest of the cat carcass or just the skin? :rofl:

I have a few serious questions though. When you say, "Anyway, if you start thinking of your soil as a medium that can be constantly revived via composting then hardly ever will you want to discard of it."

Are you referring to top dressing an overwintered potted plant with fresh compost? Or do you mean taking the `spent` soil and then composting it? I'm just asking how you revive the old soil.

I have some plants that I cut back to stems and just left out in the weather all winter. Our climate is mild enough that most survived with no attention and are now resprouting, but I haven't done anything to the soil in their pots. I was thinking about repotting them but I'd rather not have to. I have some compost that is almost ready and all the equipment to make a batch of aact. Will using this "revive" the old soil?
 
megamoo said:
When you say, "Anyway, if you start thinking of your soil as a medium that can be constantly revived via composting then hardly ever will you want to discard of it."

do you mean taking the `spent` soil and then composting it?
Click to expand...

Yes. Exactly. While you can just top dress with good stuff, it won't give you the same results as if you at least popped the root mass out of the existing container, mix in fresh good stuff and simply re potted in same pot. Doing it this way introduces oxygen and beneficial organisms back around the root zone. :cool: It really isn't all that labor intensive or time consuming to do these small things that make such a big difference. :)
 
okay....using same soil:just to back up what you said-2 of my best plants are very happy in last years dirt from some habaneros ;) I did add some fresh m/gro organic mix/perlite and mixed thoroughly after removing old plant(freeze killed em last year).From this thread I am gathering that we should be okay with top dressing the soil if the pot is say 5 gallon size?My 3 gallon one I believe I will go the full route-they are slightly less vigorous and didn't have as many nodes-and as they are in the 3-4' range I'm GUESSING that may be due to small pots, what I don't put in the ground next year is going to get 5 gallon homes where possible.For space sake ,they are going to be overwintered as directed in the 3 gallons though.

The light issue, I'm thinking they need some sort of strong ambient/art light if you are going to "grow" through the winter, but would low light work if they are
going to be allowed to go dormant? Complete/near darkness I would think the plant would keel over..RIP.

Water issue, how often to water fully overwintered plants?(meaning cut back,root pruned,allowed to go dormant)?


Thanks-
DJ
 
gnslngr said:
but would low light work if they are
going to be allowed to go dormant?

Water issue, how often to water fully overwintered plants?(meaning cut back,root pruned,allowed to go dormant)?


Thanks-
DJ
Click to expand...

Low light would be nearing the bottom of the ideal scale, but I have made it work before. At this point just water them when the soil feels like it needs it a couple inches down. You have to understand that there are still vital processes occurring in the stalk and roots.
 
I have 4 plants in a space that is 46x20x20. I have mylar survival blankets lining every surface in it. For lighting I have 42w and 65w cfl bulbs 5000k and 5500k.
I put them in a south facing room during day and move them to the light for 8 hours after that. Should that be enough for them to stay alive? If they die I am not overly concerned. I am seeing new growth so I think it cant be too bad.
 
Pr0digal_son said:
I have 4 plants in a space that is 46x20x20. I have mylar survival blankets lining every surface in it. For lighting I have 42w and 65w cfl bulbs 5000k and 5500k.
I put them in a south facing room during day and move them to the light for 8 hours after that. Should that be enough for them to stay alive? If they die I am not overly concerned. I am seeing new growth so I think it cant be too bad.
Click to expand...

Sounds good. But if I were you, I'd just mount the lights around them in the window on a timer. This way, you don't have to move them all the time.
 
Pr0digal_son said:
I have 4 plants in a space that is 46x20x20. I have mylar survival blankets lining every surface in it. For lighting I have 42w and 65w cfl bulbs 5000k and 5500k.
I put them in a south facing room during day and move them to the light for 8 hours after that. Should that be enough for them to stay alive? If they die I am not overly concerned. I am seeing new growth so I think it cant be too bad.
Click to expand...


In response to your message and this entire topic:

I trimmed all my plants, and roots just like guru has shown above.. Except mine went into 1 gallon containers bc of space issues. With the exception of my 2 huge fatalii's. They went into 2gallon pots.

All 18 plants that I brought in have been in for about 10 days now. They don't recieve any light than the lighting they're getting from my kitchens south facing windows. Keep in mind at this time of year here in Western WA we are only getting 10 hours of light a day and that's diminishing. 27 days out of the month are cloudy and rainy. I have not fertilized at all.. Here's the results 10 days in. :cool:

Chocolate Bhut
IMG_0878.jpg


Habanero
IMG_0879.jpg


Black Hab
IMG_0880.jpg


TS Moruga
IMG_0882.jpg


8 of em
IMG_0816.jpg


The other 10
IMG_0889.jpg
 
Pepper-Guru said:
Sounds good. But if I were you, I'd just mount the lights around them in the window on a timer. This way, you don't have to move them all the time.
Click to expand...

Thanks guru.... I only have to move them 5 feet but that is a good idea. Buying a grow tent real soon so overwinters and full size plants will go there. Seed starts will go in that cubby hole with flouros.
 
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-HTG-1000w-Large-Grow-Tent-Kit.asp

Is this a good value? I figure I can keep a few overwintered plants thriving and have a few monsters by may when we plant out around here. Are these expensive to run. My intentions were to just keep some plants alive, but I have an addictive personality.
 
Pr0digal_son said:
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-HTG-1000w-Large-Grow-Tent-Kit.asp

Is this a good value? I figure I can keep a few overwintered plants thriving and have a few monsters by may when we plant out around here. Are these expensive to run. My intentions were to just keep some plants alive, but I have an addictive personality.
Click to expand...

I would just skip the tent and use a 400w-600w reflector (around $100-$150) plus an oscilating fan ($20). More than enough wattage as far as I'm concearned.
 
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