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overwintering Would this work for overwintering

cdubb2010

cdubb2010

Hi all,

Got four plants I am wanting to over winter in Michigan but I need to ask if my idea would work. So I am a little worried about bringing them into the house and bringing bugs in. They are already potted and while they are fruit bearing they arent huge.

My idea is to bring them into the garage and sit them on top of our fridge we have out here for warmth. My garage is unheated but insulated and pretty well sealed and it rarely drops below freezing (0f outsize the air might be freezing). Of course they would be way trimmed back down to the Y stalk with no leafs.

Would this idea work? I need to do something very soon if I plan to save them.
 
If it drops below freezing, they will most probably die, so when you say that it rarely does, even if its only occasionally, it still might kill or cause serious damage to them.

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I don't know if I would want to keep them in an unheated garage in Michigan all winter. You say that it rarely drops below freezing in there, but one time may be all it takes. 
 
I understand not wanting to bring pests inside, which is why I would douse them with Neem, including the roots, and repot them in fresh potting soil before bringing them in.
 
I think it might be better to leave some of the foliage intact, rather than trim them "down to the stalk with no leaves", so that some photosynthesis can still happen.
 
There is an overwintering thread with lots of good information on the subject here: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/25596-the-comprehensive-guide-to-over-wintering/
 
If your worried about bringing bugs in you can tske them out the pots, knock as much dirt of the roots as you can then use a hose to wash them clean, you can also cut alot of the roots off leaving a small rootball, cut the plant down to a few internodes high then repot it. Use something like dr bronners Castle soap to spray your plant as it over winters
 
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