Bringing pepper plants indoors

[garden5]

Here's a method I came across about how you should prepare your chili pepper to be brought inside for the winter. It says it's for chilies, but I'm sure it would work on other peppers as well.

[stella1751]

Wow! This is great, Garden5; thanks! Yes, I could have used this a week ago, but it's kind of like what I did. Unlike the instructions, I left the leaves on my suckers, and unfortunately, I did not think to trim the root ball, other than what the shovel had already sliced off. However, seeing this website gave me confidence that the Frankenchile can indeed make it through the winter. What a great spring I will have in 2010!

The plant is doing well in the windowsill. I would eventually like to trim off all of the old, worn-out, wind-damaged leaves. I have saved Curtis' Bonsai Pepper pruning website for that purpose. I'd like the mother plant to have all new growth and at least two self-pollinated peppers when I put it out next spring. Because these peppers get so big, I can't let it produce any lower than a foot above the soil line.

Oh well, I am a long ways from even thinking about in-house production. I am just thrilled that I finally quit my whining and brought it into the house! Thanks for pushing me in that direction. A Brave New World in Stellaland has now been formed, and right in my very own kitchen.

Thanks!

[garden5]

Wow! This is great, Garden5; thanks! Yes, I could have used this a week ago, but it's kind of like what I did. Unlike the instructions, I left the leaves on my suckers, and unfortunately, I did not think to trim the root ball, other than what the shovel had already sliced off. However, seeing this website gave me confidence that the Frankenchile can indeed make it through the winter. What a great spring I will have in 2010!

The plant is doing well in the windowsill. I would eventually like to trim off all of the old, worn-out, wind-damaged leaves. I have saved Curtis' Bonsai Pepper pruning website for that purpose. I'd like the mother plant to have all new growth and at least two self-pollinated peppers when I put it out next spring. Because these peppers get so big, I can't let it produce any lower than a foot above the soil line.

Oh well, I am a long ways from even thinking about in-house production. I am just thrilled that I finally quit my whining and brought it into the house! Thanks for pushing me in that direction. A Brave New World in Stellaland has now been formed, and right in my very own kitchen.

Thanks!

I'm glad you liked it and sorry again I got it up too late.

Be sure to keep the "Frankenchile Thread" going with updates on your indoor progress .

I want to try this method with some of my plants, as well.

[applestar]

Hey, thanks, garden5! I think I'll try this with some of mine as well.

[TZ -OH6]

I did that to my peppers last year but left more roots on them. Pull them out of the ground, shake off the dirt and trim roots to fit the pot. I lost most of them because I didn't keep up with watering. The dry low humidity winter air dried out the pots faster than I expected and the new leaf sprouts died off a couple of times before they refused to sprout again.

I did get three plants through the winter though.

[soil]

i find peppers do very well the second year, and they do pretty good the third, but beyond that they get kind of old. the second year always (for me ) produces the best crop, the best yields, best flavor, best peppers. and you get a jump start on seedlings.

[garden5]

i find peppers do very well the second year, and they do pretty good the third, but beyond that they get kind of old. the second year always (for me ) produces the best crop, the best yields, best flavor, best peppers. and you get a jump start on seedlings.

Interesting info, Soil. I wonder if after the second year you couldn't just keep cutting the plant back each time and have it sprout more new growth. You'd think it would just produce more blooms with age . Perhaps another method would be to star new plants from cutting of the second year plant so you'd always have 1-2 year old plants.

[soil]

i find peppers do very well the second year, and they do pretty good the third, but beyond that they get kind of old. the second year always (for me ) produces the best crop, the best yields, best flavor, best peppers. and you get a jump start on seedlings.

Interesting info, Soil. I wonder if after the second year you couldn't just keep cutting the plant back each time and have it sprout more new growth. You'd think it would just produce more blooms with age . Perhaps another method would be to star new plants from cutting of the second year plant so you'd always have 1-2 year old plants.

oh they did sprout new growth and they do produce new blooms, im just saying that they get old age and don't produce as well as the second and third year. i am giving these rocoto tree peppers a try this next season, they are said to last up to 15 years. the oldest hot pepper i have had was a jalapeno, it grew to the ripe old age of 5. then i let it go because she was OLD and not so healthy after years of production.

[garden5]

I guess every plant does have its blooming/fruiting peak. I'll bet the stems of those peppers get pretty woody after their second year.

[mansgirl]

I brought a Jalepeno plant in this winter from out of the garden in similar circumstances. It was doing really well until we went away for Thanksgiving weekend. We came back and it was just CRAWLING with aphids. Blugh. I just tonight set it outside, gonna freeze those little buggers! And my pepper plant, but oh well.

I had such an issue with aphids this fall, I don't know what the deal was. I thought it was weird that they turned up just now?! And some of them were pinkish/reddish? What does that mean?

[garden5]

I wish I would have caught this post earlier because you do not have to freeze and kill you pepper plant to get rid of the aphids. You can put the plant outside and spray it with a good blast of water from the hose and blow the aphids off (they aren't very strong) and could have also given the plant a spay of water, oil, and a few drops of soap (not detergent). This should kill them as well.

Did you go through with it? Did the plant make it?

[mansgirl]

I ended up just junking the jalapeno plant. I also have a hibiscus tree inside for the winter, and that poor thing had a huge aphid problem this fall. I used the oil/water/soap concoction on it, which worked, but also seemed to be hard on the the plant. I was treating it as I was acclimating it to indoor life, so I think between the two it struggled.

Anyways.. : ) I didn't want to take a chance with more aphids on my hibiscus tree, and its really to cold here to do anything outside. With temps that have topped the low 30's since Thanksgiving, I didn't think the ol' Yap plant would survive an out door bath. That, and I'm just ready to be garden-free for a few months. If the Yap would have fixed itself, I would have been game, but as it stands now I am perfectly happy with it composting in my ditch. LAZY Northern Gardener that I am.

[applestar]

Folks reading this thread might also be interested in the on-going Pepper Torture thread

Mansgirl, I always *think* that at the end of the season when I'm scrambling around saving the last of the harvest and bringing in way more plants than I possibly have room for... but my philosophy is I can't save what's dead, but I'll have that option if I keep them alive. I can always "thumbs down" like you did with your Jalapeno later, and some die no matter what efforts I go to anyway. Now, ones that have been saved are settling in and leafing out, my windows are burgeoning with plants, and I'm as busy and obsessed as ever!

[garden5]

Too bad about the jalapeno, but I'm glad I helped you with your hibiscus. If you have to treat it again, perhaps go a little lighter on the soap.

If you do a forum search, you can find several people's recipes for the soap/water solution.