Topic: Overwintering chillies

[goodlife]

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Do you not water at all over winter? Do you think they will survive in the shed?The cooler the over wintering conditions, but not freezing, the dryer the plants need to be kept for them to survive..but not 'bone dry'!
There have to be tiny amount of moisture for the roots to survive. Trouble with sheds are that they tend to be too damp, dark and cold so unless you happen to have shed with little heating that keeps the air above freezing temperatures and the air drier and some natural light coming in.
Over wintering in house is perharps easiest, unless you have heated GH. But how much to water?..you just have to judge by how the plants 'behave'..given enough warmth and moisture and they will attempt to grow, but with the light levels being so low during winter, unless you have grow lights, it is not ideal time to allow them to grow as resulting growth will be very spindly.
So the idea of keeping them 'almost dry' is holding back the tendency to grow.
Saying that..I had one chilli last winter that just wouldn't settle for 'hibernation'....so I ended up watering it and it kept growing lushly all winter and everytime the light from the window got blocked by the huge amount of foliage....I ruthlessly chopped it all back and it started the growth all over again..
Some growers prepare their plants for wintering with root pruning too as well as tops. Last year I didn't I just kept the plants in their pots as they were. This year I have that many plants to over winter that I'm going to chop the roots..it allows me to pot the plants into smaller 1 litre pots saving lot of room and same time changing the compost into 'fresh', pest free 'bedding'. When pruning roots you do have to prune the top growth very heavily. There is good advise how tho prepare plants for this way... http://fatalii.net/growing/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=95&Itemid=105  It is for chilli bonsai, but works well for over wintering and when potted on 'as usual' in spring, the plants carry on growing normally. It is just a way of keeping the 'stools' alive and stored over winter.

[goodlife]

Perharps one of the moderators could move this over wintering  'talk' from 'ripening chillies' and start new post with the replies.?
Subject as 'over wintering chillies'?
I don't want to hijack this thread 

[goodlife]

Whow..that was quickly moved...Thanks!

[gazza1960]

as an aside we have Jalapenoes and Jo,s long varieties in the dirt in our Polly and as its our 1st season with the polly and its 1st winter I wondered if the natural light might keep em thriving albeit we wont be able to heat the area within so im guessing other than staking out and bubble wrapping just to keep them a degree warmer are we on a loser, as although they are fruiting beautifully now, once the cold sets in Ill happily dig em up and start over next term if were wasting our time.?

Gazza

[Squash64]

Probably a silly question - but are all varieties of chilli perennial?

[goodlife]

we wont be able to heat the area within so im guessing other than staking out and bubble wrapping just to keep them a degree warmer are we on a loser

Well, there is nothing lost if you try over wintering. I would not bubble wrap the plant untill the weather really gets cold. Perharps laying some black plastic on top of the soil would help keep the soil warmer and maybe radiate some of it creating warm enough environment. In your case I would leave the top growth all there..don't prune any away even if they look messy and dead, just let them 'hang on'.
Even if you only manage to keep few inches of the stem alive above the soil..that is enough for the plant to regenerate in a spring.
Lets hope it is mild winter this year.
 

but are all varieties of chilli perennial?

Yep..

[Squash64]

 

but are all varieties of chilli perennial?

Yep..

Excellent.
Would you say they are roughly as hardy as geraniums and fuchsias?  I overwintered these in an unheated greenhouse last winter, just covered them with fleece and didn't water.  I'd especially love to keep the Naga  because it's been the slowest of the ones I've grown.

[goodlife]

Would you say they are roughly as hardy as geraniums and fuchsias?

Yes..roughly. Though I've never managed to keep superhots over winter..for some reason they seem to be harder to keep going, for me anyway. I suspect they could do bit of more warmth than those that aren't that hot...they seem to like more heat during growing season so could be that same apply for the 'resting' too.
As long as chillies have already some 'woody' growth then they are very similar to keep to Fuchias.