chilly propagation initially indoors

[Philthy]

Here are a few recommendations for overwintering. The following varieties have proven, for me, to be the most reliable perfomers year on year, and are practically guaranteed to survive the dormant period:

Thai Dragon / Bird's Eye / Ring Of Fire / Hot Lemon / Super / Trinidad Scorpian.
Also 'NuMex' strains Twilight / Sandia / Big Jim.
And a couple grown primarily for ornamental value: Black Pearl / Calico (variegated).

Ones I wouldn't bother trying to overwinter include:

Hot waxes / Cayennes / Anaheim.

[BUFFS]

Once things have started germinating, you take them OUT of the heated prop and grow them on in cooler, lighter conditions


Early? You're a bit behind, for chillies

mine have germinated and i can grow them on in cooler conditions,BUT lighter? this is scotland,we dont do lighter,we had 50 shades of grey before its publication,only up here its called summer....

[Leif]

Thanks for your great post, very informed and helpful.

Do tell, how you manage to get the plants to overwinter without artificial heat & light? (by that I mean growlights, not normal bedroom heat/light)

I can't do it. They all turn brown and die ~ I did get one plant to come through, but then didn't fruit any better or earlier than my new ones.
Is it down to variety (I believe some are perennial and some are annual? Or are they all potential perennial/biennials?

All chillis are perennials, as I think are all members of the Capsicum genus. Rather ironically the common chilli species is called Capsicum annuum, annuum meaning annual.

I have a Capsicum pubescens which is 7 or 8 years old, or maybe even older. It gets better each year, except last year for obvious reasons. Oddly enough the shape of the pods has changed as the plant has aged. I have a Capsicum baccatum - Lemon Drop - overwintered from last year, and I have over wintered Orange Habanero.

My technique is as follows. At the start of the new year, early January say, prune the above ground growth to a single stem, ~8" long, or if there are multiple stems branched from near the ground, as per the Lemon Drop, prune the multiple stems each to about 6" long. Remove the plant from the pot, and remove earth and roots leaving a ball ~6" across. It doesn't matter if more soil falls off. Replant in fresh compost in a 12" pot. Place indoors near natural light. Mine are on a decorators trestle table near a window. I now bottom water, the pot being on a tray. I don't like a damp soil surface as it might cause damp in the room. They seem to be fairly tough, but they do not like cold. The Capsicum baccatum has survived outdoors during several frosts, but generally for other species anything below ~4 Celsius is a no no. Capsicum baccatum does seem to be hardier than most species, except C. pubescens. C. chinense is a real softy, and C. annuum is not tough. Chillis do not need a huge amount of light, but they do like warmth.

The year before last I kept the Rocoto and an Orange Habanero in the unheated porch, which goes down to ~5 Celcius. When I pruned them, the Habanero died, so I guess the combination of shock and cold was too much for the poor thing.

I get a crop in late May, and another in Autumn when kept indoors. Last year the Rocoto went outside, and the continual rain and strong winds remove 2/3 of the leaves, and all of the early flowers, and I was lucky to get 10 pods that year. Chillis are not really suited for outdoors growing in the UK, although C. annuum will produce pods.

[GrimChili]

I wonder if Rocoto (Capsicum pubescens) and C. baccatum seedlings are more hardy?

Capsicum baccatum does seem to be hardier than most species,

I have certainly found that Baccatum are much more resilient to our climate. I had a lemon drop plant last year that grew brilliantly outside ad produced loads and kept going even when it started getting cold, I tried to over winter it along with a Bulgarian orange and a Dorset Naga. The Lemon drop and the Naga both died, which I'm a little annoyed about as the Bulgarian Orange (my least favorite of the 3) seems to have survived...

[Philthy]

Capsicum pubescens are noted for their performance in cooler conditions; so ideal for a typical British summer then! I'd say C. annuum is the most sensitive / least resilient group of plants. It includes Jalapeno, Waxes, Cayenne types, Serrano, and others. These plants won't tolerate even a slight frost, and consecutive overcast days during the winter months, coupled with damp soil and still air will surely finish them off too, even if the temperature is adequate. I've not grown that many peppers from the C. baccatum group, but I agree Hot Lemon (Lemon Drop) is a top performer in terms of hardiness and overwintering potential. It's fruits are among the best for freezing long term, maybe there's a connection there to how the plant performs? I've found varieties from the C. frutescens group to be the most successful in our indifferent summers and cold, unpredictable winters. Peppers in this group include Thai varieties, Bird's Eye, and Tobasco. And as for C. chinense chillies, yes these plants need the most TLC of the five catergories. Once established, they do have some tolerance of colder conditions, in the short term anyway. If they're not getting what they need, it shows in the lack of fruit rather than an unhealthy looking plant.

Leif, you're 8 year old C. pubescens, I'm assuming that's a Rocoto? How big has it gotten during the summer months, and do you think it will likely get bigger? Is your crop from that plant more or less year on year?

[Two_Sheds]

Lemon Drop - overwintered from last year, and I have over wintered Orange Habanero.

All mine died. The plants are just dry, crispy brown sticks now. Kept on a south windowsill all winter, the room is about 17c all the time