2nd time around chilies!

[bussinspain]

Well, I harvested and dried my chilies, tidied up and re-potted the plants to see if they would over-winter and guess what? I have flowers and even 2 chilies forming - odd or what?

[Bacchus]

Yes - I've noticed the same. I've kept two chilli plants to overwinter and new white flowers have just appeared on both. It's a funny ol' year.

[sparrow100]

My overwintered lemon drops started flowering in January last year. My habaneros are starting again now. I think they start when they think there is light and heat enough.

[Fleurisa]

That is what I would expect, if they are warm enough they carry on growing and flowering

[chilli_grower]

my fairy light plant (3 years old), has just thrown out around 50 flowers!

[skeggijon]

My Cheyenne have flowered constantly.

[Tripmeup]

Same here..Many of my chilli plants doing the same..
My jalapeno plants have been funny this year in that they have produced fruit, then taken a rest for a few weeks and then started producing again..On their 3rd/4th cycle now

[More basil]

My chillies are flowering too. Am wondering: I am hoping to overwinter them to get a head start next year. Do they need a dormant period or can they just keep going? I am assuming that they will keep on going in their native environment but in Kent? November has landed with a vengeance, it has been wall to wall rain here today and the light levels are somewhat lacking. So I don't think I can fool them into believing that they are on a nice equatorial island... So what's best- leave to flower or prune?

[Scarlet]

What varieties are you growing basil? I tend to leave mine on, if the conditions change and they don't like it they will drop their flowers anyway. I've tried both, pruning and leaving it to do its own thing. It can be hit and miss with both methods! So I let mine get on with it but as soon as the chillies are ripe I take them all off, try to reduce watering and keep them on the dry side. They are prone to white fly, especially on young new growth, so keep an eye out for them and squish them as soon as you've spotted some.

[More basil]

Thank you Scarlet, sounds like good advice. They are Aji Lemon types, an espelette and a ring of fire. The white flies are indeed breeding, I am trying to keep on top of the squishing...

[Gemizzel]

when overwintering chillies, do you cut them back at all.. if so before or after the winter.
I brought mine in maybe a month ago, do i need to do anything with them? re-pot them etc etc?
I haven't done it before so am unsure.

Thanks

[snakeshack]

hacked my aji lemon back to a 2inch stub and repotted into a smaller pot about 6 weeks ago,despite reduced watering its now 10 inches high and has about 30 flowers,will cut it back in the spring if it gets too leggy and pot up into a larger pot if required before putting out again.no problems with the white fly as it's surrounded by carnivorous plants on the window sill (sundews and butterworts)

[Gemizzel]

hacked my aji lemon back to a 2inch stub and repotted into a smaller pot about 6 weeks ago,despite reduced watering its now 10 inches high and has about 30 flowers,will cut it back in the spring if it gets too leggy and pot up into a larger pot if required before putting out again.no problems with the white fly as it's surrounded by carnivorous plants on the window sill (sundews and butterworts)

is it too late to cut back now? I found quite a lot of bugs on it when I last watered it :/

[sparrow100]

I cut mine back a few days ago - so far so good. I've left a few leaves on it. Can you put the pot in a bag and give the plant an upside-down shower? I've found that gets rid of most of the bugs for a while and is quicker than squishing!

[Philthy]

Can you put the pot in a bag and give the plant an upside-down shower?

You can do. Just make sure you don't put it into a cool environment before it has fully dried, or it'll be covered in mould in a few days, leading to other problems.

is it too late to cut back now?

I haven't finished cutting all mine back. So long as the overwintering environment remains condusive for dormancy i.e. the pruning doesn't encourage instant new shoots, you can pretty much prune them when you like during the winter period. If you do it now, chances are you'll probably need to give them another light trim before the spring anyway, to remove any dead stems back to healthy tissue.
Don't worry too much about preserving the leaves. I leave a couple on if they're still healthy. Most drop off of their own accord anyway.

I've got four plants still outside in the greenhouse. It's been such a mild autumn, there's been no real urgency to get them in. They're all 2 and 3 year old specimens though, so much hardier than their 1 year old versions. The Aji Lemon still has quite a few chillies ripe chillies on it. All the leaves have drooped and gone a bit discoloured, so I'm probably pushing it a bit now that it has become a little colder. This weekend will be the cut-off point I think and I'll bring them in too.