Good idea or not

[anthonyjb]

I was thinking sowing peppers in a heated probagator in October What do you all think

Is this a stupid. Idea

Thanks

Anthonyjb


One more thing do you have to pinch out the growing tip on all peppers

[vixylix]

Not sure if it will work due to light conditions (I'm sure someone else will clarify!), however I'm all for giving it a go! You never know and if it does work you'll have an amazing start on next year?!

[Tiny Allotment]

It is always worth giving something a try

paul

[skeggijon]

Maybe not stupid, but certainly eccentric and little chance of success unless you have a fairly extensive grow light set up, but if you decide to have a go, keep us posted

[Jungle Jane]

Because of insufficient light & the plants getting leggy searching for light,it would be a good idea to pinch out the tips.

[Scarlet]

Personally I wouldn't bother unless you have grow lamps. They need lots of light and plenty of warmth. Day light hours are much too short after the end of Oct. You will end up with weak spindly plants looking for light. You can't keep them on the windowsill during the cold due to draughts especially at night. Save your seed and sow in Feb.

[maverick451]

Im going to start my Chillies in January but I have a grow light, you need to work out what you will do with them.

[Jungle Jane]

If you're growing peppers now,you could bring them indoors to overwinter,to get a head start. Pepper plants like warmth tho,so if you sowed seeds in October,they would have to still wait ages to be planted out?

[Scarlet]

I think overwintering a chilli/pepper is very different to starting new from seed. An over wintered chilli doesn't put on any growth, it slows down due to its growing conditions, some loose all their leaves and look almost dead. Watering is kept to a minimum. The ones that do put on a little growth often end up covered in aphids, they are drawn to the sappy long growth. You can't grow against the seasons.

[Jungle Jane]

If you did bring a plant indoors to overwinter & cut all the top growth,except a few leaves,would it just sort of go dormant,but regrow when it gets warmer? If that happened it would have a better root system to hopefully produce more than the tiny amount I have this year. I was reading someone kept a chilli plant going for 5 years & it sounded like a good idea,but maybe starting from seed each year is best.

[Bigmallly]

I personally wouldn't waste your electricity Anthony.

[spamvindaloo]

If you did bring a plant indoors to overwinter & cut all the top growth,except a few leaves,would it just sort of go dormant,but regrow when it gets warmer? If that happened it would have a better root system to hopefully produce more than the tiny amount I have this year. I was reading someone kept a chilli plant going for 5 years & it sounded like a good idea,but maybe starting from seed each year is best.

You can probably keep a chilli plant going indefinitely but yields will drop after the third or fourth year. It is worth overwintering an already established plant as it is already at a size to bear fruit and so will produce a much earlier crop the following year. It is likely to flower early in the year so you will need to keep it somewhere light and warm or the flowers will have no chance to mature into fruit and you will lose the advantage of starting from an established plant.

This will only work with an established plant though, the only way that you will get a chilli to grow through winter is to provide an artificial environment (light and heat) which can be achieved if you want to invest in the equipment.

[Tripmeup]

As most people are saying light and warmth are going to be a problem plus there is a risk they get very spindly trying to look for light...
Even if you do obtain some success, you will not be able to put them in a greenhouse until late April at the earliest?

[Scarlet]

If you did bring a plant indoors to overwinter & cut all the top growth,except a few leaves,would it just sort of go dormant,but regrow when it gets warmer? If that happened it would have a better root system to hopefully produce more than the tiny amount I have this year. I was reading someone kept a chilli plant going for 5 years & it sounded like a good idea,but maybe starting from seed each year is best.

Starting from seed every year is probably best for the cayennes, "annum" varieties, they are a much shorter seed to harvest time than the hotter varieties - having a load of pots with twigs loading up your windowsills, dropping dried up leaves and attracting aphids isnt a pretty sight and you soon get tired of the mess. But the super hots don't give many fruit the first year, they take a long time to harvest so if you an get them through the winter the second & third year harvest is brilliant! They don't always make it but it's worth a go.

[jackarmy]

yep i think it is