Chillies - growing and overwintering 2018

[Scarlet]

So am I! Didn't think they would to be honest. It was an act of pure desperation!
Just hope they grow true now. They were in close proximity to 5 other varieties. All of which would make some very odd children!

I've been unlucky lots of times, like Leezy2 they have crossed with something mild and lost flavour....but I suppose it depends on what you had growing around it. Good to watch though

[Small pumpkin]

I've been unlucky lots of times, like Leezy2 they have crossed with something mild and lost flavour....but I suppose it depends on what you had growing around it. Good to watch though

Potential daddy's are
Jay's peach ghost scorpion
Spike
Rooster spur
Holy mole
Basket of fire.
Obviously it could be any of the 20+ varieties that were in the tunnel, but they were the closest neighboring plants.
It's going to be interesting. Heat wise not much will be lost ( unless it's the holy mole ), but what weird and wonderful shapes with they be

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

I'm definitely gunna have a stab at isolating 3 plants this year, one will be a "Lemon Drop" as I want to start saving my own seed for future years and undecided on the other two as yet, but one will be a super hot, just for a bit of fun!

[Scarlet]

Potential daddy's are
Jay's peach ghost scorpion
Spike
Rooster spur
Holy mole
Basket of fire.
Obviously it could be any of the 20+ varieties that were in the tunnel, but they were the closest neighboring plants.
It's going to be interesting. Heat wise not much will be lost ( unless it's the holy mole ), but what weird and wonderful shapes with they be

I got huge habs once....not sure what they crossed with but they were very large!

[OscarSidcup]

Hello, I need advice on overwintering chilli please. I've now read so many articles that I have managed to get completely confused and have no clue what to do.

I have grown from seeds Cayenne Chillies at the beginning of 2017 and they have blossomed all year in the conservatory. I have 7 super productive plants that are still happy as Triffids would be in the conservatory with a few hundred red (and green) chillies attached. Not sure what to do now though
- should I harvest all the fruits so they get a break from producing?
- once harvested, should I cut the branches back, change the soil and leave them alone until Spring?
- should I leave them alone as they are and continue watering regularly with a bit of fertiliser to keep them going?

Thoughts?


MANY thanks from OscarSidcup aka ConfusedInKent

[bramble]

HI Oscar.
If the chilli are red by all means harvest them.
Leave the green ones until they turn red.
Are the plants still producing flowers at this time of year.
Can you post a pic?

[OscarSidcup]

Thanks - sure. Will take a photo in daylight on Saturday. Just tried now but artificial light does not work to take good photos with the level of details needed!

[Mitzi]

Hello, I need advice on overwintering chilli please. I've now read so many articles that I have managed to get completely confused and have no clue what to do.

I have grown from seeds Cayenne Chillies at the beginning of 2017 and they have blossomed all year in the conservatory. I have 7 super productive plants that are still happy as Triffids would be in the conservatory with a few hundred red (and green) chillies attached. Not sure what to do now though
- should I harvest all the fruits so they get a break from producing?
- once harvested, should I cut the branches back, change the soil and leave them alone until Spring?
- should I leave them alone as they are and continue watering regularly with a bit of fertiliser to keep them going?

Thoughts?


MANY thanks from OscarSidcup aka ConfusedInKent

It can be confusing. If the plants have enough warmth and light then they can keep growing and fruiting over winter. If you only have a cool or darker place to overwinter them then the plants will struggle more and that's why people cut them back so they haven't as much growth to support and can go dormant.

It sounds as if your plants are happy so you must be doing it right. So don't worry too much about it. Definitely pick the red chillies. If your plants look to be struggling then remove the green ones too, but if they look healthy then carry on as you are.

[Mitzi]

Oh and a few hundred chillies from seven plants is really good going so I think I should come to you for advice rather than the other way round.

[Philthy]

What Mitzi said. I'd only add a few other advantages to cutting back already dormant plants: it removes dead / diseased / weak and spindly growth, to ensure healthy shoots the following year, enables the grower to accommodate more plants in less space, makes it harder for greenfly to take up residence as there's less surfaces for them to live on and colonise, and keeps maintenance to a minimum; a bit of water now and again is about it. (This is my personal preferred method of overwintering. I leave my plants in my unheated GH until late autumn so that they've all but shut down by the time I'm ready to bring them inside - don't always get the timing of that right though ).

If you try to cut back plants that are still growing they'll just re-shoot and get leafy, albeit more slowly than they would in summer, but you'd still need to take more proactive care of them thereafter.

If your plants are healthy (and they look good to me) I'd just let them crack on.
Avoid pruning too drastically as they're not dormant, but a tidy up shouldn't be a problem if you think they need it. A conservatory environment is the best you can provide at this time of year regarding best natural light environment so bonus there that you already have that setup. Don't attempt to re-pot now, it's not necessary because growth has naturally slowed down and you don't want to add stress by disturbing the roots. I wouldn't have thought feeding would be needed either even if the plants still have fruits on (but I'm happy to be corrected on that). Only water if they need it i.e. put a finger into the compost and see what it's like an inch below the surface (compost dry on the surface is misleading). Too damp could lead to mould or worse rot. Aim for just moist as a rough guide.
Be careful opening windows / doors especially overnight as a cold draft can be damaging as much as sub-zero temperatures, but don't be tempted to crank the radiator as a fail-safe. Just maintain a 'frost free' overnight temperature for the duration.
Check the plants regularly for greenfly; look under the leaves and on any new shoots. By the time you start seeing them on the leaf surface they're fairly well established and getting rid of them becomes more of a problem. Don't ignore them though as over time plants will become debilitated and look a mess. Some leaf drop will be inevitable, but the fruits will stay put until you cut them off.

Come spring you can start feeding again (late March / early April for me in the southeast, though I won't put my plants out permanently until early May usually. I could start feeding earlier but I don't want my plants to re-bud and burst into life again when it's still too cold to move them outside, as they'd quickly outgrow the available space). This is the time you can re-pot them too.
Whatever your existing regime is seems to be working so maybe don't tweak it too much

(NB. Grow lights in their various guises allow you to disregard seasons to an extent, and drastically shorten the time between crops. But that's a whole other discussion...)

[hortus]

One of my chilli seeds have germinated. I'm thrilled. I have 5 more to go but hoping for 3 so another 2 would be great.

[Mitzi]

One of my chilli seeds have germinated. I'm thrilled. I have 5 more to go but hoping for 3 so another 2 would be great.

Congratulations! It's so exciting when you get that first loop.

[Peteyd]

I'm attempting to overwinter a Carolina Reaper. It's currently taking pride of place in the corner of the dining room. I'm really hoping for something tangible from it this year as last year seamed pretty poor on the chilli production front (although it was left outside in the cold for a couple of days which made it sulk a little)

[the big lebowski]

i still have a orange hab in my greenhouse up the plot which looks fine ,we havent had any frosts really do you think i should leave it up there or bring it to my flat ? the reason i havent moved it is its in a 30 liter pot and its tricky to move on my bike ,would wrapping it in bubble wrap help ? cheers

[Small pumpkin]

i still have a orange hab in my greenhouse up the plot which looks fine ,we havent had any frosts really do you think i should leave it up there or bring it to my flat ? the reason i havent moved it is its in a 30 liter pot and its tricky to move on my bike ,would wrapping it in bubble wrap help ? cheers

I can see how moving it might be tricky. If you do, I want to see photos
Bubble wrap would help, I think. I'd wrap it round the pot a couple of time ( they really don't like cold roots) and some over the plant loosely like a Second mini green house.

I'm trying to over winter a couple in the tunnel this year ( in a little plastic green house).
They seem to still have signs of live at the moment. So fingers crossed.

Good luck with yours.