Chillies - growing and overwintering 2018

[Reefer123]

Has anyone ever tried fusing multiple plants together using grafting tape or wire to make a chillibonsi
A saw a few pics and thought they looked quite good
here's an example
First re-potting - ChilliBonsai

[Small pumpkin]

Has anyone ever tried fusing multiple plants together using grafting tape or wire to make a chillibonsi
A saw a few pics and thought they looked quite good
here's an example
First re-potting - ChilliBonsai

No

First question is why would you? To be honest I don't get the bonsai thing at all. It all seems very hard work for very little ( in every scene ).
Personally I do the exact opposite. I try to grow the biggest plants possible so I get the best crop I can.

[Reefer123]

No

First question is why would you? To be honest I don't get the bonsai thing at all. It all seems very hard work for very little ( in every scene ).
Personally I do the exact opposite. I try to grow the biggest plants possible so I get the best crop I can.

Haha i see what you're saying, i just like to experiment i suppose.
I potted up 12 seedlings and i don't think i have the space or need for so many so i may try to fuse 4 together for a laugh and see what happens
My overwintered plant is getting to be pretty much a tree as it is

[geepee]

Haha i see what you're saying, i just like to experiment i suppose.
I potted up 12 seedlings and i don't think i have the space or need for so many so i may try to fuse 4 together for a laugh and see what happens
My overwintered plant is getting to be pretty much a tree as it is

Best of luck with your endevours at crossing Chillies with Bonsai.
It's certainly something that happens. (Allegedly)
Perhaps after your trials etc , you could start a Thread on here for that Specific reason and so therefore leave this thread free for it's Original purpose .
Gp

[rambleberry]

Has anyone ever tried fusing multiple plants together using grafting tape or wire to make a chillibonsi
A saw a few pics and thought they looked quite good
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I haven't, but I'm hoping to 'bonsai' a couple of individual plants towards the end of the season, more as a method of overwintering them as small houseplants due to limited room. Should be fun if it does work, and nothing lost if it doesn't

[Philthy]

Evening all, been burning rather a lot of midnight oil lately but hey ho, such is life..

Having just caught up the last few pages I'd have to say personally I'm still very much in favour of overwintering, despite it's inevitable pitfalls. On that score, I'd say the best way to avoid aphid infestation, is simply early containment. Make it as difficult as possible for them to establish themselves.. Check the overwintering plants regularly, literally a visual once-over, under the leaves too if you've retained them. If you spot any clusters, or activity around new shoots, eradicate them asap. Half hour with a dry paint brush and a vacuum nozzle on lowest setting is my preferred method these days, just brush them away and simultaneously suck them up so no danger of any dropping onto new territory below. On average I'd do this every 2-3 weeks? This regular but easy maintenance saves potentially a much bigger job down the road. And I can grow new seedlings alongside in safety.
In addition I have yellow sticky traps hanging up in my overwintering 'nursery'; these are essential to help control the black gnats that also appear at this time of year in great number, and an added benefit is that they also seem to snare a few prospecting greenfly. (Thankfully I've never been troubled with whitefly *touching wood at this moment * but I imagine the symptoms and therefore treatments would be very similar).
For more moderate attacks i.e. where there are obvious colonies on leaves, it's often easier just to remove the affected leaves in isolation rather than try to clean them. This isn't a problem for plants that have gone dormant as they re-shoot in spring anyway.
For chronic infestations i.e. where the foliage is smothered with a writhing green carpet, any bare surface is sticky, and / or black with mould, and the plant is withered under the onslaught, it's usually A LOT easier just to chuck it and start again than set about trying to clean up the plant. You could shortcut the cleanup by just pruning away all the infected growth, which kind of negates the point of overwintering it in the first place, but would at least give it a chance of survival. Still worth it though if the affected plant was a difficult grow or perhaps only one of it's kind. Oh and break up the soil surface too, remove maybe an inch off the top and replace with new. I wouldn't go for a total re-potting until the plant is in active growth once more.
In either event, definitely isolate such a plant from it's neighbours, though chances are they'll be infected too if one has deteriorated to such a degree. And having taken action to address the problem, strip down the grow space and give it a thorough clean before reintroducing plants back into it.

Has anyone ever tried fusing multiple plants together using grafting tape or wire to make a chillibonsi
A saw a few pics and thought they looked quite good

Agreed!
Could be a fun project. And another way to enjoy growing this diverse plant..

[Reefer123]

I haven't, but I'm hoping to 'bonsai' a couple of individual plants towards the end of the season, more as a method of overwintering them as small houseplants due to limited room. Should be fun if it does work, and nothing lost if it doesn't

Glad to see some people on here are not afraid to try something different. Good for you

[Thelma Sanders]

My over wintering cayenne is covered in whitefly and looking sick, now in the compost as a failed experiment, four new chillies growing in the propagator.

One year I threw mine because of fungus gnats in the compost. It's been ok this year - I think because they have a layer of soil on top so nothing much for them to munch on. Sorted!

I thought my various chilli sowings had failed, but the espelette seeds have shown through overnight *Happy dance*
Thanks to whoever put them in the seed circle

I'll leave the prop on a bit longer to see if any other varieties show willing

[Mitzi]

Has anyone ever tried fusing multiple plants together using grafting tape or wire to make a chillibonsi
A saw a few pics and thought they looked quite good
here's an example
First re-potting - ChilliBonsai

Chilli bonsai is usually abbreviated to bonchi - if you search for bonchi you will find lots of inspiration. Fatalii.net is an excellent starting point: https://fatalii.net/Bonsai_Chiles_Bonchi

Quite a few people bonchi their plants for overwintering so they take up less room. I think they look brilliant but, same as SP, it's too much like hard work for me.

I think it's best to grow the plant normally to start off with (although you can introduce bends in the stem from an early stage) and then bonchi them later on once they are established.

Good luck and let us see how you get on.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

No

First question is why would you? To be honest I don't get the bonsai thing at all. It all seems very hard work for very little ( in every scene ).
Personally I do the exact opposite. I try to grow the biggest plants possible so I get the best crop I can.

Best of luck with your endevours at crossing Chillies with Bonsai.
It's certainly something that happens. (Allegedly)
Perhaps after your trials etc , you could start a Thread on here for that Specific reason and so therefore leave this thread free for it's Original purpose .
Gp

Although in agreance with others, I am growing to plate!

But I get it wholeheartedly! It's more of an Hoby and art skill more than anything else, but must admit they certainly do look attractive!

[Bluenowhere]

After all the excitement I just looked at that link Mitzi, wow, very interesting. Rather a lot of hard work but can see if you had limited space but still wanted to grow lots of varieties would be a potential way to do so. Also I’d not though of using them to get new cuttings for full size plants each year.

We don’t all have room for tens of full size plants, or the ability to eat the amount of chillies they would then produce - we struggled to get though two plants worth last year and this year I’m growing even more so maximum size can lead to more than one person could use which perhaps could be a driver to try it.

Can see this technique could allow a few pods of many more varieties which could be nice, it’s still a chilli for eating no matter the size of the plant. Also as has been said an extra hobby/fun thing to do on snowy days!

Veg/chilli growing of any magnitude is interesting whether that’s a four way bonsai chilli or 60 full size plants there is room for everyone. In the same way three potatoes in a bucket on your patio can bring as much joy as a entire allotment worth.

[Scarlet]

Hmm, probably not an option for me.

I would say, I find growing chillies from seed much easier than cuttings.....they aren't as easy as tomatoes and you can get aphid problems in over wintered plants ....the only reason for me to over winter a plant is to get a bigger crop.

If you cook with chillies, chutneys, jams, sauce or pickled etc you can get through a fair few....great for Christmas presents.

[Bluenowhere]

Hmm, probably not an option for me.

Me either complete lack of the required patience

[Bluenowhere]

....the only reason for me to over winter a plant is to get a bigger crop.

If you cook with chillies, chutneys, jams, sauce or pickled etc you can get through a fair few....great for Christmas presents.

That makes sense to me.

Looks like I’m going to be hunting for recipes later in the year

[Scarlet]

There's lots of threads on here will link a few in a bit!