Over Wintering an Habanero Plant

[Stevie]

Hi Guys,

I have read various articles on how to over winter your chilli plant but to be honest my Habanero are still healthy and producing fruit.

The fruit is ripening when they are tiny though and some are not much bigger than a pea but the plant it producing flowers and tiny fruits quite happily.

Question is, should I still prune it right back or should I just allow it to keep doing it's thing in the hope that it will grow bigger and juicier fruits once the longer, warmer days arrive in spring?

Thanks,

Stevie

[gregz]

The one time I brought my plants in, the bugs took over. No luck here.

Greg

[Dick Adams]

At what temperature are you keeping them?

If you keep a grow light on them for 8 to 12 hours a day, the peppers will be larger.

It really depends on the type of Habenero. I'd definitely cut back a Bhut Jolokia, but not a Red Savina.

Dick

[Stevie]

Hi Dick,

Room temperature in our spare bedroom next to the window so I would say

16-18 degrees celcius. Watering every 14 days or so with a diluted feed mixture around 25% of what I would give them in summer.

I am not too fussed about getting larger fruit at the moment as we have plenty in the freezer from summer but was unsure whether I should have cut them back seeing as they are healthy enough.

They are a common type of Habanero I think, they are orange in colour.

Thanks, Stevie

'Dick Adams[_2_ Wrote:

[Dick Adams]

My house is kept at 20 C in the winter. My peppers winter in the basement where they get the benefit of about 22.5 C by being about 8 meters from the furnace.

For a common Habanero, like a Scotch Bonnet, I'd be very conservative in pruning them leaving at least 7 to 8 cm.

I was educated using Feet, Pounds, Gallons, and Fahrenheit. Meters, Kilograms, and Liters make more sense. Celcius is definitely better for cooking. But I still prefer Fahrenheit for the weather. ;)

Dick in Maryland ====

[Frank]

That's what happened to me when I brought in a couple of sweet peppers a couple of years ago. I have a similar problem with gardenias which develop spider mites in the winter. Plants not subjected to rains which tend to wash off bugs get more invested, I guess.

[Dick Adams]

I have a problem with bugs both indoors and out. Outdoors I spray with a combination of vinegar, soap, and Cayenne pepper. Indoors I use Yellow Sticky Traps for aphids and gnats. I also pick them off using a sharp water spray or by hand if necessary.

A friend has a box similar to a cold frame. Instead of glass, he uses a fine mesh.

Dick

[Frank]

I guess any problem is manageable but sometimes may not be worth the effort. Peppers from the store are as good as you can grow. I even gave up on them outdoors as in last few years with stink bug invasion I found peppers all stunted and mottled by them and they did not respond to vegetable garden spray.

Frank

[Dick Adams]

That's what my wife says about almost every idea I have. ;)

For Scotch Bonnets and other Habaneros below 250,000 Scoville Units, I agree with you.

But, are there any stores selling Red Savina, Naga Viper, Infinity, Bhut Jolokia, Trinidad Scorpion, Super Naga, or Trinidad Moruga? If there are, their prices are most likely exorbitant!