Over Wintering an Habanero Plant
 

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

Over Wintering an Habanero Plant
 

Stevie wrote:
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

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

Greg

Over Wintering an Habanero Plant
 

Stevie wrote:

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.

At what temperature are you keeping them?

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.

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

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?

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

Dick

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

Over Wintering an Habanero Plant
 

Stevie wrote:

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.

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.

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.

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
====

Dick Adams[_2_ Wrote:
;976681']Stevie wrote:

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. -

At what temperature are you keeping them?

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.-

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

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? -

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

Over Wintering an Habanero Plant
 

On 1/14/2013 9:20 PM, gregz wrote:
Stevie wrote:
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

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

Greg


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.

Over Wintering an Habanero Plant
 

Frank wrote:
gregz wrote:
Stevie wrote:

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?

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

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.

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

Over Wintering an Habanero Plant
 

On 1/17/2013 2:16 PM, Dick Adams wrote:
Frank wrote:
gregz wrote:
Stevie wrote:

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?

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

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.

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


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

Over Wintering an Habanero Plant
 

Frank wrote:
Dick Adams wrote:
Frank wrote:
gregz wrote:
Stevie wrote:

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?

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

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.

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
waterspray or by hand if necessary.

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

I guess any problem is manageable but sometimes may not be worth the effort,

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

Peppers from the store are as good as you can grow. ...

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!