Your bird story reminds me when my plant was in an 8" pot in my back yard.
I would come out in the morning and have to constantly do battle with a
local mockingbird that felt like all the ripe peppers were his. I'd yell at
him and he would just sit there and stare at me. He got up lots earlier
than I did so he got the harvest first usually. Guess that's why they call
'em "bird peppers"....
Thomas
"Katra" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Thomas" scythicon311@yahoo(dot)com wrote:

Don't waste your time with cuttings. I would suggest preparing some
good
potting soil and amend it with a little organic fertilizer. Dig out
your
plants with as much root as you can and transplant them into pots. Add
some
lava sand if it's available in your area to help retain moisture. Let
them
establish in the pots and give them as much sun as possible. Do not
over
water. Most people tend to over water plants indoors in pots. I don't
know
what your zone is, but I would suggest that unless you are in zone 8-10
they
will not continue to produce. The goal would be to keep them alive and
overwinter them so you can replant outside after soil temps have
warmed.
Then you will have a huge head start on next years production. I live
in
zone 8 in Texas and have a chili pequin plant that stays in the ground
year
round. It freezes back to the ground in the winter, but has come back
for 3
years in a row. I have harvested well over 1000 plus peppers and sun
dry
them for use on pizza or whatever. Some I dry in the toaster oven for a
more "toasted" taste. They are great.
Previous to having acreage we kept a chili pequin in a large pot for 7
years
and even used it as a Christmas tree a couple of years.
Your plants have only been producing for a month or two? Hmmm. I've
been
getting peppers since late April...but again...it is paradise..( oh
sorry....TEXAS)
lol..hope this helps.
Thomas

You are cruel... lol

I have a 5 year old Chili pequin also, (a wild volunteer no less) in the
back of the main garden. It's nearly 3' tall and almost as wide, and
produces more than I can use, much to the delight of my cockatoo. ;-)
She adores the things fresh off the plant! It also freezes back each
winter, but comes back strongly and I do NOT prune it! The exsisting
branches come back. ;-)

I'm experimenting with doing some cuttings from it. I did 5 earlier this
spring but the plant was already blooming. 1 of the 5 cuttings survived
and is rooting. I just snipped, dipped, and stuck it into miracle grow
potting mix. Snip it and dip it into liquid rooting compound.

I DO have a greenhouse.
Oh, and I am also in Paradise (central Texas)

On an interesting note, my neighbors _never_ clean their rain gutters
and there are a variety of plants growing in them. There is a small
chili pequin at one end that is producing! It's maybe 1' tall. I'm
considering taking a ladder over there in the middle of the night and
pepper-snatching the plant. G

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

,,Cat's Haven Hobby Farm,,Katraatcenturyteldotnet,,


http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...ude=0&user id
=katra

Your bird story reminds me when my plant was in an 8" pot in my back yard.
I would come out in the morning and have to constantly do battle with a
local mockingbird that felt like all the ripe peppers were his. I'd yell at
him and he would just sit there and stare at me. He got up lots earlier
than I did so he got the harvest first usually. Guess that's why they call
'em "bird peppers"....
Thomas
"Katra" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Thomas" scythicon311@yahoo(dot)com wrote:

Don't waste your time with cuttings. I would suggest preparing some
good
potting soil and amend it with a little organic fertilizer. Dig out
your
plants with as much root as you can and transplant them into pots. Add
some
lava sand if it's available in your area to help retain moisture. Let
them
establish in the pots and give them as much sun as possible. Do not
over
water. Most people tend to over water plants indoors in pots. I don't
know
what your zone is, but I would suggest that unless you are in zone 8-10
they
will not continue to produce. The goal would be to keep them alive and
overwinter them so you can replant outside after soil temps have
warmed.
Then you will have a huge head start on next years production. I live
in
zone 8 in Texas and have a chili pequin plant that stays in the ground
year
round. It freezes back to the ground in the winter, but has come back
for 3
years in a row. I have harvested well over 1000 plus peppers and sun
dry
them for use on pizza or whatever. Some I dry in the toaster oven for a
more "toasted" taste. They are great.
Previous to having acreage we kept a chili pequin in a large pot for 7
years
and even used it as a Christmas tree a couple of years.
Your plants have only been producing for a month or two? Hmmm. I've
been
getting peppers since late April...but again...it is paradise..( oh
sorry....TEXAS)
lol..hope this helps.
Thomas

You are cruel... lol

I have a 5 year old Chili pequin also, (a wild volunteer no less) in the
back of the main garden. It's nearly 3' tall and almost as wide, and
produces more than I can use, much to the delight of my cockatoo. ;-)
She adores the things fresh off the plant! It also freezes back each
winter, but comes back strongly and I do NOT prune it! The exsisting
branches come back. ;-)

I'm experimenting with doing some cuttings from it. I did 5 earlier this
spring but the plant was already blooming. 1 of the 5 cuttings survived
and is rooting. I just snipped, dipped, and stuck it into miracle grow
potting mix. Snip it and dip it into liquid rooting compound.

I DO have a greenhouse.
Oh, and I am also in Paradise (central Texas)

On an interesting note, my neighbors _never_ clean their rain gutters
and there are a variety of plants growing in them. There is a small
chili pequin at one end that is producing! It's maybe 1' tall. I'm
considering taking a ladder over there in the middle of the night and
pepper-snatching the plant. G

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

,,Cat's Haven Hobby Farm,,Katraatcenturyteldotnet,,


http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...ude=0&user id
=katra

In article ,
"Thomas" scythicon311@yahoo(dot)com wrote:

Your bird story reminds me when my plant was in an 8" pot in my back yard.
I would come out in the morning and have to constantly do battle with a
local mockingbird that felt like all the ripe peppers were his. I'd yell at
him and he would just sit there and stare at me. He got up lots earlier
than I did so he got the harvest first usually. Guess that's why they call
'em "bird peppers"....
Thomas

You know what they say about the "early bird"! lol

I find mockingbirds to be charming. The best thing to do would be to
just cover the plant with bird netting used for fruit trees. :-)

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

,,Cat's Haven Hobby Farm,,Katraatcenturyteldotnet,,

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

In article ,
"Thomas" scythicon311@yahoo(dot)com wrote:

Your bird story reminds me when my plant was in an 8" pot in my back yard.
I would come out in the morning and have to constantly do battle with a
local mockingbird that felt like all the ripe peppers were his. I'd yell at
him and he would just sit there and stare at me. He got up lots earlier
than I did so he got the harvest first usually. Guess that's why they call
'em "bird peppers"....
Thomas

You know what they say about the "early bird"! lol

I find mockingbirds to be charming. The best thing to do would be to
just cover the plant with bird netting used for fruit trees. :-)

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

,,Cat's Haven Hobby Farm,,Katraatcenturyteldotnet,,

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

Linda Barsalou wrote:
I don't know where you live, but here in SW Ohio where hot pepper plants
totally freeze out in the winter, I too tried keeping plants inside and
growing over the winter. I never tried cuttings, I usually just dug up
the whole plant as they were not too large and I would just prune them
back a bit. I did this for about 3 years. What I found was that I
often had huge problems with whitefly or aphids. Even when there was no
significant bug problem, they did not produce much earlier than the

I have had very good luck with potting up the entire pepper. Mine
continue to produce over the winter as long as they get extra light (I
use my seed starting rack). They don't produce as much but they do
produce some.

Ever since the ladybugs have decided my house is a nice overwintering
spot I haven't had any trouble with the white flies or aphids. The
ladybugs tend to collect in my main bath and I just put the peppers
there or I re-locate some ladybugs right onto the plants.

Mary

Linda Barsalou wrote:
I don't know where you live, but here in SW Ohio where hot pepper plants
totally freeze out in the winter, I too tried keeping plants inside and
growing over the winter. I never tried cuttings, I usually just dug up
the whole plant as they were not too large and I would just prune them
back a bit. I did this for about 3 years. What I found was that I
often had huge problems with whitefly or aphids. Even when there was no
significant bug problem, they did not produce much earlier than the

I have had very good luck with potting up the entire pepper. Mine
continue to produce over the winter as long as they get extra light (I
use my seed starting rack). They don't produce as much but they do
produce some.

Ever since the ladybugs have decided my house is a nice overwintering
spot I haven't had any trouble with the white flies or aphids. The
ladybugs tend to collect in my main bath and I just put the peppers
there or I re-locate some ladybugs right onto the plants.

Mary

Penelope Periwinkle wrote in message . ..
On 9 Sep 2004 16:39:44 -0700, (Lost) wrote:

Hello all. I have a question I hope you can answer. In my garden I
have jalpeno, habenero, and cayenne pepper plants. They have been
producing for a month or two now, and I was just wondering if it is
possible to take some cuttings from these to keep indoors for the
winter(or did I have to do this before flowering?

Unless they're difficult to get varieties, I wouldn't bother. The
time, money, and effort you put into keeping the plants alive
would far exceed just buying new ones in the spring.

Are you looking to extend your growing season or get an early
spring start? I'm always reluctant to let the growing season
end, and I try a variety of things to keep the plants going
for an extra month or so. By late Nov/Dec, though, there
isn't enough sunlight to produce much in the way of peppers,
and I finally have to let the cold have them.

If so, what do I
have to do to keep them alive? Will they have to be kept on a certain
light schedule to keep producing, or can I get them back into a
vegetative state(what I want to do) until next spring?

I have over-wintered peppers in a cool, dark room before; but it
was only for just over a couple of months. I cut them back, cut any
new growth back, and watered lightly.

Otherwise, to over-winter them in a house, you'll need good
light, regular water, and a place that doesn't get hot air directed
towards it from the heating vents. Watch out for aphids, they always
seem to crop up shortly after bringing the plants inside, and with no
natural predators, they can do a lot of damage in a very short time.

When you take it back outside in the spring, be sure to harden it off
slowly, any leaves that grew over the winter will not be able to take
direct sun. Also watch out for windy days, the wind can damage those
new leaves, too.


Penelope

600 watt HPS for light, with me watering should suffice right? I
would only have 3 plants and 3 cuttings under it, so I think that
should keep them in decent shape for next spring.
Basically my intentions in this little experiment are to get the
pepper plants to grow nice and big(think 4ft. habenero plant). I love
my peppers and I am limited on space, so I figured this would be a
good way to get more.

Now that I have heard a some of experiences, I think I am going to
take whole plants and cuttings. Any other suggestions/hints?

Thanks to all!

In article ,
(Lost) wrote:

Penelope Periwinkle wrote in message
. ..
On 9 Sep 2004 16:39:44 -0700, (Lost) wrote:

Hello all. I have a question I hope you can answer. In my garden I
have jalpeno, habenero, and cayenne pepper plants. They have been
producing for a month or two now, and I was just wondering if it is
possible to take some cuttings from these to keep indoors for the
winter(or did I have to do this before flowering?

Unless they're difficult to get varieties, I wouldn't bother. The
time, money, and effort you put into keeping the plants alive
would far exceed just buying new ones in the spring.

Are you looking to extend your growing season or get an early
spring start? I'm always reluctant to let the growing season
end, and I try a variety of things to keep the plants going
for an extra month or so. By late Nov/Dec, though, there
isn't enough sunlight to produce much in the way of peppers,
and I finally have to let the cold have them.

If so, what do I
have to do to keep them alive? Will they have to be kept on a certain
light schedule to keep producing, or can I get them back into a
vegetative state(what I want to do) until next spring?

I have over-wintered peppers in a cool, dark room before; but it
was only for just over a couple of months. I cut them back, cut any
new growth back, and watered lightly.

Otherwise, to over-winter them in a house, you'll need good
light, regular water, and a place that doesn't get hot air directed
towards it from the heating vents. Watch out for aphids, they always
seem to crop up shortly after bringing the plants inside, and with no
natural predators, they can do a lot of damage in a very short time.

When you take it back outside in the spring, be sure to harden it off
slowly, any leaves that grew over the winter will not be able to take
direct sun. Also watch out for windy days, the wind can damage those
new leaves, too.


Penelope

600 watt HPS for light, with me watering should suffice right? I
would only have 3 plants and 3 cuttings under it, so I think that
should keep them in decent shape for next spring.
Basically my intentions in this little experiment are to get the
pepper plants to grow nice and big(think 4ft. habenero plant). I love
my peppers and I am limited on space, so I figured this would be a
good way to get more.

Now that I have heard a some of experiences, I think I am going to
take whole plants and cuttings. Any other suggestions/hints?

Thanks to all!

Good luck and keep us posted... and don't overwater!
Plants indoors typically need less water than plants outdoors.
Overwatering kills more plants than anything else.

I've had the best luck using Miracle Grow Potting mix.

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

,,Cat's Haven Hobby Farm,,Katraatcenturyteldotnet,,

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

On 12 Sep 2004 11:53:22 -0700, (Lost) wrote:

Penelope Periwinkle wrote in message . ..
On 9 Sep 2004 16:39:44 -0700, (Lost) wrote:

(think 4ft. habenero plant).

I don't have to, I have a garden full of them, some are even
closer to 5 feet. Habaneros are the big rowdys of the garden,
they all get wide and tall. I have Chocolate habs, Caribbean
Reds, and Devil's Tongue this yea; and several other varieties of
_C chinense_ .

Did you say what zone you were in? I'm guessing my season is
longer than yours.

I love
my peppers and I am limited on space, so I figured this would be a
good way to get more.

Or you could plant more prolific varieties of your favorite
peppers. I planted Jalora jalapenos this year, and I've
been very impressed at how early the peppers came in, and how
many peppers/plant I'm getting. I had to put tomato cages around
them because their branches were so heavily laden with peppers I
was afraid they would break.

Now that I have heard a some of experiences, I think I am going to
take whole plants and cuttings. Any other suggestions/hints?

Just be sure to get large enough containers. Since you want large
plants next spring, I wouldn't use less than 5 gallon containers
for the plants. I use those plastic containers that you can get
at Walmart or Lowe's or most any big box store, the plastic
totes that are made to store clothes and stuff. They run
between 3 and 4 dollars and last me several seasons before
the plastic starts to crack. Drill a few holes in the bottom, and
you're good to go.


Penelope

--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 09:53:43 -0700, Jon Shemitz
wrote:

Penelope Periwinkle wrote:

Unless they're difficult to get varieties, I wouldn't bother. The
time, money, and effort you put into keeping the plants alive
would far exceed just buying new ones in the spring.

My overwintered chiles always produce fruit months sooner than the
ones I start from seed. They also produce far more over the course of
the summer than plants that spend months building a root system.

Yabut, he was talking about taking cuttings, not whole plants. It
would be far easier and less costly to buy plants in early spring
and put them in a cold frame or use Wall O'Water until the
weather warms up. Remember, you have to maintain the pepper
plants at 50 F or above and keep good light on them if you want
the cuttings to grow well enough to produce early peppers. I
don't know about you, but I don't have unlimited space or
resources. With the same space and energy I would devote to
rooting and growing cuttings, I can seed twice as many peppers,
and have them producing almost as early.

I picked my first ripe tomato grown from seed in the first week
of May. I picked my first ripe pepper grown from seed in
mid-June. The Grenada Seasoning pepper plant that I over-wintered
had ripe peppers in late May/early June. To be fair, it might
have produced ripe peppers a little earlier, but I pruned it
back heavily when I took it outside.


Penelope


--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 09:53:43 -0700, Jon Shemitz
wrote:

Penelope Periwinkle wrote:

Unless they're difficult to get varieties, I wouldn't bother. The
time, money, and effort you put into keeping the plants alive
would far exceed just buying new ones in the spring.

My overwintered chiles always produce fruit months sooner than the
ones I start from seed. They also produce far more over the course of
the summer than plants that spend months building a root system.

Yabut, he was talking about taking cuttings, not whole plants. It
would be far easier and less costly to buy plants in early spring
and put them in a cold frame or use Wall O'Water until the
weather warms up. Remember, you have to maintain the pepper
plants at 50 F or above and keep good light on them if you want
the cuttings to grow well enough to produce early peppers. I
don't know about you, but I don't have unlimited space or
resources. With the same space and energy I would devote to
rooting and growing cuttings, I can seed twice as many peppers,
and have them producing almost as early.

I picked my first ripe tomato grown from seed in the first week
of May. I picked my first ripe pepper grown from seed in
mid-June. The Grenada Seasoning pepper plant that I over-wintered
had ripe peppers in late May/early June. To be fair, it might
have produced ripe peppers a little earlier, but I pruned it
back heavily when I took it outside.


Penelope


--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"