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Container Gardening

overwintering in 5-1-1: water and fertilizer

matt_in_va Zone 7a

9 years ago

I'm very much a noob gardener. I grow a handful of hot peppers on containers on my front patio, and have been for a few years. This year I added two tomato plants that didn't turn out well at all (mainly due to too-small containers, and poor choices of varieties for my growing conditions). That's about the entire extent of my experience. But some of my peppers did do well enough this year that I want to try to overwinter them indoors and get a head start on things (in Earthtainers, next time!) in the spring.

Yesterday I mixed up a batch of Al's 5-1-1 in which to overwinter the plants. The foliage has already been pruned, and I plan to prune back the roots and repot this weekend. I have never used Al's, or any other bark-based growing medium, before. On top of that, my one previous attempt at overwintering plants indoors did not go well. (Aphids got out of control, and it took me too long to figure out what the problem was. The plant never really recovered.) I would have a hard time knowing how much to water, and how often to fertilize (and at what strength) even if I weren't switching to 5-1-1. Since I am switching, I'm completely lost. Can someone point me in the right direction?

How do I know how often to water plants in Al's, and how much to give them? And how often should I fertilize, at what concentration? General comments on what to expect from plants being overwintered indoors are also welcome. (I'm planning to take proactive steps to deal with potential aphid issues this time. Hopefully I can get out ahead of that problem.)

Plants will be in a roughly southeast-facing window in my office all winter. Lighting will not be ideal. They'll get limited sunlight through glass, and weak (by plant standards) fluorescent lighting. Temperatures will be a pretty constant lower 70s. I have Dyna-Gro FP 9-3-6 to feed them with.

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Comments (6)

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
9 years ago
I've been overwintering peppers in 5-1-1 and similar mixes for over six years now, and I still have the first Hungarian Wax pepper I grew....back in 2008.

One key factor is the size of the container you'll be using. I use a #1 nursery container for my peppers, trimming the roots to fit, and filling with fresh mix that includes Osmocote. For most of the Winter, I water around once a week or so, and fertilize 2 - 3 times a month at 1/2 strength. If I see lots of foliage growth and blooms (typically around mid-January), I start to increase the dosage strength of the Foliage Pro.

If you unfamiliar with watering these mixes, poke a wooden kabob skewer into your containers and use that to tell you when the mix is drying out.

Josh
matt_in_va Zone 7a
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks, Josh. How severely do you prune back the foliage? I've seen some really extreme examples here, but I'm a little nervous about going that far. I removed about half the foliage when I pruned, but of course I could take more off.

I'll use the skewers.
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DM, Willard posted a pic of some peppers that he hard-pruned, roots and foliage, back to nothing. A healthy plant (that's key) will take it in stride - and, as with bonsai, the root-pruning will revitalize the plant, in that it creates juvenile roots and root-hairs, essentially keeping the plant perpetually "young." MG, in 2009, I used this mix: 1 part bark, 1 part perlite, 1 part quartz. Gritty Mix :-) I've wintered peppers in 5-1-1, but I prefer a mix that dries out sooner for those cold gloomy stretches of weather. I've also wintered a pepperoncini in my garage in a gallon of garden soil - dug it straight out, plopped it into the pot without any bare-rooting. That plant barely survived; but it did survive, which is a testament to the toughness of a pepper. Anyhow, there are shades of success to be had when wintering peppers - the healthier the roots, the better the plants will do. And healthy roots in containers are directly linked to the mix chosen (and how that impacts watering habits). Josh
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drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
9 years ago
It depends on how you overwinter, and what you are trying to acheive. I myself don't trim anything off. Mine get the equivalent of full sun though. So transition doesn't really change, no loss of foliage etc. I condition them or soften them off to the move too. I find when one doesn't prune, they tend to go dormant. Pruning stimulates growth. Well unless you root prune. As that will stunt them for a few months. Depends what you are trying to do. I'm trying to make 7 foot trees. I prune for stronger branching in the spring.
matt_in_va Zone 7a
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks. I'mreally just trying to get them through the winter in condition to really take off in the spring. Reducing size so they fit reasonably well in the office is a secondary goal.
drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
9 years ago
If that's the case, Josh's method works great. He has done it for years. It's what most pepper growers do too. It can be done for height too, just don't cut them down, remove side branching to a couple nodes etc.
Another method similar to what Josh does is to bonsai them at this point. Bonsai peppers are very cool. I may try that this year to keep a few around.
William Cohen
6 years ago
greenman that was a great suggestion abt using a wooden kabob. Since Im a neophyte I have to ask this question. What section of the stick do you read . The bottom will always be more moist than the top, am I right? This is in regard to container tomatoes. thank you

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