personally i wouldnt rely on the radio for opinions on anything.. the discussion may be a starting point.. but you are then left to do your own research .... which you did by coming here ... go figure .... i am trying to expand my own knowledge here.. so i am going to speculate on this.. please correct anything that you might think is wrong ... there are 3 things in my world.. that trigger the thought of transplant... in no particular order.. all 3 leap to mind.. in an effort to reduce plant stress ... first.. declination of the sun ... as winter comes.. the sun gets lower.. putting less stress on the plant... so we transplant up here in spring or fall .... so the plant can grow some roots before the heat of next summer ... the next issue for reducing stress is when the days shorten and the daytime temps abate ... if you are going to cut off 80% of the roots.. you simply dont want the plant to deal with any temps over 75 degrees or so ... if you are trying to save the leaves ... so we either want the leaves dormant [perhaps after the frost] or falling off ... and thirdly ... night temps... if the temps at night.. are in the 50's... the plant has time to pump some water.. to aid the plant above ground.. and grow some roots ... and how cool it is at night can offset how warm it is during the day .... all that said .... its all about reducing or eliminating the stress of cutting off a majority of the roots ... after all those considerations.. there are all the issues of proper aftercare including PROPER PLANTING ... PROPER MULCHING AND PROPER WATERING FOR UP to 2 years afterward .... so IMHO.. no matter what zone you are in ... you have to address all 3 issues ... it should be apparent.. how stressful it would be to be doing this in august .. in z8 ... so contemplate the other end of the spectrum and you should be well on your way to success ... ken

Dunno.....they just keep on growin'....where are you terriz? I do mulch heavily in winter, straw and wood chips. The latter when I can get them.....hint hint to rtl.... LazyGardens, I tried the root pruning idea but the shovel would not penetrate the ground. I suppose I need to soak the area. Been so darn busy with work, gardening has taken a back seat. I may just order some new chiltepin plants and start a fresh batch of jalepeno's seeds. The jalepeno plants I have are from Biker Billy seeds and some of the fruit really did get quite large although not the 2" long, 1" shoulder that was promised. No complaints though, they are excellent plants and have produced abundantly.

Welcome to the Carolinas! I'm a native of the area and can honestly say you are going to love gardening here!! I'm constantly amazed at how well plants do that all of the things I read say will die off during the winter. For instance, my herb gardens never see the die off that I expect. I've planted many impatiens that come back year after year. It's a wonderful place for people who love to garden. A recommendation for a store to visit: Try Kings Nursery just outside of Charlotte in Stallings NC. They have one of the best selections I've seen in the area. They carry unusual houseplants too if you are building that collection back up. Start to look for nice selections of plants in March, most places have decent shipments start then. By April, the gardening season is in full swing. The clay can be a challenge. I'm in Indian Trail for the next couple of weeks, I have a new house under construction in Kershaw SC. Here I have yellow "Bull Tallow" clay and it is almost impossible to work with. The first year in this house, I pulled out the tiller and spent a small fortune on dirt, but no luck. This past year I gave in and did all container gardening and had great results. The new house has sandy loam, and I'm much looking forward to that. I'm going just far enough south to get a sandy consistancy to the soil. And I'm really excited to have a "blank canvas" to work with. Good luck and happy planting!!

You can move it now. Rule of thumb is as long as the ground is workable and not frozen, you can move it, whether it be from pot to pot, pot to garden, garden to pot or garden to garden. Make sure to water it before you move it and water again after moving and keep it moist. Dig so that you get as much as the root ball as possible. Dehydration after transplanting is usually the problem so watering is key.