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Carolina reaper overwintering

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Hey!

So this winter will be the first time I overwinter my Carolina reaper plant.

All the youtube videos I find about it they always prune them back allot. however my plant has gotten very large by now and I kinda wanna keep it that size until spring and let it keep growing from that state. or does that not work? Do you have to prune them?

What are the pros other than the plant taking less space after pruning them for winter?

Thank you for your response! :)

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Comments (5)

tbonesny
5 years ago
I always felt that pruning off most of the foliage as well as washing off the roots and trimming them reduced the likelihood of bringing in unwanted pests such as aphids. I had some years where my overwintered peppers were being attacked by aphids all winter. It was a constant battle to keep them in check. I'm not sure if the pruning helps with that or not, but that is what I assumed.
TheyCallMeDave
5 years ago
If you don't prune them, it's more maintenance work... More lights, more watering which may be tricky, usually the house gets too dry in the Winter so you'll need some humidity. More space... Not much growth is going to happen indoors unless if you're ready to put in some serious work/money... which is easier said than done.
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the_northeast_chileman
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First, a question or 2. Is the plant currently in ground or pot? If pot, what size? Does your overwintering plan include lights? If yes are they florescent or grow lights?

NECM
Jack Simpson
Original Author
5 years ago
the_northeast_chileman

its in a pot. and no, was just planning to have it on my windowsill.

I don't need it to grow larger or anything, just stay green and healthy until spring comes around again. I might take of the largest leaves but not any shoots or smaller leaves
TheyCallMeDave
5 years ago
I recommend you cut back the branches... The plant won't do very well with the limited Winter light.

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