Pepper plants are perennials, and learning how to overwinter them can lead to bigger pepper harvests and the ability to harvest peppers sooner in the coming growing season. In this video, the speaker shows viewers how to overwinter pepper plants indoors.
The process begins with removing all peppers from the pepper plant and doing some radical trimming to the plant. The plant is then dug up and shaken to remove as much outdoor dirt as possible. Neem oil is used to treat the plant before it is potted up in a small pot with new potting soil. With the plant all tucked into the new dirt and pot, it can be nursed through the winter in an unheated basement area or with a small LED light.
Key Takeaways
- Overwintering pepper plants can lead to bigger pepper harvests and the ability to harvest peppers sooner in the coming growing season.
- To overwinter pepper plants, remove all peppers from the plant, do some radical trimming, dig up the plant, shake off as much outdoor dirt as possible, treat the plant with neem oil, and pot it up in new potting soil.
- Overwintered pepper plants can be nursed through the winter in an unheated basement area or with a small LED light.
Why Overwinter Pepper Plants
Pepper plants are perennials, so learning how to overwinter them can lead to getting peppers sooner in the coming growing season than starting new plants. Additionally, second and third-year plants tend to produce bigger pepper hauls. Sometimes you may have a special plant that’s hard to let go, so it’s nice to have a way to save these kinds of plants from season to season.
To overwinter pepper plants, the first step is to remove all peppers from the plant. Afterward, the plant undergoes radical trimming, where all the branches are cut off down to just above each of the nodes, leaving an inch of stem or so above the node and removing all the leaves in the process.
Once the plant has been trimmed, it is dug up out of the raised bed and shaken to remove as much outdoor dirt from the root ball as possible. Neem oil is then used to treat the plant to eliminate any pests or fungus hiding in the plant.
The next step is to pot the plant up using a one-gallon pot with clean potting soil. The plant is then tucked into the new dirt and covered with more fresh potting soil. A plant tag is added to differentiate it from other plants.
Overwintered pepper plants should be kept out of direct sunlight and should not get too warm, as this might cause them to start growing again. They should be kept in dormancy. They can also be kept in an unheated basement area with a small LED light to nurse them through the winter.
Around January to February, mid-winter, buds may start to appear, and small leaves may come out from the stem. As it gets warmer, the plants can be introduced to more light and warmer temperatures, and the leaves should start growing into full-on branches coming out of the nodes of the plant that was cut down.
While there is a risk of losing the plants over the winter, overwintering gives them a better chance than leaving them outside. The reward of an early pepper harvest from overwintered plants is worth the time and effort.
Preparing for Overwintering
To overwinter pepper plants, it is important to remove all peppers from the plant and then do some radical trimming. The nodes on the pepper plant where the stem splits and puts out new leaves should be trimmed down to one, from which new stems will grow out the following year. The plant should be trimmed two nodes up from the base of the plant. A sharp and clean pair of loppers should be used to minimize any chance of disease or rot caused at the cuts. This will leave only a little stick with a couple of forks in it coming up.
Once the trimming is done, the plant should be dug up out of the raised bed using a small shovel to dig around them and cutting any roots, and then pry them up with a big shovel. After the plant is up, it is important to shake as much of the outdoor dirt out of the root ball as possible. This is purely for pest control, as the roots were in the outside dirt, and they could have spores or eggs on them that cannot be seen.
After shaking the dirt off the roots, the root ball should be cleaned with neem oil to get rid of any remaining pests or fungus hiding in there. The next step is to pot it up using clean potting soil, and a one-gallon pot is recommended. The potting soil should have enough nutrients to get the plant through the winter.
Once the plant is potted, it should be placed out of direct sunlight and not too warm to avoid it growing full on again. It is also recommended to put the plant in an unheated basement area with a small LED light to nurse it through the winter. With the right care, the plant should start growing some small leaves coming out at first from the stem around January or February. As it gets warmer out, the plants can be introduced to more and more light and warmer temperatures, and those leaves should start growing some of them even into full-on branches coming out of the nodes of the plant that was cut down to.
It is possible to do all of this perfectly and still lose the plants over the winter. However, this technique has helped increase pepper harvests and it is super nice to be able to harvest earlier than if starting from seed.
Trimming the Pepper Plant
To overwinter pepper plants, it is necessary to trim them down to one of the nodes, where new stems will grow out of it next year. The first step is to remove all peppers from the plant. Then, the plant is trimmed down to just above each of those nodes, leaving an inch of stem or so above the node and removing all of the leaves in the process. This might look pretty dramatic, but it is necessary to shock the plant into dormancy.
Pepper plants have these nodes where the stem splits and puts out new leaves. The trimming is done two nodes up from the base of the plant, which is two forks of the plant up from the ground. A sharp and clean pair of loppers is used to minimize any chance of disease or rot caused at the cuts. After all the cutting, the plant is left with just a little stick with a couple of forks in it coming up.
Once the plant is trimmed, it needs to be dug up out of the raised bed, and the outdoor dirt shaken out of the root ball as much as possible. This is done to control pests since the roots could have spores or eggs on them that we can’t see. After shaking and picking out as much dirt and organic matter as possible, the root ball is treated with neem oil to get rid of any pests or fungus hiding in it.
The next step is potting the plant up. A one-gallon pot is used to shock the plant into dormancy, and clean potting soil is used to avoid any bugs in it. The plant is tucked into the new dirt, and a plant tag is added to tell them apart when they are cut down like this.
After preparing the plants for overwinter, they are kept inside, out of direct sunlight, and not too warm to avoid growing full on again. They can also be put in an unheated basement area with a small LED light to nurse them through the winter. If everything goes well, buds should start appearing around January or February, and the plants can be introduced to more light and warmer temperatures as it gets warmer out.
It is possible to do all of this perfectly and still lose your plants over the winter, but it gives them a better shot than if they were left outside. The risk of a little wasted time in neem oil is definitely worth the reward of that first early pepper harvest from your overwintered plants.
Digging Up the Plant
To overwinter pepper plants, the first step is to remove all peppers from the plant. After removing all the peppers, the next step is to do some trimming to the plant. The speaker suggests trimming the plant down to one of the nodes, where new stems will grow out of it next year. The speaker recommends going two nodes up from the base of the plant and trimming everything off just above that. A sharp and clean pair of loppers should be used to minimize any chance of disease or rot caused at the cuts. After all the cutting, the plant will be left with just a little stick with a couple of forks in it coming up.
Since the plant will be overwintered indoors, it needs to be dug up out of the raised bed. The speaker suggests starting with a small shovel by digging around the plant, cutting any roots, and then prying it up with a big shovel. Once the plant is up, the next step is to shake as much of the outdoor dirt out of the root ball as possible. The speaker suggests shaking it and trying to get as much of that dirt and organic matter out as possible.
After shaking the root ball, there still could be pests or fungus hiding in there. The speaker recommends using neem oil to clean the plant. Neem oil should be sprayed on the plant to get any nooks and crannies that any eggs or spores could be hiding in, so the plant is clean when it enters the house.
The next step is to pot up the plant. The speaker suggests using a one-gallon pot and clean potting soil. The potting soil should have enough nutrients to get the plant through the winter. The speaker recommends tucking the root ball in the pot and covering it with more fresh potting soil. Finally, a plant tag should be added to the plant so that all the plants can be told apart when they’re cut down like this.
After preparing the plants for overwinter, the speaker recommends keeping them inside, out of direct sunlight, and not too warm. The plants should be in dormancy. It is also possible to put them in an unheated basement area with a small LED light to nurse them through the winter. If everything goes well, buds may start to appear around January or February. As it gets warmer, the plants can be introduced to more and more light and warmer temperatures, and the leaves should start growing into full-on branches coming out of the nodes of the plant that was cut down to.
The technique of overwintering pepper plants has helped the speaker increase their pepper harvests. It is super nice to be able to harvest earlier than if one were to start from seed. However, the speaker mentions that it’s possible to do all of this perfectly and still lose the plants over the winter. It gives them a better shot than if they were left outside, though, and to the speaker, the risk of a little wasted time in neem oil is definitely worth the reward of that first early pepper harvest from overwintered plants.
Cleaning the Root Ball
To overwinter pepper plants, the first step is to remove all peppers from the plant. After removing the peppers, the next step is to do some radical trimming to the plant. Pepper plants have nodes where the stem splits and puts out new leaves. The plant should be trimmed down to one of those nodes, and everything should be trimmed off just above that node. This will leave the plant with just a little stick with a couple of forks in it.
The next step is to dig up the plant from the raised bed, cutting any roots and then prying it up with a big shovel. Once the plant is out, the root ball should be shaken to remove as much of the outdoor dirt as possible. Any roots that are not from the plant should be picked out.
The root ball should be cleaned to ensure pest control. Neem oil should be used to hose down the plant and get any nooks and crannies where eggs or spores could be hiding. After treating the plant with neem oil, it should be potted up using a one-gallon pot with clean potting soil.
The potting soil should have enough nutrients to get the plant through the winter. The plant should be tagged so that it can be identified.
The overwintered plant should be kept inside, out of direct sunlight, and not too warm. The plant should be in dormancy. It is also possible to keep them in an unheated basement area with a small LED light to nurse them through the winter.
Around January or February, mid-winter, small leaves may start to appear from the stem. As it gets warmer, the plants can be introduced to more light and warmer temperatures. The leaves should start growing into full-on branches coming out of the nodes of the plant that was cut down to.
This technique has helped increase pepper harvests and allows for an early harvest compared to starting from seed. It is possible to do everything perfectly and still lose plants over the winter, but the rewards are worth the risk.
Pest Control with Neem Oil
To prepare pepper plants for overwintering, it is important to first remove all peppers from the plant. Afterward, a radical trimming is required to cut the plant down to one of the nodes where new stems will grow from the following year. This involves cutting all the branches off the plant down to just above each of those nodes, leaving an inch of stem or so above the node and removing all of the leaves in the process.
Once the trimming is complete, the plant should be dug up from the raised bed and shaken to remove as much outdoor dirt and organic matter as possible. Any roots that are not from the plant should be cut off, and the root ball should be shaken in water to get rid of any remaining dirt. This is purely for pest control reasons, as the roots could have spores or eggs on them that are not visible to the naked eye.
To further ensure that the plant is clean, neem oil can be used. The concentrate is preferred as it can be mixed in a spray bottle and is cheaper than buying the pre-mixed oil. The plant should be hosed down with the neem oil to get any nooks and crannies that could be hiding pests or fungus.
After treating the plant with neem oil, the next step is to pot it up in a one-gallon pot with clean potting soil. This is to shock the plant into dormancy, so a small pot is preferred. The potting soil should have enough nutrients to get the plant through the winter, as it won’t be growing or producing leaves or flowers.
Finally, a plant tag should be added to distinguish the plant from others. The plant should be kept out of direct sunlight and not get too warm to avoid growing full-on again. It can be kept inside or in an unheated basement area with a small LED light to nurse it through the winter.
While this technique can increase pepper harvests and allow for an earlier harvest than starting from seed, there is still a risk of losing the plant over the winter. However, the risk is worth the reward of the first early pepper harvest from overwintered plants.
Potting the Plant
To overwinter pepper plants, the first step is to remove all peppers from the plant. After that, the plant undergoes some radical trimming to allow for new stems to grow out of the node next year. The plant is then dug up out of the raised bed and the outdoor dirt is shaken out of the root ball as much as possible. The root ball is then cleaned with neem oil to get rid of any pests or fungus hiding in it.
The next step is to pot the plant. A one-gallon pot is used and filled with clean potting soil. The root ball is then placed on top of the soil and covered with more fresh potting soil. A plant tag is added to differentiate between the different plants.
The potted plant should be kept out of direct sunlight and not too warm. It can also be placed in an unheated basement area with a small LED light to nurse it through the winter. With the right care, new leaves should start growing from the stem in midwinter and eventually grow into full-on branches.
This technique has proven helpful in increasing pepper harvests and allows for an earlier harvest than starting from seed. However, there is still a risk of losing the plants over the winter. Nonetheless, the reward of the first early pepper harvest from overwintered plants is worth the effort.
Indoor Care for Overwintered Plants
Pepper plants are perennials, and overwintering them can help get a head start on the next growing season. It can also result in bigger pepper harvests from second and third year plants. In this video, the speaker demonstrates how to overwinter pepper plants indoors in zone 7A.
The first step is to remove all peppers from the plant. The next step is to trim the plant down to one of the nodes where the stem splits and puts out new leaves. This is where new stems will grow out of next year. The speaker suggests going two nodes up from the base of the plant and trimming everything off just above that. It is important to use a sharp and clean pair of loppers to minimize any chance of disease or rot caused at the cuts. After the trimming, the plant may look like a little stick with a couple of forks, but it will grow new stems in the coming season.
Since the plants will be overwintered indoors, they need to be dug up from the raised bed and shaken to remove as much outdoor dirt from the root ball as possible. Any roots that are not from the plant should be cut off, and the root ball should be shaken in water to remove as much dirt and organic matter as possible. The speaker recommends using neem oil to treat the plant to get rid of any pests or fungus hiding in the plant.
After treating the plant with neem oil, it should be potted up in a one-gallon pot with clean potting soil. The potting soil should have enough nutrients to get the plant through the winter, as it won’t be growing or producing leaves or flowering. The plant should be kept out of direct sunlight and not be too warm, as this might cause it to start growing full on again. It is also possible to put the plants in an unheated basement area with a small LED light to nurse them through the winter.
Overall, overwintering pepper plants indoors can help increase pepper harvests and provide an earlier harvest than starting from seed. However, it is possible to lose the plants over the winter, even with perfect care.
Signs of Successful Overwintering
To successfully overwinter pepper plants, one must remove all peppers from the plant and do some radical trimming. The trimming involves cutting all the branches off the plant down to just above each of those nodes, leaving an inch of stem or so above the node and removing all of the leaves in the process. After the trimming, the plant will be left with just a little stick with a couple of forks in it coming up.
Once the trimming is done, the plant is dug up out of the raised bed and shaken to remove as much outdoor dirt out of the root ball as possible. The root ball is cleaned with water and neem oil to get rid of any pests or fungus hiding in it.
The plant is then potted up in a small pot using new potting soil. A plant tag is added to distinguish it from other plants. The potted plant should be kept inside away from direct sunlight and not too warm to maintain dormancy.
The sign of successful overwintering is when, around January or February, buds start appearing, and small leaves come out at first from the stem. As it gets warmer, the plant can be introduced to more and more light and warmer temperatures, and those leaves should start growing into full-on branches coming out of the nodes of the plant that was cut down.
It is important to note that it is possible to do all of this perfectly and still lose your plants over the winter. However, this technique has helped increase pepper harvests, and it is super nice to be able to harvest earlier than if you were to start from seed.
Increasing Pepper Harvests
Pepper plants can be perennials, which means that they can survive for more than one growing season. By learning how to overwinter the plants, gardeners can get peppers sooner in the coming growing season than if they were to start new plants. Additionally, gardeners tend to get bigger pepper hauls from second and third year plants.
In this video, the speaker demonstrates how to overwinter pepper plants indoors in Zone 7A. The first step is to remove all peppers from the pepper plant. The next step is to trim the plant down to one of the nodes where the stem splits and puts out new leaves. This is where new stems will grow out of the plant next year. The speaker recommends trimming everything off just above the second node up from the base of the plant, leaving an inch of stem or so above the node and removing all of the leaves in the process.
After trimming, the plant will look like a little stick with a couple of forks coming out of it. The next step is to dig up the plant from the raised bed, shake as much of the outdoor dirt out of the root ball as possible, and clean the root ball with neem oil to eliminate any pests or fungus.
The plant can then be potted up using a one-gallon pot with clean potting soil. The potting soil should have enough nutrients to get the plant through the winter. The last step is to add a plant tag to tell the plants apart when they are cut down like this.
Overwintered pepper plants should be kept inside out of direct sunlight and not allowed to get too warm, as this may cause the plant to start growing again. The plants can be kept in an unheated basement area with a small LED light to nurse them through the winter.
Overall, overwintering pepper plants can help increase pepper harvests and allow for earlier harvesting than starting from seed. While there is a risk of losing the plants over the winter, overwintering gives them a better shot at survival than leaving them outside.
Risk and Reward
Overwintering pepper plants can be a risky but rewarding process. By learning how to overwinter plants, gardeners can get peppers sooner in the coming growing season than if they were to start new plants. Additionally, second and third year pepper plants tend to produce bigger hauls, and sometimes gardeners have a special plant that’s hard to let go, so it’s nice to have a way to save these kinds of plants from season to season.
The process of overwintering pepper plants is not without risk, however. Gardeners may lose their plants over the winter, even if they do everything perfectly. Nonetheless, the risk of losing plants is worth the reward of an early pepper harvest from overwintered plants.
To overwinter pepper plants, gardeners must remove all peppers from the plant and do some radical trimming. They must trim the plant down to one of the nodes where the stem splits and puts out new leaves. This is where new stems will grow out of it next year. Gardeners should go two nodes up from the base of the plant, and trim everything off just above that. They should use a sharp and clean pair of loppers to do this, just to minimize any chance of disease or rot caused at the cuts. After all the cutting, gardeners will be left with just a little stick with a couple of forks in it.
Since the plants will be overwintered indoors, gardeners need to dig them up out of the raised bed. They should start by digging around them, cutting any roots, and then prying them up with a big shovel. The next step is to shake as much of the outdoor dirt out of the root ball as possible. Gardeners should keep shaking it and trying to get as much of that dirt and organic matter out as they can. They should also use neem oil to treat the plant and get rid of any pests or fungus hiding in the root ball.
Once the plant is treated with neem oil, gardeners can pot it up. They should use a small pot and new potting soil. They should tuck the root ball into the pot on top of the soil and cover it with more fresh potting soil. The potting soil should have enough nutrients to get the plant through the winter. Gardeners should add a plant tag just so they can tell all of them apart when they’re cut down like this.
Overwintered plants should be kept out of direct sunlight and not get too warm, since then they might start growing full on again. Gardeners can also put them in an unheated basement area with a small LED light to nurse them through the winter. If everything goes well, gardeners might start seeing some buds around January or February. As it gets warmer out, gardeners can introduce the plants to more and more light and warmer temperatures, and those leaves should start growing into full-on branches coming out of the nodes of the plant that was cut down.
Overall, overwintering pepper plants can be a risky process, but it can also be rewarding. By following the right steps, gardeners can increase their pepper harvests and enjoy an early pepper harvest from their overwintered plants.
Conclusion
Overwintering pepper plants indoors can help gardeners get peppers sooner in the growing season, increase pepper hauls from second and third year plants, and save special plants from season to season. In this video, the speaker demonstrates how to overwinter pepper plants indoors in zone 7A. The first step is to remove all peppers from the pepper plant. Next, the plant is trimmed down to one of the nodes where new stems will grow out of it next year. The speaker emphasizes the importance of using a sharp and clean pair of loppers to minimize any chance of disease or rot caused at the cuts. Once the plant is trimmed, it is dug up and shaken to remove as much outdoor dirt from the root ball as possible. The root ball is then treated with neem oil to get rid of any pests or fungus hiding in it. The last step is to pot the plant up in a small pot with new potting soil and add a plant tag. Overwintered pepper plants should be kept inside, out of direct sunlight, and not too warm to maintain dormancy. With proper care, overwintered pepper plants can start growing again in midwinter and produce a harvest earlier than if starting from seed. Although there is a risk of losing the plants over the winter, the benefits of overwintering outweigh the risk.