Overwintering peppers, Overwintering pepper plants

Due to the Central European climate, it is not possible pepper plants to overwinter outdoors. Frost is deadly for the peppers, so they need to overwinter indoors. You can find out more about overwintering pepper plants in this article.

Peppers in winter quarters

Many of the pepper plants that spent the summer on German balconies thanked them with their small, sweet fruits. True, the self-grown from seeds or seedlings paprika not as big and fleshy as the specimens from the supermarket, but the cultivation is usually quite easy and the taste of most varieties is worth it.

But when winter approaches, the question arises for hobby growers of peppers: What is the best way for peppers to overwinter? How do I get the plant through the winter so well that it bears fruit again next year? - In principle, overwintering a pepper plant is not difficult - provided the location and conditions are right:

• It should be clear: the balcony is not suitable for wintering and for surviving December and January without damage. Before the night frosts set in, the plant should move into its winter quarters.
• Before wintering, it must be thoroughly checked for pests, such as spider mites or aphids be examined, otherwise they can multiply rapidly in the house and damage the plant.
• As a location for wintering, bright places without drafts are suitable, possibly the hallway or a conservatory. The temperature should be around 10 °C.

Under these conditions, the plants continue to bear fruit as they do in their homeland. It is advisable to regularly spray the plant leaves on the top and bottom with distilled water so that they are not under the dry heating air suffer and the pests remain contained during the winter.

What should you consider when wintering?

In principle, all types of peppers are suitable for overwintering. The advantage of overwintering is that the plants are even more profitable in the second year. When overwintering peppers, be sure to follow the steps below:

• Check the plant for pests beforehand, if aphids or other pests are present, then remove them thoroughly
• regular spraying of the leaves can protect the plant from pest infestation
• find a bright, little heated, but frost-free room for wintering
• Keep temperatures at winter location at 10 °C, encourage higher temperatures 
• water only little during the winter and do not fertilize

From the beginning of March, when the days are getting longer again, you can repot the peppers into larger pots with fresh soil. Now you should add a slow-release fertilizer that is suitable for tomatoes. In this way, the plants have the opportunity to sprout again. Furthermore, the plants now have to be cut back.

Control of pests and diseases

The control of pests or diseases should be based on natural means and chemical means are only helpful in an emergency. Because the use of chemical agents ensures in the long term that the natural balance is destroyed and the plant's natural defense system has no chance of becoming immune to the pathogens become.

Aphids, for example, are best combated by their natural enemies, the ladybird larvae. The plants can also be hosed down with some stagnant water and wiped off the lice with a small piece of wood.

real mildew can be recognized by the fact that a white fungus forms on the leaf surface and the plant is deprived of important nutrients, causing the leaves to wither. In the case of downy mildew, on the other hand, greyish-bluish or violet spots form on the underside of the leaf, while light yellowish mosaic spots are visible on the upper side of the leaf and the leaves are visibly die. Both fungal diseases can be fought with the same method. To do this, remove the heavily infested plants and compost them, because the fungus only dies in the compost. It is important to ensure good ventilation. In addition, from now on, the plant should only be watered from below.

Care tips during the winter

The basic requirement for the successful overwintering of peppers is that the plants are free of diseases and pests. With regard to the light conditions and the temperature, a bright location should be chosen that is not too warm or dry. It is also crucial to ensure proper air circulation and heat supply.

During the winter phase, the pepper plants may only be watered moderately and not fertilized. From February, the first branches or knots should be cut back. At the same time, it is time to repot the plants and place them in a larger container. Now the plant has to be watered regularly again and it should be warmer than before. When the nights are frost-free again, the pepper plant can go outside again. It is best to plant the peppers after the Ice Saints back in the garden. If you have a greenhouse, you can bring the pepper plants into the unheated greenhouse from the beginning or middle, so that the first flower buds can sprout. Make sure that the plants are not planted deeper than in the seed pot, otherwise there is a risk that the plant will suffer from stem rot.

What types of hibernation are there?

Overwinter in a bright window and in a heated apartment

Before the plants are brought into the apartment for wintering, they must be examined for pests. Spider mites can multiply quickly, especially in dry air. It is also an advantage if the plant, especially the underside of the leaves, is sprayed with distilled water at regular intervals. In this way, the pepper plant will also begin to bloom and bear fruit again.

Overwinter in a light and cool room

The temperature should be around 10 °C and the air must not be too dry. In principle, the environment for hibernation should be bright and a location without drafts must be chosen. The plant should also be checked for pests and watered from time to time during the winter phase. Aphids in particular like to hibernate on the plants. Anyone who has overlooked an aphid can assume that the entire plant will be affected within a few days.

Conclusion

Pepper plants can overwinter either in a warm and bright location or in a bright but cool one. However, it is important to note a few essential circumstances. Before wintering, the pests must be removed from the plants so that they do not overwinter and damage the plant. Furthermore, there must be no drafts at the chosen location. During the winter phase, the plants should only be watered a little and not fertilized. If you overwinter your peppers well, you will be rewarded with a high-yield harvest the following year, because the pepper plants are even more productive in the second year. Try it yourself and overwinter your pepper plant properly.

After hibernation

Overall, the plant should be watered sparingly during the winter. In February you can slowly prepare the plant for the new outdoor year. First, it should be put into a new pot shortly after the winter.

But be careful: only increase the diameter and depth slightly so that the plant does not waste all its energy on new, larger roots. Now the plant can move to another location that is slightly warmer than its winter quarters, but just as bright and draught-free. The substrate can now be a little wetter and the watering can be done more often. Also something fertilizer is good for the pepper plant. If all goes well, the peppers should yield bigger and better harvests in the second year.

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