Bhut Jolokia Pepper - Bring Indoor For Winter?

pdxwindjammer · September 2, 2013

I am bound and determined to grow an extra hot pepper but haven't had success so far. I can grow Cayenne, Thai chilies, Serrano, jalapenos, habaneros but the true scorchers are elusive in Portland, OR due to our short season that is relatively cool compared to the south.

I have a Bhut Jolokia that is in a grow bag that actually put on a couple of peppers but they won't be ripe by the time our season ends. I would like to bring it in for the winter but it won't be beautiful in the house in a grow bag. I suppose I could buy a big pot and just set it in the pot. Also, we don't have a good window where it will get light during the winter. Will it do okay without good sunlight? My normal house plants do great.

What is the best way I can preserve the plant for next year?

On the same vein, if I start these extra hots under my grow lights earlier than I usually do (March) and leave them under there for a couple of months, will I perhaps have better luck? I know my electric bill will be through the roof but I really want some extra hots! Or maybe I need to build a cold frame and keep them under there for a while before it warms up?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

Doug9345 · September 3, 2013

I'd try to add some light to it. I've had good luck with 26 watt compact fluorescent lamps in a utility lamp. I use the ones made to take a brooder bulb. They are much better built. If its in your living space you may be able to find something that is better looking that will do the same job. Even if you had to run two it should only cost you about 10 cents per day.

roper2008 · September 3, 2013

You can try to put under a florescent light, near the window. I start my super hots
around Christmas time.

tjg911 · September 3, 2013

i have a lot to say on this!

1st if you do a search at http://thehotpepper.com you'll find this is a common practice. some people there have plants that are 4-5 years old! i've seen pictures of these plants and they look like trees in the summer! but those pictures are down south not up here but in theory this would work here too just maybe they wouldn't be 6' tall and 8' wide and you get 300 not 800 peppers, i think that's ok.

if you want to do this, i never did, cut back all the branches severely and put it in the basement where it is about 50-60 degrees all winter. some in the south keep it near a window like a walk out atrium door some don't. water it once a month and don't over do the water. come spring it'll take off. they do it with in ground plants so the roots are cut when they dig it up and put it in a 5 or 10 gallon pail to bring inside. in a grow bag not sure but cutting the roots may help retard it. watch for aphids when you bring it in, maybe blast it with water after cutting back the branches to dislodge them.

unripe peppers can be ripened in a paper bag.

here's how to get a jump on the season if you are willing to use shop lights all winter. there is a thread here i ran documenting my results, no one seem to care as i got few few comments but i documented this for my own record keeping perhaps a search will find it.

i started pepper seeds of fatalli to see how hard they are to germinate. this was about 9/25 and when 8 of 10 grew i transplanted them to see how hard it was to get them to grow. then another transplant.

by thanksgiving i had plants that were about 2 1/2" tall. it was apparent keeping them in a south window was not working that late in the year as the sun is so weak they were dying.

i brought my grow light stand up from the basement as it gets down to 48 or 50 in the winter, in the kitchen/living room with the wood stove it is 74-78 all winter. so by 12/1 they were under shop lights getting 16 hours of light 8 hours dark. i watered maybe once every 10 to 14 days just to keep them from wilting. they must be fertilized once a month as by 12/25 they were yellowing and looked sickly. i gave them neptune's harvest fish and sea weed emulsion and they got green again. in 30 days they were yellowing so this must be done from december to at least march (this is in ct).

i transplanted them around later march or early april and they really grew. if it was sunny they were in the windows facing south then back under the lights when the sun was low in the am and pm, on cloudy days and at night. come late may i had beautiful plants about 5-6" and they did well with this treatment.

i gave them away and kept 2. the one i put into a 5 gallon pail in may did poorly all season. 2 or 3 tiny peppers and the plant was maybe 18" tall and 12" wide, it was watered and fertilized. i have grown eggplant and parsley this way with excellent results. the one i put in the ground in the garden grew to better than 4' tall and at least 5' maybe 6' wide and produced well over 100 maybe 150 full sized really hot peppers!

tom

pdxwindjammer · September 4, 2013

Wow! Thanks for the info!

Tom, I am definitely going to try this with my Bhut Jolokia! I am actually surprised that I even had a couple of peppers on it! I have two Fratali (brown) peppers in the ground that are beautiful plants and so healthy with beautiful green foliage! Several flowers on each but they won't have time to develop into peppers.

My house has one window box that I keep my orchids in and it faces mostly west with slight southern exposure. That area probably gets the best light so maybe I need to sacrifice a few of my house plants and throw a pepper in there instead.

I don't have a basement but I have a garage and the laundry room probably stays above 50, even in very cold weather because the furnace is in there. When the pepper plant goes dormant, does it need any light in the winter months? There is no light in the garage.

Is the best idea to get one brooding light on a timer and give it a full 16 hours of exposure even in the winter months?

If I dig up the Fratali peppers, should I plant them in good compost soil? These plants are sooooo beautiful and I would love to be able to keep them year around as long as they are healthy.

I do have Neptunes and also Alaska Fish Fertilizer. Neptunes is a bit stinkier but I would live with the smell once a month if I could actually harvest spicy peppers every year!

I find ALL my peppers to better in ground. I have done many in pots but the ones in ground always thrive. I plant about 40 plants a year and several varieties. My new favorite last year was Hot Lemon Pepper. I didn't think they would do anything because before I took off for Italy at the end of September, they had barely started to produce. I was gone for 6 weeks, pretty much forgot about them, went to my community garden in mid November and all 5 of my plants were LOADED with bright and beautiful yellow peppers! The rain hadn't bothered them at all, except for a few that had started to rot.

Man, I love peppers!

newatthiskat · September 4, 2013

Thank you for the info on how to grow in winter! I am going to start some really hot peppers this November and hopefully by April I can get them in the ground and going.

pdxwindjammer · September 4, 2013

I am so looking forward to trying some more super hots! I am encouraged since my Bhut Jolokia actually have peppers on them! Too bad my Fatali pepper plants don't!

I am still hoping someone will chime in and let me know if I would be able to dig these up, transplant them and keep them indoors.

Best to leave in dark garage to go dormant or put in a windowsill with not the best light? What should I transplant them in if left to go dormant? Treat like a bulb or just put in soil and hope for the best?

gardenfrog · September 5, 2013

I overwintered my Trinidad Perfume plant at my wife's office by a window. It transplanted good in Spring, but was slow to produce. It was successful!!!

tlintx · September 5, 2013

The overwintering thread linked above had lots of good information. It never occurred to me that my peppers might survive outside just fine (in a very warm microclimate spot) with a little bit of protection!

I think the general consensus was to trim back the roots and trim back the foliage in equal proportion, repot into a small (2 liter to 1 gallon) pot, and tend as a houseplant until it's time to plant back out.

I've never really had a houseplant before, am looking forward to trying it! I am saving juice bottles to make SIPs, may even start a few more seeds today just to try out.

tjg911 · September 5, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdxwindjammer

I am still hoping someone will chime in and let me know if I would be able to dig these up, transplant them and keep them indoors.

Best to leave in dark garage to go dormant or put in a windowsill with not the best light? What should I transplant them in if left to go dormant? Treat like a bulb or just put in soil and hope for the best?

i told you how to store them inside all winter in the beginning of my post besides how to grow from seeds started in the fall.

tjg911 · September 5, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdxwindjammer

Wow! Thanks for the info!

Tom, I am definitely going to try this with my Bhut Jolokia! I am actually surprised that I even had a couple of peppers on it! I have two Fratali (brown) peppers in the ground that are beautiful plants and so healthy with beautiful green foliage! Several flowers on each but they won't have time to develop into peppers.

My house has one window box that I keep my orchids in and it faces mostly west with slight southern exposure. That area probably gets the best light so maybe I need to sacrifice a few of my house plants and throw a pepper in there instead. poor choice, sun only latter in the day. orchids grow in rain forests under the canopy so that is diffused poor light so they do ok in that window. if you want to grow peppers you need a south window and by late nov they will require being under shop lights as the sun is just so weak.

I don't have a basement but I have a garage and the laundry room probably stays above 50, even in very cold weather because the furnace is in there. When the pepper plant goes dormant, does it need any light in the winter months? There is no light in the garage. 50 is a good temperature, below 40 probably too cold and above 60 probably too warm. no light is required tho a little won't hurt cuz you want it to go dormant but it will require water as described to keep from dying. sounds like a good place to put your plant.

Is the best idea to get one brooding light on a timer and give it a full 16 hours of exposure even in the winter months? a brooding light is for heat for chicks no? i'd use a shop light to grow small plants all winter. too hot will cook them and the light needs to be strong so a shop light is kept 1" above the plants but they are cool not hot.

If I dig up the Fratali peppers, should I plant them in good compost soil? These plants are sooooo beautiful and I would love to be able to keep them year around as long as they are healthy. no too much nutrients. i'd use just plain old garden soil, cut them back, follow directions above. you don't want them to try to grow you want them to hibernate.

I do have Neptunes and also Alaska Fish Fertilizer. Neptunes is a bit stinkier but I would live with the smell once a month if I could actually harvest spicy peppers every year! no smell, you use a minor amount for small growing plants. in a dixie cup that's about 1/8 cup per month, in a 6-8 oz yogurt cup about a 1/3 cup. for a plant going dormant NO fertilizer just plain water.

I find ALL my peppers to better in ground. I have done many in pots but the ones in ground always thrive. I plant about 40 plants a year and several varieties. My new favorite last year was Hot Lemon Pepper. I didn't think they would do anything because before I took off for Italy at the end of September, they had barely started to produce. I was gone for 6 weeks, pretty much forgot about them, went to my community garden in mid November and all 5 of my plants were LOADED with bright and beautiful yellow peppers! The rain hadn't bothered them at all, except for a few that had started to rot. you can grow peppers outside in nov? your climate must be very mild, mine are killed by the 1st frost usually late sept early oct.

Man, I love peppers!

see comments in red.

pdxwindjammer · September 6, 2013

tig911, I am sorry if you feel I ignored your post but your advise doesn't work for me because as I mentioned, I do not have a basement or south facing window. Thanks any way.

I did read through the Hot Pepper Forum and found oodles of great info and I will be trying this!

ChilliJez · September 6, 2013

In the winter of 2011-2012 I overwintered 35 chilli plants using converted 2 litre soda bottle sub irrigated planters. 33 of the 35 made it through to spring. The 2 that died were frutescens though that may be coincidence. The advantage of these is that they take up little room and the watering is controlled. I used 4 strands of sisal type twine for the wicks which was enough to keep the compost just damp.

I transferred the plants from pots or the ground and just trimmed roots and tops with secateurs so that they would fit.

I think the key to success is to keep things in balance. So if you can't provide light keep the plant cool enough that it won't try to grow. If you have to keep it somewhere warm you'll need to provide light. My plants were on a windowsill in an unheated room that always stayed above freezing but some nights only by a couple of degrees.

One of the plants (Fatalii) was transferred to a Deep Water Culture hydro pot in the spring and went on to produce 300 pods - about 5-10 times what I'd expect from a first year plant. Those Lemon Drops will do much better producing more and earlier if you can overwinter them.

I'll post pictures if I can find them!

Jeremy

tlintx · September 6, 2013

Thank you for the details! Couple of questions - first, and dumbest: when you use the soda bottle SIPs, do you water on top or by pulling the insert out and filling the bottom directly? Second, when you say 2 litre, does that mean they ended up with about half that in potting medium?

Mine will be on a sunny windowsill with late afternoon sun. If they decline, I can move them to a south-facing window, but it's in a back bedroom and will most likely be forgotten about or at least greatly neglected.

Love the twine as wick idea -- I hadn't thought that far!

ScottinAtlanta · September 6, 2013

I over winter - the production goes up by 10x in year 2. I got more than 300 fataliis off one single plant so far. I carefully take up the plant from bed and wash the roots in a bucket of water until they are clean. I dust them with a mycorrhizae and then replant them in potting soil using Tania's recipe. I do that because indoor and outdoor soils are very different, and I don't want to bring any bugs in. I repeat the washing process in the spring when I plant out.

September 2, 2013	#1
pdxwindjammer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 625	Bhut Jolokia Pepper - Bring Indoor For Winter? I am bound and determined to grow an extra hot pepper but haven't had success so far. I can grow Cayenne, Thai chilies, Serrano, jalapenos, habaneros but the true scorchers are elusive in Portland, OR due to our short season that is relatively cool compared to the south. I have a Bhut Jolokia that is in a grow bag that actually put on a couple of peppers but they won't be ripe by the time our season ends. I would like to bring it in for the winter but it won't be beautiful in the house in a grow bag. I suppose I could buy a big pot and just set it in the pot. Also, we don't have a good window where it will get light during the winter. Will it do okay without good sunlight? My normal house plants do great. What is the best way I can preserve the plant for next year? On the same vein, if I start these extra hots under my grow lights earlier than I usually do (March) and leave them under there for a couple of months, will I perhaps have better luck? I know my electric bill will be through the roof but I really want some extra hots! Or maybe I need to build a cold frame and keep them under there for a while before it warms up? Thanks for any help you can give me!

September 3, 2013	#4
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	i have a lot to say on this! 1st if you do a search at http://thehotpepper.com you'll find this is a common practice. some people there have plants that are 4-5 years old! i've seen pictures of these plants and they look like trees in the summer! but those pictures are down south not up here but in theory this would work here too just maybe they wouldn't be 6' tall and 8' wide and you get 300 not 800 peppers, i think that's ok. if you want to do this, i never did, cut back all the branches severely and put it in the basement where it is about 50-60 degrees all winter. some in the south keep it near a window like a walk out atrium door some don't. water it once a month and don't over do the water. come spring it'll take off. they do it with in ground plants so the roots are cut when they dig it up and put it in a 5 or 10 gallon pail to bring inside. in a grow bag not sure but cutting the roots may help retard it. watch for aphids when you bring it in, maybe blast it with water after cutting back the branches to dislodge them. unripe peppers can be ripened in a paper bag. here's how to get a jump on the season if you are willing to use shop lights all winter. there is a thread here i ran documenting my results, no one seem to care as i got few few comments but i documented this for my own record keeping perhaps a search will find it. i started pepper seeds of fatalli to see how hard they are to germinate. this was about 9/25 and when 8 of 10 grew i transplanted them to see how hard it was to get them to grow. then another transplant. by thanksgiving i had plants that were about 2 1/2" tall. it was apparent keeping them in a south window was not working that late in the year as the sun is so weak they were dying. i brought my grow light stand up from the basement as it gets down to 48 or 50 in the winter, in the kitchen/living room with the wood stove it is 74-78 all winter. so by 12/1 they were under shop lights getting 16 hours of light 8 hours dark. i watered maybe once every 10 to 14 days just to keep them from wilting. they must be fertilized once a month as by 12/25 they were yellowing and looked sickly. i gave them neptune's harvest fish and sea weed emulsion and they got green again. in 30 days they were yellowing so this must be done from december to at least march (this is in ct). i transplanted them around later march or early april and they really grew. if it was sunny they were in the windows facing south then back under the lights when the sun was low in the am and pm, on cloudy days and at night. come late may i had beautiful plants about 5-6" and they did well with this treatment. i gave them away and kept 2. the one i put into a 5 gallon pail in may did poorly all season. 2 or 3 tiny peppers and the plant was maybe 18" tall and 12" wide, it was watered and fertilized. i have grown eggplant and parsley this way with excellent results. the one i put in the ground in the garden grew to better than 4' tall and at least 5' maybe 6' wide and produced well over 100 maybe 150 full sized really hot peppers! tom __________________ I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life

September 3, 2013	#2
Doug9345 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Durhamville,NY Posts: 2,706	I'd try to add some light to it. I've had good luck with 26 watt compact fluorescent lamps in a utility lamp. I use the ones made to take a brooder bulb. They are much better built. If its in your living space you may be able to find something that is better looking that will do the same job. Even if you had to run two it should only cost you about 10 cents per day.

September 3, 2013	#3
roper2008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Virginia Bch, VA (7b) Posts: 1,337	You can try to put under a florescent light, near the window. I start my super hots around Christmas time.

September 4, 2013	#5
pdxwindjammer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 625	Wow! Thanks for the info! Tom, I am definitely going to try this with my Bhut Jolokia! I am actually surprised that I even had a couple of peppers on it! I have two Fratali (brown) peppers in the ground that are beautiful plants and so healthy with beautiful green foliage! Several flowers on each but they won't have time to develop into peppers. My house has one window box that I keep my orchids in and it faces mostly west with slight southern exposure. That area probably gets the best light so maybe I need to sacrifice a few of my house plants and throw a pepper in there instead. I don't have a basement but I have a garage and the laundry room probably stays above 50, even in very cold weather because the furnace is in there. When the pepper plant goes dormant, does it need any light in the winter months? There is no light in the garage. Is the best idea to get one brooding light on a timer and give it a full 16 hours of exposure even in the winter months? If I dig up the Fratali peppers, should I plant them in good compost soil? These plants are sooooo beautiful and I would love to be able to keep them year around as long as they are healthy. I do have Neptunes and also Alaska Fish Fertilizer. Neptunes is a bit stinkier but I would live with the smell once a month if I could actually harvest spicy peppers every year! I find ALL my peppers to better in ground. I have done many in pots but the ones in ground always thrive. I plant about 40 plants a year and several varieties. My new favorite last year was Hot Lemon Pepper. I didn't think they would do anything because before I took off for Italy at the end of September, they had barely started to produce. I was gone for 6 weeks, pretty much forgot about them, went to my community garden in mid November and all 5 of my plants were LOADED with bright and beautiful yellow peppers! The rain hadn't bothered them at all, except for a few that had started to rot. Man, I love peppers!

September 4, 2013	#6
newatthiskat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: texas Posts: 1,451	Thank you for the info on how to grow in winter! I am going to start some really hot peppers this November and hopefully by April I can get them in the ground and going.

September 5, 2013	#8
gardenfrog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Shelbyville, IN Posts: 343	I overwintered my Trinidad Perfume plant at my wife's office by a window. It transplanted good in Spring, but was slow to produce. It was successful!!!

September 5, 2013	#9
tlintx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: SeTx Posts: 881	The overwintering thread linked above had lots of good information. It never occurred to me that my peppers might survive outside just fine (in a very warm microclimate spot) with a little bit of protection! I think the general consensus was to trim back the roots and trim back the foliage in equal proportion, repot into a small (2 liter to 1 gallon) pot, and tend as a houseplant until it's time to plant back out. I've never really had a houseplant before, am looking forward to trying it! I am saving juice bottles to make SIPs, may even start a few more seeds today just to try out.

September 6, 2013	#12
pdxwindjammer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 625	tig911, I am sorry if you feel I ignored your post but your advise doesn't work for me because as I mentioned, I do not have a basement or south facing window. Thanks any way. I did read through the Hot Pepper Forum and found oodles of great info and I will be trying this!

September 6, 2013	#13
ChilliJez Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: UK Posts: 57	In the winter of 2011-2012 I overwintered 35 chilli plants using converted 2 litre soda bottle sub irrigated planters. 33 of the 35 made it through to spring. The 2 that died were frutescens though that may be coincidence. The advantage of these is that they take up little room and the watering is controlled. I used 4 strands of sisal type twine for the wicks which was enough to keep the compost just damp. I transferred the plants from pots or the ground and just trimmed roots and tops with secateurs so that they would fit. I think the key to success is to keep things in balance. So if you can't provide light keep the plant cool enough that it won't try to grow. If you have to keep it somewhere warm you'll need to provide light. My plants were on a windowsill in an unheated room that always stayed above freezing but some nights only by a couple of degrees. One of the plants (Fatalii) was transferred to a Deep Water Culture hydro pot in the spring and went on to produce 300 pods - about 5-10 times what I'd expect from a first year plant. Those Lemon Drops will do much better producing more and earlier if you can overwinter them. I'll post pictures if I can find them! Jeremy

September 6, 2013	#15
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	I over winter - the production goes up by 10x in year 2. I got more than 300 fataliis off one single plant so far. I carefully take up the plant from bed and wash the roots in a bucket of water until they are clean. I dust them with a mycorrhizae and then replant them in potting soil using Tania's recipe. I do that because indoor and outdoor soils are very different, and I don't want to bring any bugs in. I repeat the washing process in the spring when I plant out.