Well, I wouldn't call this one a 'tree' per se, but she is growing with a tree-like habit. This pepper is now 6 years old - the very first pepper I ever grew: Hungarian wax. Pulled through the indoor overwintering very well.

Josh

Wow! It's not very tall I'm sure because you trim it back but holy cow look at the stem on that guy. That is awesome man good job!

Thanks :-)
I do trim it back every year, down to very little foliage.

Josh

Hey, Josh,
That is a genuine mighty fine tree over there.
Good Job.

Yes, impressive. How much does it produce n the summer?

I limit the amount of pods that set, and so the production is variable....but I get anywhere from 8 - 20 pods. Last season, I hardly let it produce at all because the vitality was very low after the Winter. This year could certainly be better.

Josh

Damn, a pepper bonsai. Very cool...

I have overwintered an ornamental called "Sangria". Now it is loaded with purple pods. They eventually turn red. The plant is naturally short and bushy.

NOT A TREE !

Here is my Orange Tree Habanero. It was overwintered from the previous winter. I relunctantly decided to not overwinter it again this year but regret that now. It just took up a whole lot of room indoors. I had a three year old Hot Hungarian Wax much like Josh's, but I decided to quit overwintering that guy as well. Another regret as it wasn't so big and cumbersome to overwinter. Here is a photo of the Orange Tree Habanero from last fall. it was well over 6 ft tall. I probably could have gotten it to nearly 8' tall this year. It was a big producer as well. Hundreds of pods.

since it's been determined that small trees are acceptable, here's my tree in the making. it's a brain strain, it's 1 year old, and I've been pinching any new growth that pops up on the "trunk" to keep it's tree-like shape. before I cut it back for the winter it was 5 feet tall, with a 6 foot spread (tip to tip).

edit: second attempt to upload a pic

This post was edited by judo_and_peppers on Wed, Mar 19, 14 at 20:04

Seysonn- I really like the colors of those pods. Cool variation. Esox- that is very cool man. That is by far the tallest pepper plant I have seen. It's funny how straight the stem is all the way till it branches out.

Wow Bruce! Very nice orange tree! Sorry to hear you didn't save it, Troicana may have wanted it for a new spicey orange juice:-)
Eric.

Yah, I got the seeds from Smokemaster 2-3 years ago. i grew a Red Tree Habanero as well. It grew almost identical to this one except it wasn't quite as big. They naturally grow tall like that and I did not prune any lower branches. here is a photo of it right after I pruned it back after the first summer before I took it inside for the winter. I guess these things can get to 10 feet tall with the right climate and several seasons.
Bruce

Jeeeeezzzzz esox!!! I've never seen anything as great and mighty as that "redwood" hab. It's a shame he had to go. How many seasons was that?!

I planted the seed on January 31, 2012. I overwintered it one year and let it go this last fall. So two full growing seasons.
Bruce

2?!!!!! You must have been injecting that thing with roids haha. Nice job that's a real accomplishment!

Nah, not really. I think that is the natural characteristic of the plant. I like to grow several exotic peppers every year and that was one I picked that year. I have plenty of seeds if someone wants a few. No reason why you couldn't grow a similar (maybe taller) one your self. I don't think I had that much to do with it getting that tall.
Bruce

Bruce,

OK, so you completely removed foliage so that it will go semi-dormant? Best to do this? Any info on overwintering appreciated. Pretty cool you can achieve such results in a short time, and fairly small pots too. I grow trees, I have 26 trees, these really interest me. I grow cherries, plums, peaches, etc. I would be interested to see what could be done with peppers.
If all you guys whom have overwintered could go over your methods, it would be appreciated. Did you keep it in a south window or under lights?
I guess it is best to cut off the foliage, since you're going to a reduced light environment.

Also I see Judo removed lower lateral branches to keep a tree form, did you do this too Bruce?

No, actually, it lost all its leaves shortly after pruning and transplanting. I have a photo taken right after I pruned it and just before repotting it. It is out of soil in the picture. The root ball was huge as it was in a 5 gallon pail, but i trimmed it way back to get it in the under 1 gallon container for the winter. You will find most plants lose all or part of their leaves shortly after severe pruning and taking them inside. But they quickly put out new shoots. Notice there was 5 days between the photo of me pruning and repotting it and the one where it is bare.
Bruce

And here is a photo about three weeks after pruning showing the new growth.
Bruce

Great trees and tree-like peppers, fellas!
I'm glad you posted those monsters, Bruce :-)

Drew, I thinks it's best to prune a plant back significantly about two weeks before re-potting. That way, there's some new growth establishing itself from the energy in the roots.....which are about to be pruned, as well. Then, bare-root the pepper, trim the roots to fit in a smaller container, put it in clean fresh mix that drains well, and fertilize about a week later.

I keep my pepper in an east window. It maintains healthy foliage, and flowers like crazy. If I let it set pods, it will....but I prefer to remove them to keep the energy directed to foliage production during the gloomy days of winter when every bit of photosynthesis counts. Water and fertilize weekly, or so to it.

Josh

Josh is right about pruning and then waiting a couple weeks to repot. I am just too impatient and do it all at once. I cut a lot of corners and sometimes I pay for it. hahaha.

It is fun to overwinter peppers if you have the room and the right conditions. You need a good window exposure. And if the plant is big, it makes it that much harder. I decided against it this year and was regretting all winter until I got my new starts going.
Bruce

Wow this is very helpful because pruning has to be done right! Has anybody used training wire for bending branches?

This is a really interesting topic, nice photos guys. I wonder how many years a pepper plant could live for...what is the oldest pepper plant that you guys know of?

One thing I'm confused about...the summer after overwintering your plant, would you expect it to be more or less productive than a seed grown plant? And how would productivity change over time if it's maintained for several years, like Josh's HHW?

Alex

hows this for a tree. this is a brain strain. plant was about 8.5 months old from seed.

Hey, Alex!
for the first few years, you can expect great production....then, over time, a lessening of productivity. Some varieties maintain productivity, especially wild varieties.

The key advantage to overwintering is that the root-system and the "scaffold" of branches is already developed when the plants go outdoors, which theoretically means that the flowers and pod production will begin that much sooner. In a greenhouse or in a mild climate, plants become huge with massive production to match.

Josh

Are there any peppers you cant do this too?

Thanks for the advice. I will follow the protocol. I have seen a Bazillion Starfish that was 4 years old. Photos were posted a month or so ago in this forum. One pepper that grows tall too is Uyababa, and I have a couple going, so I may try with one of them. I also have a Starfish going too.
One wild type, well domestic and wild types exist of the Boonie pepper from Guam, it might not grow tall, but I have seen info that it overwinters well.
With many peppers with long seasons, us growing them in the colder zones could benefit from overwintering. One might not even get a crop the first year. I saw one which fruits in 150 days. Yikes!

The Manzano will also grow into a mighty tree....I overwintered one last year, and it produced much better in its second year. It also grew seven feet tall....but it needed support.

I've heard of some chiles growing 12 - 15 years, but no solid reports. 8 - 10 years seems to be pushing it for most plants. I'm going to keep mine alive as long as possible.

I do have a Black Pearl going into its third season.


Josh

Cool, I have a Manzano growing too, yeah that is a long season type for sure.The only Capsicum Pubescens I have growing. Mine is the Orange variety. Some of my peppers might not make it, and I do plan to give some away too, but not these rare types.
Kypepperman, excellent job, look at all those peppers!

Yah, I started some Monzono's that I started with my first batch this year at the advice of someone. They are twice the size of most of my other seedlings. They are making it tough to level my lights.
Bruce

Ky- that is one amazing looking tree! I hope I can get mine to grow so large!

Not trees but nice size pepper plants .

Brain about 6 feet by 8 feet wide

Wow romy, that is an impressive brainstrain tree you have there. Very cool looking. How old is it?

It was 4 years old . It is no longer with us :(

Romy (Jaime), good to see you, man!
Your plants are monsters as always. I got the Douglahs to germinate this year...by the skin o' my teeth :-)

Josh

Yah, I can't remember seeing anything from you lately Romy.

Josh, tell us more about this tooth skin method of germinating peppers. Your 5-1-1 system works so well for containers, I was thinking that maybe I would try the tooth skin method for germinating.

Hehehe....well, I was certainly biting my nails waiting for the seeds to sprout ;-)

Josh

Good to see you Josh and Bruce. Been a busy beaver with kids and stuff so very little time to post . Awesome news about the Douglah's Josh. You will not be disappointed .

Now back to the thread :)

Do all pepper plants turn to "trees"? I would like to overwinter King of the North peppers (bell pepper)..would it work?

No, not really. Some varieties just naturally grow taller and skinnier than others. But you can over winter any pepper plant as far as I know.
Bruce

Ah excellent. Thanks Bruce :)

You guys are inspiring me! I tried overwintering a few plants inside after my first year, but they didn't do so well. Got an indoor aphid infestation. It was a mess. I ended up turning ladybugs loose on the plants, which did the job. But it was hard on them.

Yep, Aphids. Seems like bringing a plant indoors in the fall is synonymous with bringing in Aphids. Happened to me every time I overwintered. I just treat the plants with insecticidal soap for a few days and that usually solves the problem. I don't think I have ever had a recurring problem after the initial outbreak. If you catch them early, they are easier to eradicate and the plant will come through it much better.
Bruce

Yeah, that was the first year I grew peppers, and I didn't realize what was happening at first. I may try again this year, now that I know a bit more about the process.

...all of these "tress" are mighty inspiring, hope to turn one of my best this year into "tree" status myself.

Jay

I have a question...if you overwinterize your peppers, the following year, do you have to harden them off again?

Yes, the leaves grown indoors must be acclimated to the outdoors.

Josh

Thanks!