Re: [CH] Pepper plants - how long do they live?
Brent Thompson (brent@hplbct.hpl.hp.com)
Tue, 23 Sep 2003 10:39:45 -0700
> The plants will go dormant but they should come back
> next year, with no problem.
> I'm also convinced that they are usually deciduous which
> means that like trees, they will lose most if not all of their leaves after fruiting.
Just to clarify...
Chile plants will live for several, or even many, years if given a climate
they can tolerate. (I have had numerous specimens of all species live 5
years or more.) If given the climate they like (which basically means
enough light, and temperatures never below about 65 or 70 degrees
Fahrenheit and never above about 95 degrees Fahrenheit), they will
continuously grow and produce, and have no leaf drop and no dormancy.
The two answers quoted above refer to the situation we cold-climate folks
commonly encounter trying to over-winter our chile plants, when we can
provide enough warmth and light to keep them alive over winter, but not
enough for them to be happy enough to continue growing per normal.
The closer the conditions you provide approach the ideal that chiles want,
the better your chile plants will behave, and the more/longer they will
produce.
--- Brent