Why is my pepper plant dying?

Question

I planted a capsicum/pepper plant about 5 months back and it's been growing well and producing a few fruits. I live in Melbourne, Australia and it's now Winter, and the plant now has lots of fruit, but looks like it's on its last legs.

I was hoping to keep it going through winter till next year. Is there anything I can do to save it or am I too late?

Answer 1

• Remove all maturing fruit so the plant doesn't think it has done its job (to make seed) and die.
• Moist soil is OK but never over-water (especially in winter) and never let it get totally dried out or get soggy feet (unless you're growing hydroponically!).
• Good soil nutrient levels are important to strengthen the plant before over-wintering (yellowing leaves can be a sign of low nutrients as well as other things).
• When potting on, try to move the complete root ball with not too much disturbance and avoid crushing roots and stems.
• Good light levels with no overwintering drafts (i.e. move them off windowsills at night if indoors, put back in high light levels in a warm spot during daylight).
• If the plant drops its leaves to go into winter dormancy, trim the main stem back to above the healthiest, green, 'branch' point and keep an eye out for any further browning and be prepared to trim again if necessary, then wait for new growth in spring.

Pay attention to what the plant is telling you BUT it may still die - they can be fickle things.

Answer 2

I would pick the ripe fruits - this might give your plant a little bit more strength. however, these plants look like mine when I've grown them in pots and brought them in for winter. Most people grow them as annuals (and this is what I do with my raised bed plants, just letting the frost kill them).

I have had some mixed success over-wintering them in pots, although it is patchy and some years none survive. They seem prone to disease. Leaves fall off (as per yours), but as long as some green stem survives into spring, then you should be able to grow the plant again and get lots of fruit from it. I don't know if it makes a difference, but when I've done this, I've always planted the plant into a bed outside for the new year.

Answer 3

The plant is already very tall and all you've got is trimmed branches, I think it is hard for the leaves to grow again from the trimmed branches. So the short answer is no.

I know trimming is all you can do for a weak plant. It is dying. Your might want to save the chili fruit and sow and the seed after winter. A new plant in Spring will be much stronger than a plant that survived winter.