>>>>> "Alexandra" == Alexandra Soltow <pamra@rockland.net> writes: Alexandra> JMA wrote, >> I have a several chile plants that did very well this year, >> that I've dug up and placed in pots now that its getting >> cooler. I've read in several places that one can prune back a >> chile plant in the winter and it will revive itself in the >> spring. I'm a novice when it comes to gardening and was >> wondering, how much do you prune back? A lot? A little? Is >> there anything else I need to know about this practice? Alexandra> I've done the same. I basically took a few inches off Alexandra> each branch. One thing that was stressed to me is that Alexandra> you must not overwater your housebound chile plants. In Alexandra> fact, you should wait until they're practically wilting Alexandra> before you give them any water! I actually prune them back severly. I chop them all down to about a foot in height, then remove any branches that grow back on themselves, since the habaneros especially turn into a great tangled mess over the summer. This turns some of the plants into not much more than a stick, but they all start growing like crazy afterwards. Sometimes I even have to prune them again before spring! I agree with the watering advice, I've always let the plants come to the point of wilting before watering. -- Tony Lill, Tony.Lill@AJLC.Waterloo.ON.CA President, A. J. Lill Consultants fax/data (519) 650 3571 539 Grand Valley Dr., Cambridge, Ont. N3H 2S2 (519) 241 2461 --------------- http://www.ajlc.waterloo.on.ca/ ---------------- "Welcome to All Things UNIX, where if it's not UNIX, it's CRAP!"