Dean sure you can but i don't know how much luck you will have with habs unless you buy some high intensity lighting system or you have very good lighting in your house. Another thing you will run into is aphids. I guarantee there will be some on your plants that will be outside. I battled them little buggers off a rocoto plant i tried to overwinter but i grew it in a pot rather than digging it up.

Ncage

Dig them up, severely prune them back, put in container, water enough to keep them alive and very little or no fertilizer. A sunny window or shop lights will suffice. All you want to do is keep them alive, right?

If you got the $ go for MH or HPS lighting. I think there are combination bulbs now. Maybe one of the hydro growers will know. GE Sunshine tubes work just fine too.

Here is a link that might be useful: GE tubes

How much do I need to cut the pepper plant back? How much root do I need? Plant in regular dirt?

Some places say put in a basement. Are the saying put where there is very little light? While you are saying put under bulbs. I am confused.

Dean

Dean,

Keep as much of the rootball as possible, but trimming the ends is supposed to stimulate root growth. Plant in a good soil mix such as ProMix BX. Basements are used because generally are lower temperature and upper 60s or even lower is ideal for overwintering. A 36" plant can be cut back to 12-18". Be sure and leave some side branches and not just a 12" main stem.

If Allen (Chance) sees this thread he might have other suggestions. The above has worked for me.

jt

Dean, I've grown quite attached to 4 habs that are emerging from their *second* overwintering. I intend to see them through to old age :-). They were never in the ground - so I can't address that part of your question - but they've done well under 40W floro growlites. They do more than barely stay alive - they actually grow a bit and even produce some very tiny fruits in the winter. Granted I also have a heater that keeps them around 75F during the day..

Agree with ncage about the aphids - they will be a problem. I tried a lot of things and had mediocre results -- until I bought ladybugs. I finally got the peppers in an enclosed space downstairs so let some ladybugs loose last fall. I haven't seen a single aphid or whitefly since (7 months). That is quite amazing to me; that isn't pest 'control', that's utter and complete annihilation.

Chuck