The heat-loving physalis is often only cultivated as an annual. But did you know that it hibernates and can live for several years? We give tips for overwintering physalis.
The physalis (Physalis peruviana), also known as the Andean berry, is now very popular in German-speaking countries. The useful plant, which belongs to the nightshade family (Solanaceae), originally comes from South America and is a perennial shrub there. During the summer we can harvest en masse the berries surrounded by a rustling lantern shell. In autumn, however, the leaves of the physalis begin to fall.
In our latitudes, the physalis is often cultivated as an annual plant. The South American plant, which needs warmth, hardly survives the winter outdoors in this country, but if it is wintered frost-free, the Physalis can grow, thrive and bear fruit for several years. Overwintered plants bear fruit even faster than their freshly sown counterparts. Find out how to get your physalis safely through the winter in this article.
Wintering Physalis: Is the Physalis hardy?
In our latitudes, the Physalis plant is not hardy and is therefore often cultivated as an annual. Although there are newer breeds that have a higher cold tolerance, most Physalis varieties stop growing at a permanent temperature of below 10 °C. Temperatures around zero are also tolerated once. However, the entire plant can then die off or typical cold damage such as black spots or a strong violet coloring of the leaves can occur. The physalis does not tolerate frost under any circumstances and so it should be wintered in mid to late October at the latest.
How to overwinter physalis?
There are two best practices when overwintering physalis: one is to place the plant in a pot and overwinter in a cool, bright room. The other method allows us to still multiply the physalis at the same time: you can from theCut existing plant cuttings and pot them.
Prune and propagate physalis before wintering
Before the Andean berry overwinters, the many shoots are cut back. On the one hand, this has the advantage that the plant can be overwintered more easily without the long, sparse shoots. On the other hand, the Physalis then branches out in the next spring and thus grows bushier. Before you put your Physalis away for the winter, cut back about half of each shoot with pruning shears.
The shoot tips of each cut shoot can now also be used as head cuttings for propagation: To do this, cut the cuttings at an angle of about 10 cm with a sharp knife. Then all leaves are removed, except for those at the top of the shoot. Now put the cuttings in prepared pots with a diameter of about 9 cm, which are filled with a nutrient-poor substrate such as our Plantura organic herb & seed compost.
In high humidity and in a bright but not sunny location the cuttings need about two weeks to form sufficient roots. You can achieve high humidity with the help of a cover, for example: A transparent plastic bag, a glass bell or a greenhouse are suitable, for example. However, all covers should be aired regularly, otherwise fungal diseases can occur.
During the rooting phase, the substrate must never dry out, but it must not be dripping wet either. Therefore, it needs to be watered regularly. If the first leaves develop again, this indicates successful rooting. Now they are allowed to continue growing slowly at around 15 to 20 °C and as much light as possible. Once the young plants have rooted through the entire substrate after a few weeks, they are transplanted into more nutrient-rich soil and a larger pot. After the ice saints next May, the young plants can finally go outside.
Tip: Mix the potting soil for the physalis cuttings with 20 to 30% perlite to ensure better aeration of the shoot base. This significantly reduces the risk of rot and the cuttings root faster and better.
Overwintering physalis in a pot
Mature physalis from the garden are overwintered in pots, as this makes them handy and easy to move around. The pot with the physalis plant is placed indoors from October and the plant bright, cool and frost-free at 10 to 15 °Chibernates. The conservatory or a well-insulated garden shed with a frost guard are ideal for this. If there are still unripe fruits hanging on the plant during the winter, they should not be removed, as the berries usually still ripen on the plant. You can enjoy these rare delicacies during the cold season. To prevent drying out, the physalis should be watered regularly with small amounts of water.
Note: Physalis can be overwintered indoors if there is a sunny, bright and, above all, cooler location. If the physalis is too dark and too warm, it suffers and quickly sheds all its leaves.
Overwintering physalis in the garden
The perennial Andean berry cannot be overwintered in the bed as it is too sensitive to low temperatures. Even with winter protection, she would not survive. You should therefore dig up the Physalis plants for overwintering before the first frost in October and move them to a sufficiently large pot. Place it in the chosen winter quarters and water sparingly over the winter.
Tip: When planting out next year, you should definitely wait for the ice saints in mid-May. Only then can the physalis go outside again.
Overwintering physalis:
- Winterize the physalis in October before the first frost, avoid long-term temperatures below 10 °C.
- Cut back the Andean berries by half. If necessary, cut cuttings, stick them in nutrient-poor soil, leave them light and moist rooted.
- Dig up and pot the plants in the bed. Put the physalis in the pot in a bright, cool place (10 - 15 °C) for the winter.
- Even in the winter quarters, water regularly but little to avoid rot.
- Planting out next year from mid-May after the ice saints.
After planting out the overwintered physalis in May, summer will soon follow and with it the care measures on the Andean berry. You can find tips on how to properly care for physalis in our special article.
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