overwintering overwintering without pruning ?

[Sluggy]

Is it possible to overwinter a plant (in a big pot) without pruning it down to a stump and just keep it going, but under lights ? 

 

 

[Bhut_Trolokia]

If you keep the temperature high enough, all year becomes growing season.
In their natural habitat, many chili peppers do have growing season all year.

 

[filmost]

I overwintered a de arbol this past year w/o problem. I did top it right at the beginning, but did not remove all foliage. It survived the winter fine in front of a south/southwest facing window (smoked glass too) with temps down to 5C during the night and about 15C during the day. Put put plenty of new growth and buds.
 
In short, yes it is possible.

 

[Sluggy]

Alright. Thanks guys. 
I'll try to keep that brainstrain alive until next season without pruning it down. I'll put it indoors, under a DIY led panel, in hopes of fooling it into "thinking" it's summer all year long. 

 

[Helvete]

The winter air is much more dry, they may need to be watered more often also.

 

[geeme]

As already noted, you don't have to prune at all, and especially you don't have to prune down to a stump. I prune, but only did to a stump the first year. Now I just prune to remove the smallest branches - the larger plants could still be 2-3 feet tall when I'm done. 
 
The one thing to keep an eye out for when bringing plants inside is the development of aphids. It's good to see if you can find a source of ladybugs before aphids hit. If you can't find one, get insecticidal soap or neem oil and start using it the minute you see an aphid. Then keep using it - they have a very rapid life cycle and reproduce very quickly. Their eggs are rather impervious to insecticides, so you'll want to keep at it until even the new hatchlings are done in. 

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

     Severe pruning is more important if you're digging the plant up from the ground. When you do this, a large portion of the root ball is removed and you have to prune back foliage to balance it. If your plant was grown in a container from the get-go, pruning is less important. 

 

[geeme]

Sorry, have to disagree a tad. Every year I remove my plants from the pots they are in and prune both the stems and the roots. The key is to ensure the distance from the soil line to the tops of the stems and the distance from the soil line to the bottom of the roots are relatively equal. This does not have to be severe, just balanced. There are two reasons why I do this. The first is to ensure that any bugs/larvae that are hiding in the soil from being outside are removed. I thoroughly wash the roots as part of this process. The second is to help ensure the plant doesn't outgrow the container too quickly when spring arrives. Digging a plant up from the ground doesn't require severe pruning, as well, just balanced pruning.