[Elaine G]

I have half a dozen physalis plants in my greenhouse. I thought they were going to be small but they are 5 foot ish now 
They are getting a bit out of control  - should I just leave them to keep on growing, or will it be OK to cut them back a bit.
Any idea if they fruit next year on this years growth or next years.
I have read that they are perennial, but does anyone know if they will be OK in an unheated greenhouse over winter.
Also they are in the smaller size flower pots from Morrisons. if I am going to keep them do they need bigger pots.
I bought the seeds on impulse and cannot find much info on the internet, so any help would be appreciated thank you.
On the plus side, hubby doesn't like them, so they are all mine!

Elaine
PS can someone keep me away from seed catalogues 

[sunshineband]

They should really have flowered this year. Did you give them tomato fertiliser?

Physalis can be perennial, but it is very frost tender, so would need some protection .. perhaps more than a cold greenhouse 

[Elaine G]

Sorry sunshineband yes I did feed them and they have flowered, and I have been enjoying the fruit.
I just wondered what to do with them next as they still seem to be growing.
If I cut them back after fruiting they could be wrapped in fleece when it got very cold but I would not want to do this if it meant loosing the next crop. They certainly cannot come indoors!!

Elaine

[sunshineband]

You can cut them back and try it -- nothing lost 

I'd give it a go

[lazza]

I grew physalis for several years without really knowing what I was doing!! (Nothing new there, then!)

I only had one bush, and it would usually grow to about 4 feet in height, and start flowering in July, giving ripe fruit from about mid-August onwards all the way through to mid October. The first year, I am pretty sure I didn't feed the plant very much, but subsequent years, I gave it a tomato feed once a week, and got more fruit which ripened quicker.

To start with, I had no idea it was a perennial, and - being a lazy gardener on the whole - simply left the plant to die off in its pot over the winter. By spring, I had a pot containing several dead sticks!   but.... to my utter amazement, it started growing from the ground again in the spring, so I cut back the dead wood and ended up with a flourishing plant agin that year. The next few years, I cut back to the roots once all the stems appeared dead and dry, and got new growth each year and plenty of flowers and fruit (always from new growth).

All was well, until a couple of years ago, I divided the root ball to make a second plant for a friend... and it died. Well, in fact, my half died, but hers is still going strong, giving fruit every year  

I never brought the plants in over winter, and we get some pretty severe weather up here, and it didn't seem to so any harm.

[viettaclark]

That's good Jazza!
I've got 6 plants and want to keep them. I'll just tuck them away in a sheltered spot by the house and see what happens.
What size pot did you grow yours in? I think some of mine are a bit small (8") so I'll repot next year and might get bigger fruit.
I have had quite a few fruits but they're small, even though I've fed them.

[lazza]

That's good Jazza!

lazza with a L

I've got 6 plants and want to keep them. I'll just tuck them away in a sheltered spot by the house and see what happens.
What size pot did you grow yours in? I think some of mine are a bit small (8") so I'll repot next year and might get bigger fruit.
I have had quite a few fruits but they're small, even though I've fed them.

Mine was in a 12" pot, so nothing too big. I found that fruit size was smaller than those you get in the shops, maybe about 25% smaller, but it was only the late fruit that really failed to grow and develop (especially with the shortish growing season up here).