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breeding Open Crosses?

Habanero Fellow

Habanero Fellow

Last year, I planted jalapeno right next to cayenne and banana peppers. This year, I planted 30+ seeds taken from the jalapeno pods. I have only noticed one cross. Is open polinated crosses really that rare?
 
Hammerfall said:
no  happens often
 that's why to have pure seeds  you need to isolate
or you might end up with weirdo's
Click to expand...
 
This Xjalapeno pod looks to have more of a banana shape.  Instead of a yellow banana color it has a lighter green color.  Don't know if it a sweet or hot banana cross though.
 
Think about it in order to get a cross pollen has to travel from one flower to another before the plant self pollinates and then you have to choose that specific pod save seeds and then pick those seeds out of a bag of seeds. Its not rare but it is difficult to get a cross that occurs naturally
 
I have a plant that was supposed to be a jalapeno, but it crossed with a cayenne.  The average person would think it's a serrano.  Yes they cross like crazy, but pseudo-serranos aren't necessarily a bad thing.  ;)
 
I get crosses every year, and only once did it turn out less than awesome.  That's how we ended up with so many thousands of pepper (names), just a few ancestors then kinky sex did it's thing.  ;)
 
Since I don't isolate plants even remotely enough to curb crosses, I set out a few more than I need to increase the odds that I'll get what I wanted and the rest become a pleasant surprise.  Then again, I'm crazy cheap.  I could buy certified seed every year but until the day comes that I'm not satisfied with what I grow, it doesn't seem cost effective as a consumer rather than a seller.
 
Habanero Fellow said:
 
This Xjalapeno pod looks to have more of a banana shape.  Instead of a yellow banana color it has a lighter green color.  Don't know if it a sweet or hot banana cross though.
Click to expand...
 

It may not matter a lot, it's going to have a (little) bit of heat from crossing with a jalapeno.  Sometimes the tricky part with crosses between fruit with two different ripe colors is what color the cross will be when it ripens.
 
This is compounded even more with those particular peppers since a ripe jalapeno is red and some would argue that a ripe banana is orange, though since both are often eaten before they reach this ripeness level, the cross should be equally edible before its final color.
 
Dave2000 said:
 
It may not matter a lot, it's going to have a (little) bit of heat from crossing with a jalapeno.  Sometimes the tricky part with crosses between fruit with two different ripe colors is what color the cross will be when it ripens.
 
This is compounded even more with those particular peppers since a ripe jalapeno is red and some would argue that a ripe banana is orange, though since both are often eaten before they reach this ripeness level, the cross should be equally edible before its final color.
Click to expand...
 
 
Both my sweet and hot banana pepper ripen to red as do my jalapenoes.  The second pod on this bush is looking to favor the jalapeno a little more than the first.
 
I'd say it's uncommon not rare. It's important to isolate the seeds you want to save though. You can do it by covering the whole plant with mesquite netting or a branch with nylons.
 
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