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grafting for hot peppers?
- Thread starter Pinoy83
- Start date
This PDF talks about grafting chiles on tomato rootstocks. That's pretty interesting.
http://www.jyi.org/articleimages/3661/Grafting%20Capsicum.pdf
http://www.jyi.org/articleimages/3661/Grafting%20Capsicum.pdf
Nice topic...was talking about this not too long ago. I have a few overwintered Jalapenos that would make good recipients might just give this a try! How cool would it be to have Fatalii, Bhuts, pequines and Jalapenos on the same bush???
Or one plant with all the different Bhut or 7 pot colors on it???
Or one plant with all the different Bhut or 7 pot colors on it???
I remember reading a paper once discussing grafting cotyledon to early-stage growth onto the growing tips of an existing plant. Can't imagine that would be very easy outside of a lab, though...
Gene exchange between cells by grafting New insights into plant graft hybridization
Not the article I was thinking of, but it's probably in the reference list...
Gene exchange between cells by grafting New insights into plant graft hybridization
Not the article I was thinking of, but it's probably in the reference list...
Grafting isn't rocket surgery...can be done with just some masking tape. To be consistently successful some more attention to detail is required. Those gel clips are a far cry from the rose grafting I did with my grandfather as a child. We used cheesecloth and twine to secure the new grafts. He had one rose bush with at least a dozen different varieties grafted onto it. He did all his grafting on the plant where it sat in the garden. I am going to see if they carry those clips at my nursery this weekend and give them a shot. I have a good # of plants that I was going to give away or sell anyway. So we'll see! If they take I'll post some photos here.
graft hybridization is a project I've been working on at some other forum (see link at end)
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Two attempts to graft a scion in cotyledon phase onto a 1-3 month old host have failed... But I'm doing it all on the cheap.
Trying approach grafting now with a scotch bonnet and random cayenne.... We'll see.
http://forums.garden...0530593.html?72
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Two attempts to graft a scion in cotyledon phase onto a 1-3 month old host have failed... But I'm doing it all on the cheap.
Trying approach grafting now with a scotch bonnet and random cayenne.... We'll see.
http://forums.garden...0530593.html?72
I'm skeptical.
generally grafting (either air grafting or stem splicing) is done with woody perennials. You can root a soft tissue plant quite easily however actually splicing one plant o to another is unlikely to succeed - and if it does I question the benefits.
Rooting is obvious in benefit - turn one prized cultivar into many - keep mothers under 21/6 low light for a vegetative state to produce scions to cut/root. More predictable fruit than the genetic crapshoot of starting from seed.
However with grafting there are be benefits that seem I'll suited to pepper plants.
In Holland I grafted roses for a little over a year. Expected benefit is to get the desired varietal flower onto a cold tolerant rootstock. This was done with a straight splice (using a bark-splitting cut on the "understem" an wedging a scion cut at a sharp angle under the split bark). The hardy rootstock can withstand the colder soil & resist the native pests. That said, the top part of desirable genetics inherited no traits whatsoever from the root stock. This was purely for the soil temps.
In any case I don't see how one could graft peppers - there's no cambium. The plumbing isn't the same as a hearty woody plant.
I've done air grafts on fig trees where you peel back a layer of bark, wrap the branch in moss, tie plastic around it & let it root prior to cutting it off, and I've done splicing a-plenty with citrus trees, roses and several other woody perennials.
Ive also done a ton of rooting of soft tissues plants like tomatoes and marijuana with tremendous success.
But I've never done a graft of a soft tissued plant like a pepper. Maybe it's possible with an older plant - I honestly don't know. I never did it in 4 years of Ag-Hort or 5 in the industry.
I think the big question is why bother? Interesting topic though. Again - I've been out of the game for a long time & never worked with peppers, but with seed so readily available and the ability to root from a mother plant if you really want consistency I don't see the ROI of going to the trouble of trying to graft gets you. By all means someone please post to correct me or if you're successful in achieving this!
generally grafting (either air grafting or stem splicing) is done with woody perennials. You can root a soft tissue plant quite easily however actually splicing one plant o to another is unlikely to succeed - and if it does I question the benefits.
Rooting is obvious in benefit - turn one prized cultivar into many - keep mothers under 21/6 low light for a vegetative state to produce scions to cut/root. More predictable fruit than the genetic crapshoot of starting from seed.
However with grafting there are be benefits that seem I'll suited to pepper plants.
In Holland I grafted roses for a little over a year. Expected benefit is to get the desired varietal flower onto a cold tolerant rootstock. This was done with a straight splice (using a bark-splitting cut on the "understem" an wedging a scion cut at a sharp angle under the split bark). The hardy rootstock can withstand the colder soil & resist the native pests. That said, the top part of desirable genetics inherited no traits whatsoever from the root stock. This was purely for the soil temps.
In any case I don't see how one could graft peppers - there's no cambium. The plumbing isn't the same as a hearty woody plant.
I've done air grafts on fig trees where you peel back a layer of bark, wrap the branch in moss, tie plastic around it & let it root prior to cutting it off, and I've done splicing a-plenty with citrus trees, roses and several other woody perennials.
Ive also done a ton of rooting of soft tissues plants like tomatoes and marijuana with tremendous success.
But I've never done a graft of a soft tissued plant like a pepper. Maybe it's possible with an older plant - I honestly don't know. I never did it in 4 years of Ag-Hort or 5 in the industry.
I think the big question is why bother? Interesting topic though. Again - I've been out of the game for a long time & never worked with peppers, but with seed so readily available and the ability to root from a mother plant if you really want consistency I don't see the ROI of going to the trouble of trying to graft gets you. By all means someone please post to correct me or if you're successful in achieving this!
I wrote a book of a reply...got up for a few and came back and my computer had restarted...grrrr.
You make good points, but I know that you can graft peppers. There are several successful cases posted on different sites. I garden for fun not production and enjoy just messing around out there. So I would benefit just from the experience whether or not it was successful. I also actually tried to think of real benefits to doing this and I can see a few potential. Several pepper varieties can overwinter easily in the ground here in the San Diego area. So If I could successfully graft onto say a pequin or manzano root stock all I would have to worry about is keeping the plant from frosting down below the grafts.
The real reasons for me though would be to have a plant with several different colored pods, foliage or blooms or maybe even trying to put every bhut, 7 pot, or habanero on one bush...it would just be cool to look at. How about a plant with some low growers like maybe a Brazian wild bird grafted low on the plant with something that shoots straight up like an arbol or a goat's weed in the middle with some aji omnicolor and fish peppers in the middle...
I am just going to try a couple annuums to start with, one at a time to see if I can get one to take. Either a cayenne or an Anaheim to my 2 yo jalapeno and see if I can...If I am successful I will slowly turn that plant into the Frankenpepper plant from hell. If not, I'll have fun trying!
You make good points, but I know that you can graft peppers. There are several successful cases posted on different sites. I garden for fun not production and enjoy just messing around out there. So I would benefit just from the experience whether or not it was successful. I also actually tried to think of real benefits to doing this and I can see a few potential. Several pepper varieties can overwinter easily in the ground here in the San Diego area. So If I could successfully graft onto say a pequin or manzano root stock all I would have to worry about is keeping the plant from frosting down below the grafts.
The real reasons for me though would be to have a plant with several different colored pods, foliage or blooms or maybe even trying to put every bhut, 7 pot, or habanero on one bush...it would just be cool to look at. How about a plant with some low growers like maybe a Brazian wild bird grafted low on the plant with something that shoots straight up like an arbol or a goat's weed in the middle with some aji omnicolor and fish peppers in the middle...
I am just going to try a couple annuums to start with, one at a time to see if I can get one to take. Either a cayenne or an Anaheim to my 2 yo jalapeno and see if I can...If I am successful I will slowly turn that plant into the Frankenpepper plant from hell. If not, I'll have fun trying!
I think the biggest thing that is being overlooked is the possibility of graft hibridization...
IF one does the mentor graft correctly, and if one can keep it alive (Tricky at best), then at the site of the graft union, peppers will grow of a hybridized variety. They say the changes are slight - only 2-22% iirc - but they also say the seeds grow true.
IE stable hybrids across species that wouldn't otherwise breed, after a single generation...
For instance rocoto grafted onto a habanero, producing something inbetween the both would be quite possible. Assuming it all works. However it is something others have written copious numbers of papers about.... So we shall see... The approach graft method I'm using takes about 4 weeks to heal. I did the graft yesterday. So if it makes it till march 16th, and then sets pods, i'll post back
IF one does the mentor graft correctly, and if one can keep it alive (Tricky at best), then at the site of the graft union, peppers will grow of a hybridized variety. They say the changes are slight - only 2-22% iirc - but they also say the seeds grow true.
IE stable hybrids across species that wouldn't otherwise breed, after a single generation...
For instance rocoto grafted onto a habanero, producing something inbetween the both would be quite possible. Assuming it all works. However it is something others have written copious numbers of papers about.... So we shall see... The approach graft method I'm using takes about 4 weeks to heal. I did the graft yesterday. So if it makes it till march 16th, and then sets pods, i'll post back
I think the biggest thing that is being overlooked is the possibility of graft hibridization...
IF one does the mentor graft correctly, and if one can keep it alive (Tricky at best), then at the site of the graft union, peppers will grow of a hybridized variety. They say the changes are slight - only 2-22% iirc - but they also say the seeds grow true.
IE stable hybrids across species that wouldn't otherwise breed, after a single generation...
For instance rocoto grafted onto a habanero, producing something inbetween the both would be quite possible. Assuming it all works. However it is something others have written copious numbers of papers about.... So we shall see... The approach graft method I'm using takes about 4 weeks to heal. I did the graft yesterday. So if it makes it till march 16th, and then sets pods, i'll post back
So, is there anything special you would do to try to get this hybrid? How long do you make the graft site? Across several nodes on each plant? I am going to try either cleft or whip type methods with the gel sleeves it I can find them, if not tape will do...Will be fun to compare. I think you might have a better chance for success. You'll have the existing root system feeding your plant until it takes!
PaulG
eXtreme
Yes, go for it. Sounds like great fun!
I killed two scions using an apical wedge method I read about online... The first one died within a day, the second one lasted about 6 days. They say that method takes a week.
The important factors are that you want your host to be about 1-3 months old with 15-20 leaves (so says the papers I've been reading any way), and you want a scion young enough that it still has its cotyledons, and no more than 4 true leaves. The younger the more likely the (and the more) genetic material will circulate and make the hybrid a success.
Additionally what I've read seems to indicate that incomplete genetic dominence is more prevelent in this type of hybridization. IE variegated pods/leaves, etc.
I'm not sure heat transfers well this way - but one might be able to achieve even more exotic crosses such as a pepper x tomato... where the fruit would be tomato esque with the heat of a habanero...
Though my knowledge is hypothetical at the moment. I hope to be able to provide some interesting proof in time
.
Having killed two, I picked the approach graft for exactly that reason STC - I wanted to give both of them the best possible chance to survive. The graft site was about a quarter inch long. The scion is only about two inches tall at the present moment, so that felt enormous under the circumstances. Keep us posted on your progress!
The important factors are that you want your host to be about 1-3 months old with 15-20 leaves (so says the papers I've been reading any way), and you want a scion young enough that it still has its cotyledons, and no more than 4 true leaves. The younger the more likely the (and the more) genetic material will circulate and make the hybrid a success.
Additionally what I've read seems to indicate that incomplete genetic dominence is more prevelent in this type of hybridization. IE variegated pods/leaves, etc.
I'm not sure heat transfers well this way - but one might be able to achieve even more exotic crosses such as a pepper x tomato... where the fruit would be tomato esque with the heat of a habanero...
Though my knowledge is hypothetical at the moment. I hope to be able to provide some interesting proof in time
.Having killed two, I picked the approach graft for exactly that reason STC - I wanted to give both of them the best possible chance to survive. The graft site was about a quarter inch long. The scion is only about two inches tall at the present moment, so that felt enormous under the circumstances. Keep us posted on your progress!
What did you use to cover the site and how did you care for the plant during the process? I was planning on trying on an older plant but onto the new growth and keeping it in a semi shaded area of the greenhouse...
I like where you are going with the potential cross species hybrid...that would be amazing! Good luck...
Since I'm a grad student (starting in the fall), I'm trying to do everything as inexpensively as I can... I took plastic packaging tape, and put it adhesive side out, and wrapped the junction in that. It was less than optimal I think... During the day I would need to place a single drop of water (hourly) on the graft site, or else the scion would start to wilt.
Everything that I'd read said that one should place the chimera in a warm dark humid chamber... I recently created a healing chamber by painting a 5 gall bucket black. I'll put a half inch of water in the bottom, and place it in a south facing window (for the warmth).
However I did not have this for the first two attempts. I'm giving the apical wedge another go tomorrow. I'll scrape the scion nearly its whole length, and make a long slit into the host plant... tape it, put it in the healing chamber, and try to forget about it for a week.
Most likely I'll be doing scotch bonnet onto habanero - because I have 5 or 6 orange habanero plants that are in the 1-3 month age group, and because I have about 20 scotch bonnets that are still young enough.
Everything that I'd read said that one should place the chimera in a warm dark humid chamber... I recently created a healing chamber by painting a 5 gall bucket black. I'll put a half inch of water in the bottom, and place it in a south facing window (for the warmth).
However I did not have this for the first two attempts. I'm giving the apical wedge another go tomorrow. I'll scrape the scion nearly its whole length, and make a long slit into the host plant... tape it, put it in the healing chamber, and try to forget about it for a week.
Most likely I'll be doing scotch bonnet onto habanero - because I have 5 or 6 orange habanero plants that are in the 1-3 month age group, and because I have about 20 scotch bonnets that are still young enough.
Interesting stuff - like I said, my background on grafting was all with woody plants. I get the cold resistance of the rootstock aspect - valid. Same reason we did roses with wild rootstock.
I also get the "multiple peppers on one plant" aspect. In school I did an orange tree that had lime, grapefruit, mandarin & lemon branches and it was indeed kinda cool - and practical if you lack the space for multiple fruit trees.
What i've never heard of is a hybrid fruit (pepper in this case) resulting from a graft. You'll surely get runners from the base & varietal from the graft. I don't think plants work that way to make hybrids though. I certainly never heard of it in horticulture classes, but again - I don't profess to be an expert on the subject.
Cross breeding of fruits/berries is typically a genetics thing that results from plain old pollinization.
It's very interesting & if anyone could provide some sort of documented evidence of a graft hybrid result I'd love to see it.
I also get the "multiple peppers on one plant" aspect. In school I did an orange tree that had lime, grapefruit, mandarin & lemon branches and it was indeed kinda cool - and practical if you lack the space for multiple fruit trees.
What i've never heard of is a hybrid fruit (pepper in this case) resulting from a graft. You'll surely get runners from the base & varietal from the graft. I don't think plants work that way to make hybrids though. I certainly never heard of it in horticulture classes, but again - I don't profess to be an expert on the subject.
Cross breeding of fruits/berries is typically a genetics thing that results from plain old pollinization.
It's very interesting & if anyone could provide some sort of documented evidence of a graft hybrid result I'd love to see it.
There have been a couple of links posted already - the link I posted previously takes you to another forum... but there I post the name, journal, and authors of about 8 papers. I also have pictures of my failed graft attempts and such...
IIRC it has to do with a young scion not having its defenses against foreign genetic material fully formed...
Think gene pool, instead of block foundation... Put a drop of dye in a pool, and it can make a good bit of difference. or not.
IIRC it has to do with a young scion not having its defenses against foreign genetic material fully formed...
Think gene pool, instead of block foundation... Put a drop of dye in a pool, and it can make a good bit of difference. or not.