glog 2025 - LEAVE OR DIE

CHAPTER #01 - LIKE REPTILES

It's never too early to say "it's never too early to get started" so this year, to counterattack a possible fake summer effect like in 2024, I started 3 months in advance (18th of december).

Chiltepin cappuccino - 2024

I sterilized the seeds with a 9:1 water/bleach solution, and presoaked them for 24h, then I put them on paper towel on every heater of the house.

As soon as the roots emerged, I put them in soil (instead of waiting for the cotyledons to open on the paper, that maybe was causing more stress to the roots).
My friend gave me reptiles heatmats and a reptile UV lamp, that I'm using to heat the soil filled pepper cups (my apartment is cold, now I have 5C degrees more).

Soil is a brand new one, no more fungus-filled recycled one thanks!!

So, everything seems to be better and working well, apart from a big problem... I decided to go all-in and grow 130 varieties, even if I only have a small balcony. I couldn't choose what to remove, so I thought of putting 2-3-4 plants per pot. That's for two reasons: the first is that I'm insane the second one is that, having only 4 hours of sun per day, I realized that for my environment it may be better to grow small plants: I'll expect competition among them, and hopefully many small tastings.

I started with 60 varieties: wild ones, pubescens, and a mix of chinense and frutescens; to be fair, after all this babysitting I've already got the pepper burnout. Also, I'm already out of space! Time to mount a twin structure.

The wild ones I chosed are:
C. lanceolatum
C. chacoense
C. rhomboideum
C. tovarii
C. galapagoense
C. eximium
C. cardenasii
C. flexuosum
Also, a couple of C. rabenii, a couple of C. annuum var. glabriusculum, a C. baccatum var. baccatum, a purple flowered baccatum and some wild chinense/frutescens.

On late january/february I'll start with C. annuum and C. baccatum ones; mutants, variegated and F1 to F4 crosses included.
Some friends are trying to overwinter at home some of my last year's cultivars that couldn't set fruits (especially F1 and C. rabenii), anyway I sowed them again.

C. lanceolatum seeds surprised me because they are black and way smaller than any Capsicum seed I've had, included C. eximium.

I will also radically change the way I grow them outdoors, from the composition of the soil to the way I'll manage insects; but this will be told on march .

 

[Think Pink]

Thanks! I chose a couple of peppers based on some THP users'opinions (e.g., RPFH and Jamaican hot choc from you, and aji chombo from Marturo ). I have others in list, but I couldn't find seeds here (lesya, chile rayado, tasmanian black). Maybe next year!

I put the new heatpads under the plants, and that's good (25C on the pads; the environment goes from 16C during nighttime to 20C during daytime).

But anyway I start to have the usual humidity problems: the top soil is often wet because the powerful LED has to stay far, so I don't have heating from above (the reptile lamp is in the other structure, and BTW doesn't cover a wide area) and some algae or white fungus dots are emerging.

I know that they will start to spread, even if now I am removing them with a spoon. I'll try to reduce waterings more, because I can't find other solutions to dry the upper part of the cups. Any idea?

I also started presoaking all the C. baccatum seeds, plus some unborn ones from the first cycle. Dividing the cultivars in steps is less stressful

And I put away the last 2024 seeds, after more or less 1 month drying. Maybe they don't need 1 full month, but I'm used to do that because it's easy to compare dates.

C. amarillo (one of a few C. baccatum that I started early, because it takes ages to ripen; this is the "fat" one, because I also had a "slim" one) are already the tallest ones.

I am curious to taste it, because the fruit comes from a peruvian market in Milan and it was very watery and almost not hot. The ones I grew were very tasty and hot (they were the slim ones... but I don't think it's relevant). I suppose it depends on the growing methods, and not from the genetic. We'll see.
You can see different stages of auto seed removal. This year I'm not helping them anymore.

C. annuum var glabriusculum, instead, is already compact, and started developing the first set of true leaves.

I don't know if the next one is a human error (like planting two seeds together, even if I manage them one by one), or two rocoto sprouts emerged from the same seed. BTW I like the picture, it reminds me of trees in a microworld

Rocotos often give me some weird cotyledons (here: a tricot and a butterly one nearby), I suppose it's something bound to the species

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[SatanicFlatIron]

some serious pepper porn here. my plants are way behind...

thank you! Year after year everyone can improve in many aspects (when to start, which lamps to use, soil recipe...), I wish you the best

Comedy Waynes World GIF - Comedy Waynes World You Are The Master - Discover & Share GIFs

Click to view the GIF

tenor.com

lol, thanks, but there are no masters here. Well, I might just be a master of puppets
Just call my name 'cause I'll hear you scream

 

[SatanicFlatIron]

For the first time I really struggled to water the plants, not only I couldn't get through but I couldn't even see the pots by sticking my head into the canopy

Now I've compacted the plants with other stakes, and tomorrow I'll use some green gardening wire to wrap them.

Imagine neighbors and passers-by seeing a crazy guy who at least 1 hour a day walks back and forth between the plants with crab-like lateral steps...

I have the first color stage variations, which occurred on a twin aribibi gusano

they look like teeth with saliva I'm waiting for it to become whiter for the vampire tasting

Among the various attempts, in addition to the previous C. annuum x C. baccatum, it also set a C. annuum x C. chinense

curiously both on the same mother plant which then turned out to be an OP F1 itself (I will therefore have a possible F1 already unstable as phenotypes, but it's not a big problem). So I wonder: is it possible that the F1s, in addition to the various characteristics of hybrid vigor, also have a greater tendency in the fruit setting of the crosses, or was it just a lucky coincidence?

I noticed that at the end of the balcony (yes, I managed to get there...) the stolen yellow is producing a lot of fruit. It might not be a coincidence, since it is also covered by a column that shades even more than the other plants. The rocoto mini olive instead (more in the sun) has lots of flowers but no fruit set. However, finding these fruits was a pleasant surprise, finally this year I can eat homemade rocotos!

The NW-3 cross (black C. chinense x white chinense) has both interesting (already recorded) purple/brown shades in the intermediate stage and a mini orange fruit at the base, I think among the first deformed ones that sometimes you can meet at the first node. I am very curious to check the final color, since many genes are involved in this combo; in addition to checking flavor, shape and spiciness, since I love both parents.

By the way, here is always NW, but also NB, from last year, overwintered by a friend. They are starting to flower now

Mixed photos:

Overall I think I'll start picking some green annuums to eat soon, because my mouth is always watering

 

[NJChilehead]

Hey @SatanicFlatIron, this is a great GLOG, and I've been swamped over the past few weeks so regretfully I haven't been following it more closely (but am catching up now). Good stuff! I look forward to seeing how all of this is looking later in the season. You're going to have your hands full, but in a good way! Keep us posted!

 

[SatanicFlatIron]

Hey @SatanicFlatIron, this is a great GLOG, and I've been swamped over the past few weeks so regretfully I haven't been following it more closely (but am catching up now). Good stuff! I look forward to seeing how all of this is looking later in the season. You're going to have your hands full, but in a good way! Keep us posted!

Thanks NJC! You are very kind. One of my regrets this year is not using cages for rocotos like you did; and maybe I should use them for other species too. Anyway this year I am dealing with the spaces between plants and it is also an educational activity.
Today I used 50 meters of gardening wire to wrap the plants, like a spider web, and the situation improved a little. I will keep you updated!

 

[Marturo]

Hey @SatanicFlatIron this is getting really great I am enjoying every bit of it. Keep up the good work.

 

[NJChilehead]

Thanks NJC! You are very kind. One of my regrets this year is not using cages for rocotos like you did; and maybe I should use them for other species too. Anyway this year I am dealing with the spaces between plants and it is also an educational activity.
Today I used 50 meters of gardening wire to wrap the plants, like a spider web, and the situation improved a little. I will keep you updated!

I wonder if you could do a makeshift trellis or use tomato cages? If using tomato cages, get them in soon before they get too big!

 

[SatanicFlatIron]

Hey @SatanicFlatIron this is getting really great I am enjoying every bit of it. Keep up the good work.

Thank you Marturo. Every day I have surprises, the season is starting to be full of things to see and share!

I wonder if you could do a makeshift trellis or use tomato cages? If using tomato cages, get them in soon before they get too big!

Tomato cages are also a good solution! Not applicable to rocotos (too late! ) because they've already conquered a huge space (like octopuses, entering all the adjacent pots with very hard branches) but it could work well for baccatums that are tall and vertical!
In the meantime, after thinking about it a bit tonight, today I decided to prune the plants. I pruned all the lower leaves (also cleaning the soil) and also the highest leaves that were sticking out into the main corridor. I felt a bit like a gardener cutting hedges It seems that, if repeated as a normal maintenance, it can work in synergy with the wires. Now I can walk and water them more easily.
I'll wait to see how they behave in the next few days, and then I'll evaluate whether to use cages and/or plastic pallets to lift them off the ground.

 

[SatanicFlatIron]

I switched to a full hedge style pruning lol, which can maybe also be considered a growing style (reminds me of a sea of green, but vertical)

Wild flowers: C. rabenii (white)

C. rabenii (purple)

C. baccatum var. baccatum

Purple flowered baccatum

I started tasting chili peppers, mainly green ones to find ones suitable for some culinary preparations, but also some mature parthenocarpic ones. The rest ended up pickled

Some new friends

And now some of my crosses. P3-2 with huge cayenne peppers (the starting point of the variety was small fruits, every year I select the shapes).

The green dragon is fortunately showing a cluster phenotype, with a sort of fasciation; I will select this trait to evolve it into a "dragon cluster"

NB (C. chinense, very nice contrast)

and NW (it is changing many colors and stabilizing the shape, I love it)

See you next time!

 

[CaneDog]

Your hedge sure is dense. I can't imagine what it will be like come late season!

 

[SatanicFlatIron]

Your hedge sure is dense. I can't imagine what it will be like come late season!

I don't want to think about it lol... BTW I'm in acceptance mode now, so every couple of days I try to make my way through the jungle with scissors and without despair.

I'm also using some clips to bring the plants closer together

and here are some cables to prevent the plants from entering my house
In past years my aji limon has always been bushy, this year instead it is shooting up over 2mt (6.5 feet)

I'm seeing a trend in the competition among the plants: baccatums, pubescens and wild baccatums have taken over the back rows completely. I think i'll harvest little or nothing from the chinenses (except the F1s which are huge), since they are totally covered and would need more pollinators and sun, and instead the flowers are already falling. Anyway some more brave chinenses are trying to emerge from the canopy with single vertical shoots upwards. This type of environment is therefore good for some species that are thriving with few hours of sun, and less suitable for the caribbean ones, which would need more care, heat and their space. All very useful information for next year's planning!

Luckily the annuums are in the single row in front so they have no production problems. The front row also seems to be a good place for rocotos, as they can grow out of the railing. Here's the RPFH!

Last pic: zombie aphids, parasitized by aphidius wasps

 

[Harmonic_Heat]

I really like your descriptions and analogies lol! Fellow black metal fan it seems based on page 1

You've got so much going on in this journal I'm gonna need to spend some time digging through it before the plants swallow you in their forest one day. You're running in to space issues I wouldn't have considered lol. Very nice grow! Spilling over everywhere, for better or worse

Is that a bunch of coleus in the second to last pic on the ground? Looks like a ton of it.

 

[SatanicFlatIron]

I really like your descriptions and analogies lol! Fellow black metal fan it seems based on page 1

Hey HH, thanks! Yes you too? I've played in a couple of local bands too

Is that a bunch of coleus in the second to last pic on the ground? Looks like a ton of it.

At first I couldn't see it beyond the rocoto, then I understood what you meant, by the way, no, it should be a variegated Weigela Florida, it's almost a small tree:

the funny part is I didn't know Coleus existed, and today I'm starting to see them in the neighborhood

and I love them! I really like it when knowledge spreads just by talking about certain topics

Update: unfortunately I found mite damage on the leaves and started seeing the little buggers with my naked eye, so I treated the plants with sulfur using the electric nebulizer. I realized that the combination of sulfur and azadirachtin covers all my needs (fungus, mites, aphids). While I was treating the plants I was completely covered in clothing (including mask, glasses and hat), a neighbor walked by and exclaimed "What the hell, is this Chernobyl?!"
Then I did another round of sieve pruning because every two days the plants move forward

The situation is constantly evolving: pruning the plants frees up some space in the back for the lost chinenses. I also have some chinenses in the front row that are growing rapidly, here is Madame Jeanette putting fruit

every time I see purple peppers I always think of @PurpPepp

I'm isolating this one because, in my opinion, it was pollinated by crossing with an acrata, it's too hairy and purple, it reminds me of a kind of Muppet.... it's also developing a neon green fruit with two purple balls

I encountered another terrible threat that I couldn't immediately recognize: stink bug nymphs...

So I started hunting them (late). Sulfur and azadirachtin should also slow them down... fingers crossed, I learned my lesson...

Other insects (good and bad):

this last one is a wild bee, not Apis mellifera, it has been flying here for days but it moved very quickly to be photographed!

Cluster of 3 rocoto flowers (one slightly hidden), with ants foraging and pollinating:

I'm not sure why this serrano was open, maybe it was just a malformation...

reminds me of a Disney cartoon playing a tuba BTW I hope I don't find anyone inside his flesh

@NJChilehead I tried an unripe rocoto (still with white seeds) out of curiosity, you were right lol it was very grassy and bad, probably the worst green of the 5 domestic species

I will try some wild fruits soon:

 

[NJChilehead]

@NJChilehead I tried an unripe rocoto (still with white seeds) out of curiosity, you were right lol it was very grassy and bad, probably the worst green of the 5 domestic species

Yeah I couldn't believe how bad the green one was when I tried it. Ugh.

 

[PurpPepp]

Yeah I couldn't believe how bad the green one was when I tried it. Ugh.

I am honored by this mention

 

[growyourown]

you have a pepper with testes and another with a vagina, what follows is obvious:

 

[SatanicFlatIron]

CHAPTER #04 - NOW I AM BECOME BEE, THE POLLINATOR OF PEPPERS

The plants are officially taller than me, I feel like I'm Rambo in the jungle. The leaves rub against me and in my face and it's also a relaxing and ancestral sensation. Maybe with my movement I too have become a pollinator

Yesterday morning, 6 am: total silence, I was getting to the end of the balcony to clean and two young blackbirds ambush me, coming out of my plants in a hurry. I don't know who between me and them was more scared!!! Then they stood there staring at me from a few meters away, chirping. One had something long in its mouth. I hope it's not a pepper... great encounters anyway!

To a moderately trained eye, the leaves of the different pepper species are immediately recognizable in the photo, and I find it a nice overview/quiz. Chinenses and rocotos like the exposure and the expansion outside the railing. Baccatums and rabeniis stand out in the rows behind and on the sides. Annuums have started the pre-ripening color change phase.

Rocopica has found its space by throwing out two thick lateral branches laden with flowers from the railing:

First flower of C. chacoense

C. rabenii with a wonderful parabolic flower

Mixed pics

NSFW: Pussy serrano update

interesting how the inside is also colored with anthocyanins after exposure to the sun

The next photo is the result of having successfully used scotch tape to repair a plant broken by the wind

Surprisingly, two or three plants that I had given to my friend and that he had put in the garden, from being sick, attacked by insects and snails, traumatized by the transplant and storms, and generally at the end of their life, have exploded. The rocoto mini olive is already taking possession of the ground, while the CAP 1639 continues with its vertical but bushy growth

Third round of tastings, with the scraps finished in sweet and sour (I modified a @skullbiker recipe: apple cider vinegar, sugar and fennel seeds)

Unfortunately the two large red peppers (Helix nebula) showed some apical rot (first time), and one fell off by itself. They are also surprisingly completely parthenocarpic. Not a big loss though since so far they have shown a sweet but bland taste, and no spiciness.

The third one, the peach one, is one of my NW (a parthenocarpic ripe one), and it's very good, milky/apricot flavor and acceptable spiciness as I wanted.

I have had three variants of lucky guests:

and a bad guest (I would say a caterpillar, judging by the black dots) that was living in this leaf, and which has now made a one-way trip down to the garden below

And now some of my crosses.

So far I have been successful since I have obtained five interspecific crosses, which is one of the goals of the season

The last three are:

CGN 22795 (C. rabenii) x Heatless bishop's crown (C. baccatum)

Banjarmasin (C. annuum) x Madame Jeanette (C. chinense)

Pumpkin cili pepper (C. annuum) x Brasilian starfish (C. baccatum)

For this last one I expect sterile seeds or offspring, as already happened 2 years ago, but you never know.

The intraspecific ones follow.

Pepperina pisello triangolare x Cedrino

Pimenta da Neyde x Wraith

Pimenta da Neyde x Biquinho amarelo

I'm happy as a clam!

 

[CaneDog]

What an awesome post, SF! I can imagine the Blackbirds' surprise at what you were doing outside in their bushes. I wonder what the mini olive rocoto might be able to achieve still this season with the time left.

 

[SatanicFlatIron]

I wonder what the mini olive rocoto might be able to achieve still this season with the time left.

Unfortunately, it died suddenly two days later I suspect there was damage to the roots, as the rosemary, which is a beautiful, broad plant with a woody stem, also started to yellow.
Another friend, however, sent me photos of her plants, which are healthy.

I'm nearing the end of this year's breeding work: I've already done a lot of crosses, and if I want to plant new varieties in pots next year, I'd better slow down. But I still have to play with the purple corolla clade.

I have two new interspecific crosses.

Heatless bishop's crown (C. baccatum) x NB ((C. chinense x C. annuum) x C. chinense)

however, I'm not sure about this fruit set, as it happened much faster than the others: the ovary was already swollen the next day. I wouldn't want the pistil to have already pollinated while the flower was closed. In fact, I once happened to open a very developed C. baccatum bud (swollen, just before opening) and see pollen already flying from the anthers. Is this possible?

The second is PI 260567 (C. baccatum var. baccatum) x Sugar rush stripey (C. baccatum)

I also have a new, unwanted cross, a sibling of the Not Black Pearl, which is pictured here with its beautiful, heavy clusters ripening

and it's the "Green Pearl"

as you can see, the anthocyanins of the classic Black Pearl are missing from the fruit and flowers; there's only a slight floral variegation, along with a striped stem and leaf veins that are sometimes purple.

The other crosses are ripening!

TC

CT

P3

NB

NW

 

[SatanicFlatIron]

I've started picking the first ripe chili peppers for a new round of tastings, using the leftovers in a new version of sweet and sour pickled peppers

Among the various tastings, one really stands out: my NW.

Parents:

NW F1:

Peach color with ivory notes, dinosaur-tooth shape, firm.
Intense aromas of milk (chinense), apricot, cantaloupe melon, Canary melon, traces of strawberry, bubblegum, and sweetened peach juice.
Crisp with a thin pericarp, a texture reminiscent of apple peel. Medium placenta at the top and thin on the sides.
Flavors of red and yellow apple juice, milk, peach, apricot, and a vegetal note of sorrel and apple peel. Then Canary melon.
Spiciness around 80k, a rising effect from the back/upper palate towards the cheekbones, then reaching the throat, a tear in the eye.
Milky aftertaste. The spiciness enhances the flavors, adding distant notes of berries and blackberry.
Pleasant bouquet, manageable spiciness, harmonious spiciness and flavor, intense persistence of flavors.
Overall, it recalls notes from both parents, has the right spiciness I wanted, and has potential for a wide range of culinary uses. It is very productive and vigorous, I like it a lot and am very satisfied with the cross.
In F2, it will be fun.
Rating: 7.5

Two other crosses:

NB F1

Intense orange color, plump curved cone shape, firm but crunchy, medium-thin pericarp, little lateral placenta.
Crunchy but soft.
Aromas: orange, milk, mango, cantaloupe melon, peach candy, intense freshness with tropical and orange notes.
Flavors: vague sweet and bitter orange, milk, a slightly bitter and watery vegetable, mild flavor but then the spiciness arrives and boosts the flavors: orange, light apricot, mango, milk. The flavors emerge late, like a Scotch bonnet; the attack isn't fantastic, but they intensify with the arrival of the spiciness, and then persist.
A spiciness that begins to warm the back of the throat, then spreads to the mouth and cheekbones in a crescendo, an interesting, light spiciness.
Rating: 6.5

P3 F3 (Pepperina's wet dreams)

Full red color, slightly pointed, curved horn shape.
Overripe, yielding texture, probably slightly fermented on the plant.
Little lateral placenta, thin skin, moist Tabasco-style interior.
Intense, sweet aroma of strawberry, raspberry, bubblegum, peach, classic good sweet lightly fermented red notes.
Smooth texture. The flavor starts off neutral, then these notes arrive: red bell pepper, classic C. annuum chili pepper, raspberry, and a mild bitterness that pushes the flavor.
The spiciness rises intensely to the cheeks and then burns the face. The shoulder of the chili pepper is spicier and more intense in flavor despite growing upward, the apex is more vegetal like salad.
Raspberry and spicy aftertaste that moves to the tongue, runny nose.
A very classic flavor, yet intense and flavorful, with a nice spicy kick, suitable for cooking (italian or other classic dishes with C. annuums).
Rating: 6+

I also appreciated these two peppers:

Large Cherry

Deep red color, flattened, ribbed shape with four lobes, firm, very thick pericarp, many seeds, and a placenta that fills the length.
Aroma: raspberry, strawberry, hints of classic chili peppers, vegetal flavor of salad, artichoke, and cut grass.
Very meaty and crunchy.
Flavors: raspberry, intense classic chili bitterness, hints of licorice in the bitter spiciness. Then sweet strawberry.
Strong and full spicy kick, the spiciness immediately rises to the cheeks and cheekbones.
An intense and pleasant red pepper flavor lingers in the mouth, with a strong but manageable spiciness.
It can be stuffed even if it has little internal space, or pickled. In the South, we usually stuff round cherry peppers with tuna or anchovies, but they have thinner skins.
Rating: 7-

Sugar Rush Peach (an old round variant by Chris Fowler)

Peach-colored, firm, with a ribbed/diamond shape, with folds.
Medium-thick pericarp, central placenta creating a full separation, lots of seeds.
Aromas: sweet, clean peach, pear juice, honeysuckle, a slight vegetal note of cut grass, cantaloupe melon, a hint of Canary melon, and a hint of sweet pumpkin.
Very crisp, juicy, with a fresh celery attack.
Flavors: peach, then floral notes of honeysuckle and rose, green gooseberry. Then vague kiwi and Canary melon, and a slight bitterness from the spiciness that adds complexity.
A pleasant, light spiciness on the palate, which then gently descends into the throat.
Fruity and floral without being cloying, with just the right amount of spiciness; this year, too, is quite pleasant.
Rating: 6.5

I didn't like it very much:

White Hot Fantasy

Ivory/pale yellow color, bell-shaped with lobes and noticeable folds underneath, beautiful to look at.
Long placental wall, lots of seeds, two large cavities suitable for fillings.
Medium-thick pericarp.
Aromas: light and fairly subtle, yellow pepper, yellow apple, sweet pear, hint of vanilla, Canary melon, hint of coconut.
Very crunchy, juicy, fairly neutral vegetal flavor, Canary melon, original and light aftertaste of vanilla and coconut. It has a crunchy vegetable flavor, cucumber, light pear, watermelon, zucchini, sugary.
Not spicy, except for a touch at the back of the tongue.
A good snack, a very productive plant, but the flavor and spiciness are too delicate to replant and become a staple.
Rating: 5

For the rest, a typo:

The second is PI 260567 (C. baccatum var. baccatum) x Sugar rush stripey (C. baccatum)

This is actually a CGN 22795 (C. rabenii) x Sugar rush stripey (C. baccatum).

PI 260567 (C. baccatum var. baccatum) x Sugar rush stripey (C. baccatum) is this:

And this is the ninth interspecific cross that has produced fruit, CGN 22795 (C. rabenii) x Scotch bonnet (C. chinense):

I hope that the F1 will germinate, and perhaps in the future produce small scotch bonnets with the same productivity as the mother

Finally, a little monster, a rocoto stolen yellow