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CaneDog 2019 Hirsute Pursuit – Rocotos, Wilds & Moar

So, here's the new glog for the coming season.  With the indoor grow culled pretty hard now I can focus more on getting ready for what's ahead.  Hoping for a great year, but I’m already a bit behind - the germinators are packed right now and I've still got a round of annuum seeds waiting for their turn.  I guess it wouldn’t feel much like pepper growing though if everything were going perfect.
 
My focus was going to be rocotos with a side of bonnets and some other stuff, but I found I kept planting more and more wilds. Eventually I just kinda went all-in with them and they took on co-main event status. 
 
I’ll start things off with some pics of some of the earlier pube’s.  There’s not too many at this point. Unfortunately, the vast majority just went into germination.
 
First off, Costa Rica Red.  This is the CRR with flattened triangular pods.  I also have an OW CRR that’s a 3-4 lobed “boxy” variety.  I didn't get true seeds off this one last summer, so I have a few of these growing and crossing my fingers they grow true.
20190305%20CRR%20(P)-R.jpg

 
Rocoto DeSeda.  These guys were from a bush I’d OW’d a few years in a row, but it didn’t make it through this winter
20190305%20DeSeda-R.jpg

 
 
Rocoto San Camillo
20190305%20SanCamillo-R.jpg

 
 
Gelbe Reisen Variant.  These are from true seeds off a plant I’ve been growing for a few years that was supposed to be Gelbe Riesen, but the pods are more orange vs yellow, rounder/less boxy, and just a touch smaller. I don’t know if it’s a natural variation or it might have crossed with a Costa Rica Orange, but it's a great plant. I have a few of these started and am curious what comes of them.
20190305%20GRV-R.jpg

 
 
Giant Yellow Rocoto.  Suppose I should pinch that bud off.
20190305%20GYellow-R.jpg

 
 
Recently hatched Gelbe Riesen sprouts (the parent plant has been a beast for me for a while now) and CAP 217 Hyper-Pube.
20190305%20Hyper&Gelbe-R.jpg

 
That’s it for the rocotos for now.  Will try to post up some pics of the early wilds in a little bit. 
 
CD
 
Click to expand...
Hey STC.  Thanks for the PT and good words.  Your plants have looked great in recent posts and I hope you’re enjoying being a GP.  I haven’t ever grown Muchos for exactly that reason. Just not a really big fan of F1 hybrids. Maybe I should rethink that strategy though. I hear great things about the Muchos and their productivity.  I’ll be interested to see how your varieties turn out and there should be lots of info shared soon as to how different varieties are performing for people.
 
[SIZE=10.5pt]Update time for the rocopica. This guy's an F1 cross between a usda accession cardenasii and unk rocoto.[/SIZE]
20190619_USDACardRoco1k.jpg

 
[SIZE=10.5pt]I have it reasonably isolated from anything it could cross with out in front of the house where it gets good morning sun then progressively less direct sun over the course of the day.[/SIZE]
20190619_USDACardRocop1k.jpg

 
[SIZE=10.5pt]I'm curious to see how much bigger and more productive this one gets over the course of the season.[/SIZE]
20190619_USDACardRoc1k.jpg
 
PaulG said:
How big will the pods get on your rocopica cross?
Click to expand...
 
IDK, Paul. Right now they range up to the size of a standard marble, but they are plump.  I'd really like to see some "shooters" as the plant gets bigger. I haven't even seen the color yet, though I suspect the odds favor red.
 
Being it was an unintended cross from a Card pod seed, it could be the following F2 generation brings broader variation.  I'd like to see colors... sizes... shapes...; still,  it seems the odds of these crosses favor a somewhat small round red pod.
 
Man... I never know where to start when I swing in here!
 
All your plants look incredible CD, I know I've said this before but the wide range of species and variety that you have growing is a ton of fun to keep up on! Especially when my grow is the complete opposite. The rocopica cross is looking fantastic, what a cool plant! I love the growth habit. Your flowertography and bugtography is also quite amazing, great shots! Congrats on the ripening ZJalapeno pods they sure look tasty. Man you put some serious work into that 2nd community plot  :shocked: your back had to be smokin after all that! Nice work! 
 
How are all the plants handling the cool down were having? Love how our 80-90 degree weather turned into high 60s real quick  :neutral: Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't ever remember spring being so damn windy, this last week has been killin me! Cloudy til 12-1... Sunny and beautiful til 5... Then the wind and rain shows up. I know it could be alot worse but we live in WA.. Bitchin about the weather is what we do right? Lol.  I actually staked a good 40 of my late starts last night, I've never staked a pepper plant. Got tired of watching them look like palm trees in a hurricane. Mother nature and I haven't been on the best of terms lately, lots of altercations  :censored: 
 
Everything looks great CD, keep up the good work!!
 
 
 
 
I was talking with someone a while back about a good rocoto to grow indoors and I though of the mini-brown due to it being a relatively compact and productive plant.  Here's one I've been growing in a small container and is producing well for being very small.  It has 3 pods already and many more on the way, but the canopy is currently only about the size of my spread hand. Seems like the combination of controllable size and smaller pods might even be bonchi suitable. I was hoping I could grow a CAP 1242 similarly keeping it very compact, but so far it's seemed to want to grow a little larger and has been slower about coming around to production.
 
20190621%20MiniBrown.jpg

 
 
A couple other rocotos.
 
This is my favorite of the two costa rica red varieties I'm growing, though they each have their good points. I like this variety because of the pendant shaped pods.  The other CR red I'm growing produces boxy 3-4 lobed pods.
20190620_CRROG-P.jpg

 
And this guy is a rocoto san camillo. Sprawling a bit, but I'm hoping it will focus up more than continuing out and get a bit more productive too. It seems to have a good amount of growth coming up the middle now.
20190620%20RSanCamillo.jpg

 
And totally unrelated, the raspberries are getting big. Last year they were over 10 feet.  This year I'm wondering if they can hit 12. And I'm finding ripe ones already.
20190620%20Rasp.jpg
 
Always great to stop in here and see what good
growing looks like, CD.
 
Your choice of pubescens varieties is a good one
for our climate, alright. I may increase that part of
my grow in the future. Those and Aji Amarillos both
seem to do okay in our weather patterns.
 
I am about ready to give up on bonnets. This is my
fourth or fifth season of messing with them, and I
am never really satisfied with the results since the
Spring has turned to c**p in our neck of the woods
in the last 4-5 seasons.
 
PaulG said:
Always great to stop in here and see what good
growing looks like, CD.
 
Your choice of pubescens varieties is a good one
for our climate, alright. I may increase that part of
my grow in the future. Those and Aji Amarillos both
seem to do okay in our weather patterns.
 
I am about ready to give up on bonnets. This is my
fourth or fifth season of messing with them, and I
am never really satisfied with the results since the
Spring has turned to c**p in our neck of the woods
in the last 4-5 seasons.
Click to expand...
 
Haha, I'll say "thanks" man, but I think you only need to step into your backyard to see that.  
 
I've always been a fan of pubescens and really enjoy trying the new different varieties as more and more come available.  I already have a line on a bunch of funky new ones for next season and I haven't even seen some of this year's produce yet. Feel free to hit me up if you'd like to try any of the varieties I'm growing. I appreciate all you do to contribute and would be happy to hook up a fellow PNW'r who knows our many, if minor, pains.
 
The Aji Amarillos I'll definitely have to try. I've wanted to grow them forever but always assumed they would just grow into big plants with lots of pods that didn't quite want to ripen before our season ended.  Sounds like if I get an early start and keep the plants moving along in stride like you do though I could get good production from them.
 
I struggle with the bonnets too. They just seem so unhappy early and don't dig in until the season is well underway.  I'm growing a mess of different varieties this season and hoping to find one that performs well and tastes great.  We'll see.
 
Everything is looking awesome over here. You're making me wish I'd grown some pubes this season. Maybe next year. I can personally vouch for the Aji Amarillo doing well in cool, damp and even somewhat shady conditions. I had one overwinter with several hard frosts and no real effort on my part to protect it. This year I have one that I started in February that is already ripening pods...but that is here in South Carolina.
 
The tent still seems oddly empty as these are all I have left indoors. Center back are isolated USDA Flexuosum, blooming away. I need to pot these guys up into at least 1g's, that should happen this weekend.  Lanceolatums are reaching their tendrils in from the sides. They need to be potted up too.

 
In the center, CW from the biggest pot:
USDA Cardenasii rooted cutting
CGN Cardenasii rooted cutting
Tovarii cutting that grew from a complete stick, but just won't set roots
Cumari do Para (Nigel) in the orange cap
A brand new USDA Cardenasii from a different seed source than my current genetics (thanks Bhuter!).
And 2 rhomboideum (my only rhomb this season never grew roots properly and died)
20190626%20TentUpdate.jpg

 
And in the front yard, the rocopica and two purple flexuosum, all isolated pretty effectively from the backyard plants. I just moved these guys into a location where they'll get a longer period of direct sun than previously. Looks like pot-ups are needed here too. Seems to be a theme developing.
20190626%20OutFront.jpg
 
Naturally they all look great ..CD has done such a FANTASTIC job   with all of his seeds/plants...I have to play
catch up later on & see all he has posted...for now I am putting the finishing touches on my garden as I have
no excuses ;) or complaints  what with picture perfect weather ...alas...speaking of pixs..I'll get some up real soon.
 
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