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.

 
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

 
 
Rocoto San Camillo

 
 
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.

 
 
Giant Yellow Rocoto.  Suppose I should pinch that bud off.

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

 
That’s it for the rocotos for now.  Will try to post up some pics of the early wilds in a little bit. 
 
CD

 

[CaneDog]

Catching up with your Glog CD and as we have come to know all of your photos depict how much you put into your plants.
Just awesome...thrilled to see you have luck with both Cardi accessions.Both of my flexi plants has lots of flowers,I understand it's
a more cold tolerant than other wilds so will see.

 
Thanks wiri!  Sure seems like I'm going to get a decent number of pods from the Card's, especially the CGN's, so I'm pretty happy about that.  The Flex's I have in larger containers only recently started to really produce, so hopefully yours will shortly too.  I may leave one outside overwinter just to see how it does with the local winters.
 

 
I have just one Pube going this season, the Aji Largo. As it cools it should load up. Next season with more time to attend to the plants I hope to get the Aji Oro added to the mix. Maybe try the Rocoto again even!
 
I love seeing the pubescens you have going strong and producing, something that's a challenge here  
 

 
Looking forward to seeing that Aji Largo loaded up in your glog once things start really going again Devv. Really like the atypical pod shape on those.

 

[Devv]

I have the Aji Largo in a #7 pot sitting on the edge of the back porch where it catches the East/South early sun. I'm sitting on my hands since late June waiting for the cooler weather. I tell myself every year just let them go and do the spring thing. I am getting marble sized Zapotecs tho!

 

[CaneDog]

I am getting marble sized Zapotecs tho!

 
Ha, I got some of those early this year. They still tasted good though!

 

[CraftyFox]

De Seda seems to like it behind the house.. Might just get to taste one yet.

 

 

[CaneDog]

De Seda seems to like it behind the house.. Might just get to taste one yet.

 
That would be great!  I see some pods in there.  It's been a slower rocoto year for me here, but now they're starting to set readily with the recent cooler weather.  I may have to set up the HID's in the garage in order to get some of the stranglers to ripen.
 
Man, I'm just starting to get used to your new av.  Took me a while to get used to the change.

 

[stettoman]

My De Seda Yellow has a nice dozen or more pods on it, pumping ot a few more in this elongated Fall we're having. A question tho: How will I tell them apart from my Turbo Pubes? They are identical in pheno and size. Is there a heat/flavor differential to look for?
 
I can't speak for color, none of my De Sedas have ripened. The Turbos are passing yellow and becoming a deep, light orange...

 

[PaulG]

Looks very good there, CD! 
Nice work!

 

[CaneDog]

My De Seda Yellow has a nice dozen or more pods on it, pumping ot a few more in this elongated Fall we're having. A question tho: How will I tell them apart from my Turbo Pubes? They are identical in pheno and size. Is there a heat/flavor differential to look for?
 
I can't speak for color, none of my De Sedas have ripened. The Turbos are passing yellow and becoming a deep, light orange...

 
In my recollection the De Seda has been slightly less orange - they have finished from yellow to somewhat orange in different seasons - and somewhat less smooth and rounded.  Don't have a clear memory of turbo pube taste and heat, though I'll be eating some again soon enough.  Glad to see yours are producing and curious to hear your thoughts on that when you compare.
 
And hey, the Antake you send me are good producers and slinging some big pods. When should I be picking those?

 

[stettoman]

 
In my recollection the De Seda has been slightly less orange - they have finished from yellow to somewhat orange in different seasons - and somewhat less smooth and rounded.  Don't have a clear memory of turbo pube taste and heat, though I'll be eating some again soon enough.  Glad to see yours are producing and curious to hear your thoughts on that when you compare. I'll endeavor to remember to report back. The Turbos are good, stolid, meaty, medium (for a Pube) heat, and wonderful flavor to boot...
 
And hey, the Antake you send me are good producers and slinging some big pods. When should I be picking those?

 
The Antake seed I sent you are from plants I grew from seed sent me by the Moruga Welder. He was my source for big hot not-bell stuffing Anuums like Antake & Antep Aci Dolma. If you haven't tried the Aci Dolmas we'll have to get you some seed...
 
My De Sedas are quite smooth and except for one lone squarish/spherical specimen, vase-shaped like the Turbos, 3 inches long and HEAVY. I like heavy, usually means lots of fleshy mah-nummy-ness!

 

[PaulG]

Hey, CD, I'll be up for some seed swapping in a couple
weeks or a month or so. I will be looking for more c. pubescens 
types to grow along with my Red Rocotos. With our weather
patterns lately, they should do better than some of my other
varieties in the shadier spots of the yard. Maybe you would
be interested?

 

[CaneDog]

Maybe you would be interested?

 
Absolutely. Really enjoying your grow and would enjoy trying my hand with a few of your varieties.  Have plenty of rocoto varieties to share as well, which are finally getting their ripe on.  Much of my true seed will be late this year as pod setting wasn't great early and many of the iso's will be finishing up under lights in the garage.

 

[CaneDog]

Screwed up somehow and mixed up my sole Aji Largo with what I'm pretty sure is an Ecuadorian red.  So instead of being at home on my deck getting isolated and used in what I'd hoped was an Aji Largo x Aji Lucento cross, it's been left with a bunch of others at the community plots getting no special treatment. 
 
These 2 pods have been hanging red for a long time, so I pulled them yesterday.  Looking great and all juicy and such.  Going to have to dig this plant up now that I have a couple "safety" pods and get it home and into a container for OW.  Hopefully the pods continue to ripen and maybe I can still get some iso production from it if the stars align.
 
So close to starting to make some seed and crossed pod pulls on other rocotos, but leaving them hang as long as possible for the strongest seeds.
 

 

 

[CaneDog]

With some decent pulls coming in recently I started a couple ferments - along with some unrelated sauerkraut.  Couldn't find all my weights, so I purged the headspace with CO2 in the hope of staving off undesirables while I'm looking.  Hopefully I can lock everything down tonight.
 
BOC's on right (really looking forward to this one, so they got the lone weight) and Alan Boatman Scotch Bonnet x's on left.

 

[lespaulde]

Awesome stuff CD, nice to see you managed a good pull off the BOC! I guess you've tried one fresh by now? How was the delicious smell greeting you when you opened it up?

And what about the fermented batch, will you make sauce of it?

Impressive dedication to getting all that ISO seed, will for sure be worth it in the long run!

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

 

[PaulG]

+1 Erv! CD has it goin'!

 

[CraftyFox]

This Mini Brown keeps teasing with flower buds, under the 5000k double t12, continuing to have some kind of foliar issue I haven't cracked yet. 

The rest of the indoor Pubes are recovering from aphids, under the mixed LED. Mini Brown doing well here. African Devil G2 photo bombing on the upper left. 

 

[CaneDog]

Awesome stuff CD, nice to see you managed a good pull off the BOC! I guess you've tried one fresh by now? How was the delicious smell greeting you when you opened it up?

And what about the fermented batch, will you make sauce of it?

Impressive dedication to getting all that ISO seed, will for sure be worth it in the long run!

 
Thanks LP!  Those BOC's smell excellent, but hot!  I put all the first haul into a ferment for future sauce. I have a second batch lined up for a fresh sauce that I'll need to get going pronto, but currently there's lots of other harvest to deal with.  I've socked away several ferments already and made over 2 liters of sauce, so I'm trying to keep up with it.  Really happy to have the BOC's and figure I have at least another 2 harvests of that size that will ripen in time. And still many more green pods on the plant.
 

This Mini Brown keeps teasing with flower buds, under the 5000k double t12, continuing to have some kind of foliar issue I haven't cracked yet. 

The rest of the indoor Pubes are recovering from aphids, under the mixed LED. Mini Brown doing well here. African Devil G2 photo bombing on the upper left. 

 
Glad to see you keeping with it and I hope you crack the code on the indoor rocoto production - and have no more aphid issues!  The seeds I was given for the mini brown turned out to have an appreciable hybrid content.  I have three plants, of which two are MBX's showing red color and slightly larger pods.  The pods look great though and are very uniform in appearance.  I ate the first crossed pod, which had a mild flavor and low heat.  I don't think that pod was very representative though as it was the first pod of a small and neglected plant.  These next 3 below will be the true test.  Unless they're equally insipid, I'll be saving the seeds from both the MB and MBX.
 
Mini Brown X Reds and Mini Browns

 
MBX Red

 
MBX Red split

 

[CaneDog]

I've been pulling a lot of seed pods these last few days.  Here's a look at some of the rocotos.
 
Halfway through seeding these:
Row 1:  Costa Rica Red Pendant; San Camillo, Gelbe Riesen; Costa Rica Red Box; 
Row 2:  Tatiana F4/F5; Hyperpube; Huallago; MBX Red;
Row 3: Mini Brown; 6 Rocoto Crosses; San Isidro; Gelbe Riesen Var;

 
Been very happy with the Tatiana F4's, going into F5 (top 2) and the Hyperpubes (bottom 2)

 
And, cluster pubes?

 

[CaneDog]

One more post.
 
Scotch Bonnet Cappuccino - shout out to Trident Chilli.

 
And these guys, I don't know what they are.  The plant was going to be culled, but I had room at the end of a row so in it went, unlabeled.  Now I don't recognize it as a variety I planted.  Maybe tasting a pod will give me a clue, or maybe it's a never-to-be-know cross.  Cool little pods though.

 

[Bhuter]

Yo Cane-Daaaaaaaaawg!!!!
Holy mol-ski! Fantastic shtuffff!

You've been doing a lot of work this season. I personally have like 3 or 4 crosses and I have a hard enough time keeping up with those.

Are these the USDA Cards that you started in like June?

If so, that Mofo grew fast! I started quite a few really late and surprisingly they're ripening. I have a whole plant loaded with Orange Pepperoncinis. I can't wait for those to ripen.

Did I send you seeds for the Rocato from Jukka? That's the correct spelling. Here's a pic.

It's a Chinense. I tried a green pod (slugs are killing this plant) and I recognize the flavor.
"I'll be damned.....that definitely tastes like a Pubescens." Fantastic flavor! Solid7 sent me seeds last year and I started this one late, too.

Anyway, great photography and loads of potential coming from your garden. Lots of people will be happy you work so hard.

Keep up the great work. I'll get some of those Grocery Store Mystery seeds to you if I haven't yet.