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

 

[Uncle Eckley]

Those things sure look juicy!
 
 

 

[CaneDog]

Those things sure look juicy!

 
They definitely are.  Hope you can give a couple a try this next season.  All the late variety seed pods are starting to come in now, so the seed stocks are getting replenished.  I'll definitely have some cool ones for you.
 
 
OK.  I have to ask...   Should I infer from your new signature that you definitely aren't "Uncle E. coli?" 

 

[Uncle Eckley]

Should I infer from your new signature that you definitely aren't "Uncle E. coli?" 

 
Definitely not.    

 

[CaneDog]

Harvested a few more of the seed rocotos from my deck.  They've loved the recent weather and many have been setting more pods.
 
XL Brown rocotos front and center, Aji Lucento on right, Ecuador (wider pheno) on the left.  There's Arequipa too, but pretty much out of view.  Really happy to have the XLB's in hand now as I've been waiting for these things for what seems like forever.
 

 

[Uncle Eckley]

Really happy to have the XLB's in hand now as I've been waiting for these things for what seems like forever.

 
Kuhl.  What's the flavor like?

 

[CaneDog]

Kuhl.  What's the flavor like?

 
I don't know yet.  This is my first grow with these XL's.  I'll taste them fresh when I cut them open for seeds tomorrow - I'm waiting until I'm actually ready to do something with the pods.  I'm hoping they have more flavor than the mini browns, which are kind of plain and not very spicy.

 

[PaulG]

Looks like Fall weather is being kind to you, CD.
If we hadn't had those few freezing nights, we
could still be growing here. Weather almost balmy 
 
The XL Browns look great. Big enough for stuffing!

 

[stettoman]

Doing another round of seed saving today...And these may not quite be as big as raisins, but the gelbe riesens can definitely have some pretty big seeds.

20191110 GRSeeds.jpg

 
Yessir, and the color is somewhat unique to them as well. I planted an Aji Largo last year from a very light, immature looking light brown seed and the resultant plant is in my OW corral right now.
 
You remind me that I should be bagging and tagging dried seeds by now.

 

[CaneDog]

Looks like Fall weather is being kind to you, CD.
If we hadn't had those few freezing nights, we
could still be growing here. Weather almost balmy 
 
The XL Browns look great. Big enough for stuffing!

 
Yep, it's treating me alright currently Paul, though I did have to get through that one bad cold patch that shut down all my plants in the ground.  Only the container plants are still around because I could bring them into the house or garage on those really cold nights.
 
An exception is a Turbo Pube in a big wooden planter box at home.  It's too heavy to move, but it's doing great despite having been outside every day/night.  Can't understand how it seems unaffected by the cold.  The seeds came from Stettoman, so I can only assume it's a cold-tested variety and our PNW falls have nothing for it     It had been a write-off when I transplanted its box-mate for OW, but if it stays healthy another day or two I figure it'll have earned a spot with the OW's.
 
These XLB's get pretty big from what I've seen, though these pods are off a seed plant so the smaller container and root system won't get them to full potential.  Plenty of seeds though.  I'm really hoping they taste good.  Some brown pods taste great to me, but in other cases all that chlorophyll remaining in the pods can put me off.

 

[CaneDog]

 
Yessir, and the color is somewhat unique to them as well. I planted an Aji Largo last year from a very light, immature looking light brown seed and the resultant plant is in my OW corral right now.
 
You remind me that I should be bagging and tagging dried seeds by now.

 
Man, the bagging and tagging can be a lot of work.  Cool that the plant did so well that you'll OW it.  I'm seeing less mature-looking seeds sprout, but I've wondered if it might affect how they thrive. 

 

[b3rnd]

I found another paper on the subject, thought you'd be interested.
 
https://arccjournals.com/journal/indian-journal-of-agricultural-research/A-419
 
You have to make an account to download the full PDF, but you can just fill in anything. They don't check anything at all, you can just download the file straight away. You don't even have to confirm through an email link.

 

[CaneDog]

I found another paper on the subject, thought you'd be interested.
 
https://arccjournals.com/journal/indian-journal-of-agricultural-research/A-419
 
You have to make an account to download the full PDF, but you can just fill in anything. They don't check anything at all, you can just download the file straight away. You don't even have to confirm through an email link.

 
Got it!  Thanks B3rnd.  I'll give it a read when I'm not so busy as today.  I've had great luck with googling the title of papers in "quotes" when I can't get access through the site where I found the abstract - or in the case of a particular site, when they want me to buy it from them for 30 or 40 bucks.  In this case one of the first 3 results was a full PDF link.  I've been stonewalled a few times with this method, but not many.
 
This reminds me that I haven't check the germination bags yet today.  It's time to get the poblano and serrano underway as well.  And on that point I've been thinking that while waiting for pods to ripen on the counter may (or may not) improve seed viability from a maturity standpoint, if might simultaneously work against viability by allowing for the development of pathogens that wouldn't occur as quickly were the pod still attached to the plant.  Just speculation, but it seems reasonable.

 

[b3rnd]

Try this website.
 
https://www.sci-hub.se
 
Put in the link to the paper and it'll poop out the PDF for you. Because most of times, those 40 dollars go straight into the publisher's pocket. Some people think science is meant to be accessible to the public, and they made that website.

 

[CaneDog]

That's an interesting site, B3rnd.  I hadn't seen it before.  I'm a big fan of secondary sources when I'm first looking into something, but getting access to primary sources is huge for truly understanding how things work.  Much appreciated.

 

[CaneDog]

Only the smaller seed-pepper plants remain of my outdoor plants, and production will be wrapping up on them soon.
 
I pulled this pod off a small Tekne Dolmasi.  It's crossed with a Jalapeno Zapotec.  Was happy to see a reasonable number of healthy looking seeds and the pepper tasted fantastic.  Really looking forward to what comes of this cross.

 
Have been very impressed with the 2 Tatiana F4 I grew this season.  This is the smaller of the 2, in a four inch pot, and even in the small pots they produce good-sized pods.  Giving this is a yellow I'm feeling it may be that the line is stable now, at least as to color.  I'll probably plant just 1 next season and hope it's identical as I'm planning to OW the 2 current F4's.  
 
Really like the shape on these and the plants grow strongly and with good symmetry.  The pods look much smaller than they are in the first picture due to the perspective and angle of the shot.  Same in #3 to a degree too.

 

[Uncle Eckley]

Nice looking pods, CaneDog!

 

[CaneDog]

Nice looking pods, CaneDog!

 
Thanks man!  They seem to like the PNW.  Curious how they'd do on the east coast...

 

[CaneDog]

Still trying to collect pods from stragglers.
 
My 1 CAP 1693 grew true and produced some very nice pods - and finally a ripe one.

 
Of course, the 1 pod I managed to bag ISO looks kinda jacked.  At least that won't affect the genetics.

 
These CAP 1242, aren't.  The pod shape is on, but they appear to have crossed with something red.  They're supposed to be sort of an off orange/yellow, but instead they're off red.  The color isn't coming through in the picture, but they're definitely off-red, rather than normal red or the more orange color they appear in the pic. Unfortunately, I gave away the rest of the seed pack counting on this one so I probably won't be taking another shot at this next season.  Will definitely be growing a six-pack of the F2's though given the interesting "off" color expression.

 

[CaneDog]

On the wilds front one of the Blue Mysteries has a first ripe pod.

 
And is still trying to set more.

 
And my Tovarii are about the slowest ripening pods I've had, short of maybe Bishop's Crown or Aji Panca.  But a handful of them are finally about there.  They sure dump a lot of pollen.

 
The lignification on these guys is pretty cool too.

 

[Uncle Eckley]

Are the straws for holding on the bags?

Also, boy those things are tiny! What's the eating like?