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]

I took round II of rocotos to the community garden plot today.  It got up to only 53F today and sprinkled a little rain, but my soil temp under the hoop house was 70F a couple/few inches down.  All the containers are sunk into the soil so I expect they're holding reasonably warm temps overnight.  I added a couple 5g buckets of water in each hoop house today to increase the thermal mass.
 
The round II rocotos included these varieties. 
 
Canario / Yellow

   
 
 
CAP217 (Hyper Pube) / Yellow

 
 
Cusco / Yellow - with a little purple flexuosum stowed away in the back corner of the left container.

 
A couple Huallago brothers / Yellow

 
 
Aji Luqutu  a/k/a Aji Lucento / red
An interesting variety from Riobamba, Ecuador - backstory at https://kassenhoffgrowers.com/aji-lucento-pepper/

 
Tatiana F4 / Yellow

 
 
Mini Brown

 
 

 

[CaneDog]

I've been letting my bonchi grow unrestrained for a bit now and they're starting to get bigger and bushier.  I expect to pot them up this coming week so they can really start putting on some size.
 
Bonda Mahala

 

[Bhuter]

Oh! So THIS is where all the cool people hang out.

Outstanding specimens, CD! Just amazing! I can't find a single fault in the way they've been nurtured. (Not that I'm a pro...)

It appears, at least to me, that those plants shown will exhibit lateral growth...with the exception of the Cusco. That MIGHT be a "sky-reacher". Lol. What are your thoughts?

Look at that Bonchi! Holy mackerel! Gnome garden time? Mini-shrooms?

Excellent!!!!

EDIT: IS that Cusco a Pube?

 

[CaneDog]

Hey Bhuter.  Thanks, I'm happy with how they're doing. Would be great if they were a bit bigger, but they'll get there.
 
Sure, the Cusco is a pube.  I think what happened was they got moved out to my deck at a bad time and stretched some and that's why they look odd.  It should grow into a bushy type like most of the above ones - not a low sprawler or more upright type.  I haven't grown it before, but that's what I've heard.  I have another one just a little smaller that's much more symmetrical and "rococoto" looking.
 
The 2 that should grow different are the Lucento and mini-brown.  The Lucento is supposedly a climber and will hook onto a trellis and get pretty tall, so I'll put up a support for it. I'm interested to see how different it's growth really is - plus the pods are supposed to be outstanding fresh.  The mini-brown should be smaller and more compact.
 
And hey!  Big congrats for your grandson on the way!  That's just awesome!

 

[Bhuter]

Hey Bhuter.  Thanks, I'm happy with how they're doing. Would be great if they were a bit bigger, but they'll get there.
 
Sure, the Cusco is a pube.  I think what happened was they got moved out to my deck at a bad time and stretched some and that's why they look odd.  It should grow into a bushy type like most of the above ones - not a low sprawler or more upright type.  I haven't grown it before, but that's what I've heard.  I have another one just a little smaller that's much more symmetrical and "rococoto" looking.
 
The 2 that should grow different are the Lucento and mini-brown.  The Lucento is supposedly a climber and will hook onto a trellis and get pretty tall, so I'll put up a support for it. I'm interested to see how different it's growth really is - plus the pods are supposed to be outstanding fresh.  The mini-brown should be smaller and more compact.
 
And hey!  Big congrats for your grandson on the way!  That's just awesome!

Oh, wow! Thank you, bud! Yeah, I'm pretty stoked! Gonna have to find that boy a PEB = Pepper-Eating-Bib. Lol. Something every chilihead needs but never uses. Not that we drop pepper pieces on our shirts, but because we can't turn off the saliva, either. When you're a baby, you drool, have no teeth, eat soft food, load your drawers. When you're old, you drool, have no teeth, eat soft food, load your drawers. Hmmm...I think I'll be able to relate to this kid. Lol

Climbing Pubes! Oh the horror! Lol. (Actually sounds pretty awesome.)

 

[dragon49]

Nice grow!  
 
Whatever setup you have with your phone camera is much better than my iPhone's native camera app (tried a third-party paid camera app without improving anything).  Overall, I find that the iPhone camera and video cameras are awesome for most situations that don't require zooming.  The main problem is getting them to focus on small things, like baby Chile Pepper leaves and pods on the vine.  I'm not going to bother with any Iphone zoom lenses as none of them work with my Otterbox case.  Not breaking the glass when I drop my phone multiple times each day has more value than getting better pictures.
 
I also have a 35 mm Nikon Coolpix (older single non-replaceable lens - 18 x zoom) that isn't any better (unless I don't know how to use it properly) at focusing on small things.
 
Best of luck with the grow!
 
Keep on posting pics!

 

[Devv]

Oh, wow! Thank you, bud! Yeah, I'm pretty stoked! Gonna have to find that boy a PEB = Pepper-Eating-Bib. Lol. Something every chilihead needs but never uses. Not that we drop pepper pieces on our shirts, but because we can't turn off the saliva, either. When you're a baby, you drool, have no teeth, eat soft food, load your drawers. When you're old, you drool, have no teeth, eat soft food, load your drawers. Hmmm...I think I'll be able to relate to this kid. Lol

Climbing Pubes! Oh the horror! Lol. (Actually sounds pretty awesome.)

 

 

[Bhuter]

Nice grow!  
 
Whatever setup you have with your phone camera is much better than my iPhone's native camera app (tried a third-party paid camera app without improving anything).  Overall, I find that the iPhone camera and video cameras are awesome for most situations that don't require zooming.  The main problem is getting them to focus on small things, like baby Chile Pepper leaves and pods on the vine.  I'm not going to bother with any Iphone zoom lenses as none of them work with my Otterbox case.  Not breaking the glass when I drop my phone multiple times each day has more value than getting better pictures.
 
I also have a 35 mm Nikon Coolpix (older single non-replaceable lens - 18 x zoom) that isn't any better (unless I don't know how to use it properly) at focusing on small things.
 
Best of luck with the grow!
 
Keep on posting pics!

Thank you!! It's just my native camera app on iPhone SE. 12MP or 13MP I think. I hear ya on the focusing. My old IPhone 4 and this phone before iOS 10 or 11, had no problems focusing on small, close things. Now...a PITA. It took me a while to get the hang of that BS. So what I do is find your flower, get close and back up all while tapping your screen to focus. As soon as the little item looks in focus, snap the pic. Zoom in to check, and then screenshot it after proportioning it out.

This one was done that exact way. This is a zoomed-in screenshot.

Thanks again!

 

[Bhuter]

Nice grow!  
 
Whatever setup you have with your phone camera is much better than my iPhone's native camera app (tried a third-party paid camera app without improving anything).  Overall, I find that the iPhone camera and video cameras are awesome for most situations that don't require zooming.  The main problem is getting them to focus on small things, like baby Chile Pepper leaves and pods on the vine.  I'm not going to bother with any Iphone zoom lenses as none of them work with my Otterbox case.  Not breaking the glass when I drop my phone multiple times each day has more value than getting better pictures.
 
I also have a 35 mm Nikon Coolpix (older single non-replaceable lens - 18 x zoom) that isn't any better (unless I don't know how to use it properly) at focusing on small things.
 
Best of luck with the grow!
 
Keep on posting pics!

 

Also, you can down on the screen where you want in focus and that will lock the zoom/focus. Once locked, you can back up or pull in until the object is clear.

 

 

[dragon49]

Thank you!! It's just my native camera app on iPhone SE. 12MP or 13MP I think. I hear ya on the focusing. My old IPhone 4 and this phone before iOS 10 or 11, had no problems focusing on small, close things. Now...a PITA. It took me a while to get the hang of that BS. So what I do is find your flower, get close and back up all while tapping your screen to focus. As soon as the little item looks in focus, snap the pic. Zoom in to check, and then screenshot it after proportioning it out.

This one was done that exact way. This is a zoomed-in screenshot.

Thanks again!

 
I took my daily set of out of focus pictures before I read this. I'll try tomorrow and let you know how it worked out.  I've tried tapping on the item I want to focus on, but haven't backed up.

 

[Bhuter]

That's supposed to say "Hold Down" on the part you want to focus. ...until a square pops up. That's when it's focus-locked.

Sometimes you have to back up quite a ways to get it focused. Start over, then.

 

[CaneDog]

The last few weeks have been a lot of moving peppers in and out as progressive rounds harden off on my deck. My OW rocotos (at my community garden plot) are back outside 24/7 now after a brief week in a hoop house and have nice new green growth everywhere.  Two of my 3 planting rounds of rocotos are in one hoop house and the majority of my chinense are in the other.  The last round of rocotos and the annuums and assorted wilds are pretty-much hardened off on the deck now and within a couple days the weather might be good enough for them to stay out 24/7 without any cold protection.  Things are starting to feel manageable again after it getting a bit hairy for a while.
 
Here's a couple pics of my west hoop house after removing the OW rocotos and kicking-in the (mostly) chinense.  The front row is all scotch bonnets or bonnet wannabes: SB BBoyd, SB ABoatman, SB TFM, SSB BahaBeastF3, SB JLong, SB FOrange, SB Cappuccino, SSB BGoat, SB Choc, and SB PDreadie.  There's also a couple SSB Scotch Brain and an SB Faria from my off-season grow in the other rows.  The middle and back rows are mostly plants I grew indoors during the off-season, a few of which will need some good treatment after being neglected a bit during recent busy times.
 

 
 
 

 

[CaneDog]

I expect things will stay in the hoop houses pretty much as is for the next 2 weeks, then I'll plant everything into permanent locations.  My grow spots this year will be my two 10 x 40 foot community garden plots, at home (all in containers), and I'll distribute some plants to locations with friends and family for isolation or just to mooch off their growing space. 
 
Going to be a busy month until everything is transplanted and gets rooted in.

 

[Devv]

Looking good and, good to see everything outside in the sun buddy!

 

[CaneDog]

One more picture post for now. 
 
Pic 1 is one of my favorites so far this season.  It's supposed to be a USDA Cardenasii, but it looks to me like it might be crossed with a rocoto.  It's growing well with strong forking as well as aggressive lateral development (it's a bit hard to see in the pic, but it's a serious bush underneath the sparser upper growth).
 
Pic 2 is a USDA Card with what I expect as a more typical growth pattern, and when you compare the two the first seems to have more of a rocoto look to it.  I'm happy to have the cross, if it is, because it's a cool plant, but I'm a bit bummed now that I'll have to find a way to back-fill the breeding pair to be able to iso and produce true seed with confidence.
 
Pic 3 - the suspected cross is starting to flower now and the flowers are a cool purple campanulate.  
 
Suspect Card x Rocoto cross

 
 
Apparent true USDA Cardenasii

 
Suspect cross flower.

 

[Sawyer]

Some great stuff happening here. I really enjoyed the back story on the Aji Lucento.

 

[Ghost Pepper Revolution]

Hes always got some good stuff going on in his glog

 

[saiias]

Hey CD, your adapt a rookie for this year?

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

 

[podz]

The Cutting Edge of Capsicum Horticulture is on this Board.
 
I'm surprised that more Pros don't spend time here.
 
I know I said that I don't need seeds, but Dog could you hook me up with a seed or two for next season's grow? :-) This is seriously interesting.

 

[CaneDog]

The Cutting Edge of Capsicum Horticulture is on this Board.
 
I'm surprised that more Pros don't spend time here.
 
I know I said that I don't need seeds, but Dog could you hook me up with a seed or two for next season's grow? :-) This is seriously interesting.

 
Thanks Podz.  Far from that, but I am enjoying having more variety in my grow list than usual and quite a few new-to-me varieties.  Hopefully I'll find some new "old favorites" this season and will get good iso seed from most of these guys - though some will be more difficult than others.
 
On that note, just keep and eye on things and see what you like and talk to me around harvest time. I'm always happy to give back when I can to people that help to make THP such a good place.