CaneDog 2020

2020 is underway, so it's time to start the new season's glog!  Odd times though, as I'm still harvesting stragglers from last season while the earliest of my 2020 starts are already up.  Grow areas are a bit disorganized as a result 
 
This season's grow should be a little more balanced than last season, though I'll still have a ridiculous number of rocotos - many OW's plus a bunch of new varieties - and quite a few carry-over OW wilds, too.
 
A big "thanks" to all who shared seeds with me for this season.  I'm appreciative and excited to have lots of cool varieties in the mix, many of which I got to watch you grow last season and can now try myself.  I think I'm current with everyone, but if by any chance you were expecting seeds from me that may have slipped through the cracks just shoot me a PM.
 
As I mentioned, things aren't super organized right now, but here's a few pics anyway.
 
I planted a few seeds early, just because I couldn't hold off the extra few weeks without planting something.
 
Amarillo de Arequipa Rocoto just popped- Thanks CTB!

 
Ecuador Sweet Rocoto twins - and a big shout out to the two peeps who sent me seeds for these. Both sources germinated and I'm really happy to have them growing.  Disclaimer: they may look overly wet, but these just got sprayed (to avoid HH's) and it's a very porous medium.

 
Put another few rocotos in to soak today.

 
This is a galapagoense that popped a few days back, exactly 100 days after sowing.

 
And this pod contains Jalapeno Zapotec x Purple Jalapeno F1, one of a couple F1 JZ crosses I'll be growing out this season. The other is Tekne Dolmasi x JZ.

 
Finally, I got a solid recommendation on a new media mix I'll be trying out this season in a few variations. The mix is heavy in partially composted bark fines, a fir/hemlock mix as pine's hard to get locally. It's proving to be a veritable mycelium factory.  Bodes well for good symbiosis with the appropriate fungal species this year.

 

 
Heck, they're even fruiting out the drainage holes... 

 
 
That's it for now.  Good luck to all in 2020!
CD

 

[Bhuter]

Thank, man.  I just reading about some of your crosses while catching up with your recent glog post just now.  Your plants really seemed to have grown a ton over the last little while.  I didn't get the CGN 22184 you sent me to sprout, so it's cool to see yours.  However, I did get one of the peach amazonian frutescens you sent me to pop and it's starting to get bushy in the T5HO tent.  Looks like it's going to be a good one.

Uh-oh.......!!!!!!
We had opposing problems.
I tried 3 times to germinate the Amazonian. No luck!
FAN-FRICKIN'-TASTIC that it worked that way!

CGN 22184

 

[Pr0digal_son]

Thanks, E.  I'm pulling for your Haskorea. That has to be frustrating seeing the leaves go limp like that - though I will say that pod in the picture looks outstanding!  I hope I can still get some decent production from mine despite that it's behind where it should be for the season.  I did give it a prime raised bed spot, so the ball's in its court. 
 

 
Thanks, Prodigal.  I hope your grow is doing well.  I remember you had some very cool plants growing. 
 
The galapagoense has been a fun grow since I got it back on track.  It's interesting to hear you comment on the smaller container.  I read enough in advance to have an idea how to give it suitable conditions, but the smaller pot was trial and error.  I'd potted it up into a slightly bigger and deeper container and it didn't like it at all - I've been thinking likely the depth resulted in wetter feet than it preferred.  I moved it back to a smaller pot with slightly better media porosity and it's been happy since the change.

Yeah,I have all but given up on peppers for Jaltomata species. We had a 6 week span without rain and temps in the mid 90s. Not the best weather for those plants but things have cooled off alittle now. Fingers crossed that I can build some seed stock.

I never noticed galapas needing anything too special but would agree that they would benefit from being a bit drier. When I get a chance I can send you some photos showing plants in small containers producing 3 or 4 times more berries than plants in the ground. They need a ridiculously long season and you can shorten that up with your approach.

 

[Tybo]

My galapagoense has been setting pods for a while now, but appears to be starting to slow.  As this is my first experience growing it, I'm happy that production has been as good as it has.  Given how well a few other people are doing with this one too, perhaps it's not quite as finicky as I'd been led to believe. That said, it wasn't quite plant it and forget it either - at least not for me  - but I after a few adjustments along the way it seems pretty happy.
 
Here's a pic of the plant.  It's in a fairly small 5" container and is about 15" tall and wide.  Growing inside in my T5HO tent.

20200723 Galapagoense1K.jpg
 
That galapagoense looks good CD.  5" is a small container.  I put mine in a 5 gallon bucket.  It seems to be doing well.  Hopefully the grow season is long enough this year for the pods to ripen.
"Growing inside my T5H0 tent"?  Pic looks like it's outside.  That's one big tent!
 

 

[CaneDog]

Yeah,I have all but given up on peppers for Jaltomata species. We had a 6 week span without rain and temps in the mid 90s. Not the best weather for those plants but things have cooled off alittle now. Fingers crossed that I can build some seed stock.

I never noticed galapas needing anything too special but would agree that they would benefit from being a bit drier. When I get a chance I can send you some photos showing plants in small containers producing 3 or 4 times more berries than plants in the ground. They need a ridiculously long season and you can shorten that up with your approach.

 
Would be great to see those photo's - and feel free to either post them here for everyone to see if you like.
 

 

My galapagoense has been setting pods for a while now, but appears to be starting to slow.  As this is my first experience growing it, I'm happy that production has been as good as it has.  Given how well a few other people are doing with this one too, perhaps it's not quite as finicky as I'd been led to believe. That said, it wasn't quite plant it and forget it either - at least not for me  - but I after a few adjustments along the way it seems pretty happy.
 
Here's a pic of the plant.  It's in a fairly small 5" container and is about 15" tall and wide.  Growing inside in my T5HO tent.

20200723 Galapagoense1K.jpg
 
That galapagoense looks good CD.  5" is a small container.  I put mine in a 5 gallon bucket.  It seems to be doing well.  Hopefully the grow season is long enough this year for the pods to ripen.
"Growing inside my T5H0 tent"?  Pic looks like it's outside.  That's one big tent!
 

 

 
  Man, it is a lot of work fitting half my backyard into a 4x2 tent, but what's really Hell is running the lawnmower in there!  Haha.  I was having trouble getting a decent indoor picture as I sometimes do, so I took the plant outside to see if I could do better.
 
I think the last picture I saw of your Galap was maybe a couple weeks back, but it was looking strong and already getting big.  You have a pretty long season too, so hopefully it not only fills up with lots of pods, but they all have time to ripen.

 

[CaneDog]

Uh-oh.......!!!!!!
We had opposing problems.
I tried 3 times to germinate the Amazonian. No luck!
FAN-FRICKIN'-TASTIC that it worked that way!

 
It definitely is!  I see an exchange in our near future

 

[Tybo]

 
 
 
  Man, it is a lot of work fitting half my backyard into a 4x2 tent, but what's really Hell is running the lawnmower in there!  Haha.  

 
Ha!  I didnt think about the lawn mowing.  Watch that CO build-up!

 

[CaneDog]

Most all the rocotos are podding up by now, even the later-started ones.  I grabbed some quick pics of a couple.  Lots going on with the peppers at my house right now and it would be a good time for me to be taking more pictures.
 
Rocoto Puna Pica

 

 

 
Rocoto Hyperpube-X

 

 

[dragonsfire]

Same as mine, flowering

 

[CaneDog]

Whoops - I'll try again to make the full post, below. 

 

[CaneDog]

It was overcast this morning, so a good opportunity to take a few pictures.
 
The Giant Yellow Rocoto x Rocopica F1 continues to be a really cool plant.  It's 3 feet tall from the soil with a 6 foot x 6.5 foot wingspan and produces in clusters all along the branches.  I'd like to get a picture of the whole plant soon, but it's going to be a challenge.

 
Cap 1491 Eximium.  This variety has always been really vigorous.  They germinate consistently well, grow quickly and produce early and dependably.  You can see in the second pic that the "extra" seeds I planted have now germinated and survived, despite that the cup has been just sitting outside receiving no special treatment.

 

 
The two 1491 x USDA Cardenasii F1's that are flowering and starting to set fruit.

 

 
Eximium not Buforum

 
This is the smaller pheno of two Rocopica F2 I have growing.  Both were started late, but this one was very quick to flower.  The other is a taller, less branched (currently) plant, and is not far from flowering.

 
CAP 500 Eximium is not quite there yet, but close.

 
Tovarii.  No shortage of blossoms, flowers, or pollen.  Hopefully they'll set in higher numbers this year than last.

 
The big Purple Flexuosum not looking very purple at mid-summer, but will color up again once the weather cools.

 
Lots of production all over the P Flex.

 
An outdoor Baccatum Fragilis is forking.  I hope there's enough time for it to set some pods this season.  I don't mind pulling it inside at the end of the season to ripen existing pods, but if nothing's set by then I'll probably just cut it back and OW it.

 
First reaper pod doesn't seem to know what shape it's supposed to be, but not so far off as to suspect the seed was crossed.

 
PdN is podding up

 
As is Rocoto CAP 1242

 
And Urfa Biber - this pod is on a very small "seed" plant on my deck, but still is pretty big.  I expect good things from the ones in the garden.

 

 

[ahayastani]

Nice Especially the tovarii and the rocopica

 

[dragonsfire]

Nice!

 

[CaneDog]

A couple more from inside
 
Galapagoense has its first pod ripening.

 
This next one is a Hyperpube-X x CGN Cardenasii F1, and it's turning out much different than I expected.  First, the plant is growing more like a rocoto than a rocopica. Second, the flowers look like rocoto flowers, not like typical rocopica flowers.  Also, the pods are not in a round shape, but instead are longer than wide and seem to have a bit of the "cube" look of the Hyper-X.
 
I'm wondering if the cross didn't take and it's simply a 100% rocoto.  I guess I'll have to wait and see.  If it did cross, what it's doing is definitely interesting.
 

 

 

[Tybo]

Nice pics as always!  Good to see your Galapagoense ripening.  I thought I saw a fruit ripening on mine today but turns out it was a lady bug!  I need new glasses.

 

[CaneDog]

A few more shots from the back deck.  
 
Purple Flowered Baccatum ala Bhuter.

 
Wild Cumari from Leo.  This one grew from the lighter colored seeds of the two "wild cumari" packs.  A cumari from the darker seeds forked recently and should be flowering soon.

 
CAP 1491 Eximium x USDA Cardenasii F1.  These show more Cardenasii in the cross than Eximium, except perhaps when it comes to production, which is prolific like the 1491.

 

 
Eximium Not Buforum, courtesy of CTB.  As expected, I'm getting a much lighter purple flower from these than from other eximium.  And good production.

 

 

 
The king of production continues to be the Giant Yellow Rocoto x Rocopica F1.  Also the king of wingspan, which has now surpassed 7 feet.  

 

 

 
And lastly, my first SRP pod is finally ripe.  I really hope I like the pods on these, as they seem to produce very well and look great.

 

[Bookers]

Spectacular

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[BDASPNY]

looking great as always!

 

[Bookers]

Work work work! Peppers are growing. Pubescents are slow. Lots of flowers pods slow to follow.
Cheers to everyone...

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[CaneDog]

Another round of pics.  Everything really seems to be doing great now; lots of growth and pods setting everywhere.  It's about a month later than I'd prefer, but I'll take it.  Hopefully fall won't come too soon this year.
 
The Tovarii are definitely setting better than last year. Here's a cluster of pods forming. 

 
And there's tons of these clusters all over the plants, which are each > 6 feet tall now. Should be plenty of pods.

 
Here's a lonely looking flower on my CAP 1478 Praetermissum.  There are more flowers spaced evenly around the plant, but they only appeared over the last few days.  They look like they should set, but it might be a close call whether they will ripen outside before it's too late.

 
This PdN is in a somewhat shaded area of the back yard, but it's producing just fine.  It doesn't have quite as much color and darkness to it as the one in the sun, though. 
Front view PdN. 

 
Reverse view PdN.

 
This is a cutting I took from a full-size Cardenasii last season and kept OW.  It hasn't grown big, but it's flowering well and producing.

 
On the subject of Card's, I have 2 of these CAP 1491 x USDA Card F1's that have been strong growing and well-producing plants.

 
This is supposed to be a Hyperpube-X x CGN Cardenasii F1, but it looks more like an uncrossed rocoto.  I'm not 100% sure yet, but it's been setting well so if it is a hybrid I'll have isolated seed.

 
And I have the first ripe isolated pod on the Rocoto CAP 1242 x USDA Cardenasii F1.  It looks like most rocopicas now, but next season I'm hoping to find some cool stuff in the F2, including the orange of the CAP 1242 pods and maybe even some of their shape, too.

 
The Flexuosum are happily chugging along. This time of the year the Purple Flexuosum looks very similar to the standard coloration, though the standard looks a little more green.  The purple will color up again as the weather starts to cool off next month.
 
Purple Flex flower

 
Standard Flex flower

 
Here's a flower shot of Eximium Not Buforum.  Even though I just posted similar the other day, I liked the look of this.

 
And for grins, a couple pods.
 
Yellow Spice Jalap looking yellow.  Its days are numbered - and that number is 1.

 
Aji Lucento Rocoto - with a sun tan.  This is an OW plant and last year the pods were very smooth and oblong.  This season they have a lot more character.

 

[HeatMiser]

Awesome pics CD, seems like production has ramped up quite a bit. Would be cool to see that 6+ ft. plant!
 
Also hoping for a little more summer weather. Not looking forward to the rain yet!