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

 

[CaneDog]

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!

 
Thanks HM!  Production is finally up across the board.  There's a few plants in particular I'd really like to get full pictures of, but they need temporary relocation for a decent shot and navigating the deck jungle with big breakable plants is enough of a hassle I've been putting it off.  Plus early morning is best for those types of pictures and, to be quite frank, early morning is usually not when I'm my most industrious. 
 
You and me both on the weather.  I couldn't believe it when we got those cool rainy days toward the end of last week. As late as things got going this year, every day should be a good one now and summer sun through the end of September would go a long way toward making up for the rip-off we got at the front-end of the season. 

 

[BDASPNY]

incredible pics as usual!  one day ill produce stuff of that quality.
 
 how do you like those lemon spice jalapeno? my plants are kind of small but are producing very well.  they also seem to ripen really quick.  ill be growing them again for sure.  I just made a small jar of cowboy candy with them.

 

[CaneDog]

incredible pics as usual!  one day ill produce stuff of that quality.
 
 how do you like those lemon spice jalapeno? my plants are kind of small but are producing very well.  they also seem to ripen really quick.  ill be growing them again for sure.  I just made a small jar of cowboy candy with them.

 
Thanks man!  Looking forward to seeing you with those loads of ripe pods again soon.  Your harvests last season were just killer and I'm sure you have some bountiful ones on the way.
 
I've never made or tried cowboy candy, but it sounds like it could be pretty good.  Do you add any extra heat or do you get enough zing from just the jalapenos themselves?  Think that would be good with serrano pods? 
 
I'm a huge fan of the yellow spice jalap plants and will be growing them again for sure, too.  The two I've grown have been very strong and I think the leaves in particular look great.  As to the pods, I'm just now chowing on one and it has very good flavor.  Unfortunately, there's no perceptible heat to me.  I won't attribute that to the pepper though, as it was a very cool season until recently and everything so far has lacked the oomph.  I have a bigger yellow spice in a raised bed at the community garden and this one's getting into a new batch of pods, so I'm hopeful still that the later ones have more kick.  

 

[Tybo]

 
 
I'm a huge fan of the yellow spice jalap plants and will be growing them again for sure, too.  The two I've grown have been very strong and I think the leaves in particular look great.  As to the pods, I'm just now chowing on one and it has very good flavor.  Unfortunately, there's no perceptible heat to me.  I won't attribute that to the pepper though, as it was a very cool season until recently and everything so far has lacked the oomph.  I have a bigger yellow spice in a raised bed at the community garden and this one's getting into a new batch of pods, so I'm hopeful still that the later ones have more kick.  

 
I have a couple of lemon spice plants myself and like you I think it has a really good flavor but very little heat at all.  At least I know it's not just my plants without the heat.  

 

[Siv]

I grew lemon spice jalps last year and they're definitely milder than regular jalps. They're a nice colourful addition to salads and things for non pepper people but not nearly hot enough for me. We ended up using them to make pepper jelly to give to non pepper friends.

 

[CaneDog]

Well shoot, that's not positive. I figured they might do better under warmer conditions.  NMCI boasts some pretty high SHU's for all their "spice" jalapenos, IIRC, though they're commercial varieties so it makes sense they'd be more on the tame and colorful side.
 
Guess I'm still looking for that holy grail jalapano with size, flavor, and heat. 

 

[dragonsfire]

I gave up on Jalapenos, no consistency, the Eljefe were far better versions.

 

[BlackFatalii]

NMCI boasts some pretty high SHU's for all their "spice" jalapenos

 
I found the Lemon Spice to be really sweet and mild. It actually reminded me a little bit of Aji Fantasy. But the Orange Spice was much hotter than the Lemon. It might just be the hottest Jalapeno that I have tried so far. 

 

[CaneDog]

I gave up on Jalapenos, no consistency, the Eljefe were far better versions.

 
They don't seem to be a great match for this climate and getting consistent results is a challenge.  Seems like some of the better-reviewed types are F1 hybrids (unfortunately, as I prefer true seed varieties), which perhaps have that extra vigor to perform better under different conditions. 
 

I found the Lemon Spice to be really sweet and mild. It actually reminded me a little bit of Aji Fantasy. But the Orange Spice was much hotter than the Lemon. It might just be the hottest Jalapeno that I have tried so far. 

 
I thought the same of their flavor.  Orange Spice is definitely supposed to be significantly hotter based on NMSU's write-ups, but for me the early pods weren't.  I do have a nice ripe orange pod hanging outside, though, so maybe I'll see if they're heating up as the season progresses.
 
I've also noticed - in my very limited experience with the 'Spice' varieties - that the Orange Spice plants aren't nearly as nice and vigorous as the Lemon Spice ones.

 

[BDASPNY]

 
Thanks man!  Looking forward to seeing you with those loads of ripe pods again soon.  Your harvests last season were just killer and I'm sure you have some bountiful ones on the way.
 
I've never made or tried cowboy candy, but it sounds like it could be pretty good.  Do you add any extra heat or do you get enough zing from just the jalapenos themselves?  Think that would be good with serrano pods? 
 
I'm a huge fan of the yellow spice jalap plants and will be growing them again for sure, too.  The two I've grown have been very strong and I think the leaves in particular look great.  As to the pods, I'm just now chowing on one and it has very good flavor.  Unfortunately, there's no perceptible heat to me.  I won't attribute that to the pepper though, as it was a very cool season until recently and everything so far has lacked the oomph.  I have a bigger yellow spice in a raised bed at the community garden and this one's getting into a new batch of pods, so I'm hopeful still that the later ones have more kick.  

 
I don't usually add more heat to the cowboy candy but there's no reason you couldn't.  id think any pepper you like would be great like this.
 
im still hoping for a ton of pods but not all that hopeful.  we are finally getting some good rain and the plants are responding well so I could very well be surprised.
 
 
the lemon spice seemed to have a fair amount of heat of jalapeno level heat. I will say we've had blistering heat and its stressed all of my plants so that could of helped. my plants aren't that big compared to the other jalapeno but they are producing consistently and quickly over all the rest. there always seems to be 10 or so mature pods on each and all of them are under 2 feet high. they're great in salsa and add some nice color too.    I may start some of these extra early to get a head start next year.

 

[BDASPNY]

 
They don't seem to be a great match for this climate and getting consistent results is a challenge.  Seems like some of the better-reviewed types are F1 hybrids (unfortunately, as I prefer true seed varieties), which perhaps have that extra vigor to perform better under different conditions. 
 
 
I thought the same of their flavor.  Orange Spice is definitely supposed to be significantly hotter based on NMSU's write-ups, but for me the early pods weren't.  I do have a nice ripe orange pod hanging outside, though, so maybe I'll see if they're heating up as the season progresses.
 
I've also noticed - in my very limited experience with the 'Spice' varieties - that the Orange Spice plants aren't nearly as nice and vigorous as the Lemon Spice ones.

id be interested in swapping some seeds for the orange spice when you have them.  after loving the lemon version id like to try these.

 

[CaneDog]

id be interested in swapping some seeds for the orange spice when you have them.  after loving the lemon version id like to try these.

 

 

[lespaulde]

Nice discussion on the jalas, in top of all the gorgeous pics!

My lemon spices so far have also been mild, and also heard from Semillas that theirs were milder last season which might explain.

The orange spice have a serious kick to them in my opinion, but also agree with CD that their vigour is less than impressive. The Zapotecs seem to strike a good balance on both, as do the Early Jalapeños in my experience (and climate). The NuMex Pumpkin spice has lots of pods this year, but no ripe ones yet so I can't comment quite yet. Will also be able to test the Jaloro later this season which are quite vigorous but not sure on flavor.

What about the rayado CD, any pods on those yet? They have me very excited!


Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

 

[CaneDog]

What about the rayado CD, any pods on those yet? They have me very excited!

 
I'm pretty psyched about them, too.  No pods yet, though.  Mine are still pretty small and I just saw the first flower.
 
Tybo's growing these and his have been getting big faster than mine.  I bet he has pods on his plants by now.

 

[Harry_Dangler]

 
I found the Lemon Spice to be really sweet and mild. It actually reminded me a little bit of Aji Fantasy. But the Orange Spice was much hotter than the Lemon. It might just be the hottest Jalapeno that I have tried so far. 

We're growing both Lemon Spice and Orange Spice.  Both have been mild this year.  This year there's very little perceptible difference.  All of our Jalapenos have been mild.  Lots of pods but not much on the heat.  Even the Biker Billys and Zapotecs have been mild.  

 

[Tybo]

 
I'm pretty psyched about them, too.  No pods yet, though.  Mine are still pretty small and I just saw the first flower.
 
Tybo's growing these and his have been getting big faster than mine.  I bet he has pods on his plants by now.

 
 
Hope you don't mind me posting the pics here in response but, yeah I have 1 plant that has pods.  Lots of blooms too.  The other two plants have blooms but are not setting any fruit yet.  
 
Chilli Rayado

 
Chilli Rayado in the 3 gallon yangbaga pots 

 

[CaneDog]

  Thanks for posting the pics, Tybo  It looks like that one is podding up quite well.

 

[CraftyFox]

Just a little update.. 
DeSorta.. Almost there! Even smaller pods than last year. I should probably upgrade or seriously prune this on both ends.

Little Brown.. Finally setting. Definitely something going on here, probably related to the soap treatment last year. They aren't normally this dark, are they?

DeSeda and Little Brown.. DeSeda has been flowering longer but refuses to set.

 
Some of the emerging new recruits.. KS White Thai- Thanks to Roper2008 and the Train!

 

 

[PaulG]

Looking good, CD! Glad to see your growth and production
are up with the advent of decent weather. Out grows are
proceeding pretty much in parallel this season. I could agree
with everything you said about your grow! Really enjoyed
your pics of the wilds.

 

[CaneDog]

Just a little update.. 
DeSorta.. Almost there! Even smaller pods than last year. I should probably upgrade or seriously prune this on both ends.

Little Brown.. Finally setting. Definitely something going on here, probably related to the soap treatment last year. They aren't normally this dark, are they?

DeSeda and Little Brown.. DeSeda has been flowering longer but refuses to set.

Some of the emerging new recruits.. KS White Thai- Thanks to Roper2008 and the Train!

 
My De Seda and De Sorta had big solid pods last season in the ground with lots of leg room.  The De Seda I OW'd, however, has significantly smaller pods this year despite being in a 5g HD bucket.
 
Your mini brown looks very much like mine did, with dark, healthy leaves; lots of branching and cool structure; and generally a small plant with smaller leaves.  And lots of blooms, too.  To my mind, that's the desirable phenotype for it and I'd expect small, dark, and well-shaped ovate pods - which unfortunately for me were quite bland   Mine did set pretty quickly though, perhaps due to our generally cooler weather here.
 
Thanks for sharing the pics.  Hope those new ones really take off for you!