CaneDog 2021

Well, here we go again.  The indoor offseason got away from me around the turn of the year, so I decided to shut things down and start clean with the new outdoor season. 
 
I dropped all the wilds, rocotos, baccatum, chinense and frutescens earlier this month and, excepting wilds, pretty much everything is up and growing.  One thing I did different this year was I didn't presoak seeds, except for a few wilds.  I checked the days-to-germinate for the first round varieties against how they did last year and, based on a quick look, it seems they were generally maybe a couple days slower, which is about what I'd expect.
 
Today, I transplanted all the baccatum (except Berry Amarillo) plus a few Moz Piri Piri (thanks Tybo!), which are sitting on top of the lights until they root in a bit and can go back below. 

 
I'm upping my tomato game this season - or at least increasing the varieties.  Usually I just grow San Marzano and Moskvich, maybe the occasional other.  This season I'm branching out a bit more with the varieties, which include Black Krim and Opalka from Dragonsfire and a bunch from Sandia.  I figure tomatoes usually germinate easy enough, so I just stuck them in a humidome toward the back of the T5HO tent where I hope they'll be happy. 

 
The other big task today was dropping all the annuum into the Coleman.  After this annuum round I'll have just a final 2 varieties I'm waiting for in the mail, then I'll be done starting peppers for the season.

 
The last bit of news is I lucked out and will have access to two 10' x 40' plots at the community garden this year, which will include the better-located one that was new to me last year.  I was concerned I'd have access to only 1 this season, which would have significantly decreased my grow.  Anyhow, I'm super happy to have all that space and I'm sure I'll find a way to make it seem like not quite enough
 
Thanks to all who contributed seeds and otherwise to my grow this year.  I hope everyone blows the doors off it this summer!
 
CD

 

[Tybo]

Hey Tybo.  Thanks, I'm a fan of the big leaves with the bubbly look.  Bonnets are generally a great example of that.
 
Yep, the BBoyds were dead on pheno and yellow so I'm hoping to maintain a stock of true seeds.  I remember the BB Reds from your glog and they're an interesting twist on the original.  Really surprising that they crossed out and held the shape so well.  Do I remember correctly that they had a good bonnet flavor, too?  I'll be curious to how well they hold shape and color in the F2 generation.
 
You are correct.  I liked the flavor, heat and color from these.  I'm actually hoping they duplicate last years pods!  
 

 

[HeatMiser]

That is really odd. My T5s have lasted much longer,
but the tubes are starting to get shadows on the ends.
Sure sign death throes are coming. If I had to replace
12 4' lamps every year, I'd probably opt out of the
indoor growing. 

 
Having to replace the tubes almost made me quit, since lighting is the most expensive part of (at least my) indoor grows. I don't have to replace 100% of the tubes every grow (8 tubes total), but I do have to have a 5-pack available because there will certainly be casualties during the season.

 

[PaulG]

 
Having to replace the tubes almost made me quit, since lighting is the most expensive part of (at least my) indoor grows. I don't have to replace 100% of the tubes every grow (8 tubes total), but I do have to have a 5-pack available because there will certainly be casualties during the season.

I need to follow your lead on this one, my friend.
Before it becomes a necessity!

 

[CaneDog]

Not too much happening here other than little plants growing bigger.
 
First to flower award this season goes to Mozambique Piri Piri.  It's my first season growing this one - seeds courtesy of Tybo.  I'm also growing a Zimbabwe Piri Piri (African Devil) I was super happy with last season, which originally came from Crafty Fox.  The Zimbabwe isn't quite as precocious as the Moz variety, but will likely be flowering soon, too.  Looking forward to some good sauces with these two.
 

 

[Tybo]

Looking good CD.  Mine had some buds starting bud I pinched them off.  It's so small still and it'll be a few more weeks until plant out.  
Like you, Im looking forward to trying some sauce from these!  

 

[PaulG]

Interesting little knobby calyx teeth on the Piri-Piri.

 

[stettoman]

100%, 'Dog. Tell me they're hot--        
 

 

[CaneDog]

Nice work with those, Stetto!   Yeah, the ones I've grown have some heat.  I'd put them in the second tier where they're not as hot as some of the high-end ones, but they have a solid warm glow to them. 
 
My experience has been the plants need to get to a decent size to produce good numbers, but they'll kick out some really solid pods.

 

[PaulG]

We need more Dogster!
 
Can't wait to see your grow when it
really gets rollin', my friend.
 
Bring it!

 

[CaneDog]

I broke off a little time to snap some pictures of a few things that caught my eye.
 
First billing goes to Heatmiser's Texas Tepin (c.2014).  This is last year's plant, which was small but looking great before it went into OW.  Unfortunately it suffered over the winter.  It got knocked sideways last year, which I didn't correct because I thought it looked cool.  I want to trim off the scraggly stuff and force it to put out new growth along the stem, but I think I'll wait until it shows better recovery before I mess with it.

 
I have 3 new Texas Tepin growing from HM's wild-collected 2014 seeds, so I'm covered even if the OW doesn't recover. I didn't get pods last season, but I'm committed to getting them this time.  Here's one of the little guys.  They've had about the right amount of time after transplant to start putting on size now.

 
Here's a Berry Amarillo.  First time growing these.  I have a couple.  One I'll try to get big by transplanting it into the community garden in a good location for baccatum.  The other one I plan to keep small as a backup in case the other is hybridized or has issues.   

 
OW De Seda Rocoto.  I have a lot of OW's and they've been reacting to the longer warmer days recently, so I'm trying to keep up with pruning and repotting.  This guy doesn't need pruning, but it's desperate for a bigger container with fresh soil.

 
Scotch Brain - with the cool leaves so common to scotch bonnets.  This guy was from open pollinated seeds from a perfect phenotype, so I really hope it grows true.

 
That's about it for this post.  The rest are mostly wilds so I'll post them in PaulG's thread.

 

[PaulG]

Looking good, CD, nice healthy specimens.
 
Speaking of nice specimens, the Rocopica Brown
are beginning to grow:

Thanks for sharing those seeds last season.
I hope to get better production this season.

 

[HeatMiser]

Good to see those Tepins again CD, pretty sure you'll get the OW one to bounce back.
 
How was germination on the other 3 you have? They took ~3 months for me to get them to start this time...

 

[CaneDog]

Looking good, CD, nice healthy specimens.
 
Speaking of nice specimens, the Rocopica Brown
are beginning to grow:
 
Thanks for sharing those seeds last season.
I hope to get better production this season.

 
Great to see that they're doing well for you Mr. G.  The leaves seem happy and like they're getting just the right amount of light.  It's a good start to turn them into some impressive bushes this season.

 

[CaneDog]

Good to see those Tepins again CD, pretty sure you'll get the OW one to bounce back.
 
How was germination on the other 3 you have? They took ~3 months for me to get them to start this time...

 
I hope so.  It was a good looking plant last season, but I couldn't bring it home before the cold weather came in and did it's thing.  It looks like it's coming back, though.
 
Checked my notes and last season the first took 54 days to hook and as I remember the 2 others followed within a couple days.  This season the first took 9 days and all 3 were up by the next day.  All your 2014 seeds.  Go figure.  
 
So, how are you enjoying the local heat wave Mr. Miser?  Nice to have some sunny and warm again.  I have a deck full of plants that seem pretty happy about it, too.

 

[HeatMiser]

 
I hope so.  It was a good looking plant last season, but I couldn't bring it home before the cold weather came in and did it's thing.  It looks like it's coming back, though.
 
Checked my notes and last season the first took 54 days to hook and as I remember the 2 others followed within a couple days.  This season the first took 9 days and all 3 were up by the next day.  All your 2014 seeds.  Go figure.  
 
So, how are you enjoying the local heat wave Mr. Miser?  Nice to have some sunny and warm again.  I have a deck full of plants that seem pretty happy about it, too.

 
Those are some hardy plants, pretty sure it will turn the corner despite having been a bit cold. It's in good hands...
 
That's quite the spread on germination time. Similar to my experience - last year they took about a week to get the first hooks.
 
We absolutely love the weather, I'm finally going to be moving the rest of my coco plants outside. Other than that, it's grilling, bbq and kayaking/fishing weather - and with 50% of the county having gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, we should start turning the corner on this thing at last. What's not to love? Hope you're enjoying it as much as we are!

 

[PaulG]

Hooray for nice Spring PNW weather  
 
At least for awhile. I'm always waiting
for, you know...
 
Oh well, let's enjoy the next week or so!

 

[CaneDog]

Hooray for nice Spring PNW weather     At least for awhile. I'm always waiting for, you know...  Oh well, let's enjoy the next week or so!

 
Yep, so many times it tricks me into thinking summer is here when we still have May and June between us and then.  Best we can do is enjoy it while it's here and hope this is one of those years that May and June step up.  We'll be close to 80F here these current few days and the overnights are way up as well. 
 
I have the new rocotos, baccatum and rocopica out on the deck and they don't seem phased by the rapid introduction to full sun.  Judging by your posts, it seems your plants are similarly making a smooth transition so far - does that seem to be the case?

 

[ze_test]

Not too much happening here other than little plants growing bigger.
 
First to flower award this season goes to Mozambique Piri Piri.  It's my first season growing this one - seeds courtesy of Tybo.  I'm also growing a Zimbabwe Piri Piri (African Devil) I was super happy with last season, which originally came from Crafty Fox.  The Zimbabwe isn't quite as precocious as the Moz variety, but will likely be flowering soon, too.  Looking forward to some good sauces with these two.
 

20210403 MozPiri.jpg

Hi
Very pretty photo 
What's the diference between the  Mozambique Piri Piri and the  Zimbabwe Piri Piri (African Devil) ?
Last year i baptized with :
big piri piri
normal piri piri
i thing it's mozambique piri piri we call were jundungo  (it´s small piri piri) 
and i get another big jindungo with some seeds front other lokation of  jindungo 

 

[CaneDog]

Hi
Very pretty photo 
What's the diference between the  Mozambique Piri Piri and the  Zimbabwe Piri Piri (African Devil) ?
Last year i baptized with :
big piri piri
normal piri piri
i thing it's mozambique piri piri we call were jundungo  (it´s small piri piri) 
and i get another big jindungo with some seeds front other lokation of  jindungo 

 
Hey ze_test. Thanks.  I remember you posting about piri piri before and found that interesting.  My take on the Zim piri is that it's quite hot and has smooth very upright pods which are bigger than many of the bird peppers.  Production is good, though of course it's not as productive as the smaller bird peppers.  I'm not sure exactly how to describe the flavor, but it was subtle and clean.
 
I haven't grown the Moz before, but what I've seen and heard of it is that it's a longer narrower pod, strong production, and the pods are more nodding than erect.  Also, they have less heat and a more distinct flavor perhaps leaning a bit toward a cayenne.  I suspect there are multiple varieties of Moz piri piri and Zim piri piri too.  This Moz does sound different than yours.
 
I'd be happy to share seeds with you if you wanted to try either or both; I just won't have seeds of the Moz until I collect some after harvest.
 
Here's some pics of the Zim from last season if you're interested.
 
I've seen them show some darkness early on, like a little bit of anthocyanin

 

 

 

 

[stettoman]

Hey 'Dog, did that lone Aji Oro germ for ya? Believe it or not I got 100% out of mine! I hate culling, but I had no idea they'd come up like this!

Thing is, with everything going on here this year I absent-mindedly left all the Ajo Oro, Rocoto Rojo, Hyper X and your Awesome Orange seeds in the kerosene/WD40 solution for THREE FULL DAYS before sticking them in dirt (Fox Farm Ocean Forest), and they all popped within the week. Last year sucked for germination, this year is gangbusters. That Ocean Forest just became my seedling medium.

Keep me posted on your Aji Oro, if she pops, eh?