ChilliCrosser 2021 Belated Glog

OK, I know this is late in the season but having just registered on this forum I thought it was better late than never.
 
This year my aims are:

• Grow a wide range of varieties that I’ve not grown before to find some new favourites.
• Attempt some new crosses because it’s fun to try them even if they don’t all succeed or result in anything desirable.
• Grow out some crosses I’ve been working on over recent years.

 
Growing methods being used:

• Vast majority of these are growing outside in containers in the UK, so not the longest season and variable weather to contend with. I’ve found keeping the containers slightly smaller improves the chances of getting ripe pods in our climate when growing outdoors.
• A small number of plants in smaller containers within a small glass grow house.
• Some plants also inside the grow house but in a flood and drain Wilma system, clay pebble media, first season trying this.
• A selection of other plants indoors in mini Mason jars using the modified Kratky hydro method. I keep these plants small and in small jars to try and speed fruit production. I tend to create most of my crosses using these plants.
• A trusty Aerogarden Bounty for growing on some crosses in the off season.
• A Botanium indoor flood and drain planter, not the biggest fan but I have an early season Sugar Rush Stripey that’s been loving it.

 
Seeds were started during January and February and then spent way too many months indoors as we had very late frosts this year. Fair to say I had lots of root bound plants by the time they made it to their permanent homes.
 
Varieties I’m growing this season are............
 
C.Annuum - I’ve not grown many annuums over the years so making up for it this season

• Antep Aci Dolma
• Buena Mulata
• Candy Cane Sweet
• Farmers Market Jalapeno
• Fish
• Hawaiian Sweet Red
• Indian Chilli Bullet
• Jalapeno Hercules
• Maules Red Striped
• Mulato Isleno
• Orange Fish
• Purple Tiger
• Red Ramiro
• Scarletts Chilli
• Sweet Apple Kambe
• Thor Sweet
• Thunder Cacho Brown
• Variegated Jalapeno
• White Birdseye

 
C.Baccatum

• Brazilian Starfish Orange
• Brazilian Starfish Red
• Brazilian Starfish Yellow
• Sugar Rush Peach 2020 Long
• Sugar Rush Stripey

 
C.Chinense

• BOC x Aji Pineapple (Chinense X Baccatum)
• Chocolate Ghost WHP
• Chocolate Reaper
• Clavo Peach
• Golden Reaper
• Habanero Cappuccino
• Jays Peach Ghost Scorpion
• Naga Smooky Rainbow
• Pimenta De Neyde
• Pimenta Moranga Peach X
• Reaper x Peach Bhut
• Reaper x SRTSL
• Scotch Brains XCP Chocolate
• Star Scream
• Super Bhut Jolokia JW
• Swiss Chocolate
• White Bhut Jolokia JW

 
C.Rocoto - first time growing any Rocoto

• Mini Rocoto Olive

 
Wilds

• C.Rhomboideum

 
Lots of these are new for me and I’ve selected some purely for traits which may help me in some crossing projects. Also the first year I’ve grown any type of reaper variety.
 
Not gone well so far
My wilds didn’t go well this year
I managed to get some C.Cardenasii to germinate and also C.Eximium but they were both very weak. The C.Rhomboideum was doing OK until it got transferred outside and I think it has been affected by the very wet weather we’ve had.  I’ve successfully grown C.Praetermissum and C.Galapagoense multiple times but this year the wilds just seem to be unhappy in general.
I’ll need to regroup, source fresh seeds for next season and forget this year. Luckily I have way too many other plants to keep me occupied this season.
 
Most looking forward to
Some of the varieties I’m really looking forward to trying this year are

• Antep Aci Dolma
• Mini Rocoto Olive
• Pimenta Moranga Peach X
• Sugar Rush Stripey
• Swiss Chocolate

Crossing projects
I’m also growing out some of my own crosses, F1 - F3, and have attempted some new crosses this season. Would crosses be better in a separate post to add to over the years or just include in here? Thoughts?  Have now started a dedicated thread for my crossing projects over here.
 
If you’ve made it this far down the post then hopefully that serves as my introduction
 
----
 
Edited: added link to a dedicated thread for my crossing projects.

 

[ChilliCrosser]

Small selection of plants queuing up to get outside in mid-May but frosts and cold weather meant no trips outside for them at that point.
 

 
 
First ripe pod of the season at the start of June, Sugar Rush Stripey from an indoor window sill grow in a Botanium flood & drain planter.
 

 

[ze_test]

Small selection of plants queuing up to get outside in mid-May but frosts and cold weather meant no trips outside for them at that point.
 

let-me-out.png
 
 
First ripe pod of the season at the start of June, Sugar Rush Stripey from an indoor window sill grow in a Botanium flood & drain planter.
 

sugar-rush-stripey.png

    pretty 

 

[ChilliCrosser]

When you germinated too many seeds, run out of space, give away as many plants as you can but still can't bring yourself to cull a plant.  Just me right? 
 
Marmite makes a marketing theme out of the love/hate relationship people have with it.  I wonder if the same is true when the jar contains a Super Bhut Jolokia JW from WHP? 

 

[ChilliCrosser]

I'm growing Pimenta Moranga Peach X for the first time this season but only had one germinate and it struggled at first.  Tried to give it a bigger kick by putting it into clay pebbles in a flood and drain system inside a small glass grow house. Appears to have done the trick, leaves and bud clusters everywhere. Now to see if it grows true to a peach.
 

 

[Kramer]

Very nice. Your plants look very healthy, by the way. So do you primarily grow to experiment and create new peppers? I've always been intrigued by creating a new variety. Perhaps, someday. Cheers dude

 

[ChilliCrosser]

Very nice. Your plants look very healthy, by the way. So do you primarily grow to experiment and create new peppers? I've always been intrigued by creating a new variety. Perhaps, someday. Cheers dude

I'll catch up and add some other general pictures over the coming month. I started the Glog late and also my plants didn't go outside and get potted up until early June. Not much happening yet other than an onslaught of hungry slugs and flocks of aphids. This year the weather has not been favourable in the UK for outside growing.
 
I started to primarily grow to use, either fresh for cooking or dehydrate for flakes & powder blends. Began crossing a couple of years ago just to see how difficult it was and to have some fun long term projects. It gets kind of addictive  I'm not super experienced in it yet unlike some of the other amazing members on here 
 
My grow this year is a mixture of favourites for using & others to see if they would become new favourites. I'm also growing a selection of varieties that look to have colours, shapes, growing habits and flavour profiles that I find interesting and might look to perform crosses with. I tend to grow lots of different things for a year and then focus on a smaller set for a few years, rinse & repeat.
 
I try starting lots of crosses as if I have the parent plants already then the time investment is low. I only need to make additional time and growing commitments if I get a pod with F1 seeds. Even then I don't have to grow it out immediately.

 

[ChilliCrosser]

Still not too much going on with my outdoor plants although a few of the annuums have started to pod. In general though everything is very behind and small as its been so wet.
 
Anyway, it wouldn't be a Glog without some photos so I took a few after the rain stopped.
 
Allegedly a Variegated Jalapeño that isn't showing variegation yet but has put out a few decent size pods

 
Have some pods formed on one of my Antep Aci Dolma plants, looking forward to this one as never grown before


 
First pod on my Mulata Isleno, again never grown this before

 
Brazilian Starfish Red, grow these every year

 
A flowering 2018 season Brazilian Starfish Yellow that's been overwintered several times, thought it'd been lost this year but that stump keeps springing back with new growth. This and a 2018 Fijian Bongo are my oldest plants. I don't overwinter outdoor plants these days but felt harsh to kill them off deliberately.

 
Strictly ought to put these on my crosses thread but as I'm here, some F1 plants from my X003 cross. Brazilian Starfish Red x (CGN21500 x 7 Pot Barrackpore). My F1 plant last year got damaged so this year I planted several remaining seeds and the F1s are doing OK considering weather and slugs. Hoping this cross generates some viable F2 seeds as I love the parent plants and really want to see what variation it would produce. Think I'm out of F1 seeds now so the future relies on these guys.

 

 

[ChilliCrosser]

My Buena Mulata is actually coming along nicely. Small pot and in a wind swept sunny spot, handling it OK but had to give it a small stake earlier in the season. I rarely stake my plants.  It's my first year growing this one and I hadn't appreciated how good looking the flowers are in real life.
 

 

[ChilliCrosser]

It's happened  the sun is actually out! Suddenly this Farmer's Market Jalapeño has rejoiced and gone flower crazy.

 

[ChilliCrosser]

Mission Impossible - rocoto outdoor 25L kratky bucket in the UK weather 
 
Never going to win any big plant or harvest awards but at least it looks healthy and isn't dead (yet!). Over the last week it's responded really well to a warm sunny spell we're having in the UK. Not touched the nutrients, not checked levels and not checked the roots since dropping it in there around the beginning of June.  Used a black plastic sack over the top of the bucket lid to cover the net cup around the stem to prevent too much rain water getting in. I also raised the bag near to the stem by cutting off the bottom of a solo cup and putting it upturned around the base of the stem between the bag and lid as last year I had too much rainwater collecting in recessed lid and getting into the bucket.  Looks to have hit a nice flowering phase.
 
Mini Olive Rocoto, seeds I bought from Chris Fowler.

 

[ChilliCrosser]

Now we're back online a selection of general grow update photos.

Ripened Variegated Jalapeno, only a tiny bit of foliage variegation on this plant.


Buena Mulata


Mulata Isleno


Indian Chilli Bullet, clustering


Antep Aci Dolma pods are getting there


Orange Fish getting ready to turn orange


Pimenta De Neyde flowering and some initial pods appearing


Pimenta Moranga Peach Cross, flower and pod clustering, plant going crazy!


Small pod on Scotch Brains XCP Chocolate despite this plant being an aphid magnet.


Mini Olive Rocoto still doing OK in an outdoor 25L kratky bucket despite the UK weather

 

[ChilliCrosser]

Continued waves of clustered flowers on the Pimenta Moranga Peach X, with added aphids

and it's coming through peach rather than red which I'd feared, handy for my crossing projects


Some ripe Antep Aci Dolma, first of many I hope. Not much else ripe as yet.

 

[talas]

Lovely clusters on the Pimenta Moranga Peach X C,plants are doing nicely despite the usual British summer.

 

[ChilliCrosser]

Lovely clusters on the Pimenta Moranga Peach X C,plants are doing nicely despite the usual British summer.

That particular plant is inside a small glass growhouse and growing in a flood & drain 4 pot Wilma system, clay pebble media. My outside plants are really slow this year but at least no aphids on the outdoor plants. This plant was a right pain to get started and struggled, now its out of control! Downside is aphids under glass, they love it as it's a really dense plant and hard to get 'em. They were treated to another drink of neem & soap today, let's see how they like it.

 

[talas]

That particular plant is inside a small glass growhouse and growing in a flood & drain 4 pot Wilma system, clay pebble media. My outside plants are really slow this year but at least no aphids on the outdoor plants. This plant was a right pain to get started and struggled, now its out of control! Downside is aphids under glass, they love it as it's a really dense plant and hard to get 'em. They were treated to another drink of neem & soap today, let's see how they like it.

I'm sure there days or minutes are numbered lol and being so productive in your Wilma system it will be keep producing well for weeks to come,nice cross C I no you wanted it red but hey it's gorgeous anyway.

 

[ChilliCrosser]

I'm sure there days or minutes are numbered lol and being so productive in your Wilma system it will be keep producing well for weeks to come,nice cross C I no you wanted it red but hey it's gorgeous anyway.

Nope, this plant is not one of my crosses, seeds from WHP or similar, otherwise it'd be in my crossing glog.

I wanted this to grow true and end up peach, I'd read in a few places that it had reverted to its normal red. It was one of my pre-season planning choices for some peach Chinense varieties to use in some crossing attempts with Sugar Rush Stripey. I was a sucker for the clustering on this plant. Peach is just the colour I wanted on this plant to try using it for some of my own crosses

 

[talas]

Ok brother I'll check your other Cross glog.

 

[ahayastani]

They were treated to another drink of neem & soap today, let's see how they like it.

I organize a neem-party about every four-five days. After a while, they don't like to frequent the parties anymore. Mites are of a different breed... Still difficult to get them under control.

Nope, this plant is not one of my crosses, seeds from WHP or similar, otherwise it'd be in my crossing glog.

I ordered seeds from WHP last year and there were a few varieties that did not come true. Always a risk when you buy OP seeds of course, but I got the subjective impression that the risk was somewhat higher with seeds from WHP.

 

[CaneDog]

Good stuff CC. Those AAD's look really beefy!