• Blog your pepper progress. The first image in your first post will be used to represent your Glog.

ChilliCrosser Crosses

I've opted to keep details of my crossing projects in this dedicated thread rather than include it in my 2021 Glog

Edited this post to summarise what crosses I've got and where they are at, I will try and keep it current. Dates in status column reflect when I've updated the information not when the cross was actually made. I've not included every historic cross I've ever made and ignores anything where I haven't got at least F1 seeds unless I thought it was useful to record. Information might be useful to someone at some point.
ChilliCrosser CrossCurrent Status
X001 : Bolivian Rainbow x Cheiro Roxa (C.Annuum x C.Chinense)🅿️16/8/21: F1 seeds, not grown on yet.
X002 : Fijian Bongo x Cheiro Roxa (C.Chinense x C.Chinense)❌16/8/21: Only had a single F1 seed even though this was an intraspecific, strange result and the seed didn't germinate. End of cross project.
X003 : Brazilian Starfish Red x [CGN21500 x 7 Pot Barrackpore] (C.Baccatum x C.Chinense)🤞 🌱 16/8/21: Had plenty of F1 seeds from the original F0 pods. First attempt to grow an F1 was ended when weather finished off the plant before any fruiting. Currently growing four F1 plants outdoors in the 2021 season. All looking healthy but concerned I've not seen any fruit setting yet. Possibly sterile but reserving judgement until the end of the season.
X004 : Tasmanian Habanero x Giant White Habanero (C.Chinense x C.Chinense)🌱🌶️16/8/21: Growing F2 plants, some initial pods setting.
X005 : Fidalgo Roxa x Giant White Habanero (C.Chinense x C.Chinense)🌱16/8/21: Growing F2 plants, no pods set yet.
X006 : Fidalgo Roxa x Fijian Bongo (C.Chinense x C.Chinense)🌱🌶️16/8/21: Growing F2 plants, some initial pods setting.
X007 : Fijian Bongo x Aji Jobito (C.Chinense x C.Chinense)🌱🌶️16/8/21: Growing F2 plants, some initial pods setting.
X008 : Fijian Bongo x Brazilian Starfish Yellow (C.Chinense x C.Baccatum)🅿️16/8/21: F1 seeds.
X009 : Brazilian Starfish Yellow x C.Flexuosum (C.Baccatum x C.Flexuosum)❌16/8/21: Very small F0 pod set but zero F1 seeds. Inside of pod looked healthy. Lack of F1 seeds could have been due to pod size. One for me to try again at some point I think.
X010 : Brazilian Starfish Yellow x [CGN21500 x Grao De Bode] (C.Baccatum x C.Chinense)❌16/8/21: Had 4 F1 seeds from a single F0 pod, only 1 germinated. F1 plant taken out by a storm. End of cross project.
X011 : Giant White Habanero x Fijian Bongo (C.Chinense x C.Chinense) 🤩🌱🌶️16/8/21: Summary of wide range of phenotypes from F2 here. Currently have F3 seeds for all phenotypes and have been growing a batch of F3 plants for the red phenotypes outdoors this season, waiting on F3 pods from these so hope to have F4 seeds this year. Most likely to also grow forward the Apricot Peach phenos to stabilise.
X012 : Brazilian Starfish Yellow x Tasmanian Habanero (C.Baccatum x C.Chinense)❌16/8/21: Had an F0 pod but no F1 seeds. End of cross project.
X013 : White Bhut Jolokia JW x Variegated Jalapeno (C.Chinense x C.Annuum)🅿️16/8/21: F1 seeds, not grown on yet.
X014 : White Bhut Jolokia JW x Sweet Apple Kambe (C.Chinense x C.Annuum)🅿️16/8/21: Single F1 seed, not grown on yet.
X015 : White Bhut Jolokia JW x Scotch Brains XCP Chocolate (C.Chinense x C.Chinense) 🅿️16/8/21: F1 seeds, not grown on yet.
X016 : White Bhut Jolokia JW x Brazilian Starfish Red (C.Chinense x C.Baccatum)❌16/8/21: Had 2 F1 seeds from a small F0 pod, both failed to germinate. End of cross project.
X017 : White Bhut Jolokia JW x Sugar Rush Stripey (C.Chinense x C.Baccatum)❌16/8/21: Had 2 F1 seeds from a small F0 pod, both failed to germinate. End of cross project.
X018 : Brazilian Starfish Red x Peppacream (C.Baccatum x C.Baccatum)⭐🌱🌶️16/8/21: Started as an accidental cross. Starting to get ripe F1 pods with F2 seeds. Super tasty!
X019 : Clavo Peach x Sugar Rush Stripey (C.Chinense x C.Baccatum)🤞16/8/21: Had 3 F0 pods, each with healthy looking F1 seeds. Started germination for some F1 seeds from each of the F0 pods on 14/8/21, waiting to see if viable.
X020 : Scarlett's Chilli x Indian Chilli Bullet (C.Annuum x C.Annuum)🅿️16/8/21: F1 seeds, not grown on yet.
X021 : Sugar Rush Stripey x White Bhut Jolokia JW (C.Baccatum x C.Chinense)🤞16/8/21: First F0 pod was unhealthy inside, only 1 F1 seed formed which still looked non-viable, tried to germinate it anyway but no surprises when it failed. Have another F0 pod ripening, waiting to see if that's any better.
X022 : Clavo Peach x Brazilian Starfish Yellow (C.Chinense x C.Baccatum)🅿️16/8/21: F1 seeds, not grown on yet.
X023 : [BOC x Aji Pineapple] x Sugar Rush Stripey ([C.Chinense x C.Baccatum] x C.Baccatum)🅿️16/8/21: F1 seeds, not grown on yet.

FAQs
- Why so many crosses? Please check my username.

- Seriously, why so many crosses? I like to have plenty of F1 seeds available to pick from at the start of a growing cycle. For me personally it stops me wishing I'd made some more crosses 6 months ago and when a particular cross project hits a dead end or doesn't look interesting I have something else I can quickly switch to. You'll see quite a few interspecific crosses in my list, they are often doomed to failure so having a Plan B helps.

- Are you attempting to stabilise all of these? No, only ones which head in a direction I like.

- How many plants do you grow? 90% of my crosses are started on indoor plants grown in mini-hydro kratky jars, 240ml/8oz. Plants are kept really small and I typically only get one or two F0 pods to get F1 seeds from. So far I've normally grown two F1 plants if possible, plant numbers in subsequent generations depend on how much space I have available in each growing cycle.

- Isn't it better to just focus on a single cross? If you like all your eggs in one basket and you're not concerned with sequentially growing projects over a very long time period then yes. This is just a hobby for me so I like to keep it varied and fun whilst still attempting to stabilise my favourites.

- Why haven't you given your crosses silly names? That time will come as is traditional in the chilli pepper world. I likely won't bother until I have something vaguely stable and predictable, possibly F4 onwards.


A summary of my live projects where I'm growing plants as of June 2021 are:
  • X003 : Brazilian Starfish Red x [CGN21500 x 7 Pot Barrackpore] (C.Baccatum x C.Chinense)
  • X004 : Tasmanian Habanero x Giant White Habanero (C.Chinense x C.Chinense)
  • X005 : Fidalgo Roxa x Giant White Habanero (C.Chinense x C.Chinense)
  • X006 : Fidalgo Roxa x Fijian Bongo (C.Chinense x C.Chinense)
  • X007 : Fijian Bongo x Aji Jobito (C.Chinense x C.Chinense)
  • X011 : Giant White Habanero x Fijian Bongo (C.Chinense x C.Chinense)

More details of where I'm at with generations, phenotypes, plants and photos in subsequent posts on this thread. Everything is early on and ranges from F1 to F3. I've also attempted some new crosses already this season so will also mention those.
 
Last edited:
Click to expand...
ChilliCrosser said:
Reciprocal F1 of the one above has now also started setting pods :-)
X044 F1 - this is the one with the best looking flowers
20220705-x044-f1-first-pod.jpg

(Brazilian Starfish Yellow x Sugar Rush Stripey) x (Sugar Rush Stripey x Pimenta Da Neyde)
Click to expand...

20220708-x044-f1-pod.jpg
 
The tale of three F1 plants with seeds taken from the same parent pod. I think I'm close to knowing the final results now as Plant 3 is ripening, I'll leave it a bit longer in case it moves from orange to red.
X034 : Sugar Rush Stripey x Pimenta Da Neyde

20220708 F1 plant comparison.jpg


Plant 2 is still the standout winner. All have good looking flowers and foliage but Plant 2 wins for amazing colour transitions.
All the F2s I have growing at the moment are from Plant 2.
 
ChilliCrosser said:
The tale of three F1 plants with seeds taken from the same parent pod. I think I'm close to knowing the final results now as Plant 3 is ripening, I'll leave it a bit longer in case it moves from orange to red.
X034 : Sugar Rush Stripey x Pimenta Da Neyde

20220708 F1 plant comparison.jpg


Plant 2 is still the standout winner. All have good looking flowers and foliage but Plant 2 wins for amazing colour transitions.
All the F2s I have growing at the moment are from Plant 2.
Click to expand...

X034 : Sugar Rush Stripey x Pimenta Da Neyde - F1 Plant 3 from above might have fooled me with a couple of early red pods like this:
20220716-x034-f1-srs1xpdn-p3-ripe.jpg


I'm now seeing some pods transition to more of a peach colour than the deeper orange that resulted in red pods:
20220715-x034-f1-srs1xpdn-p3-ripening.jpg


One of those pods that transitioned to peach has just given me this, same type of shape as the pod below it in the picture but a funny camera angle :party:
20220716-x034-f1-srs1xpdn-p3-stripe.jpg


I think this goes one of two ways:

a) they continue to ripen to full red regardless, that would match the striping behaviour I saw on the orange based breeding line on #stripeystarfish where underlying striping is visible when immature but is lost on fully ripe

OR

b) this F1 plant has thrown some red pods but the rest will be peach or peach striped, that would match what can happen with Sugar Rush Stripey plants I've grown

Either way, growing these three F1 plants from the same parent pod has given me some fun results.
 
ChilliCrosser said:
20220716-x034-f1-srs1xpdn-p3-stripe.jpg


I think this goes one of two ways:

a) they continue to ripen to full red regardless, that would match the striping behaviour I saw on the orange based breeding line on #stripeystarfish where underlying striping is visible when immature but is lost on fully ripe

OR

b) this F1 plant has thrown some red pods but the rest will be peach or peach striped, that would match what can happen with Sugar Rush Stripey plants I've grown

Either way, growing these three F1 plants from the same parent pod has given me some fun results.
Click to expand...

The answer to this question is "a". That's good news as it's doing the same as my #stripeystarfish orange breeding line at F1. The striping trait has made it into F1 in both cases, shows before ripe but is then lost when ripening to red. All to play for in the respective F2 populations.

The striped pod is the bottom pod in this picture, lightest side facing up. Stripe is still just visible to the naked eye but not easy to pick up with the camera.
20220722-x034-f1-srs1xpdn-harvest-inc-stripe-to-red.jpg
 
Alex_K said:
Very interesting @ChilliCrosser first time I hear about the species C. rabenii is it related to C. baccatum or C. praetemissum?
The Sugar Rush Stripey x Pimenta Da Neyde has really nice flowers, it looks like a baccatum with purple flowers, very nice!
Click to expand...

I'm using the terminology from the recently published Monograph of wild and cultivated chili peppers

It is what they have settled on as the species identification, it is what was known as C.praetermissum and C.baccatum var. praetermissum.
 
I try and pick at least one project a year where there is no chance of it working but I just throw seeds at it by crossing the same plants lots of times.

This year I picked flexuosum as it never works, tried before with a starfish mother, always get pods but zero seeds. I've tried that again this year and the same result, pods yes but no seeds.

I also decided to try playing with a wild that I know in the future I could get into the domesticated ones, so picked C.rabenii (formerly praetermissum).

From my initial attempts I am managing to get seeds every time I get a crossed pod to form:

20220626-x048-f1-seeds.jpg
20220715-x048-f1-seeds-2-pods.jpg
20220802-x048-f1-more-seeds.jpg


In the examples above, from various crossed pods, there are some seeds that look bad in each pod but occasionally some don't look terrible.
I'm continuing to cross these plants, get pods, get seeds, throw everything into the propagator regardless.

Let me qualify the next bit, whilst I'm very careful when crossing, we all know it's possible a stray pollen grain wanders in and spoils your party.
That said, 37 days later on one of those seed batches above:
20220802-x048-f1-germ-37days.jpg


I expect this to be a self or some weird accidental, we all know I'm going to have to let this one grow though! Now to watch and see if any others from that specific crossed pod seed batch appear as well. A high germ rate would likely reinforce a self.
 
ChilliCrosser said:
Let me qualify the next bit, whilst I'm very careful when crossing, we all know it's possible a stray pollen grain wanders in and spoils your party.
That said, 37 days later on one of those seed batches above:
20220802-x048-f1-germ-37days.jpg


I expect this to be a self or some weird accidental, we all know I'm going to have to let this one grow though! Now to watch and see if any others from that specific crossed pod seed batch appear as well. A high germ rate would likely reinforce a self.
Click to expand...

Safely up and transferred into its own small pot, whatever it may really be! No signs of life from anything else in this seed batch or subsequent batches as yet.
20220803-f1-repot.jpg
 
A couple of weeks between these pictures, now starting to get some colour transition beginning on this pod. The father had multi-stage colour transitions before finishing red. This may turn yellow first before moving through orange to red.
X044 F1 : (Brazilian Starfish Yellow x Sugar Rush Stripey) x (Sugar Rush Stripey x Pimenta Da Neyde)

20220723-x044-f1-pod1.jpg
20220806-x044-f1-pod-colour-change.jpg


This pod started out very purple
20220709-x044-f1-pod.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top