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Hot Pepper Varieties for Cool, Maritime Climates.

Hybrid Mode 01 said:
 
 
 
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY9ucdI22ZE
 
 
     Ding maf'kin ding. PepperLover's website does a great job outlinig the attributes of each of the pubes she offers. Find out which varieties produce really hot pods and are also adaptive to a long, cool growing season. She ships fast and free.
 
 
edit: But, yeah, still see if you can gank some of those Caribbean reds from your buddy. Those won't let you down.
     Just thought of this... Another route altogether might be to do some poking around for new crosses. Stuff that's f1 and f2 will have hybrid vigor and might put up with a crappy growing season better than other stable varieties. I dunno. Experiment. FOR SCIENCE!!!
I just found a seed shop that in Denmark that sells chinense x pubescens. No idea what the strains used were, however. Might be worth trying anyways.

 
 
LordTriffid78 said:
I just found a seed shop that in Denmark that sells chinense x pubescens. No idea what the strains used were, however. Might be worth trying anyways.

 
 
     
     Hard to tell if thats a pube-tasting pepper that grows like a chinense or a chinense-like pepper that likes pubescens growing conditions. Maybe somebody there can help give you some details about what the plant is and what the were shooting for with the cross. Hell that's a cross that you might ultimately want to try to stabilize and adapt to your climate by making selections every generation. Or go find the superhot that looks most promising (Dorset naga or BOC) and cross it with a hot pube that likes cool, wet conditions. Cross them many times and keep growing out the resulting progeny, always making selections for flavor, heat, vigor and production.
 
Hybrid Mode 01 said:
 
     
     Hard to tell if thats a pube-tasting pepper that grows like a chinense or a chinense-like pepper that likes pubescens growing conditions. Maybe somebody there can help give you some details about what the plant is and what the were shooting for with the cross. Hell that's a cross that you might ultimately want to try to stabilize and adapt to your climate by making selections every generation. Or go find the superhot that looks most promising (Dorset naga or BOC) and cross it with a hot pube that likes cool, wet conditions. Cross them many times and keep growing out the resulting progeny, always making selections for flavor, heat, vigor and production.
That would be an interesting experiment... I've read that pub's don't like crossing with most other species outside of the eximium group. It might require lots of plants and lots of cross pollination, until viable seeds are produced.
 
I think you worry too much about temps. I see the weather in Crimea is not so bad, not so cold. Crimea is north of Black Sea, I am living in Romania, west side of Black Sea. Well, I am living away from the sea, on the west side of Romania, and temps are a bit higher over summer and a bit lower on the winter. So, I think you have a better climate, because milder winter, which suppose the autumn is also milder (later frost than my area), and probably longer season. I thínk, if you start your seeds in time, you can grow almost anything there.
 
mikeg said:
Uhhhh... i don't think Capsicum pubescens will viably hybridize with any of the other domesticated species.
Right, this cross is not considered possible. Scientist have tried several different approaches, so either this is a sensation or somebody thinks the cross took but something else happened (self-pollination, crossed by something else or growing an unstabile variety in the first place) - I tend to think the vendor is not lying on purpose but lacks insight, so he is just spreading wrong information.
 
Donnie said:
somebody thinks the cross took but something else happened (self-pollination, crossed by something else or growing an unstabile variety in the first place) - I tend to think the vendor is not lying on purpose but lacks insight, so he is just spreading wrong information.
Mis-information, from purely innocent causes, is a common problem in any endeavor. I like that this has been observed here. Donnie, thank you for this.

My understanding is that C. pubescens can hybridise with at least one or two wild species, but not with any other domestic species (ie.: Capsicums annuum, baccatum, chinense or frutescens). However, they apparently range in heat from intensities as mild and sweet as paprika... to somewhat hotter tha some habaneros.

Both Pepperlover and Semillas La Palma seeds offer a small yellow-fruited variety that i'd guess may do well here on Canada's west coast -- I don't know if they are related varieties, but the descriptions are similar.

Perhaps one of the hybrids of C. pubescens and a wild strain might be the hardiest -- i seem to recall that some wild Capsicums are fully winter-hardy here... i just can't recall whether they are species that are both pungent-flavored AND cross-fertile with C. pubescens.
Anyone with more knowledge might be more helpful, but it's a thought...
 
mikeg said:
Mis-information, from purely innocent causes, is a common problem in any endeavor. I like that this has been observed here. Donnie, thank you for this.

My understanding is that C. pubescens can hybridise with at least one or two wild species, but not with any other domestic species (ie.: Capsicums annuum, baccatum, chinense or frutescens). However, they apparently range in heat from intensities as mild and sweet as paprika... to somewhat hotter tha some habaneros.

Both Pepperlover and Semillas La Palma seeds offer a small yellow-fruited variety that i'd guess may do well here on Canada's west coast -- I don't know if they are related varieties, but the descriptions are similar.

Perhaps one of the hybrids of C. pubescens and a wild strain might be the hardiest -- i seem to recall that some wild Capsicums are fully winter-hardy here... i just can't recall whether they are species that are both pungent-flavored AND cross-fertile with C. pubescens.
Anyone with more knowledge might be more helpful, but it's a thought...
I was under the impression, and about to say that pubescens was in the same genetic group as flexuosum, but it appears I might be wrong... I was thinking flexuosum was in the the eximium group with pubescens. If this were the case, they might have been easier to hybridize. That would be a great cross to try, as flexuosum is said to be the frost hardiest of all Capsicums.

This graphic shows these genetic groupings:

Capsicum_species.gif

From Infernochili.
I'm still under the impression, however, that pubescens crosses from outside of the eximium group (these are mostly wild species) are highly unlikely, however not entirely impossible.

Here's a good description of flexuosum that I found.

 
 
So I put two orders in today. I ordered BOC from Bjarne's, plus a few other seeds, and Caribbean Red habanero from Solana Seeds in Quebec. Seen as how there's already someone that grows and sells rocoto seedlings locally, here on the Sunshine Coast, I'm just going to buy my pubescens from him. The guy's actually from Peru, so I assume he knows his rocotos. Also, someone at the local nursery told me about someone who's been growing super-hot chinense's in our area for years, and that he's a total expert on them... but apparently he's a total recluse, and doesn't want to be contacted by random people (this is quite normal where I live, a lot of us live in the boonies for a reason). Anyway, I'm hoping someone can put me in touch with him, and that he might be able to give me some pointers.

I'll keep you posted as to how my progress goes. Thank you all for your in-put!
 
LordTriffig -
 
You'll really enjoy the Caribbean Red - it's one of my favorites and fruits earlier than some of the other Chinense varieties.  It's good for sauces, powder, cooking, sandwiches, etc.
 
Question - Do you have any recommendations for Pubescens varieties that can tolerate a hot climate like Florida?  I kind of have your problem in reverse.
 
Bob_B said:
LordTriffig -
 
You'll really enjoy the Caribbean Red - it's one of my favorites and fruits earlier than some of the other Chinense varieties.  It's good for sauces, powder, cooking, sandwiches, etc.
 
Question - Do you have any recommendations for Pubescens varieties that can tolerate a hot climate like Florida?  I kind of have your problem in reverse.
How hot? What are your summer temps? Rocoto do well in VA, and we get 90-95+ degrees regularly in the summer here.
 
Bob_B said:
LordTriffig -
 
You'll really enjoy the Caribbean Red - it's one of my favorites and fruits earlier than some of the other Chinense varieties.

Can you tell me the source of these seeds ? Different vendors may have different strains under the same name.
 
mikeg said:
Can you tell me the source of these seeds ? Different vendors may have different strains under the same name.
 
I got the Bhut Orange Copenhagen from Bjarne's, in Denmark. I also bought Caribbean Red hab, Hot Paper Lantern and Grandpas Siberian Home Pepper, I believe, from him. As well, I bought Red Caribbean and Hot Paper Lantern from Solana Seeds in Quebec, along with Piazinho, and some short season melon varieties. I plan on combining both seeds from each vendor, and then selecting for the best plants that result. I was pleased to see that Solana has Collective Farm Woman, a melon that is suppose to be well suited to cool, coastal regions, and originally comes from Crimea. Should be interesting to see how it does here.
 
Bob_B said:
LordTriffig -
 
You'll really enjoy the Caribbean Red - it's one of my favorites and fruits earlier than some of the other Chinense varieties.  It's good for sauces, powder, cooking, sandwiches, etc.
 
Question - Do you have any recommendations for Pubescens varieties that can tolerate a hot climate like Florida?  I kind of have your problem in reverse.
I'm not sure, off the top of my head... although I know there's a variety from the Canary Island called Rocoto San Isidro. Semillas has this variety.


Now that I've done a bit more research, I think I'm also going to try Beni Highlands. It's not as hot as other chinense, I don't think, but it sounds tasty, and earlier and productive. The plants also look compact, too. All the traits I'm looking for in a chinense, minus the extreme heat. I also want to try some baccatams as a source for milder peppers, as there seems to be a number from cooler, high elevation areas of Bolivia where many are grown. I think Aji Colorado, and Rojo might be from La Paz, and are grown along side rocotos there. I also would like to find the earliest and most compact of rocotos, something I could overwinter in an unheated greenhouse. I may also buy Purira pepper if I can find a source.
 
Thegreenchilemonster said:
How hot? What are your summer temps? Rocoto do well in VA, and we get 90-95+ degrees regularly in the summer here.
I'm in zone 8b in the panhandle.  We too get 90-95 F regularly in the summer.  I think most Pubescens like cooler temperatures - especially at night.  While it can get hot in the Andean Highlands, the nights are relatively cool which is what they prefer according to what I've read.
 
Bob_B said:
LordTriffig -
 
You'll really enjoy the Caribbean Red - it's one of my favorites and fruits earlier than some of the other Chinense varieties.  It's good for sauces, powder, cooking, sandwiches, etc.
 
Question - Do you have any recommendations for Pubescens varieties that can tolerate a hot climate like Florida?  I kind of have your problem in reverse.
 
This is interesting... there is supposedly a rocoto from Padang, West Sumatra, called 'Gondol'. I looked up the climate description for Padang, and it has a hot, humid, tropical rainforest type climate. I've lived in parts of Borneo, which have almost the exact same kind of climate, and there is no such thing as cool weather or cool nights in these regions, at least not for a northerner like me. The nights can stay in the high 80's for parts of the year in these areas. I'm not even sure how a rocoto could have adapted to this type of climate, but it seems like it has, so there you go.
 
Edit: it's actually called cabe gondol. I found two other rocotos from Indonesia: cabe bendot and cabe dieng.
 
LordTriffid78 said:
 
This is interesting... there is supposedly a rocoto from Padang, West Sumatra, called 'Gondol'. I looked up the climate description for Padang, and it has a hot, humid, tropical rainforest type climate. I've lived in parts of Borneo, which have almost the exact same kind of climate, and there is no such thing as cool weather or cool nights in these regions, at least not for a northerner like me. The nights can stay in the high 80's for parts of the year in these areas. I'm not even sure how a rocoto could have adapted to this type of climate, but it seems like it has, so there you go.
 
Edit: it's actually called cabe gondol. I found two other rocotos from Indonesia: cabe bendot and cabe dieng.
Thanks for the lead - that is very interesting to me since I've not heard of it.  Now, I need to see if I can source seeds.
 
I received my seeds in the mail from Bjarne's last Friday. I'm probably going to plant them today. Looking forward to growing my first ultra-hot peppers! Thanks for all the pointers and advice, everyone, I really appreciate!
 
Update: Tragedy. While moving home around April 1st, all my chinense seedlings died. They were doing really well in the terrarium set up I had them in, with artificial lights, bottom heat and high humidity... but due to unforeseen circumstances, I couldn't move the seedlings back into their terrarium immediately. With a lack of warmth and humidity, they simply fizzled after a few days.

So be it, the experiment continues. I just bought what habaneros I could find locally, and as luck would have it, I just happened to be at the nursery when a special order flat of bhut jolokias came in, ordered by one of their staff. She was kind enough to let me take two plants. As well, I'm putting in an order for some 7 pots, Carolina Reaper, as well as hot paper lanterns and Caribbean reds from a grower here in Canada.
 
My research seems to indicate that pretty much all the super-hots (jolokias, nagas, 7 pots, moruga, Carolina Reaper etc) are most likely descended from chinense land-races from Trinidad and Tobago. As such, there probably aren't any truly cool summer adapted strains in that group, or so I would assume. So next winter I'm going to order the earliest maturing varieties from that group... I think various growers in PNW have already done this, so I should probably search the forums to read about they're experiences.

If any of you can think of the earliest maturing super-hot off the top of your head, what would it be? So far, I've read good things about Trinidad sunrise Scorpian and Trinidad Scorpion Yellow.

In the future, I have a few more non-Trinidad types I'm going try, that I suspect should be early and cool summer adapted, including the Moroccan Safi. I've read on a few different seed distributors websites, in particular one in Denmark, and the other in Hungry, that claim to have had good results with safi in cooler summers. At 450,00 shu, and a vote of confidence from Denmark, that sounds like a winner to me.

Currently, I'm reading up on Capsicum breeding. I think next year I might try my hand at creating some crosses.

Hope all is growing well with your plants!
 
LordTriffid78 said:
... So be it, the experiment continues. I just bought what habaneros I could find locally, and as luck would have it, I just happened to be at the nursery when a special order flat of bhut jolokias came in, ordered by one of their staff. She was kind enough to let me take two plants. As well, I'm putting in an order for some 7 pots, Carolina Reaper, as well as hot paper lanterns and Caribbean reds from a grower here in Canada.
 
...

Currently, I'm reading up on Capsicum breeding. I think next year I might try my hand at creating some crosses.

Hope all is growing well with your plants!
 
All the best with the super hots. Keep them warm and you have yourself a head start for 2017.
 
Mate, I am in the same boat from you. The cold temperatires that is below the chilies' ideal mean that their growth is desperately stunted. The most success that I have had relatively speaking are some Datils which "Pure Florida" sent me from St Augustine. They have been the most resilient to the climate here so far compared to the super hots. Second to them are some Hawks Claw chillies that are annuums. The rest of my Chinenses are growing painfully slow, despite strong artificial lighting and growing hydroponically indoors.
 
At the moment I have a Datil and 2 Hawks Claws plants outside in small pots, a mystery chinense in a krakty hydro setup. The Hawks claws were sown in late march together with the Datil. They are small but should give me a few fruits. The hydro chinense was sown in January but has been very stuntet. It is small but growing fast as it can, hard to say if it will fruit this season, though I very much hope that it does.
 
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