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How do you create a new variety?

J

jakeb

So you have all probably heard of the HP22B or "Carolina Reaper". But how did this "Ed" guy actually create a new variety? I'm interested in experimenting with new varieties but I'm not sure how one can go about doing this.
 
Finger would work...but a q-tip or small artist brush works better. Check out this link...SG makes some of the coolest crosses around.

You have to do it just before a flower on the "mother plant" opens...open the flower carefully then take all the "male parts" (anthers) off take your q-tip, artist brush or even whole flower from the father plant and gently move the pollen onto the stigma...then cover the now pollinated flower with a barrier of some sort to prevent unwanted pollen from getting to it....mark it and wait. Its best to do several at the same time because hand pollination doesn't always work and often your crossed bud will drop or even grow to a mature pod to not have any seeds in it. Good luck and have fun!
 
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coheed196 said:
Well when a boy and girl plant really like each other and know that they are mature enough to make that decision then.....


Sorry I had to
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I think they're all whores vince. Lol


Really tho check out the fatalli link posted above.
 
Choice of parents Jake...and grandparents...Creating a cross is pretty simple, and often happens completely accidentally. Stabilizing that cross is much more difficult and requires growing out 6 or 7 generations selecting only those plants exhibiting the traits you're looking for...the first cross is pretty straight forward though.
 
Vince...but there ain't no girl or boy pepper plants though...they're all both!!! Hermaphroditic spicy he/shes! Fatalii's site is the bomb...love his Bonchis.
 
stc3248 said:
 
Vince...but there ain't no girl or boy pepper plants though...they're all both!!! Hermaphroditic spicy he/shes! Fatalii's site is the bomb...love his Bonchis.
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This is true, I didn't even think about that lol.
 
Thank you everyone. I'm going to cross a Carolina Reaper with a Pasilla Bajio. Eventually I will have my own variety. #lifegoal
 
stc3248 said:
Finger would work...but a q-tip or small artist brush works better. Check out this link...SG makes some of the coolest crosses around.

You have to do it just before a flower on the "mother plant" opens...open the flower carefully then take all the "male parts" (anthers) off take your q-tip, artist brush or even whole flower from the father plant and gently move the pollen onto the stigma...then cover the now pollinated flower with a barrier of some sort to prevent unwanted pollen from getting to it....mark it and wait. Its best to do several at the same time because hand pollination doesn't always work and often your crossed bud will drop or even grow to a mature pod to not have any seeds in it. Good luck and have fun!
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I bet you need a real steady hand and a good pair of glasses for that.
 
I'm going to quote a post that achieved best answer to the same question. This is based on my experience crossing peppers. I don't suggest using your fingers to pollinate. You can easily break the style. I'm not a gentle person though, lol.
 
 

Dulac said:
I rip off a flower of the male and rub open anthers on the stigma of the emasculated flower (use forceps to remove anthers just before the flower opens). You can see if the stigma is ready with a hand lens; the pollen will stick and be visible. You could emasculate and leave the petals intact. This could be handy to let you know when it's ready by the flower opening up. You will want to try to cross it both ways with different species. Ideally you would do that for the same species too, but it's more important just in case one way is more fertile than the other. It's also a good idea to cross 4-6 different flowers just in case it doesn't take. The more the better really.
 
Edit: Observe and note when your anthers open up. You will want to be there when they open, before the wind blows the pollen off, unless you're inside. Also pay attention to when flowers open up. You should be able to guess which ones are going to open up the next day or two. Those are the flowers you will want to emasculate. You will also need to be gentle with the stigma. It's easy to break the style. I don't suggest a q tip or a brush. I also reuse the same flower picked from the male on 4-6 crosses on the same female. Sometimes I scrap pollen out of the slits of the anthers with the forceps and put it on the stigma. I do mine outside, so it's a bit more difficult than indoors. I also like to see tons of pollen on that stigma!
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SL3 said:
I bet you need a real steady hand and a good pair of glasses for that.
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Here's the trick. Have a lot of flowers. It never works on the first one. Then again, maybe I shouldn't use the chainsaw and butane torch to remove anthers.
 
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jakeb said:
Just a quick followup. I found this video helpful.
 
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That's how I do it. I agree this is a good video. However, they should use a hand lens. That way you can see the pollen stick on the stigma to confirm you got it.
 
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