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How do YOU isolate your plants?

I plan on having a pepper patch of all the different varieties that I have started and have yet to start but I was contemplating saving back one plant of each variety and growing them in individual pots to isolate them by distance. How do you all isolate? Am I over thinking this? I have heard about teabagging :lol: blossoms, is that the best way to go? I'm just trying to work it all out ahead of time...
 
You can isolate individual blossoms or you can cover you plant with netting or you can grow your peppers at least a mile away from any other peppers.
 
I use tulle bags that I made myself. I picked up a 12" wide roll of tulle at Walmart. Then all you have to do is measure out a length (say 20") fold that in half and sew the 2 sides (this would make the bag (12" wide x 10" long). If you use this method be prepared for frustration. Flower drop within these bags is high for me.

Another method I am going to try this season is gluing flowers before they open. The flower remains closed preventing cross pollination. As the pod grows the flower is pushed off.
 
I was under the impression that the only way to worry about crosses is if you happen to get the flowers crossed with something, then grow from THOSE seeds.
If you just kept the same plant, would you not have no need what-so-ever to worry about crossing?
 
I have made tulle bags which I hope to use this season. You can also use thin spun polyester cloth. Also going to experiment with using rubber cement and/or other glues to seal shut individual flowers.
 
I was under the impression that the only way to worry about crosses is if you happen to get the flowers crossed with something, then grow from THOSE seeds.
If you just kept the same plant, would you not have no need what-so-ever to worry about crossing?

Exactly, but then you have to buy new seeds when you want a new plant.
 
I use tulle and gel caps both. This year I'm leaning towards all tulle greenhouses. Like Josh, I make bags, then put them over a 1/2 pvc frame, then cover the whole plant if I am going to use that plant for seed.
 
I use white. I don't know if anyone has researched the light transmission of different colors of tulle to know if white or green would make a difference. But you really only need to cover the plants while they are flowering and small pods form. Once they do, mark them with a piece of yarn, and used the marked ones for seed.
 
If you clone plants and keep them year to year, cross pollination is not a problem.
Cloned plants are always the same plant, hence the name.
 
If you clone plants and keep them year to year, cross pollination is not a problem.
Cloned plants are always the same plant, hence the name.
How is the viability on cloned plants? Do they continue to grow and produce as well as the parents? How many generations can you clone them before they start petering out?
 
Thats what I was saying...if you keep the same plant by over-wintering, etc, then it shouldnt matter. You aren't using the seed. Then you can just isolate what pod/pods you want.
 
If you overwinter which from what I am seeing posted lately I will be doing. It seems I can just yank and pot them and toss in the basement, almost. Also I have a friend who overwintered his potted cherry tomatoes by just letting out where it was all last year and it had new growth right before this big freeze came. So, next year I plan on letting some plant in the ground overwinter just to see.
 
I use white. I don't know if anyone has researched the light transmission of different colors of tulle to know if white or green would make a difference. But you really only need to cover the plants while they are flowering and small pods form. Once they do, mark them with a piece of yarn, and used the marked ones for seed.

I know that some tomato growers over here have been using red shadecloth on their tunnels, speaking to some of them they claim a 25-30% increase in flowers/fruit production, plus less bugs because it interferes with the insects infra-red vision.
I havent tried it yet myself but it is another thing on the list to try.
 
I spread my gardens out... This year I will have one plot at my moms house, one at my dads, one at the farm I used to ride (horses) at, and one where ever we move (I'm starting graduate school in the fall but wont know where until March .. so nothings going in the ground at our current residence!)



xo nicole
 
First of all I have to apologize for my English (as I am not a native English speaker) but I hope you will understand me.
About your question: the basic knowledge on Capsicum crosses is that from the five mostly grown domesticated species C.pubescens don't cross with the others. So be confident it will be no accidental cross between C.pubescens and the other species, only between different varieties of it. C.baccatum crosses sporadically with C.annuum, C.chinense or C.frutescens, so very little chances to happen, except intentionally by artificial pollination. In the C.annuum complex (which is C.annuum, C.chinense, C.frutescens and some wild species) the crosses between species occur oftenly with a vary degree of succes. Literature says it can be from 10 to 90% to have fertile offsprings from these crosses. But 10-90% is about the rate of succes for artificial hand-made polinattions, in controled conditions, and I thing that actually it is no more than 1% in natural conditions, under the action of wind and insect pollinators. Which is not to much for a usual gardener which wants to save some seeds for his use. If want to trade or sell seeds, you should consider isolating the plants.
Here is how I do it: Chile peppers have quite small and fragile flowers so isolating individual flowers is tricky. It can be and it is done when interspecific or intervarietal intentional crosses are made, to obtain hybrids. It is easier to isolate entire plants using isolation cages made from semi-porous fabric (like tulle or the kind of fabric used for protection of plants against early spring freez). They are various comercially available brands (Agritex, Agryl etc.). I enclose the plant in this bag and use stalks and ring plastic suports.
I will show you now the pros and cons of this method:
Pros: -- this method insures nearly perfect avoidance of accidental crosses by wind and flying insect pollinators
-- the fabric also protects the plants against heil, heavy rain, wind, sunscald, low temperatures (during night or late autumn) and some pests (like caterpillars or bugs)
Cons: -- money to be spent ( around 4-5 $ for every isolated plant), but most of the materials can be used many years
-- the amount of money and extra time limits the possible number of seed producing plants
-- the bags modify the microclimate, with slightly higher temperatures and air humidity (especially during mornings with dew or fog) and lower light
-- plants are more susceptible to diseases, because of the microclimate, which means more sprayings
-- plants can be more often damaged by aphids or trips, because the natural predators have no access
-- the fruit set is most of the time lower than growing the plant in "open air"
-- overall there is a need for extra care and extra time
To avoid or limit the damages caused by diseases and pests, I check the plants regularly (usually one or twice every week) and spray whenever needed. To avoid pollen contamination during manipulation of bags, I use two replacing sets of bags. The set I remove I gently wash it and disinfect (with a light concentration of bleach) and I use it next time.
Hopefully this was useful for you.
 
Only my opinion

#1 Overwintering......very easy and keeps that Mama going

#2 Cloning............Its pretty cool to see the roots emerging out of the Rockwool...and then come the "buds" .....opps I mean the "flowers"

#3 Isolating..........I do the branch only with... ( "Hey hun next time your at the store pick up some of those ") nylon hosiery.....that works great...

I won't do the entire plant, since I can only use a few seeds from each variety the following year, and besides I don't want my plants looking like a clothes line... :)
 
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