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breeding How to prevent crossing

C

Chaddy5552

I am growing some superhots inside this winter. I have two Moruga Scorpion plants currently growing, with one chocolate 7-pot just starting to sprout.

I have the three plants in front of a south facing window, all on separate stands. My question is: how do I prevent the plants from crossing, resulting in a hybrid plant? Is simply keeping them a few feet apart from each other in separate containers enough?
 
Not if you ever have ants or open a window it won't be. Some people put very fine mosquito nets. I just use a toothbrush to pollinate(Note: electric toothbrush to hit the base of the flower by the stem lightly, not where the pollen is) and then cover it with a plastic bag when I'm not doing that to keep from crossing. You could also put plastic boxes around them or something, but then you won't get many pods unless you use the toothbrush method. Good luck on the chocolate 7 pods, and just a question, but why WOULDN'T you want Moruga x Choc. 7 pod. Grow one hybrid later.
 
+1 for fine nets or very far spacing, most growers use nets or something similar.It also depends on how many plants, how close together and what varieties are being grown. Some varieties cross more easily than others do. The more plants that are grown but not far apart from each other, the more likely the chances are of being cross pollinated.
 
are you planning on growing out the seeds of the pods that grow on your plants? peppers self pollinate and in my mind you would have to have to have the plants on top of each other with heavy wind to get a cross and you would not see that cross(if it even happened) till after you grew out the seeds of the pods on your plants. you are only growing a few plants so i would not even sweat getting a cross. just my 2 cents, i grew 13 plants last year and the seeds i sprouted this year(or gave away to friends) all turned out just how the parents did. isolating to me is for the people that sell for a living or are trying to stabilize or selctive grow. there are bigger WAY more important things to worry about than crossing.
 
I grow starts out in 4 1/2 in. pots and wait for a pod or 2 to set before they go out so I get pure seeds from what ones I want.

No fans etc on my grow.

My opinion is that if the plants aren't tangled with each other it takes something to get stray pollen to get past the buds own pollen to cross.

I don't use a brush or? to mess with the buds anymore.

I used to have a different brush for every plant.
Tossed the brush out (or used it otherwise-not on plants)after the plant I used it on set pods.

The more I brushed my buds the more crosses I got in general.

I think pollen was released by my brushing into the air than if I let the buds alone.

My brushes ended up probably getting contaminated just from stray pollen around the grow shelves.

Once I stopped messing with buds I saw a TON of pollen under buds on leaves that I NEVER saw when I was shaking or brushing.

Pollen is microscopic and i think I was spreading it around from tools etc while trying to actually isolate stuff.
Netting is to keep pollinators out but keeps the aphids etc in.
Netting is for bugs,too big a mesh for pollen particles.
Check out the size of a piece of pollen...
Nets work outside BUT often raise the temp. inside it so buds are too warm,won't set.

Just in case some stray pollen is around that wouldn't have pollinated a bud (on a petal that I moved around accidently or whatever or just messing with several plants put stray stuff on my brush,tools or whatever)without my brushing the bud the bud was left to mother nature.
ALL I need are a couple pods per plant.
Once I get a pod growing indoors I mark them and the plant goes outside to the bees and grasshoppers,crickets and mites...

As long as branches aren't touching I think I'm cool.

Ya I had 20 buds and got 2 pods-so what?I got pure seeds in #'s to keep my collection fresh.

I've had more crosses trying to Isolate stuff by hand and never got crosses from plant left alone.

Fans etc. would certainly change the whole thing.ANYTHING you do that messes with the way your plants do what nature wants them to do can mess things up.
I think,in general,a lot of people screw up by trying to HELP their plants in general.
Kill with kindness is the rule rather than the exception these days.
Just read all the nute question posts etc.
Plants are designed by nature to GROW AND SET PODS/Propagate.
Let nature do it's thing,helping isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Self pollinating plants are designed to do just that.
Without bees or humans they carry on.
Messing with pollination in a small grow only makes you the possible bee.

I only grow for a pod or 2 of pure seeds for personal use...
As stated above,commercial seed sales is a totally different ball game.

My opinion is just that,worth exactly what you paid me for it.

I'd go with keeping plants from overlapping branches and let nature do it's thing.
You'll get pure seeds from only a fewer # of pods but have enough to re grow and a few to trade.
 
smokemaster said:
I grow starts out in 4 1/2 in. pots and wait for a pod or 2 to set before they go out so I get pure seeds from what ones I want.No fans etc on my grow.My opinion is that if the plants aren't tangled with each other it takes something to get stray pollen to get past the buds own pollen to cross.I don't use a brush or? to mess with the buds anymore.I used to have a different brush for every plant.Tossed the brush out (or used it otherwise-not on plants)after the plant I used it on set pods.The more I brushed my buds the more crosses I got in general.I think pollen was released by my brushing into the air than if I let the buds alone.My brushes ended up probably getting contaminated just from stray pollen around the grow shelves.Once I stopped messing with buds I saw a TON of pollen under buds on leaves that I NEVER saw when I was shaking or brushing.Pollen is microscopic and i think I was spreading it around from tools etc while trying to actually isolate stuff.Netting is to keep pollinators out but keeps the aphids etc in.Netting is for bugs,too big a mesh for pollen particles.Check out the size of a piece of pollen...Nets work outside BUT often raise the temp. inside it so buds are too warm,won't set.Just in case some stray pollen is around that wouldn't have pollinated a bud (on a petal that I moved around accidently or whatever or just messing with several plants put stray stuff on my brush,tools or whatever)without my brushing the bud the bud was left to mother nature.ALL I need are a couple pods per plant.Once I get a pod growing indoors I mark them and the plant goes outside to the bees and grasshoppers,crickets and mites...As long as branches aren't touching I think I'm cool.Ya I had 20 buds and got 2 pods-so what?I got pure seeds in #'s to keep my collection fresh.I've had more crosses trying to Isolate stuff by hand and never got crosses from plant left alone.Fans etc. would certainly change the whole thing.ANYTHING you do that messes with the way your plants do what nature wants them to do can mess things up.I think,in general,a lot of people screw up by trying to HELP their plants in general.Kill with kindness is the rule rather than the exception these days.Just read all the nute question posts etc.Plants are designed by nature to GROW AND SET PODS/Propagate.Let nature do it's thing,helping isn't all it's cracked up to be.Self pollinating plants are designed to do just that.Without bees or humans they carry on.Messing with pollination in a small grow only makes you the possible bee.I only grow for a pod or 2 of pure seeds for personal use...As stated above,commercial seed sales is a totally different ball game.My opinion is just that,worth exactly what you paid me for it.I'd go with keeping plants from overlapping branches and let nature do it's thing.You'll get pure seeds from only a fewer # of pods but have enough to re grow and a few to trade.
Click to expand...
I like your answer! It makes sense to me.
 
I've never tried it, but I read that you can glue a flower shut just before it opens to prevent cross pollination from occurring.
 
I do what was mentioned above and just try to keep my plants physically separated and let it set a couple pods to harvest seeds from. After that I don't care whether or not they cross, as I won't be saving the seeds from the rest of the pods.
 
That's what i did this year, glued a few flowers shut off on each plant, then tagged them with colored yarn.
 
Even then, i still pack the seeds from each pod separately into their own baggie. Come 2014 I'll then yank and plant seeds from each and every package.
 
I still collect seed from open pollinated pods, and will plant one seed of each, to see if there were any unusual crosses. I had a lot of rare varieties in 2013, so a cross may turn out interesting.
 
Otherwise, in the past, i isolated using thin fabric, and if the plants were potted then i would also keep them spread out.
 
smokemaster said:
I grow starts out in 4 1/2 in. pots and wait for a pod or 2 to set before they go out so I get pure seeds from what ones I want.

No fans etc on my grow.

My opinion is that if the plants aren't tangled with each other it takes something to get stray pollen to get past the buds own pollen to cross.

I don't use a brush or? to mess with the buds anymore.

I used to have a different brush for every plant.
Tossed the brush out (or used it otherwise-not on plants)after the plant I used it on set pods.

The more I brushed my buds the more crosses I got in general.

I think pollen was released by my brushing into the air than if I let the buds alone.

My brushes ended up probably getting contaminated just from stray pollen around the grow shelves.

Once I stopped messing with buds I saw a TON of pollen under buds on leaves that I NEVER saw when I was shaking or brushing.

Pollen is microscopic and i think I was spreading it around from tools etc while trying to actually isolate stuff.
Netting is to keep pollinators out but keeps the aphids etc in.
Netting is for bugs,too big a mesh for pollen particles.
Check out the size of a piece of pollen...
Nets work outside BUT often raise the temp. inside it so buds are too warm,won't set.

Just in case some stray pollen is around that wouldn't have pollinated a bud (on a petal that I moved around accidently or whatever or just messing with several plants put stray stuff on my brush,tools or whatever)without my brushing the bud the bud was left to mother nature.
ALL I need are a couple pods per plant.
Once I get a pod growing indoors I mark them and the plant goes outside to the bees and grasshoppers,crickets and mites...

As long as branches aren't touching I think I'm cool.

Ya I had 20 buds and got 2 pods-so what?I got pure seeds in #'s to keep my collection fresh.

I've had more crosses trying to Isolate stuff by hand and never got crosses from plant left alone.

Fans etc. would certainly change the whole thing.ANYTHING you do that messes with the way your plants do what nature wants them to do can mess things up.
I think,in general,a lot of people screw up by trying to HELP their plants in general.
Kill with kindness is the rule rather than the exception these days.
Just read all the nute question posts etc.
Plants are designed by nature to GROW AND SET PODS/Propagate.
Let nature do it's thing,helping isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Self pollinating plants are designed to do just that.
Without bees or humans they carry on.
Messing with pollination in a small grow only makes you the possible bee.

I only grow for a pod or 2 of pure seeds for personal use...
As stated above,commercial seed sales is a totally different ball game.

My opinion is just that,worth exactly what you paid me for it.

I'd go with keeping plants from overlapping branches and let nature do it's thing.
You'll get pure seeds from only a fewer # of pods but have enough to re grow and a few to trade.
Click to expand...
This is also very true. But just saying, where I live, every spring ants come into the house and cause havoc with cross making. If I'm not growing out the seeds this is a good thing, because I can get 10 peppers on a plant 7 inches high. But inside they won't pollinate very well at all. I only get one or two pods if I don't brush them.
 
Use elmers glue and glue a couple flowers together before they bloom and mark them with a piece of twist tie. The flower will balloon out and if you tap the branch the pollen flies around in the flower and should pollinate it's self. The flower falls off and they're ya go...Worked for me and it's a lot easier and you prolly have the stuff around the house. You'll get all the seeds you need from a couple pods from each plant.
 
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