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manzanos

So I had my first manzano today.... fiund some orange ones at a food 4 less.... figured they would have been hotter.... but they did have more than the bitter bell pepper taste I find in everything....

Since I'm saving the seeds, is there a difference between orange manzanos and rocoto amarillos?
 
There are many varieties of C.pubescens and some do not have particularly unique names.

When you label the saved seeds try and keep as much context as to the origin of the seeds as possible.

Do you have any photos of the pods?
 
Yes. The orange ones ripen to orange, and the amarillos ripen to yellow. There is also a red variety.

rhm3769 said:
is there a difference between orange manzanos and rocoto amarillos?
 
I liked it, it was a nice slow building warmth, and it gave the chance to taste the pepper for a decent amount of time.... followed by a hint of sweetness once the burn stops building....

Is this the normal manzano experience?

Anyone have any good recipes for them?
 
I have found that they are delicious roasted whole over charcoal, de-seeded and cut into strips, with a small amount of crushed garlic and salt. The heat is very much diminished when they're cooked like this--just to let you know.
 
Wow.... put one on the grill and let it go for amount 20 minutes at 450, then ran it through a slap chop and wow.... a lot hotter than the raw one....
 
hotter? It may have been that the first raw one you sampled was a low-heat pod from the earliest harvest. My experience is that roasting mellows the heat. This is generally true, but moreso for the rocotos and manzanos.
 
My problem this year is that the manzanos are not setting fruit. They are growing side by side with rocotos, which are podded very heavily. I know. Be patient.
 
It was surprising at first, I was expecting almost no heat compared to the first one and it was close to store bought hab level....
 
I thought I would add my experience. I have thus far had fruit from classic yellow manzanos and turbo pubes. The manzanos were great tasting and the turbos were not. I believe the growing conditions in Phoenix are a stress test for the easiest to grow. I have tried a plethora pubes this year. The only ones that survived until august are the rocoto peru bitumi. The rest have slowly died. The turbo pubes earned their name; they grew fast and produced fruit fast. I won't be growing them again because of the flavor. I had a manzano last over a year in the past. I only have one bitumi suvive out of 4 but the three survived 110+ weather. I went on vacation and lost them. They can survive Phx and thus they can survive anywhere.  I don't have fruit yet.
 
I know there is a lot of advice out there and here is mine:
1. start the seeds now.
2. Sunlight kills the leaves. It is not just the heat it is the sunlight. The most they can handle in the summer of direct sunlight is in the morning but I would only do ambient light. I could see where leaves died but the rest of the leaves that were very shaded survived.
 
I disagree.
My Manzanos have full southern exposure.
HOT roots I think are the real problem.
They won't set pods in heat but that isn't a problem for me.Here in S.Ca. I grow year round.
I get spring and fall pods.



Mite infested plant-still kicked out the pods,picked 50+ pods at a time for several weeks off these 2 plants..



Larger pots (True 20 gal/+ pots) work better for me.
MITES LOVE manzanos/Pubes.

Gotta get out your loop and look at your messed up leaves.
75% of the time it's mites messing with your plant even if other plants don't seem to have them.
Mites zero in on Pubes for some reason=more tastey?

Heat messes with pod set and roots big time.
Mine have no problem with full sun-in big pots.

Only Pube that is bullet proof is Ecuador Pubes.
They fruit heavily,early in big OR small pots.
Small pods but thick as grapes...
 
frosty said:
2. Sunlight kills the leaves. It is not just the heat it is the sunlight. The most they can handle in the summer of direct sunlight is in the morning but I would only do ambient light. I could see where leaves died but the rest of the leaves that were very shaded survived.
 
 
smokemaster said:
I disagree.
My Manzanos have full southern exposure.
HOT roots I think are the real problem.
They won't set pods in heat ....
I get spring and fall pods.
I also disagree. Pubescens need sunlight and lots of it. Mine are in full sun as I have NO shade in the area where I keep mine. If your plants died off, it was insufficient water (especially considering your area) or "nasties" (bugs, bacteria, etc.) 
 
Sadly, my rocoto was taken down by a cut worm.... I had three of thr fiur manzano seeds germinate but forgot abiut them and went on a weekend vacation and they didnt make it....

Ill start some more of both, ill get some pods this winter and spring from them....
 
My pubescens all did well until the summer heat hit. They flowered like crazy (100+ flowers), but didn`t set any pods at all once the temps got above 85° consistently. I`ve had 1 decent crop, as they were started last november and fruit was ripe around the end of May. I expect another one late in the fall.
 
I also think they like the light a great deal. What they hate is hot roots. And they hate hot, wet roots the most. I`m growing in 20 gallon pots and the soil temps have been low-mid 90`s since the end of june. Last week the soil temp was 98° and the plants dropped some leaves and look unhappy. They will come back once the temps drop. 
 
Guys you are just plain wrong for Phoenix. Period. A chile grown in afternoon sun will not flourish in the summer. Many will die. Tepins further south in the area grow under mesquite shade. I have never seen a wild tepin around Pheonix. Many of my dead pubes were in the ground with irrigation. Please keep in mind we are talking about 115- 120 days with extremely high sun intensity http://www.greenergylist.com/RED/kb/Solar%20Energy%20KB.htm
 
BTW some people grow pubes indoors with only window light. They become viney but they don't die. All plants need light,obviously, but has anyone grown pubes in afternoon sun in Phx without shade? I'll admit I'm wrong if ANYONE has. Please correct me. I want to be wrong!
 
I said portions of my plants that had sun hitting them died while the other portions remained green. It wasn't mites just choosing sunny spots or water just going to shaded spots. Come on, that is just silly.
 
The purpose of my comments was not tips on growing in the valley of the sun. It was to use extreme conditions to perhaps reveal something that is less obvious  in less extreme conditions. Shade your pubes during the summer and you'll be happier. Yes bigger pots are better but who didn't know that already?
 
There are places that are great for pubes. Like San Diego. The rest of us don't live there
 
Never grew in Phoenix, but the South rim of the Canyon.
Lots different temps.

I still think its a heat problem,not light.

I just sugested checking for mites as that is a problem not looked for because the other plants look great and their damage imitates other problems.

Nobody is getting on you for your point of view.
We are just giving you our opinions.
Worth exactly what you paid us for them...$.00.

Just trying to help you out.
 
smokemaster said:
I disagree.
My Manzanos have full southern exposure.
HOT roots I think are the real problem.
They won't set pods in heat but that isn't a problem for me.Here in S.Ca. I grow year round.
I get spring and fall pods.



Mite infested plant-still kicked out the pods,picked 50+ pods at a time for several weeks off these 2 plants..



Larger pots (True 20 gal/+ pots) work better for me.
MITES LOVE manzanos/Pubes.

Gotta get out your loop and look at your messed up leaves.
75% of the time it's mites messing with your plant even if other plants don't seem to have them.
Mites zero in on Pubes for some reason=more tastey?

Heat messes with pod set and roots big time.
Mine have no problem with full sun-in big pots.

Only Pube that is bullet proof is Ecuador Pubes.
They fruit heavily,early in big OR small pots.
Small pods but thick as grapes...
 
 
Very interesting comment about mites. My two monzano plants both have mite damage but nothing else does. I've sprayed them and they are doing better, and now that the weather is cooler, they are flowering and (hopefully) setting pods again. 
 
You can see the bald spots and yellow leaves especially on the outside plant.

Hard to mess with mites on big plants.Too many places to hide.
 
Anyone in Ohio growing manzano plants?  If so, please share your experience.
 
Thanks to SM I have plenty of seed.  I plan to start some at a couple different times this winter and transplant outside once the frost is past.  I'd like to try a couple different growing conditions as to light/shade and in ground vs potted. 
 
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