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NJChilehead's 2025 GLOG

Before we get started, I wanted to post this image for the GLOG cover. This was one of the last harvests I got from my 2024 plants, which were picked later in December:

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This is probably the earliest I've ever started pepper seeds! Usually seeds are started between 3/1 and 3/15, but this year I'd like to experiment a little.

My reason for starting this early is that I'd like to get split crops from my C. pubescens next year (a spring and a fall crop). Looking at the average temperatures for my area, it looks like the best temperatures for fruit set are from about 4/15 until about 6/1. Afterwards, it would be too hot for fruit set until September:

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Considering the typical 8-week time frame between germination and plant-out, I figure if germination is between 1/1 and 1/15, I could grow indoors for a few weeks, do an intermediate up-potting, and then plant in containers somewhere between 3/15 and 4/1. This would give them a few weeks to get their roots settled and start putting on a little size for flowering. The plant might still be a little small around 4/15, but I'm hoping it'll wake up sometime around then and 5/1 to give me at least a few solid weeks of fruit set and growth. Time will tell!

I'm starting seeds for Rocoto Aji Largo for the experiment. I've read that Aji Largo is relatively easy to grow compared to some Rocotos, so I figured it would be a good candidate. I'm also attempting to germinate 20 year old seeds for Rocoto PI 593930 and Rocoto GRIF 9345, I believe neither of these are in circulation anymore. There are pictures of GRIF 9345 online, but nothing about PI 593930. The only thing I could find about PI 593930 is the following:

"PI 593930. Capsicum pubescens Ruiz Lopez & PavonCultivar. WWT-1371-A; Aji picante. Collected 11/03/1995 in Ecuador.Latitude 3 deg. 41' 49'' S. Longitude 79 deg. 41' 12•• W. Elevation 1060m. Provincia El Oro, Canton Pinas, Parroquia Pinas, Localidad Pinas. Locally grown. Purchased in market. Fruits oblong conical, 5-7cm long, 4cm wide, constricted at base, red when ripe. Piquant. Seeds black."

From: https://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/pi_books/scans/pi205.pdf, page 163

Pre-soaking the seeds from GRIF 9345 and PI 593930 (below). Eventually, all of the PI 593930 seeds and more than half of the GRIF 9345 seeds sank to the bottom. I don't know if there's any truth to the old float/sink test for potential viability, but maybe this could be a decent sign that at least one or two seeds might germinate for me. I have at least 30 seeds for each. I'd really like to resurrect these, keep them in circulation and share seeds with others!

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I'm also overwintering an Ecudarorian Red Pepper from Hell and a Rocoto Turbo, to see if I can also get a spring harvest off of them. They were both prolific and tasty, and relatively easy, so I thought these would be good candidates! The ones pictured are actually my Ecuadorian Red Pepper from Hell (foreground) and Rocoto de Seda (background). I'm going to give the de Seda to a friend who really liked them when I gave them to him. My big concern with these is keeping them outside in the garage so that they don't bring any aphids inside!

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Thanks for looking! I'll keep everyone posted as the season progresses!
 
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So far the old seeds are not popping. However, the Rocoto Aji Largo are coming out of the gate like champs! I really liked Rocoto Turbo last year, but I decided to replace it with Aji Oro for the spring, and therefore, my spring pubescens grow will be the overwintered Ecuadorian Red Pepper from Hell (which is still "alive" in my garage but is completely asleep), Aji Oro and Aji Largo. Here are the pics of the Aji Largo so far. For the record, the Aji Largo grows fast!

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CaneDog said:
Those Largo's are barn-burners. Looks like they're off to a great start. I can't tell if that's a hook in the upper right cell, but your numbers look good. I'm curious about your method and medium for sprouting them. They look great.
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Hey CaneDog, here's my method:

1: I soak the seeds for a few hours in water that has been boiled to off-gas some of the chlorine.

2: After a few hours, I thoroughly clean a plate and thoroughly wash hands.

3: Put clean paper towels on the plate and add water until the paper towels are saturated. Cover with a second plate and microwave them until they're steaming.

3: When the water cools, immediately wring them out with clean hands. I want them to be damp but not wet. I think a good indicator is if I can't easily squeeze out any more water, but if I squeeze hard I might get a few drops out.

4. Put the pre-soaked seeds on the paper towel, fold over and put them in a ziploc bag. Squeeze all of the air out of the ziploc bag and seal it. Then it goes in a warm place, I usually put them on top of my grow lights where it's about 75-80 degrees and they start well there. I check from time to time to make sure dry spots aren't forming on the paper towels. If that happens, I give it a little of the cleanest water that I can.

5. As radicles appear, I place them in cells that have Fox Farm Happy Frog soil, appropriately dampened.

I got 100% germination on my Aji Largo seeds this way.
 
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Thanks for sharing. Seems to be working well for you. I like the scottex method for getting the seeds good aeration, keeping an eye on them, etc., though I don't use it very often, probably because of it being two steps and perhaps an increased risk that they dry out more quickly if I miss checking up on them. I've had a couple varieties recently that have given me trouble despite all the other seeds doing fine around them, so maybe I'll try this so I can see what is (or isn't) going on with them.
 
Last year I compared the ziploc bag method and the cup method (both with wet paper towels inside). I chose the cup method because the absence of air circulating in the bags was reducing germinability, and some seeds were "cooking" and getting darker. The bag method was more mold-proof (as mold needs air too), but in the end I found that also seeds need air. Now I sterilize seeds before putting them in the cups, so I have the best of both worlds. Just my 2 cents 🙂
 
SatanicFlatIron said:
Last year I compared the ziploc bag method and the cup method (both with wet paper towels inside). I chose the cup method because the absence of air circulating in the bags was reducing germinability, and some seeds were "cooking" and getting darker. The bag method was more mold-proof (as mold needs air too), but in the end I found that also seeds need air. Now I sterilize seeds before putting them in the cups, so I have the best of both worlds. Just my 2 cents 🙂
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These are great points! It's been many years since I used the cup method, and it was very early on in my Capsicum-growing journey. Maybe I'll have to do another run in the next year or two using your criteria!
 
NJChilehead said:
@MarcV @CaneDog Thank you! I'm holding my breath a little, but yes I hope at least one or two of each germinate for me and I can get seeds from them.
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I hope they do pop for you once somebody found some okra seeds in a sealed jar they was at least 100 years old & I think had Grandpa's okra labeld on it .
That was in a post by the person who found them on Facebook in a group might of been baker Creek or another its been awhile
I don't know if any ever popped but it was a lot of seeds they was in one of those old pickle jars & she got a lot of advice
It's interesting when people make finds like that & they germinate or start old seeds out of circulation as your doing best of luck
 
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