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glog 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!
 
Update of the week-it doesn't seem like only a week ago that I last posted, so I guess it's been a long one!

Here are the results so far. All of the seeds that have sprouted radicles in the paper towels have emerged from the soil and are growing! Sorry about the crappy photos.

Outlined in:

Red-Aji Guyana
Orange-Aji Chinchi Amarillo
Yellow-Aji Mango

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Purple-Aji Panca
Dark Magenta-Sugar Rush Amarillo
Green-Aji Lemon Drop

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Red-Mayan Red
Orange-Scotch Bonnet, Orange
Yellow-Petenero

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Green-Bahamian Goat
Dark Magenta-Aji Chombo
Purple-Congo Black Habanero

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Hey @ahayastani !!

Red-Tapachula Chile Rojo
Yellow-Tapachula Chile Amarillo

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My Rocoto Aji Largo has been caged. It's hard to believe it, but I was on my way to Home Depot to purchase some things and potentially look at some fencing for cages, and I found a roll sitting out at someone's curb. They were cleaning out their garage. Serendipity!

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The Aji Oro (L) was not caged. I was a little worried that it is suffering from transplant shock, but it's definitely growing!

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...aaand to my surprise, it looks like Aji Largo tried to set a fruit! Let's see if it holds on to it or drops it. It's got a few more flowers on it, and they are fertile (I get pollen on my finger when I tease the stamens).

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Last thing: my Ecuadorian Red PFH successfully overwintered, and is sprouting! Hopefully it doesn't stall out and gives a nice crop this season. I didn't get isolated seeds from it last year, so it'll be good to get some this year to distribute. This was the beast of a plant that was in the Adirondack Chair last year (last picture in this thread).

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Wow, this spring Rocoto experiment is really working out! I have 3 Rocoto Aji Largo fruit that set this past week, and this gives me a total of 4 so far. We're not even close to the optimum temps that I observed last year for them. Hopefully once that hits (about the 3rd week of April until the end of May/early June) they'll take off nicely and give me a big crop!

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Wow, this spring Rocoto experiment is really working out! I have 3 Rocoto Aji Largo fruit that set this past week, and this gives me a total of 4 so far. We're not even close to the optimum temps that I observed last year for them. Hopefully once that hits (about the 3rd week of April until the end of May/early June) they'll take off nicely and give me a big crop!

20250330_183433.jpg


20250330_183505.jpg
looks like you're onto something! Nice work!
 
+1 to that! Those cages are awesome. Can't believe your luck in finding the roll. I'm wondering if you'll still be able to see the cage after your EPFH reaches full growth this season.
 
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