Open pollination reliability when growing multiple varieties?

Dr. Weird

Dr. Weird

Merry Christmas pepper peoples,
 
For those of you who collect seeds from your own peppers (sweet and hot types), do you have any trouble with cross pollination?
 
I only really grow heirloom/ open pollinated varieties as i know their seeds should grow true to the parents if they don't get cross pollinated, but because i have a number of different varieties growing quite close to each other i wondered how likely is there to be cross pollination?
 
I'm wanting to collect seeds from a few varieties that i don't have any more seeds of but have never done so (only with tomatoes).
 
Thanks for sharing any experiences.
 
Happy New Year too :)
 
When growing peppers in close proximity it is chancy when attempting to get uncrossed seed stock. If you are not going to take precautions such as netting the parent plants or gluing the flowers closed etc. you cannot be assured of true stock from the subsequent fruit.
 
Most likely though, not every seed produced in an open pollinated scenario will be a cross. You are likely to get some true seed but the % is unknowable.
 
Well, I tried posting three times and sending a message, but I must be wording something wrong that I'm being filtered. I would add to what Capcom said by saying that I've read Capsicum are receptive to pollen before they produce it, which predisposes them for cross pollinating. I prefer the full branch or full plant isolation now, as opposed to bagging individual flowers. I've still yet to try the glue method.. Next year.
 
Dr. Weird said:
For those of you who collect seeds from your own peppers (sweet and hot types), do you have any trouble with cross pollination?
Click to expand...
 
If you consider cross pollination to be troublesome, you should develop some isolation skills (either by distance or physical barrier).
 
The pollinating insects seem to have a sense for when you start to rely on cross pollination happening infrequently.  Then they attack!
 
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