Peppers wrinkling and getting soft on plant before ripening

[blueapplepaste]

I'm growing Sugar Rush Peach peppers for the first time this year. The plant is doing great and setting lots of peppers. However, all the peppers are starting to wrinkle and get soft on the plant. The peppers are maximum maybe 5ish weeks old from when they set.
 
It's almost like they're getting over ripe, but most aren't changing any color towards ripening, or barely starting to change. I'm not sure if this is some nutritional thing? Some environmental thing? Its pepper neighbors in the same bed are doing awesome and their peppers are ripening like I'm used to.
 
Or are my peppers actually ripening and just not changing color for me to be able to tell?
 
I've attached some photos of pods I just pulled off the plant, these were the ones that had changed the most color (though none of them look even close to any photos I've seen of these peppers). Others still look like a pale yellow, even though they're soft and wrinkled.

 

[Siv]

I have no idea why your peppers are doing this but they're not the peach colour I'm getting. Even after turning this colour, I leave them for a few more days as there is sometimes some green when you cut them open.
 
(ignore the LGS on the right)

 

[Dulac]

Mine were yellow, so maybe there is something wrong with our seeds!

 

[Siv]

I'm super happy with my sugar rush this year. I grew them last year but the pods were considerably smaller (but the same taste). I'd be happy to send you guys some 2020 seeds for 2021!

 

[blueapplepaste]

I have no idea why your peppers are doing this but they're not the peach colour I'm getting. Even after turning this colour, I leave them for a few more days as there is sometimes some green when you cut them open.
 
(ignore the LGS on the right)

 
Those a drop dead gorgeous!! Making me jealous.
 
At this point I'm wondering if what I'm growing aren't sugar rush peach peppers. Which would be a bummer as these came from a reputable company.

 

[Siv]

I grew SRPs last year, seed also from a reputable company (Tyler farms) and they were OK. The pods were small, much more wrinkly but still tasted pretty good. A pretty reasonable producer though.

 
This year, the SRP seeds were sourced from a different vendor (Pepper Donkey) and the pods are much larger, smoother and still great tasting. I would be reasonably confident in saying that these are my most prolific plants.

 
I think the main problem is that most seed vendors sell open pollinated seeds. For a open pollinated seed to have little to no chance of cross pollination, the plants should be separated by vast distances which doesn't happen. Otherwise they should be isolating flowers with bags or nets to get true seeds which may be too much effort for some of the larger volume seed vendors.
 
Another thing to consider is that these are an accidental cross anyway. The SRP was originally bred by Chris Fowler at Welsh Dragon Chilli by accident so who knows how stable this variety is. He himself only sells open pollinated seeds so there's no guarantee that what you get will be the same as the mother plant. If you google SRP pictures, you will see many different pod shapes and shaded of peach. In general, this is why it's probably good practice to isolate and save your own seeds so that you can be sure you know what you're growing. I have 16 varieties growing this year, all bought/gifted seeds, and I know for sure that at least 4 are putting out off-pheno pods.

 

[ahayastani]

This year, the SRP seeds were sourced from a different vendor (Pepper Donkey) and the pods are much larger, smoother and still great tasting. I would be reasonably confident in saying that these are my most prolific plants.
 
I think the main problem is that most seed vendors sell open pollinated seeds. For a open pollinated seed to have little to no chance of cross pollination, the plants should be separated by vast distances which doesn't happen. Otherwise they should be isolating flowers with bags or nets to get true seeds which may be too much effort for some of the larger volume seed vendors.
 
Another thing to consider is that these are an accidental cross anyway. The SRP was originally bred by Chris Fowler at Welsh Dragon Chilli by accident so who knows how stable this variety is. He himself only sells open pollinated seeds so there's no guarantee that what you get will be the same as the mother plant. If you google SRP pictures, you will see many different pod shapes and shaded of peach. In general, this is why it's probably good practice to isolate and save your own seeds so that you can be sure you know what you're growing. I have 16 varieties growing this year, all bought/gifted seeds, and I know for sure that at least 4 are putting out off-pheno pods.

 
Seed Savers Exchange, "The Seed Garden" (p. 189): Because peppers have a mixed mating system - with reported levels of outcrossing ranging from 2 to 90 percent - the recommended isolation distance for saving pepper seeds is in line with other species that reproduce through a combination of self- and cross-pollination. Although some modern sweet peppers can be properly maintained with a shorter isolation distance, the recommended isolation distance between pepper varieties - including those of cross-compatible species - is 300 to 1600 feet (91 to 488 m). Seed savers working toward the genetic preservation of a variety should consider using an isolation distance of half a mile (0.8 km).

 

[blueapplepaste]

I grew SRPs last year, seed also from a reputable company (Tyler farms) and they were OK. The pods were small, much more wrinkly but still tasted pretty good. A pretty reasonable producer though.

 
This year, the SRP seeds were sourced from a different vendor (Pepper Donkey) and the pods are much larger, smoother and still great tasting. I would be reasonably confident in saying that these are my most prolific plants.

 
I think the main problem is that most seed vendors sell open pollinated seeds. For a open pollinated seed to have little to no chance of cross pollination, the plants should be separated by vast distances which doesn't happen. Otherwise they should be isolating flowers with bags or nets to get true seeds which may be too much effort for some of the larger volume seed vendors.
 
Another thing to consider is that these are an accidental cross anyway. The SRP was originally bred by Chris Fowler at Welsh Dragon Chilli by accident so who knows how stable this variety is. He himself only sells open pollinated seeds so there's no guarantee that what you get will be the same as the mother plant. If you google SRP pictures, you will see many different pod shapes and shaded of peach. In general, this is why it's probably good practice to isolate and save your own seeds so that you can be sure you know what you're growing. I have 16 varieties growing this year, all bought/gifted seeds, and I know for sure that at least 4 are putting out off-pheno pods.

 
I'd read they're fairly new so may not be that stable of a cross. But even in the variation of yours, they still look distinctly like SRP. 
 
At first I thought I had something weird going on, but now I think I'm convinced that they're just not SRP. Maybe a lone seed from another plant ended up in my bag and bum luck was that was the seed I chose, the one that germinated, and the one that made it to the garden.
 
Oh well. This plant has been super prolific. Probably 20ish pods picked so far, things slowing down due to TX heat, but I always get a massive bumper crop once I get over the July/August slump. So I suspect I'll get dozens of peppers out of it before the frost comes.
 
They just sort of taste "generic" and don't have any of the complexities I was hoping for from the SRP. Will definitely try a different vendor's stock for 2021.

 

[Tybo]

I'm super happy with my sugar rush this year. I grew them last year but the pods were considerably smaller (but the same taste). I'd be happy to send you guys some 2020 seeds for 2021!

 
Siv, I would be interested in getting a few seeds.  Have you isolated any of them?

 

[Fallis]

 
I'd read they're fairly new so may not be that stable of a cross. But even in the variation of yours, they still look distinctly like SRP. 
 
At first I thought I had something weird going on, but now I think I'm convinced that they're just not SRP. Maybe a lone seed from another plant ended up in my bag and bum luck was that was the seed I chose, the one that germinated, and the one that made it to the garden.
 
Oh well. This plant has been super prolific. Probably 20ish pods picked so far, things slowing down due to TX heat, but I always get a massive bumper crop once I get over the July/August slump. So I suspect I'll get dozens of peppers out of it before the frost comes.
 
They just sort of taste "generic" and don't have any of the complexities I was hoping for from the SRP. Will definitely try a different vendor's stock for 2021.

 
I wouldn't be so sure of that.  I've got an overwintered SRP plant that's exhibiting the same behavior as you're seeing this year.  Putting out a lot of fruit, but it's like the plant gives up on them before they get ripe.
 
Last year it took forever for the peppers to get ripe and it didn't set fruit until fairly late in the season.  This year it set a whole bunch of peppers right away - but maybe it was too early for them to ripen up properly.  I'd hold out some hope.

 

[blueapplepaste]

 
I wouldn't be so sure of that.  I've got an overwintered SRP plant that's exhibiting the same behavior as you're seeing this year.  Putting out a lot of fruit, but it's like the plant gives up on them before they get ripe.
 
Last year it took forever for the peppers to get ripe and it didn't set fruit until fairly late in the season.  This year it set a whole bunch of peppers right away - but maybe it was too early for them to ripen up properly.  I'd hold out some hope.

 
Interesting perspective! Thanks for sharing.
 
I wouldn't say it started setting peppers any earlier than I normally start to get peppers, but maybe you're right. Plant just wasn't ready.
 
I guess we'll find out soon enough!