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preservation Question on preserving the strain purity while saving seed

cone9

cone9

Extreme Member
I would like to save seed from what I grow for my own use as well as to share
 
I assume all species of pepper cross pollinate, so how do you have confidence that the seed you save will grow the pepper you expect?  Not a big issue if it is for yourself, but you don't want to give (or worse yet, trade or sell) someone else seed that doesn't produce as expected.
 
In one of my raised beds I am growing one plant each of Poblano, Sandia, Lemon Drop and Orange Bell grouped together 18" apart.  It would seem to me that I could not expect any of these plants to consistently produce seed that would grow plants just like the parent.
 
I have other plants growing in individual pots separated from other species by ten feet or more.  Would it be safe to believe these would produce progeny like the parent?
 
Thanks
 
i'd say they are equally at risk. all you need is one bee or a good gust of wind and you have the chance of cross pollenation. i'd not worry so much about it, most folks that trade seeds expect "open pollinated" seeds, where there's always the small chance of getting a cross. personally, i like the chance of getting a cross, but that's just me. 
 
Yea i personally don't care if seeds were isolated or not and like the other member said, I like unexpected crosses.

But if you really really want to isolate seeds you can either grow them a mile apart from each other, or put tulle fabric around an entire plant or just isolate single flowers with tulle fabric
 
I have a reef aquarium and in the past I have propagated corals to trade with other reefers.  In that hobby most of us go to great pains not to send any nefarious creatures along with the corals we're trading.
 
Along that line of thinking I didn't want to give people seed that weren't what I was representing them to be.  I see though that there is an understanding among chiliheads that OP seed may not always be what you think and that's OK.  So I'm cool with that (although my bald spot sweats like a bitch when I eat hot peppers - I'm a real lightweight).
 
 
@ meinchoh  - I'm just down I77 at Dover.  I may have to pick your brain a bit on what grows well or not in our part of the world.
 
If you are to ever sell or trade your seeds, just make absolutely sure that you let whoever you're dealing with know that they were not isolated and are OP and most people won't mind
 
Right on, Vince! You may always run the risk of isolating a plant that you THINK is pure. With all the seeds that trade hands, it's very difficult to tell.
 
cone9, holler at me anytime!!!
 
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