Tick's 2014

Tick · Jun 8, 2014

Thanks about the pods Runescape. I've moved some plants off the concrete and to the edge of some shade. Think the warm-up to the 80's and the heat at the side of the house was part of the problem. The yellowing is actually on many plants, some just slightly but more than any I saw last year. Hopefully the plants will get better once their roots take off growing in the warmer weather.

If not, more drastic measures will be taken. Already bought sand today and tried to find a decent potting soil to add when I do more pot ups.

Tick · Jun 29, 2014

Most plants are doing better in the warmer weather. The bigger brain strain is still crinkly and yellow - think I overdid it on the manure/ferts when I potted it as I was excited about growing a monster plant.

2nd brain strain - 1st attempt at growing in a bag. Got it for $1 and it's bigger than most of my pots:

cxc1, wild chinense x bhut, getting greener again:

This pod looks more bhut-like:

One of my 4 "Jamaican Jolokia" seedlings:

CGN 22207 - was worried I over-potted it (supposed to not get too big), but now it's taking off. Tepins that I sowed from left-over pods on the overwinters are growing under it:

Only has a few flowers which snap off easily, but here's a cool colored pod that I pollinated at the end of winter:

bhutamian doing better in a shadier spot:

Its flowers, frutescens-like:

The father variety, Bradley's, after a 2nd winter:

cxc2 on bottom, galapagoense middle left, cumari pollux middle right and tepin x wild chinense, agxc1, on top:

the tepin cross either doesn't set pods or they drop off after a few weeks - wonder if the wild chinense dad is actually closer to a frutescens than a chinense - it was finicky about what plants it would pollinate last year, including some other chinenses.

Also, the tepin x (goat's weed x cayenne)'s pods taste much better now and I already have re-potted the fastest-growing F2 seedling.

- Tick

Runescape · Jun 30, 2014

Tick said:
Also, the tepin x (goat's weed x cayenne)'s pods taste much better now

Is the heat level the same?

Tick · Jul 5, 2014

The heat is better, not far off from the tepin mother and possibly hotter, I will compare when I have them both ripe,

And now some more hot summer pods:

the brain strain in the bag has a nice little pod developing:

wild chinense x bhut, cxc1, ripening and showing a nice color change:

its half-sibling, the bhutamian has finally set some pods:

PI 257176, hope these taste as good as its paler yellow winter pods:

Another sweet tasting Peruvian chinense with cool matte skin, PI 215734:

Datil with some gnarly looking pods developing - hope it's true:

tepin x wild chinense finally setting bigger pods:

After a few weeks of single flowers at nodes it is now producing bigger leaves and multi-flowered nodes:

It really seems to go back and forth in its growth habit between the parent species!

- Tick

Tick · Jul 19, 2014

Quick update before running out for a bit - plants are getting big!

Datil; got the idea for the bucket holes from someone's post on THP, forgot who atm:

bhut x Bradley's Bahamian, "bhutamian":

Monster Naga:

One of its pods:

Tepin mom, tepin x wild chinense F1 (agxc1), wild chinense dad

Both the tepin and wild chinense are 2nd year, thought the chinense was going to die, so didn't list it - made a great comeback!

More wilds:

They are from the left: cumari pollux, Bradley's Bahamian (2nd year), galapagoense.

The galapagoense and cumari were started quite late, they've already got buds -

Here's the most vigorous galapagoense trying to flower - has a bit of a split stem which killed the biggest flower bud:

More soon...

Tick

Tick · Aug 16, 2014

Here's the monster naga from last post:

galapagoense:

Cumari Pollux:

wild chinense:

tepin:

tepin X wild chinense:

The above is much hotter than its mother tepin and tastes much better than my previous annuum x chinense cross (aji dulce x Bulgarian Carrot). It's juicy and the heat came on quick like the tepin but then it lasted much longer on the roof of my mouth. It also seemed to be quite salty.

wild chinense x bhut, cxc1:

Wasn't too hot but developed a slight bhut-flavor after a while without the acrid taste.

cxc2, another chinense cross:

Pleasantly surprised by its texture!

- Tick

Tick · Aug 28, 2014

F2 cayenne x goat's weed:

Of the 2 fuzziest seedlings I selected, this has the more cayenne-like form and pods - the other is taller and has almost Fresno-like pods.

CXC2, chinense cross:

Galapagos tomato:

Tick · Sep 30, 2014

Greens:

Looks like maybe two weeks or so before temps get into the lower 30's briefly - hope these pods can ripen or it doesn't reach 32F:

Brain Strain:

This is the coolest-looking pod, but actually have a few nice and huge ripe pods on this plant. Being in a bag really seemed to help - I started the plant late last summer and here's the stem:
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Longlegs on the brain:

Aji dulce offspring from a plant I grew in Puerto Rico:

These look quite different from the mom in shape, but there's no way it's crossed, just diverse genes in the parent.

CGN 22207
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Huge plant, despite a third being broken off earlier in the summer when I dropped a power cord from the 2nd floor window on it! Cool leaves, nice pod color, but dissapointing taste and yield.

Cumari pollux:

Have several nodes with 3 pods - have read that it has 2 pods maximum from other growers. Really hope some ripen!

Ghost pepper I grew from a pod brought from Jamaica - maybe I can isolate some more seeds over the winter or next year:

Next will be some yellows if I get a bump.

Thanks,
Tick

Spicegeist · Sep 30, 2014

Whoa, great stuff, how did I miss all of this! Sorry about that...

Your monster naga looks very similar to a naga king I'm growing.

Tick · Sep 30, 2014

Thanks Spicegeist! Your glog is one of the most interesting ones; you have some very cool crossing going and I like your choices in wild peppers and the bhut varieties. Hopefully my Jamaican Jolokia is unique and I hope to have a few more wild crosses (including some x galapagoenses of my own) next year as well (if I still have space to grow them).

Yellows:

First the Peruvians - PI 215734 and then PI 257176:

Yellow brains:

Next would be oranges:

Datil - not sure what to do with all these pods:

Chiltepin Sonoran Orange, started in late summer 2012:

Dark-to-orange, CGN 21566:

A hybrid using it as the male parent - I hope it will have some of the taste of the female plant:

CXC2 - chinense cross, going for heat and flavor in this one. 100% sure it's the cross I wanted, but a little surprised that it's orange:

Bump for reds

Spicegeist · Sep 30, 2014

Great stuff. What is your favorite yellow so far? Space is always my issue...

Tick · Oct 1, 2014

I like all the yellows I have grown, but probably PI 215734 over the yellow brain.

The brain in the bag is my most impressive plant and the pods are big and have that nice superhot-look to them. It has a better flavor than the monster naga, especially with a more mild pod I tasted in the spring. A more recent pod was the first to give me hiccups. I'm not too into superhots to eat, but I enjoy growing them.

PI 215734 was sort of a backup strain for me so I didn't pot them up into particularly big pots and somewhat neglected them. I have two plants which differ in that one has typical shiny pods and the other has the "matte" pod skin, a little blockier shape and seems to produce more. I've tried the matte plant pods and they have a moderate and even heat and are very sweet. Here's the shiny PI215734:

Now most of the Reds:

Bradley's Bahamian, started summer 2012:

CAP 691, also started summer 2012, much better this year:

Neglected 7 pot:

Cayenne x goat's weed F2, the fuzzy cayenne-form:
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Bhut jolokia x Bradley's Bahamian, "Bhutamian" F1:

Cap 691 x bhut jolokia F1:

- Tick

Tick · Oct 18, 2014

Look like a freeze warning for tomorrow night; I'll bring in as many plants in as I can, but I'll have to figure out what to do with the larger plants and their peppers. The weather forecast looks like it will be too back and forth in temp to bring a lot of plants inside and out

Here's the peppers on the biggest yellow brain strain:

I want to save the above plant and it has lots of newer pods as well, but it might get trimmed tomorrow.

Here's a classic pod on on the other brain:

galapagoense:

The galaps have not done as well in the late summer/fall. I think they are sensitive to cool and damp weather. Also, the bigger one stopped growing much after I repotted it. I think under-potting them and giving them a little less nutrients in the soil mix is better for them. I've noticed this in some other members' posts as well - so under certain conditions at least, they seem to produce more easily in pots then in the ground and perhaps even more if a little potbound. There are a few ripe pods.

A lot of pods are splitting and/or possibly corking as well:

Galapagos tomatos:

Cumari pollux has a few ripe pods, but I'l have to bring in and out for a while:

CAP 691 is ripening just fine:
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Tepin x CAP 691 cross:

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Some of my hybrids' pods, CAP 691 x bhut, bhut x Bradley's, CXC2:

Yellow and orange pods - clockwise from left are PI 215734, PI 257176, yellow brain, datil

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I may ask this in the main forum, but if anyone has any advice an how to use a bunch of pods, it would be much appreciated. I just bought a dehydrator (would a low setting of 110 C keep seeds viable?) for flakes/powder making and I'd also like to try a few simple sauces and maybe freeze a few pods.

I have a lot of ripe and unripe datils (I imagine a sauce is in order?)
Juicy and sweet Peruvian PI 215734 - sauce?
Thin-fleshed and sweetish Peruvian PI 257176
Maybe a dozen ripe yellow brains
CXC2 - flesh thickness is somewhat like the datils, but pods are bigger and hotter
Some remaining monster nagas
a few red 7 pots
Lots of CAP 691 x bhut - datil-sized, bhut-berry flavor, but juicier than a bhut
Lots of bhut x Bradley's - thin flesh and a little soft, not anywhere near as juicy as a Tobasco though
Lots of F1 and F2 cayenne x goat's weed - powder
Tons of Cap 691 - ????
Tepin and Tepin x 691 - drying?

Thanks,

Tick

Tick · Oct 19, 2014

Yellow/orange chinenses from left -
1/2 brain, below is PI 215734, PI 257176 between the brain halves, CGN 21566 in front, small datil to the right, CXC2 on far right:

This brain tastes better to me than bhuts/nagas. The heat has varied and one on the smaller plant had more oil than I've ever seen. PI 215734 is consistently sweet and juicy, so now it's my favorite yellow. PI 215176 was early and very tasty this spring (it was my favorite), but it was more like a typical habanero in taste and heat during the summer. Now the good and unique flavor is back but the pods have lots of huge seeds (huge like an aji rojo chinense that I grew another year). The early datils were also sweet in the spring, hab-like in the mid-summer, but are now sweet again. CGN 21566 is pretty and hot, but has less flavor to me than a typical hab. CXC2 F1 has some sweetness and good heat like I hoped, and I'll look for more of both in the F2s.

CAP 691 x bhut, smallish monster naga, bhut x Bradley's Bahamian in front:

The brain pod that was loaded with capsaicin oil:

Other CXC2 plant which has smaller and pointier pods. The plant is darker green as well - could be growing conditions:

Bradley's Bahamian: