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Tick's 2014

Hi all,
 
This year's grow list is far from certain but I hope to try some new and flavorful peppers, choose some new favorites to keep growing, see some interesting results from last year's crosses and make a few new hybrids.
 
I have plants overwintering in 3 locations, two of which are far from ideal (light, temp, etc.)  and I have been checking on my main group of plants only about once a week.so they are not in the best condition.  I am not sure that I will have the time to do as much gardening as well, but here's what I have "growing" at the moment:
 
Strains started last summer:
 
Brain Strains
Monster Nagas
7 pot originals
Datils (1 of which was started earlier and is fairly big though something odd is happening to the flower buds - for a later update)
Aji dulces from Puerto Rican plant
1 x CGN 22207 - seems to be very healthy
CGN 21566s
PI 257176s - 1 is already fruiting, but has odd growth
PI 215734 - both have some chlorosis and odd growth
 
Hybrids started last summer into early early winter:
 
Some cayenne x goat's weed F2s - chose the fuzziest and then (hopefully) bushiest seedlings for a "fuzzy cayenne" line
A bhut cross, which could lead to very nice compact and early plants if the relatively late-started seedlings survive the lack of good lighting at the moment
A tepin x chinense cross
Various further crosses with my existing Aji dulce x annuum cross - some with annuums (one of which is pictured below) and some with chinenses, 
Also another possible bhut cross and crosses involving the tepin
 
Plants that may survive a 2nd overwinter:
 
Chiltepin Sonoran Orange
Aji dulce x annuum
CAP 691
Cayenne x goat's weed F1
Bradley's Bahamian
Bhut (bought it early last year)
 
Here are some pics of a few plants that are enjoying a very sunny window in an office and seem to be doing the best:
 
My first Brain Strain pod:

 
An Aji dulce x annuum crossed with a cayenne x goat's weed.  It is only 1/4 goat's weed and 1/4 chinense,but it is fairly pubescent and has multiple flowers per node; a combo that I had wanted.  Hopefully it is self-fertile and it would be great if it has decent flavor.  I plan on also recrossing it to a chinense:


 
PI 257176 - had a large flush of blooms and set some fruit but it also had some misshapen and large lower leaves, though it seems to be outgrowing that issue:

 
Hope things grow well this summer (if it even comes to New England) for everyone!
- Tick
 
Click to expand...
Thanks OCD, good luck to you too.
 
Some of my plants in another location:
 
Datil

 
Its odd pods - the flowers didn't appear to open and the ovaries seemed to just push through:

 
Likely bhut cross that I hope will be an early pod producer:

 
Another possible cross to a bhut:

 
A tepin x wild chinense that I hope will prove interesting:

 
The same tepin crossed to the cayenne-goat's weed:

 
- N. Tick
 
Here's some more peppers -
 
CGN 21566 - has been getting at least some morning through noon sun all winter:

 
PI 215734 - was doing very poorly in the cold basement in my 3rd location, now recovering in the same window:

 
Monster naga - recently moved from the basement to an even sunnier window at my office:

 
CGN 22207 - was in a bathroom window just getting decent sunlight and checked on once a week at most.  It is flowering like crazy, but has not much pollen yet.  It looks like it will be a very healthy and productive plant, though maybe I should pinch the flowers for now. 

 
Also, PI 257176 (from my earlier post)  will have a second large bloom of flowers, and hopefully some ripe fruit - looks like another productive variety.
 
Some hybrids:
 
Cayenne x goat's weed F2.  1 of 2 fuzziest and stoutest:

 
Bhut (mom) cross - the likely one from above.  Now I'm sure based on its leaves.  It nearly got cooked when I moved it to a sunnier and hotter window:

 
Less sure about this other possible bhut (dad) cross.  Might just be the mom selfed, but a nice plant:

 
- Tick
 
Already been putting some plants outside when it's warm enough; can't wait to move them out permanently.  I've also started a new batch of seeds, including more wild plants.
 
Here's the last plant pictured in the last update:
 

 
I am now thinking it's the hybrid that I most wanted to produce last year.  It's a small chinense crossed to a bhut.  The odd thing is that the cross only worked one way.  I tried pollinating the bhut repeatedly with the other's pollen and it never set a single pod (though I crossed the bhut successfully with a frutescens - see below).  I finally tried the reverse late last summer.  That was not easy, as the other chinense's flowers were tiny and it was tough to successfully remove the anthers without damaging the rest of the flower.  The leaves and plant form are now looking more bhut-like to me and it already has a small bud so hopefully I can get some F2s with interesting traits before long.  
 
Here's my other bhut cross, 2nd from bottom pic in last update.  It's on the right and my tepin x wild chinense cross is next to it for comparison:
 

 
It's bhut jolokia x Bradley's Bahamian, which I'm naming  'bhutamian' F1.  Only early generation cross that I'll name for now.  It has the nice dark leaves of the bahamian, if not darker.  Hopefully it will be earlier than the bhut and I will get some compact plants in the F2 generation. The flavors and pod textures of the parents should be a good mix.  
 
The above tepin x wild chinense has a nice form and I'm wondering if the leaves will stay smaller than the the parents'.  Already has some buds.
 
The nice thing is that it looks like I got my #1 cross, just a chinense x chinense,  to try this summer done over the winter:
 

 
One of its 2 parents started producing lots of pollen despite the cool conditions.  I tried the cross and got a small pod which had 5 seeds in it.  2 seeds were started in wet coffee filters in an incubator.  They are both now growing and should not be selfed as the mom wasn't producing pollen (and was emasculated just in case).  If all goes well, this will lead to a productive, hot and good tasting line especially if I can grow enough plants and produce some more winter generations.
 
Here's another (non-hybrid) seed I started recently:
 

 
I think it's C. galapagoense.  I soaked 3 of them overnight in 0.3% saltpeter and placed them in a pot.  However, I also placed a spare baccatum seed in the same pot.  None of the other baccatums are up to compare, but the sprout looks a lot like the one in this thread:
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/45941-c-galapagoense-hook/?hl=galapagoense
 
It hooked pretty quickly for a galapagoense as well.
 
Here's another fuzzy pepper, my CGN 22207:
 

 
And here's my PI 257176 ripening:
 

 
- Tick
 
Thanks GA Growhead!  I checked out your blog - like the snakes and nice plants!.  I used to catch brown snakes all the time when I was kid; haven't seen one for years though.  Wished I lived more in the south for the growing season and reptiles!
 
The 4 first crosses in the last update are the ones I want to focus on and try to develop, along with 2-3 more I'll do this year.  
 
Unfortunately, I just realized that the 2nd seedling of my # 1 cross for this year (possibly of all my crosses) has not come up, despite the root coming out a week ago.  The second seedling was a case of mistaken identity and it's not even a pepper!   I was wondering the F1s were starting to  look different and then I checked the pot.  Turns out that only the center seed of a group of 7 sown tomatoes has come up so far.  Thought it was the singly planted 2nd seedling of my cross.  I'll start another seed of the cross ASAP.
 
Fortunately, the tomato is Solanum cheesmaniae, one of 2 Galapagos tomato species, so I now I have a 2nd nightshade species from the Galapagos:
 

 
Here's my fuzzy annuum-chinense mix after it ripened.  The actual mix is (aji-dulce x Bulgarian carrot, I think) x (cayene x goat's weed).  The fruit was surprisingly sweet before some pretty intense heat came in.  Neither of the F1 parents were as sweet and the heat at least matched goat's weed.  The pod's flesh was also surprisingly thin as well.  Pods tend to start drying/wrinkling rather quickly on the plant.
 

 
Here's one of my brain strains looking pretty healthy.  It's the 2nd superhot I've tasted and I prefer it over the bhut.
 

 
Happy Easter everyone,
 
- Tick
 
Just moved a few plants outside into their final large pots.  Thought it was a bit early and that there might be a few colder nights next week, but I have too many decent-sized plants in the house and far too many fungus gnats.  So I chose some plants that I find interesting, but that I could deal with being damaged/lost by unexpected weather. This includes the CGN 22207, which had been very nice looking and healthy and looks like it could become very tall, but that now has a case of BLS or maybe fungus; even its stems have some black lesions.  
 
I've just rechecked the weather forecast and it's going to be warmer than I thought, so it looks like a good call and I'll move more out!
 
Now I need to figure out which plants get the biggest pots and best soil/care.  I have 4 hybrids that I want to focus on and I think that at least 2 could get big.  Other contenders are CGN 22207 (hope it improves outside), brain strain, monster naga, datil, and possibly cumari pollux (late start, but growing fast).
 
My wild chinense x bhut ("cxc1" on left) and a brain strain - still at my office, but probably coming home to go outside soon:

 
It has big leaves like the bhut, but the small flowers of its mother.  I have about 4 of these started last fall/winter and they grew very slowly at first, but now looks like they might become big plants like the bhut.  Will try to grow a decent number of F2s.
 
My 2nd chinense cross, "cxc2", started this spring:

 
Looks are definitely in between those of the parents already as a young plant.  Had very big and dark cotyledons, but somewhat pale true leaves. Also has a very sturdy-looking stem.  Potted it up today after the pic as I thought it might be a little yellow.  A 2nd seedling finally came up a few days ago. I plan on growing as many F2s of this as I can as I have a certain combo of traits that I want.
 
Here's the tepin x wild chinense "agxc1":

 
It's finally starting to take off  and has very tiny flowers.  First node had 2 buds as expected, but newer nodes seem to only have 1 bud.  
 
The bhut x Bradley's Bahamian, cxf1 or "bhutamian", is looking good despite its pot being covered in fungus gnat cocoons.  No buds even though it's a decent size already but I think that's a frutescens trait.
 
Here are some late started wilds:
 
Galapagos tomato and Galapagos pepper; both with early and late germinating seedlings:

 
I potted-up the biggest galapagoense seedling (hope rolled leaf is not a problem sign).  Also one is a tricot galapagoense!:

 
Here are my other late-started wilds, some cumari pollux:

 
Potted-up the big one as well - not sure if they and the galapagoense can take spring nights (40's), so I'll bring them in for now.
 
- Tick
 
So most of my bigger plants are outside and hardened-off.  They are happy, at the moment, as the side of my house gets sun from early morning to early afternoon and has almost its own warmer microclimate.  Some smaller plants are being kept in an unused fire pit in the backyard for added protection until they get bigger; though it looks like a wave of thrips came in through the grating a few weeks ago.  I saw a greenish egg one night and then tons of white larvae a few days later.
 
Some pics, starting with the plants shown last update and in reverse order -
 
The biggest cumari:

 
It's been outside in the fire pit for a while.
 
The formerly biggest galapagoense, also been outside for a while:

 
One of two others still indoors under a cfl now is bigger, so apparently it has been a little cold outside for them.
 
Tepin x wild chinense, agxc1,  setting fruit:

 
Other than the first node, it still seems to have only 1 flower per node.  It does not look like a self though.
 
chinense cross, cxc2:

 
 
Hope the brain strain from work gets huge.  It's already a good size and in one of my biggest pots:

 
 
Here's a cxc1 (wild chinense x bhut) pod up close:

 
The plant also produces tons of pollen and its bhut father took until late summer last year to set fruit.
 
Here's some more plants:
 
Bhutamian (bhut x Bradley's Bahamian), starting to bud:

 
The CGN 21566 pictured above:

 
And the PI 257176, already nice, big and bushy and tastes good as well! -

 
Looking forward to potting more up!
 
- Tick
 
Thanks Runescape!
 
Here's one of the cayenne x goat's weed F2s, lower right, along with 2 other fuzzy peppers:

 
The one on top is another cumari and the one on the left is a PI 215734, C. chinense.
 
A cayenne x goat's weed F2 at my work already has some pods starting to grow, despite it being broken in half over the winter.
 
In the meantime, here's the tepin x (cayenne x goat's weed) from above with some colorful pods:

 
The same plant is in the middle of this pic with a Galapagos tomato in front of it:

 
I'm pinching it so it will fill out and some of its pods are a little longer more like a cayenne.  The tomato is growing rapidly and I really have to repot it without somehow killing its newly sprouted siblings.
 
Here's some more plants including a 2nd year aji dulce x Bulgarian Carrot on top with the biggest datil (from above) right below it:

 
- Tick
 
Yes, I did taste the red one today.  It was soft and pulpy inside like the tepin mother plant which was nice.  However, it wasn't that hot (5/10?) and not as flavorful as the tepin.  I think it could be good to quickly mash-up and throw into a soup or stir fry.  Maybe newer pods will get hotter/more flavor with the plant being outside.  Anyway, it had 7 seeds which I've planted already to get some F2.as I like the way it looks and think I'll find more flavor in the next generation, 
 
Mystery Ghost!
 
[SIZE=9.5pt]So a nice woman at my work loves very hot peppers.  I've given her some bhut jolokia pods and she’s watched over my plants while I was on vacation; which was already kind of her.  I gave her one of my plants in return.  Anyway, today she brought in a ghost pepper for me to try and take seeds from.  She said there would just be a few seeds, but as you’ll see, there’s a decent amount.  It was sent from her home country and she says they are grown by a few people there.  Only thing, it’s not anywhere near India.  It’s from the Caribbean, but not Trinidad either!  It’s from Jamaica![/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=9.5pt]Here are some pictures:[/SIZE]

 

 
 
[SIZE=9.5pt]It’s a good size: 87mm long and 14.77g.  It’s not bumpy like the typical bhuts I grew last year.  The skin is wrinkled though.  I think the flesh is a little thicker and softer as well.  It smelled “perfumy “ like a bhut when I cut it open and, at first, I thought the taste was very similar, but a little less acrid and “chemical”-like – well at least not where the placenta is!  But when I adapt to the heat and re-test (I’ve only tried small pieces so far), it seems sweeter and more earthy/vegetable-like.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=9.5pt]I wonder if it’s a recent introduction or perhaps it was brought back to the Caribbean from India in the more distant past?  I'm sowing some seeds ASAP![/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=9.5pt]- Tick[/SIZE]
 
6-7-14 update - I' m WORRIED -  not liking how the grow is going but there is some cool stuff happening with some plants.
 
First the bad news:
 
Many plants are starting to suffer - worst is in below picture and I hope the others won't reach that point.  I'm trying to figure out if I have too much or too little nutrients and if the weather had something to do with the problems.  A smaller bhutamian:
 

 
Maybe sunburned?
  
I'm in a new location and most of the plants are at approximately the southeast side of my house.  They get morning sun through early afternoon.  That side of the house has a dark concrete pathway and that, combined with the dark walls and being in an enclosed depression, seems to really heat up the area - maybe too much?  What has happened since I've planted my plants is that the weather was a first cooler (low 40s at night) and then has swung back and forth a few times, with 2 periods of prolonged cool and drenching rains.  However. now it looks like things will stay warm and bee mostly sunnier for a while.
 
The soil is mostly last year's with some refreshments.  The additions are some very old compost, pine mulch, humus/manure, some peat moss ( I may have forgot to add enough to some pots) and a little potting soil and sand.  Also some Tomato Tone was added.  I went less on the sand and potting soil than before.  Last year's soil was similar but had more sand potting and garden soil plus more coffee grounds (which I'm building-up my supply of and adding as I have them).  Despite less sand, peat and potting soil, the soil felt nice and loose.  Since wood mulch and other additives can either sequester nutrients as they break down or take their time to release nutrients,  I went a heavier on the humus/manure mix. Maybe too heavy?  
 
My plants seemed happy in the cool, drier weather.  Then it got colder and some plants like the galapagoense and cumari pollux started to suffer - the galapagoense that was outside seemed to stop growing and the cumari tended to yellow.  Then it got even colder and very rainy.  The galapagoense has now lost almost all it leaves and the cumaris got yellower and limp.  I thought it was because these were more sensitive species.  However, the cumaris seem to be getting better.  After the 2nd batch of cold rains earlier this week, some of my largest plants (brain strain, 257176, wild chinense x bhut) started yellowing and rapidly dropping their lower leaves.  Some of these leaves were very large older ones from the start of winter.  But I am worried that it will continue.
 
PI 257176 with lots of yellowish lower leaves - too bad since it was looking great:
 

 
wild chinense x bhut, cxc1, nice pods but possibly yellowing and not really growing:
 

 
Brain strain - was already big indoors and looked great.  But shed lower leaves in batches this week.  Is growing, but new leaves may be puckered (or maybe I'm paranoid):
 

 
Here is another brain strain that was not repotted yet.  It is not yellow but looks limp - potbound?:
 

 
So my best guess is that the rains leached-out the nutrients too quickly or was simply too much water after the repotting.  .  I also think I may have pushed things with the extra manure and less sand, etc.  But the very first plant I showed is this update might have sunburn despite being seemingly hardened-off and outside for weeks.  Maybe the new location is too intense with light and heat on a sunny day?  The temperature swings and change from rainy periods to sun probably haven't helped.  Any other ideas on this?  Is it worth it to re-pot the plants and add extra potting soil/sand or other fixes?  Or will the improving weather - 70's-80's day/ 50's- 60's night be enough for the less affected plants to work it out for themselves?
 
Here's some good news:
 
CGN 22207 ripening:
 

 
Tepin x wild chinense, agxc1, doing well and showing traits I did not expect to see in this generation:
 

 
The above plant on top, cxc2 on left, the ok galapagoenses on right, and a recovering cumari pollux on bottom:
 

 
 
Finally, a little extra fun molecular biology with my peppers:
 

 
the above correspond to 3 chinense varieties, a frutescens, galapagoense and then cumari pollux!
 
- Tick
 
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