Italophile..... I would love to know what you suggest. I always use last years seeds and although I do not farm I have a lot of chillies everywhere in my garden( bumper Harvest this year!) and would love to know your solution to x pollination. Although my apache x purple riot is very interesting this year! .... Japaholic just one thing square pots.... Don't know why or the science behind it but chillies in square pots for me always do better than those in round pots. I have been informed its something to do with air and roots but don't know if that's true.... Maybe it's just a foible but I always grow mine in square pots now... Some hotter varieties may need a heated propagater especially if you are growing on a large scale
Stacey, if you've got insects around, and plants in close proximity, the odds of cross-pollination are high. The same applies to chillies and toms.
The only way to guarantee purity of heirloom (pure) seed is to "bag" the flowers prior to them opening. Same procedure with both chillies and toms.
You can make your own bags out of tulle or fine curtain netting with a sewn-in drawstring. My wife used to for me. These days I just cut the foot ends out of those short stocking things and use them. Just make sure the stocking is as light a colour as possible.
When a flower appears, but before it opens, slip the bag over the flower and tie it securely but not too tightly. Let the flower open first and it's vulnerable to insects. Here's a bag in place on a Cherokee Purple tomato plant that I'm using for saving seeds. In this case, I've bagged a cluster of flowers:
Just keep checking inside the bag to see whether fruit has set. As soon as the fruit has set you can remove the bag. There's no more possibility of cross-pollination. If fruit doesn't set for whatever reason, move the bag on to another flower. But don't move the bag between varieties for obvious reasons.
Make sure you identify the fruit that you know is pure. As the plant grows, the pure fruit will change position and it's too easy to forget which one you bagged. I tie something next to the pure fruit to identify it as pure.
One thing. Hotter varieties of chillies don't need any different treatment to mild or even sweet varieties. The heat is in the variety's genes.
Thanks.... I have a morich naga that won't flower this year and if it does (unless inside) won't produce fruit as their fruiting period is longer but would like to keep seeds... Very very helpful thank you
At the moment I am planning on growing a variety of habanero chillies as I already have a client who wants to buy them. They run a Mexican restaurant and can only source Jalapeño locally. I am going to try one or two super hot ones as the client wants them for challenge dishes. For example if you can eat the Bhut Jolokia chilli con carnie you get it free.
i will be using a heated propogator to germinate seeds indoors. Spring comes quick in Japan and is as hot as a UK summer in early April so I want to be ready to plant out by then.
following the above advice I may not bother about cross pollination as I can easily source more pure seed online.
There is a guy locally who has lots of permanent poly tunnels on his farm, depending on my success (or lack of!) next year I may approach him to use a bit of space.
I may try bagging some flowers. If bagged do I have to pollinate them myself Or will they self pollinate?
Cherry bombs are a good one for restraunts they look pretty have a bit of heat and are thick skinned for roasting Filled with cream cheese..... I have a morich naga ATM supposed to be the hottest in the world it superceded the Dorset naga... If it ever comes to anything I will contact you and send you some seeds!!
Sounds like you're well set up, Japaholic. Chillies, like tomatoes, are self-pollinating but they can sometimes need a bit of assistance.
Outdoors, foraging insects poking around in the flowers can help trigger the internal mechanics that cause pollination. Bagged, the flowers won't get the insect help. You can achieve the same thing by giving the flower a light flick with your fingers. With my toms, I slip the bag off every couple of days, check for fruit, and give the flowers a flick if there isn't any.
Growing in poly tunnels can also inhibit insect access so the finger flick's a good idea, too.
If you're short on insect life, you can apply the finger flick across the entire crop. I inspect my toms every day and give 'em a flick for luck.
What sort of summer high temps do you get? Prolonged bouts of very hot weather can and will work against pollination.
Well, this summer it has been (and remember I've only been here about 5 weeks) very hot daily. Over 35c daily and lots of strong sun. Only drops to 28c at night.
however, the last couple of days it's been cooler due to a typhoon coming through. It's 25 today and cloudy which is the coolest it's been since we arrived.
There are lots of insects so we don't have to worry about that. Some areas even eat them, I've tried grasshopper and water flea lava so far.
japaholic fab venture you are embarking on... Lol take a look at south devon chilli farm website see what passion like yours can turn into. The owner of the farm started in a very similar way to you they are now so diverse it's amazing..... You could even look at smoking your chillies I know that over here smoked chipotle chillies fetch a pretty penny... And I have a fab fab recepie for chipotle sauce if you ever want to diversify!!!
Japaholic, with those temps you might have some trouble with fruit setting, particularly if there is humidity too. Here in Central Italy I get temps into the 40s in summer and, if prolonged, the flowers just fry on the plant.
Not much to be done about it except, once you're more familiar with the weather patterns, plant to try to avoid the worst of the heat. Eg, plant out as early as possible to get in before the worst of the heat, and, if you get good warm autumns, think about planting some later to grow through the autumn.
That's what I used to do in Sydney with tomato varieties - like Brandywine Sudduth - that just wouldn't set fruit in hot, humid weather. Perfect for autumn, though.
Wise words, I may go for an early and a late setting. Before this year I last visited Japan in November 2010. Then we were having temps of 20-25 during the day and still 10-15 at night.
i have some habanero on the go now and can observe how they grow into this autumn, have to say though they are proper shooting up at the moment. I don't know if they'll set any fruit this year, at the speed they're growing I'm hoping so
In the UK I was a garden potterer! But here I have the opportunity to do much more so I expect a sharp learning curve. I also expect some success and a few disasters!
Posts
Italophile..... I would love to know what you suggest. I always use last years seeds and although I do not farm I have a lot of chillies everywhere in my garden( bumper Harvest this year!) and would love to know your solution to x pollination. Although my apache x purple riot is very interesting this year! .... Japaholic just one thing square pots.... Don't know why or the science behind it but chillies in square pots for me always do better than those in round pots. I have been informed its something to do with air and roots but don't know if that's true.... Maybe it's just a foible but I always grow mine in square pots now... Some hotter varieties may need a heated propagater especially if you are growing on a large scale
Stacey, if you've got insects around, and plants in close proximity, the odds of cross-pollination are high. The same applies to chillies and toms.
The only way to guarantee purity of heirloom (pure) seed is to "bag" the flowers prior to them opening. Same procedure with both chillies and toms.
You can make your own bags out of tulle or fine curtain netting with a sewn-in drawstring. My wife used to for me. These days I just cut the foot ends out of those short stocking things and use them. Just make sure the stocking is as light a colour as possible.
When a flower appears, but before it opens, slip the bag over the flower and tie it securely but not too tightly. Let the flower open first and it's vulnerable to insects. Here's a bag in place on a Cherokee Purple tomato plant that I'm using for saving seeds. In this case, I've bagged a cluster of flowers:
Just keep checking inside the bag to see whether fruit has set. As soon as the fruit has set you can remove the bag. There's no more possibility of cross-pollination. If fruit doesn't set for whatever reason, move the bag on to another flower. But don't move the bag between varieties for obvious reasons.
Make sure you identify the fruit that you know is pure. As the plant grows, the pure fruit will change position and it's too easy to forget which one you bagged. I tie something next to the pure fruit to identify it as pure.
One thing. Hotter varieties of chillies don't need any different treatment to mild or even sweet varieties. The heat is in the variety's genes.
Thanks.... I have a morich naga that won't flower this year and if it does (unless inside) won't produce fruit as their fruiting period is longer but would like to keep seeds... Very very helpful thank you
At the moment I am planning on growing a variety of habanero chillies as I already have a client who wants to buy them. They run a Mexican restaurant and can only source Jalapeño locally. I am going to try one or two super hot ones as the client wants them for challenge dishes. For example if you can eat the Bhut Jolokia chilli con carnie you get it free.
i will be using a heated propogator to germinate seeds indoors. Spring comes quick in Japan and is as hot as a UK summer in early April so I want to be ready to plant out by then.
following the above advice I may not bother about cross pollination as I can easily source more pure seed online.
There is a guy locally who has lots of permanent poly tunnels on his farm, depending on my success (or lack of!) next year I may approach him to use a bit of space.
I may try bagging some flowers. If bagged do I have to pollinate them myself Or will they self pollinate?
great advice, thank you very much
Cherry bombs are a good one for restraunts they look pretty have a bit of heat and are thick skinned for roasting Filled with cream cheese..... I have a morich naga ATM supposed to be the hottest in the world it superceded the Dorset naga... If it ever comes to anything I will contact you and send you some seeds!!
Sounds like you're well set up, Japaholic. Chillies, like tomatoes, are self-pollinating but they can sometimes need a bit of assistance.
Outdoors, foraging insects poking around in the flowers can help trigger the internal mechanics that cause pollination. Bagged, the flowers won't get the insect help. You can achieve the same thing by giving the flower a light flick with your fingers. With my toms, I slip the bag off every couple of days, check for fruit, and give the flowers a flick if there isn't any.
Growing in poly tunnels can also inhibit insect access so the finger flick's a good idea, too.
If you're short on insect life, you can apply the finger flick across the entire crop. I inspect my toms every day and give 'em a flick for luck.
What sort of summer high temps do you get? Prolonged bouts of very hot weather can and will work against pollination.
Well, this summer it has been (and remember I've only been here about 5 weeks) very hot daily. Over 35c daily and lots of strong sun. Only drops to 28c at night.
however, the last couple of days it's been cooler due to a typhoon coming through. It's 25 today and cloudy which is the coolest it's been since we arrived.
There are lots of insects so we don't have to worry about that. Some areas even eat them, I've tried grasshopper and water flea lava so far.
Great advice keep it coming
Many thanks
japaholic fab venture you are embarking on... Lol take a look at south devon chilli farm website see what passion like yours can turn into. The owner of the farm started in a very similar way to you they are now so diverse it's amazing..... You could even look at smoking your chillies I know that over here smoked chipotle chillies fetch a pretty penny... And I have a fab fab recepie for chipotle sauce if you ever want to diversify!!!
Japaholic, with those temps you might have some trouble with fruit setting, particularly if there is humidity too. Here in Central Italy I get temps into the 40s in summer and, if prolonged, the flowers just fry on the plant.
Not much to be done about it except, once you're more familiar with the weather patterns, plant to try to avoid the worst of the heat. Eg, plant out as early as possible to get in before the worst of the heat, and, if you get good warm autumns, think about planting some later to grow through the autumn.
That's what I used to do in Sydney with tomato varieties - like Brandywine Sudduth - that just wouldn't set fruit in hot, humid weather. Perfect for autumn, though.
Wise words, I may go for an early and a late setting. Before this year I last visited Japan in November 2010. Then we were having temps of 20-25 during the day and still 10-15 at night.
i have some habanero on the go now and can observe how they grow into this autumn, have to say though they are proper shooting up at the moment. I don't know if they'll set any fruit this year, at the speed they're growing I'm hoping so
In the UK I was a garden potterer! But here I have the opportunity to do much more so I expect a sharp learning curve. I also expect some success and a few disasters!