Chilli Obsession !!

[coomber]

Quick question, does everyone isolate each chilli plant to prevent cross pollination (I'm wondering how i'm gonna do this with so many chilli plants). Because I want to save seed from each variety if poss

[Chillimad]

Hi Coomber

Ideally you would isolate every plant to prevent cross polination, but in all practicallity that is something that not many of us are able to do,, you would actuall have to have different species of plants at least 100mtrs apart, and that would be pushing it.

What I have always done and it has always worked for me is to hand pollinate a few flowers from each individual plant, so long as you remember which flowers you hand pollinated then the resulting chilis from that particular flower should be 100% true to form

[BrideXIII]

Quick question, does everyone isolate each chilli plant to prevent cross pollination (I'm wondering how i'm gonna do this with so many chilli plants). Because I want to save seed from each variety if poss

i haven't up until now i have to be honest, but............. this is so going to be an issue.( frantically working out how many rooms i have), cross pollination would mostly be an issue outdoors, if you are hand pollinating indoors there is less chance.

[muslimgrower]

Quick question, does everyone isolate each chilli plant to prevent cross pollination (I'm wondering how i'm gonna do this with so many chilli plants). Because I want to save seed from each variety if poss

its going to be hard to keep one strain pure if you are growing outdoors, they will hybrid through cross pollination and insect pollination,, pollen can travel 2 miles away from the plant espically if there is warm gentle breeze... its going to be interesting if you try.. but chili seeds are cheap so you can just let seed vendors worry about that and just buy the strain when you want it...

Even if it gets cross pollinated by another strain of chili.. you cant really tell when you grow the seeds its not a physical change that occurs, its more on a deeper biological level.. only after you have bred them out maybe 4th generation , then maybe you can tell that the cross pollinated chili is physically and taste wise different than the original.

[coomber]

Cause on the reel seed website they have instuctions on how to save seed and it says each variety needs isolating unless they are more than 50 metres away from each other. My garden is big but not that big

[coomber]

Ooooh thanks for the extra quick replys!!!! I think i might try your idea chillimad and hand pollinate a few flowers and save the seed from those

[snakeshack]

anyone reccomend a cherry bell pepper for pots?

[smallblueplanet]

Ooooh thanks for the extra quick replys!!!! I think i might try your idea chillimad and hand pollinate a few flowers and save the seed from those

I think even after hand pollination you can't be sure insects won't get 'in'? But you could do what was recommended on the Chillis Galore forum - take an unused teabag (empty out the tea!) and put it over the unopened flower, I attached some using bits of wire twists, the light can still get to the flower - when it's pollinated you should be able to take it off.

[coomber]

I think even after hand pollination you can't be sure insects won't get 'in'? But you could do what was recommended on the Chillis Galore forum - take an unused teabag (empty out the tea!) and put it over the unopened flower, I attached some using bits of wire twists, the light can still get to the flower - when it's pollinated you should be able to take it off.

Good idea, Thanks smallblueplanet

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Okay, first of many questions. I have 9 unknown chillis growing (moon trials, got impatient), they need replanted out of the propagator into pots - what size of pots, what compost, do you add anything to compost to aid draining, do chillis like TLC or a bit of abuse? On Sunday I am putting Lemon Drop Chillis in propagator - even though they aren't peppers I should still treat them them same, right?