Cardo
Newly Registered
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2017 2:33 pm

Recycling seeds and crosses between chili and green pepper

I have three questions for the Bhut jolokia experts.
1 - It is true that if we recycle the seeds I.e. if we use seeds of the fruits of the previous year, the chillies are getting less spicy with each passing year?
2 - Last year the landlord of my farm planted the Bhut jolokia near the garden where there were green peppers for the salad. The fruits of bhut jolokia were born very large and had almost no spice at all. Could there have been crosses between bhut lolokia and green peppers?
3 - What is the best time to pick up the chili peppers to be as spicy as possible. When they are still green or when they start to turn red?
Thanks and regards

imafan26
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Posts: 13961
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

If the seeds are stable and they are isolated from other peppers so they don't cross, the chilies should breed true.

Bhut Jolokia, Ghost peppers, are a newer hybrid. Hybrids can vary greatly in heat. It takes several generations before a hybrid becomes stable.

The ghost peppers can cross with other peppers but it is the next generation which will be a new hybrid. If the ghost peppers were not hot it is because ghost peppers are still hybrids and need more generations of only crossing the hottest peppers to become stable. It is not unusual to have variance in heat in unstable hybrids. It probably had nothing to do with the proximity of the bell peppers.

Hot peppers usually get hotter as they get riper, but they also get sweeter. If you want a pepper to be extra spicy, dry the ripe pods and make pepper powder. Dried peppers are hotter than fresh ones if you use the powder fresh. The powder will keep well in the freezer. On the shelf it gets rancid over time.



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