Yes. Only the SEEDS are affected. So, if you overwinter a plant, the fruit will just pick up where it left off.

Not sure of the berries and such, but i would think not.

I recently had 2 branches offshoot from my tangerine tree that had lemons on them. I do have a lemon tree also, but i would think that such an anomaly is very rare -- even within the same FAMILY of plants.

That would be awesome though -- a bhut the size of a beefsteak tomato.

Kevin

Yeah or or blackberries as hot as as a bhut. I don't think my wife would be to happy if she bit into one of those lol.

No, plants from different families won't cross pollinate. In fact, plants in the same family but different, umm genus (?) won't either. I may have the terms wrong... But, for example, a tomato won't cross pollinate with a tomatillo even though they're both in the same family. Or a butternut squash won't cross with a zucchini, even though they're in the same family.

Kevin, most certainly what happened with your tree was that you wound up with some of your rootstock growing. It was probably a sour orange rootstock (not a lemon). You should check if those branches start below the graft line, because if they do, it would be best for you to remove them. A rootstock that starts growing can sap energy from your tree.

The other possibility would be that maybe (if you don't know the history of the tree) somewhere along the way somebody grafted a branch or a lemon tree onto it. Either way, it wasn't a cross-pollenization thing.

Scott, your peppers might cross with each other, but only plants grown from their seeds will be affected.

Thanks for the info. That's kinda what I figured but I have never seen anyone address cross pollination when it comes to pepper plants that are overwintered. Thanks again!

Julia: You're probably right -- it was at the bottom. One on each side and have since been lopped.

Btw, I think you may be incorrect on the tomatillo and tomato analogy -- tomatillos are in the gooseberry family and tomato in the nightshade if i remember correctly. Also, I thought that squashes were one veggy that EASILY crossed with another.

Anyhow...thanks. :)

Kevin

It's because Butternuts are genus moschata and zucchini are genus pepo...

Similarly, tomatoes and tomatillos are both in the Sollanaceae family (nightshade family), but tomatoes are genus Lycopersicon and tomatillos are genus Physalis.

So my understanding is that only plants in the same genus will cross. So, for example, different varieties of tomatoes (although tomatoes don't cross much). Or zucchini and crookneck squash (both pepos).

(I pulled out my seed saving book...)

It's fun to know these things - for example, I recently realized that I probably can save to seed from my trombocino squash, since it's the only moschata I have growing, and I don't think my neighbors have any either...

Julia:

Ahh. So, same FAMILY, different ORDER as far as their binomial nomenclature calls for. I get it NOW.. .for the most part.

;)

Kevin