Hi Pam,

All my seeds are OP and when I give them out or trade I note them as such. So far have not had any unintentional crosses. I think the fact that peppers self pollinate aids in keeping them true. Though I have received OP seeds that did not grow true, but hold no ill will to those that sent them. I would only worry if I was a seed vendor that all seeds are pure. The only flowers I bagged were the ones that I intentonally crossed to be sure they got pollinated by the pollen of my choice. Hope others chime in with their opinions as I too would like to hear their thoughts.

PS it sure is nice though if hunting for a specific variety to know its from a isolated flower or plant though ;-)

Mark

This post was edited by habjolokia on Wed, Jun 11, 14 at 19:08

In my experience, it isn't as rare as some say it is. It happens just often enough that isolating is a worthwhile practice.

If i were forced to put a percentage on the chances, i'd say 5-20% of the time depending on the circumstances.

BTW Pam, is that the Elefant with the corked skin?

Steve.

Yeah, I agree with Steve. I can't give a very accurate estimate of how often a cross occurs, but a ballpark is around 10%. That's 1 in 10 - something you are likely to encounter in a growing season even if you have a relatively small garden.

Of course, that doesn't bother me. I find the mutants "interesting".

Also, perhaps coincidentally, the super-hots tend to be true. That may be because they come from the more dedicated growers, or it could just be my luck.

Dennis

Thanks guys. I would love to see a really good scientific study on crossing. I read awhile back that sometimes the flower is always pollinated before it even opens, forgot where I read that. Being in OK I worry more about wind than bugs pollinating.

Yes Steve it's the same one (spelling of it really bothers me, but, other than calling it Vesena, that's the only spelling I've ever seen). Really good flavored pepper.

Pam

This post was edited by kuvaszlvr on Thu, Jun 12, 14 at 11:51

Im planting some peppers within sight of 2 bee hives. Due to this im only growing 7 pod primos at that spot. I like bees and using them for pollination . There are no other peppers planted within 1/4 mile so my 7 pod seed should be pure. 10% is about right under mixed conditions , some hybrids are interesting and Ill be dealing with them also Id like to control the crosses myself so isolation is important. Last year I even got humming birds on my peppers. Im trying to isolate a number of peppers in different places besides the 400 mixed I have planted together. I have a number in pots just for isolation.