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ottawapepper

Question for Chocolate Trinidad Scorpion growers

ottawapepper
9 years ago

Hi,

This year was the first time I've grown the Chocolate TS. For those who have experience growing them, what is the colour transition from green to ripe?

Mine seem to be stuck at a sickly olive brownish colour. Does this look normal or does the plant have a problem?

I have a sinking feeling that the plant has contracted the same affliction that corrupted my Trinidad Scorpion FG seed stock last year. The pods stayed sickly olive and rotted before ripening.

If it's a normal transition I'll move the plant into the garage to protect from our first freeze tonight. If it is a disease,can anyone identify?

On the positive side, if the plant is diseased it has (through no plan or forethought) been isolated from all of my other plants. I ran out of spaced in my back yard so this plant grew by the front of the house.

Any input would be appreciated. I have to decide if it lives or dies in the next few hours.

TIA,

Bill

This post was edited by ottawapepper on Thu, Sep 18, 14 at 16:50

Comments (18)

  • OKgrowin
    9 years ago

    that doesn't look anything like the chocolate tms i have seen....
    you need to have the round body then the inset tail at the bottom.

    from pepperlover

    from jamie romy6

    i think people call that color between orange and green mustard.

    This post was edited by OKgrowin on Thu, Sep 18, 14 at 17:57

  • ottawapepper
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    OKgrowin,

    "tms" = Trinidad Moruga Scorpion?

    If so, that's not what I'm growing. The shots you posted look like a Chocolate Moruga strain but I'm growing a strait Chocolate Trinidad Scorpion.

    Bill

  • judo_and_peppers
    9 years ago

    I grow the chocolate scorpions. pods go from dark green to brown, in a blotchy kind of way. and the shape is way different.

    with that said I strongly suspect the brown moruga and the chocolate scorpion are the same pepper with different names.

  • ottawapepper
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for chiming in judo.

    I received the seeds in a trade so there's always a chance of a cross.

    Regardless, the seeds have been genitally extracted from my inventory box and will be joining the plant in a garbage bag (pot included) out on the curb.

    Even though I bleached my pots last year I fear that whatever pathogen caused damage to my FG's survived and infected this plant.

    At least through dumb a$$ luck the plant was isolated from the rest of my plants.

    Onward and upwards ;-)

    Bill

    PS. Judo, check your email

  • judo_and_peppers
    9 years ago

    "the seeds have been genitally extracted from my inventory box"

    please for the love of god tell me I did not just read that you used your genitals to extract the seeds from your inventory.

  • peppernovice
    9 years ago

    Glad I wasn't the only one confused! Now, how do I get rid of this disgusting picture in my head?!

    Tim

  • djoyofficial
    9 years ago

    That could explain the issue..... ew!!!

  • judo_and_peppers
    9 years ago

    tim, eat a douglah. great way to clear your head.

  • peppernovice
    9 years ago

    Great way to clear your stomach as well!

    Tim

  • pepperdave
    9 years ago

    Brown Scorpions and Morugas are not the same. The Pepper Lover Picture is a Moruga.I grow both.
    Your pepper does not look infected by anything just a recessive trait making it rippen lime green, it is a rare trait valued by some and you could save seeds for it. I have some in my field Im growing from seed I saved last year that are similar ,not as hot as you might like but ripening green is interesting just the same.You might like the flavor. I dont think the rest of your seed would turn out like that bot if its not what you want you can always get more seed. I can share some for next year .I have just the pepper pictured from Pepper Lovers growing in isolation and would be willing to share. Just enjoy your unusual find and I dont think its anything that will infect your other plants. I just picked some of mine yesterday and really like them.
    Will post some pictures of mine 2nd year and will grow again.

  • MikeUSMC
    9 years ago

    I guess I won't try getting any "Peter Pepper" seeds from Bill in the seed swap this year.....

  • pepperdave
    9 years ago

    I love my Green Scorpions. Its a mutation I got last year and I saved seed and they came true again this year only they now have more of a Scorpion shape to them.Save the seed you got something special there. I waited and waited for them to ripen when I first saw them,took a wail to realize what I had its not something you see a lot but its special enough to not loose .
    SAVE THE SEED green ripe peppers are rare and unusual they have more value the any brown scorpion.
    Ill be sharing seed for Brown and Chocolate Moruga Scorpions this year so help is there for your next try.

  • ottawapepper
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Doh. OK, I deserve the ribbing for not checking auto corrected items before posting.

    Thanks pepperdave for chiming in. Interesting, I was aware that there a few varieties that ripen green but never considered the possibility of recessive genes being responsible for the color of the pods on this plant.

    In the case of my olive green Trinidad Scorpion FG last year, it wasn't a case of one odd seed producing off color pods. I grew one plant for myself and supplied a farmer friend with twenty seedlings. All produced the same result.

    I'm planing on growing out a few FG's next year (in a isolated area just in case) to see if I can get a few true yellow pods to continue the line. i'll get some seed from the thawed out Chocolate Scorpion pods today to try again next year with the FG's.

    I'd love to give the Chocolate Moruga a shot. I'll send you an email.

    Bill

  • OKgrowin
    9 years ago

    there are lots of variations in these superhots and lots of people who have crossed seeds / genetic variation. There no separate scoprion variety from any vendors, its moruga scorpion, people just get tired of saying moruga.

    If you view pictures of people with moruga scorp half of them have long tails or are elongated not the round ball with a recessed short tail, which is the "original" phenotype.

    When i look at the pod from the original post i see: smooth, elongated, not recessed. This leads to me to say this can't be a scorpion or it's heavily mutated / crossed, at this point i don't care where the seed came from it's no longer a scorpion.

    it's so hard especially with these seed trades to know what exactly you're getting, with many different people growing out the same variety there will be mutation even if the seeds were isolated perfectly. After 5+ years of people exchanging and mutations it gets super confusing who call what, what.

    ps: sorry for rant, interesting variation, i would hesitate to call it scorpion anymore, happy growing =]

    This post was edited by OKgrowin on Fri, Sep 19, 14 at 12:25

  • pepperdave
    9 years ago

    Beg to differ. Im growing Brown Morugs and Brown Trinidad scorpions two different peppers. They dont even taste the same. Will post a side by side Picture later today after I go pick some of both peppers and eliminate any confusion.
    Im saving seed from my green scorpion for next year and am willing to share seed later in the season for people interested in this mutation.

  • ottawapepper
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    OKgrowin, I've been at this pepper growing and seed trading game for a little longer than 5 years and I can understand your point and frustration. Heck, when I started Habanero was the hottest thing out there. As peppers became more and more popular and grower and vendor numbers grew, confusion increased.

    Is the Chocolate Trinidad Scorpion I'm growing a "true" scorpion, probably not, for greater or lesser than the reasons you cited. Is it a variation that should be ignored, I really can't say at this point in that I'm not really 00% sure what I'm growing yet, a pepper with recessive traits reverting to green ripening or a plant with a problem putting out funky pods.

    I've only grown 7 Pot Douglah, Chocolate Hab and Chocolate Bhut Jolokia. Are they all variations from original red ones, probably. Are they not real 7 Pot, Hab or Bhut, absolutely they are. Seeing and tasting are proof enough for me.

    Heck, is my favorite Trinidad Scorpion FG a true Scorpion, definitely not but it's a hot yellow variety that has an interesting stinger and up until last year always grew true. The person who originally spread them out to the community specifically tagged his sources initials to avoid any confusion with standard "true" Scorpions.

    Are all Trinidad Scorpions the same, absolutely not. Maybe they all shared and evolved from the same common ancestor but there are distinct differences.

    A Moruga Scorpion is a Scorpion found in the Moruga region of Trinidad.

    I've recently posted this in another thread, sorry for re-posting one more time. As far as I'm concerned, this is what a true Red Moruga looks like.

    A standard Trinidad Scorpion (with some natural variation on the same plant) looks like this. Sorry, the shot doesn't really highlight the pimpled texture.

    Very much like a Trinidad Scorpion, the TS Butch T is different in that it has a better taste and consistently more heat than the standard variety. I also find that a lot of pods have longer stinger. I've grow from traded seeds and from seeds directly from Butch. I've observed the same traits on all of them. Again, photo doesn't highlight the pimpling.

    FWIW,

    Bill

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    Bill, whatever the color, that pod looked healthy. Because you didn't mention it I have to assume that the plant was healthy too.

    Now, as to that sickly green being desirable, I won't opine...

    Dennis

    This post was edited by DMForcier on Fri, Sep 19, 14 at 17:55

  • pepperdave
    9 years ago

    Top left Moragus ,Top right Trinidad's bottom my attempt at increasing the size. If you grow peppers and save seed you will get variation, peppers evolve in just in few seasons and recognizing genetic traits is part of my obsession.
    I also do perennial flower breading with good results, Sometimes taking years to get results but always worth the effort.

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