Saving Chilli Seeds

[Biscombe]

This is a fiddle, but well worth it knowing your favorite pods will come true same year after year.........

What you need

Tulle
Brightly coloured wool
scissors
patience!

Tulle is the fabric used as a ballerina underskirt, like netting, buy the softer type, it's easier to work with.

1. Go and inspect your plant and look for plump but unopened flower buds.

2. Tag the stem of your chosen unopened buds with the bright wool and wrap the tulle around the flowers, making sure all the sides are tucked in. (not too tight, allow for growth!)

3. Wait a few weeks for the buds to form a pod

4. When the pods have formed, take off the tulle and again tag the individual pods.

5. wait for the pods to fully mature

6. Remove seeds (gloves and goggles may be necessary for the super hots!)

7. dry on a paper towel

8. Pop the seeds in a paper envelope and put in a container in the fridge. Seeds will keep like this for 2 or 3 years, but after this do a germination check

[Biscombe]

[Barnowl]

Hi Biscombe. Although I've been growing them a long time, I've never tried to save chilli seeds because the gh is too crowded with all the different varieties, but this year there is one I particularly want to propagate.  Do you think an enviromesh cage would be fine enough to stop cross pollination? I have some of the very fine as well as the ordinary type.

[Biscombe]

I would use the finest you have to be on the safe side. A cage is a great idea, you can save more seeds that way! which one in particular is it Barnowl? Just being nosey!

[Barnowl]

Having pondered I now think I'll probably try it with several:  Bolivian Rainbow - having trouble finding seeds for next year, Marconi Patio Red (Sweet) and Espanola - the new variety seems hotter and thicker and I prefer the old milder thinner walled one but only have a few seeds left.

I'd also be interested to see if Kung Pao (my most reliable chilli) will breed true since I've read it's a hybrid.

[RobinOfTheHood]

Having pondered I now think I'll probably try it with several:  Bolivian Rainbow - having trouble finding seeds for next year, Marconi Patio Red (Sweet) and Espanola - the new variety seems hotter and thicker and I prefer the old milder thinner walled one but only have a few seeds left.

I'd also be interested to see if Kung Pao (my most reliable chilli) will breed true since I've read it's a hybrid.

Can get Bolivian Rainbow for you, should have plenty when they're mature.  But they're not ready yet.  :)

[katynewbie]

 ???

Dumb question alert...

My chilli plant has survived for two seasons and produced great chillies. I thought you could just save the seeds in the same way you do for toms?

Soak off all the membranes and dry off on kitchen paper...is this totally wrong?

:-\

[tricia]

You can if you only have the one variety of chilli and NO other pepper plants growing nearby. Otherwise they will all cross-pollinate and you will not get a plant to come true to variety. I've saved all the seeds from my isolated Peppadew plants. I just spread them on kitchen paper on top of the cupboard for a few days to dry out.

Tricia

[tecc2009]

does anyone have any chilli seeds for swap?  I have loads and need some of the following if anyone has any....

Bolivian Rainbow

Fatali

Purple Tiger

Topaz

Any Habanero

Criolla Sella

Please PM me if you have, thank you.

[RobinOfTheHood]

Can help with Bolivian Rainbow and Habanero (if Tropical Heat is ok, only a few though).

[Miko]

Hi, Great idea for saving seeds to come true,
Have you ever tried just letting them cross pollinate?
I have, it's great fun and the chillies come out wildly different from each other! Yeah I know they are not as "good" as their parents and you can't trade/swap them but there's always the small chance that you will find a gem.

[Biscombe]

I have thought about crossing my own favorites but there's never enough time to do it all  ;)

[redimp]

I'm going to isolate my flowers with by using bits cut from old pairs of tights.

[saddad]

Hi Miko and welcome to the site..  :)

[ceres]

I'd like to do this with the Peppadews to put them into swaps (thank you tricia, I've got lovely little seedlings on the go!) but I don't understand how it works.  If you isolate an unopened bud with tulle as Biscombe has described, how will the flower ever get pollinated to form a pod?  Is there a step missing or is it me that's missing something?   :-\  ??? 

[redimp]

If you isolate an unopened bud with tulle as Biscombe has described, how will the flower ever get pollinated to form a pod?  Is there a step missing or is it me that's missing something?   :-\  ??? 

Chillis self pollinate.  They only need isolating because insects may also cross pollinate them once the flowers have opened.

[ceres]

I did wonder about that but I found such a variety of different answers when I searched around last night.  Some websites say they are insect pollinated, some say wind pollinated and some recommend hand pollination either by shaking the plant or by the paintbrush method.

[littlebabybird]

well mine definately do it themselves, tied up in their own little voile baggies or voile tents
so i guess self fertile
lbb