barrier isolation for pepper seed saving

[glen]

Hello everyone.  I have been mentally trying to figure out what I am going to do when it comes time to save pepper seed.  This is after all, a seed saving sight so information on seed saving is good for our mission and helpful to the members.

This is a video done by Peter Stanley.  Peter Stanley is a pepper grower and youtuber.  He is a very competent grower.  He did this video on barrier isolation for pepper seed saving.  Peter has lots of experience with this.  Video is easy to follow and understand so I decided it would be good to post it on a thread.




I bought some screen material in a store that I intend to make isolation bags with.  I am going to find someone in the barrio to sew the bags for me.  I will have to use string to tie the bags with on the pepper branches.  I have never tried this before.

Peter suggests using paint strainer bags.  I don't believe I can source those here in Panama.

[macmex]

Thanks Glen! That was a very informative video. I could foresee possible problems if those bags were hit with torrential rains, while on the plant, and possibly that they might cause flowers to abort in extreme heat, but it would definitely be the way to go if one is growing peppers close together, which could cross.

[glen]

Yes, there are problems with this. I think one needs to experiment with the bags. Using them on the plant only for as long as necessary. I have seen video's of gardeners using mosquito nets to cover entire plants. It just depends on what you are growing and how important it is to keep the seed pure. Pepper growers are very picky about their seed. If you send them something and it doesn't grow true, it makes folks very upset. Even if you send it to them free. I always say that I cannot promise that a cross has not occurred when I send someone seed. Because, in reality, you cannot. This method is good for the back yard gardener who is a serious seed saver. For me, it is important because of the difficulty in obtaining seed. And, it is really getting expensive now for rare and desirable seed. Like, 10 seeds for 5 dollars plus shipping? Ridiculous.

[heavyhitterokra]

You might could drive a tomato stake or something similar to support the weight of the bag, in case of heavy rains and high winds? I like the idea of using these bags. Thanks for posting it, Glen.

This is kind of off the subject of peppers, but I wonder if a bag like that could be placed over young cabbage heads to keep those pesky white moths from laying eggs on the leaves? It has gotten to where I can no longer grow marketable cabbage here because of the heavy load of cabbage worms in our area.

[glen]

I think its a bad idea to use the bags on the cabbage.  You wouldn't want to leave bags on plants permanently.  In the case of peppers, you would put the bag over the branch and tie it off and then leave it there just long enough for the blooms to close, which is when pollination is completed. When you get the hang of it, you will learn when the blooms have been pollinated and are starting to make a pod. The less time you leave the bag on the plant the better. The problem then becomes how much seed do you need? If you need a lot of seed, you will want as many pods as you can get so you will need to leave the bag on longer. That could be problematic at times. Especially when it is raining a lot for example. So, yes, there can be problems I am sure.
Unless there ends up being a high demand for that variety of pepper seed, I doubt I will need to leave bags on plants for very long. One pepper pod can usually produce a decent quantity of seed. Personally, I only need about 30 seeds from each variety I am growing.

I have also seen video's where the grower actually used mosquito nets to cover entire plants so the entire plant is isolated for seed saving.  I don't sell seed so I will not be doing this.

[glen]

Glad to hear you got your plants. I think you will like growing the tobasco. Very hardy pepper and good tasting.