My unexpected 2012 Bird/Tepin/Chiltepine mini project
 

This is going to turn out to be an interesting little hot-pepper-comparison summer....some of you will remember that when a seedling customer asked me if I carry Bird peppers, I put a post in seed trades/requests to see if anyone had a few.

Well, I got more than a few - so am growing the following this season to see how they compare:

Bird - from the Chile Pepper Inst (thanks, Michael)
Birdseye - from Pine Tree
Chiltepin - from Totally Tomatoes
Bird - from John Scheeper (these three - thanks to Lurley)
Chiltepin
Black Birds Eye (these two thanks to austinhanasmom)
PI441654
Cap. Chacoense
PI260478
Pequin Chiapas (these four thanks to Mark Tutt)
Long Bird
Pequin (these last two thanks to Joe L)

so I will have a small comparison study of 12 Bird type peppers. I will be sure to show pics and provide updates (though not necessarily taste tests!)

Looking forward to reading the results and seeing any pics you post, Craig.

Zana

Hope it's a fruitful harvest! Should be interesting to see how the comparison goes. I decided to see how those did for you this year and make more spots in my grow list.

You'll have to look for a willing test [STRIKE]victim[/STRIKE] subject. Plenty of guys on the hot pepper forums willing to try anything for the endorphin rush...:twisted:

Looking forward to your pepper video's for 2012. My birds eye was pretty darn hot. I made
powder with them. It's almost all gone now.

Craig

Glad that I could get one of the varieties for you to grow and tell us about!

I'm growing chiltepan. They germinated so fast, compared to any of my other peppers! I've heard they're native to the Sonoran desert so hoping they'll do well here in Mesa.

Here is the info so far on the peppers:

Bird - from the Chile Pepper Inst - germinated - data to follow
Birdseye - from Pine Tree - germinated - data to follow
Chiltepin - from Totally Tomatoes - germinated, data to follow
Bird - from John Scheeper - germinated, data to follow
Chiltepin - germination in 6 days, 9% (1 plant from 11 seeds), just transplanted
Black Birds Eye - germination in 6 days, 33% (2 plants from 6 seeds, purple leaf), just transplanted
PI441654 - germination in 5 days, transplanted
Cap. Chacoense - germination in 5 days, transplanted
PI260478 - germination in 13 days, transplanted
Pequin Chiapas - germination in 4 days, 100% (10 plants from 10 seeds), just transplanted
Long Bird - germination in 4 days, 90% (9 plants from 10 seeds), just transplanted
Pequin - germination in 4 days, 73% (8 plants from 11 seeds), just transplanted

You should add Wild Brazil to your list. I've heard it taste great. I'm growing
it for the first time this year.

Hey all - I updated the list a few posts above this. Everything germinated at least one seedling, and I've now transplanted all except the last four to germinate.

So I will have a mini-comparison of 12 varieties - and will keep you all up to date and post pics as appropriate.

Looking forward to your updates. I'm very excited about my chiltepans. They're growing bigger and stronger than any of my other seedlings, only Ancongua is even staying close.
I'm thing about planting some more and putting a group of them somewhere n the yard. They're very ornamental and great for attracting birds and bees.

All 12 of the bird/chiltepine/pequin types sent to me are up and growing well - most are ready to go into their final containers, probably today. Really looking forward to see how these grow/compare! Will provide pics when there is something worth looking at.

I'm wondering how you are going to do tasting results if one of them is like molten lava, that would tend to put any tasting on hold until the scorch marks on your tongue can heal. ;)

I grew Thai Bird peppers last year,I did not darn eat one, But wife took 20 to a store and the women from Thai loves them.

I grew them last year and am growing them again this year. Loved them. Dried allot of the last ones and ground them into a great chili powder.

Nice ides Zana i have a few plants this year, i will try to dry them, how do you dry them?

I set some of them out on paper plates on top of the fridge. Others I dried in my dehydrator. Not much difference in how it ends up, other than time. Will probably do it with the dehyrdrator in the future so that I can speed up the process.

Thanks i know some peppers will rot, but these do not, the women from Thai who work on nails, eat them like cherries

One of my Thai neighbours does too. I told her daughter to tell her (she speaks very little English)to help herself last year. She'd wander over to my driveway garden for a snack or two every couple of days. And then went home and raved to her daughter. :D About once a week the daughter or granddaughter would be sent over with some Thai delicacy for me to try, as a thank you.

I let them dry on the vine quite a bit at the end of the season before I picked them to dry on the plates or on the dehydrator. So by the time I picked them, I could already edit out the ones that would probably end up rotting otherwise. But if you want to pick them all season and dry them as you pick them, they do dry well....actually a very high percentage of them will dry without rotting.

Zana , I lived in Thailand 1960-62 as a 7 yr old, really great wonderful years, My wife's loves Thai food now , and i and grow Siam Basil ever year .I am the small guy with glasses

So as of today, single plants of each of the 12 varieties are now settled into 2 gallon grow bags. Once the plants kick in - probably in 1-2 weeks - and start showing something of interest, I will start posting pics. Already there is great variation in leaf color, leaf shape, height - should end up being quite interesting (I also noted that the the slugs - which have been plentiful and voracious this spring - particularly liked nibbling on some of these plants when they were in 3.5 inch pots - so I am quite relieved to have them out of them!)

As a reminder - here are the 12:


[B]Bird[/B] - from the Chile Pepper Inst (thanks, Michael)
[B]Birdseye[/B] - from Pine Tree
[B]Chiltepin[/B] - from Totally Tomatoes
[B]Bird[/B] - from John Scheeper (these three - thanks to Lurley)
[B]Chiltepin[/B]
[B]Black Birds Eye[/B] (these two thanks to austinhanasmom)
[B]PI441654[/B]
[B]Cap. Chacoense[/B]
[B]PI260478[/B]
[B]Pequin Chiapas[/B] (these four thanks to Mark Tutt)
[B]Long Bird[/B]
[B]Pequin[/B] (these last two thanks to Joe L)

I'm waiting to see what you think of Peppadew. Might be a project for next year.

DarJones

Last years Pepperdews
 

I grew 2 pepperdew's last summer the plants were late but were still there in September. The first frost didn't kill them.

Mine haven't flowered yet but they are pretty plants.
Can I propagate these from cuttings or only seeds? I have chiltepans.

Picture thread for the peppers.

Bird 501 May 27 [ATTACH]24252[/ATTACH] June 3 [ATTACH]24669[/ATTACH] June 12 [ATTACH]25025[/ATTACH]

Bird 504 May 27 [ATTACH]24253[/ATTACH] June 3 [ATTACH]24670[/ATTACH] June 12 [ATTACH]25026[/ATTACH]

Birdseye 503 May 27 [ATTACH]24254[/ATTACH] June 3 [ATTACH]24671[/ATTACH] June 12 [ATTACH]25027[/ATTACH]

Black Birdseye 495 May 27 [ATTACH]24255[/ATTACH] June 3 [ATTACH]24672[/ATTACH] June 12 [ATTACH]25028[/ATTACH]

Cap Chacoense 479 May 27 [ATTACH]24256[/ATTACH] June 3 [ATTACH]24673[/ATTACH] June 12 [ATTACH]25029[/ATTACH]

Chiltepin 496 May 27 [ATTACH]24257[/ATTACH] June 3 [ATTACH]24674[/ATTACH] June 12 [ATTACH]25030[/ATTACH]

Chiltepin 502 May 27 [ATTACH]24258[/ATTACH] June 3 [ATTACH]24675[/ATTACH] June 12 [ATTACH]25031[/ATTACH]

Long Bird 476 May 27 [ATTACH]24259[/ATTACH] June 3 [ATTACH]24676[/ATTACH] June 12 [ATTACH]25032[/ATTACH]

Pequin 477 May 27 [ATTACH]24260[/ATTACH] June 3 [ATTACH]24678[/ATTACH] June 12 [ATTACH]25034[/ATTACH]

Pequin Chiapas 481 May 27 [ATTACH]24261[/ATTACH] June 3 [ATTACH]24677[/ATTACH] June 12 [ATTACH]25033[/ATTACH]

PI 260 478 480 June 3 [ATTACH]24679[/ATTACH] June 12 [ATTACH]25035[/ATTACH]

PI 441654 478 June 3 [ATTACH]24680[/ATTACH] June 12 [ATTACH]25036[/ATTACH]

Some of the pics are not the best....but eventually I will have good pics of them all.

Nice Craig These look like mine These grow slowly now, they love heat at night you should be perfect down there in the south. The plants might be small, but tough little guys. If you get a really full branch which is ripe? I cut it off and hang it upside down and bring it inside, really beautiful bird fruit and put the branch in a cup of water for weeks then dry the fruit. Enjoy you rally should try Pepperadew's they would grow great in a bags as these, do you need seeds?

1st photo 11 tomato plants spread out with Basil in pots and Tiny Bird peppers spread all around, these should be only under 12" tall each
2nd is 5 pepperdaw plants should grow 18' tall
3rd is a closeup or the right side, these are Scorpion, Red and Yellow Bhut, Red Caribbean, Fatila, Thai Bird, Corno Di Krap, and in back my fav's Paladacks and Slovenai fro Sloyenia from Marko really wonderful sweet red peppers

Kicking this - added pics to post 24 (which will be my main pic post). Some are taking off, others are taking their sweet (or hot!) time.

Updated post 24 with pics from June 12. Good progress here, a few with flowers and one with fruit.

I'm thinking you should have lots of little peppers now, how are things looking?

Hey Mark - pretty interesting! Now that I can clear out most of the tomatoes (they always pass away in late July/early Aug around here) I can focus on the peppers. I know there are ripe fruit on most of them - a few haven't even set any fruit yet - and there are distinct differences in shape, size, plant habit. Stay tuned - hope to do an update with pics this coming week.

So here we go.....an update with pics - ripe fruit on some of the plants. (Wed Aug 8 update). As you will see, there is lots of variation.....the two Birds look pretty similar (one has a bit more brownish wash on the fruit) - the two Chiltepins are very different. Anyway - take a look - all sorts of shapes and sizes. I have not taste tested them yet for heat!

[B]Pequin Chiapas[/B] (vial 481) - moderately compact plant, 2 by 2 feet, wrinkly peppers, green, brownish wash in sun, to red, 1+" by 1/2" [ATTACH]27672[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27670[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27671[/ATTACH]

[B]Capsicum Chacoense[/B] (vial 479) = spreading very wispy branched plant, tiny bullet/round peppers, green fruit going orange, 1/4X 1/4 inch [ATTACH]27655[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27656[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27657[/ATTACH]

[B]Chiltepin[/B] (vial 496) - tall, lanky stout plant, 3 feet tall, fuzzy stems, upright non clustered smooth deep green fruit, brownish purple wash on some in the sun, ripen red, upward fruit, 1 X 1/4 inch, non clustered [ATTACH]27658[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27659[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27660[/ATTACH]

[B]Pequin[/B] (vial 477) - pretty plant, 1.5 feet each way, upward non-clustered peppers, deep green, brownish purple wash in sun, ripen red, 1/8 inch by 1 inch long [ATTACH]27667[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27668[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27669[/ATTACH]

[B]Bird[/B] (vial 504) - tall, 3 feet tall, narrow, white flowers, tiny pea shaped peppers, deep green, brownish wash, size of a pea [ATTACH]27646[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27647[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27648[/ATTACH]

[B]PI 260478[/B] (vial 480) - tall, 2.5 feet tall, nice foliage, small white flowers, setting small fruit, upward, non clustered, tiny - 1/16 by 1/2,upward, slender, dark green [ATTACH]27673[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27674[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27675[/ATTACH]

[B]Chiltepin[/B] (vial 502) - spreading, white flowers, lots of pea size and shape peppers, green, 1/8 - 1/4 inch round [ATTACH]27661[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27662[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27663[/ATTACH]

[B]Black Birds Eye[/B] (vial 495) - tall, narrow, 2 feet tall, purple foliage and flowers, peppers are green to brownish purple to red, 1/4 inch round, semi clustered [ATTACH]27652[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27653[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27654[/ATTACH]

[B]Long Bird[/B] (vial 476) - 4 feet tall, narrow growing, white flowers, pendant peppers, non clustered, green with brownish wash in sun to red, slender, 1/4 inch by 1.5 inches [ATTACH]27664[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27665[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27666[/ATTACH]

[B]Bird[/B] (vial 501) - tall, just spreading a bit, white flowers, fruit on top (umbrella form), pea size and shape peppers, olive green, brownish wash in the sun, 1/16 inch round [ATTACH]27643[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27644[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27645[/ATTACH]

[B]Birdseye[/B] (vial 503) - spreading but compact plant, long leaves, white flowers, pendant, non clustered, fruit Cayenne like, green with brownish wash to red, 1/8 inch by 3 inches [ATTACH]27649[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27650[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27651[/ATTACH]

[B]PI 441654[/B] (vial 478) - tall, wrinkly foliage, 2 feet tall, white flowers, a few fruit - odd looking, upward, pea shaped, setting on an angle, olive green [ATTACH]27676[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27677[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]27678[/ATTACH]