If there is crossing it will not affect the peppers you get this year but only the seeds.

John

thnx john!

But ehmm, in wich way will it affect my seeds?

Chile peppers can possibly cross pollinate but have perfect flowers (meaning that a single flower can supply both male and female parts) so it doesn't always happen. There is a page in the FAQ (at least there used to be, I have been on haitus for 6 or 7 months) that lists the succeptability of various species to cross-pollination by others.

In short, if you plant scotch bonnet and cayenne (both C. chinense, I believe), they can cross pollinate. The fruit that you grow this year will be scotch bonnet and cayenne respectively as fruit production depends on the parent plant, not the pollinator. The seeds on the other hand, will have a combination of genetic material from both donors. In the case where the seeds contain both, the resulting plant (if you were to plant and grow out the seeds) would have unpredictable characteristics. It may show signs of both, or be similar to one or the other, but it would really be neither.

Of course, if you do not save and plant the seeds, cross pollination has no effect on your crop. There are a lot of old wives tales regarding the production of hot bell peppers by planting them near hot peppers, but these are all false. Botanically it can not happen, so anybody who says so is at worst a liar, and at best delusional.

If you plan on saving the seeds, it may be beneficial to bag the blossoms to guarantee that they are only pollinted by themselves. This ensures a non-contaminated second generation. You could also plant the peppers far apart, but the distance needed is huge and most people do not have that kind of space.

If they cross and you plant those seeds you will probably not get plants true to either parent. So if you are not saving seeds there is no problem. If you want pure seeds, the plants need to be 500 feet apart or the blossoms bagged.

John

M,kay... I think I'm getting all this.

Thnx guys!

John, is the 500' mark still prevalent? It seems that flying insects have evolved to get more MPG. :) Although Hummers (bees) might be fuel hogs.

You're right John...bagging may be the best insurance policy.

Paul B.

That's what I read ,Paul. For most people bagging or covering the whole plant is the practical way to go. I had problems with bagging last year--lots of blossom drop without forming pods--which I assumed was caused by heat build up in the bags. Others ( including jt) report good results with bagging. I think in future I will attempt fewer plants and build enclosures which cover the whole plant.

John

As a beekeeper, I have always read that honey bees will travel up to 3 kilometers in search of flowers. This probably doesn't happen often, and bees tend to take nectar from only certain plants at a time (so they may visit plants that are 500 feet away from each other at very different times) so I doubt there is much of a chance. the only way to be really sure though, is to bag the blossoms.

Does anybody know why bees do only one plant type at a time? Do you think it is because it aids pollenation and bees have adapted to be good pollinators for their own benefit?

I can never figure out their pattern on my blueberries. Why do they go to 1 or 2 flowers on one bush, then fly around and go to another when there are plenty of good flowers on the first bush? Is it the same answer as above?

There is also a recording of a bee traveling 18 miles, although it's rare