The 3rd one is only starting to flower now because I planted it 3 weeks after the first 2 but it also looks different.

Yep sure looks that way to me, it happenes to even reputable seed suppliers.
Peppers are very hard to isolate and keep pure in a small garden..

Cheer up though. you might have a cross that throws a great pod and want to keep the seeds and start your own line of peppers.

We tried to cross some Rocotos with a redwood tree but it didn't work out all that well. It took too long to grow and the pods were too darned big to get through the door. :)

Thanks for trying to cheer me up Hendrik. ;-)

Unfortunately, this is something that happens frequently. I got a pack of thai dragons from Burpee this season, and got only one true thai dragon, and the other three were different in several ways. Red savinas I have bought seeds for the last three years were simply not what they used to be - each year I had other habs hotter, and I never had even one plant with the ultimate RS peppers. So I dug out some dried red savinas from my pantry from 6 years ago (!), and got the ones that looked like the ultimates, with little points on the tips, and sprouted the seeds! These created peppers that are what they used to be, even though there are minor variations between the 5 plants.

If one is the absolute best, here's what I do: Cover a branch with some unopened blossoms with a panty hose, or other similar item, to seal it off from insects, then, when it blossoms, pollinate it by hand with a q-tip, and replace the panty hose. Let the peppers form, then mark them, let them ripen, and save their seeds. Sometimes I have to dig up the plant and bring it in to finish this, or simply to save the plant! Hopefully you'll get one you will want to go through all this to save...good luck!

Dave

Dave,

I was planning to dry the seeds from the best 2 or 3 chilis and immediately attempt to germinate them to pass the purer genes on. Would this also work?

As long as they weren't around any other peppers that could have crossed with it, why not try it. It's worth a try.

Dave

Well I have the 3 plants in 1 pot so they are all around each other but the 1st flowers on each plant seem to have self pollinated based upon the look of the peppers forming on each plant. I did try with a tiny paintbrush to help the self-pollination also. Can't u just tell that i'm a newbie? ;-)