They are in the same genus so they can definitely cross.

I'm not sure how to control the inherited traits though.

Thank you for your input! Does anyone have an idea on how to control the traits? Also how would i do the pollinating?

I am no way nar being an expert in the field, but perhsps you have to do it for few generations.
-- Save the seed from x-pollinated fruit and pant it next year.
--- Cross that with habanero (original variety) again.
--- save the seeds and plant following year and check the fruits' flavor, size, color, etc.
--=If not satsfied, cross one more time.

I have read the story of RADIATOR CHARLI, who developed the tomato
as we know it by the name of MORTGAGE LIFTER. Of couse his method was much more involved because he was using several tomatoes to breed one hybrid and stablize it.

Thank you cyrus. I see it will take me awhile to make a stable strain, but time well spent. What would i use to cross pollinate? Q-tip or something? How do i know when to pollinate the flowers? Thanks for all the info. I am going to try a few things and keep a journal. I'll share my findings. This year I will be growing Ghost peppers, Habaneros, Jalapenos, Serano, Cascabella, Cubanelle, and Cayenne pepper. I wish i would have looked up peppers on the internet before i planned my garden so i had more room for my peppers :) oh yea and bell peppers :) . I'm hoping to have a pepper for everyones taste in my family for salsas hot sauces and bbq sauces. I love gardening!

As I said I am no expert and thos were my thought based on
the basics of cross polination.

HOW TO POLLINATE?
My way would be just to pinch off the hab flower(gently not too much shaking), bring it over to the bell. Then give them tap it hard over the bell.
Of course you need to tag the bell and let it ripen real red to the point of almost roting. Thn tak the seeds out, dry them out, ..and the rest of seds saving procedure.

P.S. The recepient bell got to be very fresh. So that it has had no chance
to have been pollinated already.Otherwise I would think your efforts will be wated.

Here again I'm just a fellow farmer not a pro. However, I do a lot of gourd cross pollinating and they like peppers have both male and female flowers and "can" be self pollinating. In gourds the female has a "greater" influence on size and physical properties. Whereas the father has "some" influence on size but contributes to "other" genetic attributes. I'd say peppers would follow suit.. Mom = size/physical properties. Dad = Some size/other junk.

I'd say you'd do best to use a very fine paint brush.. and GENTLY brush the pollen from male to female. If your hand is steady and with good eyes. Hand pollinating will work. That's what we use for our gourds, but their a wee bit larger bloom.. Hope that helps. Good Luck keep us updated.

Thank you guys for the wonderful information! I hope to have this completed in the next year or so. I have south facing large windows so i should be able to grow all year in the house :). I think these would be a perfect addition to all my recipes also they would make a great Apirl fools prank :D . As for updates, I am going to try a few things i learned from growing pot. Growing pot for legal uses in california was very fun and i learned alot of tricks so i am going to try them on peppers. I will keep a a list of tricks and effect to share.

Not everything you read here is accurate. Peppers for instance do not have separate male and female flowers. their flowers are "perfect", meaning male/female in the same blossom. Gourds on the other hand always have separate male and female blooms. Pollen is collected from blooms just as they open or before, then transported via brush to the mother plant. Make sure your blooms are protected from insects visiting and messing with your results. Good luck!

Thank you. I just read the part about a perfect flower on the web. So i should get the pollen before the flower opens? I am growing 2 bell peppers, 1 Ghost pepper, and 1 habanero in side to do this with. My plants get 7-8 hours of sun ez by my front room window. only insects ill have to worry about are flies and spiders. What size pot should i use use for my plants?

the_monk,

Peppers DO NOT have separate male and female flower lik cucurbia.
Peppers have so-called perfect flowers like tomatoes, eggplants,..
I have done quite a bit of hand pollinating night blooming gourds.
With gourds I would pick a female bring ove the female and
give them a kiss and pronounce them man and woman.lol

Ghost peppers and habaneros are both capsicum chinense, while Bell peppers are c. annuum. The FAQ says that these two species will cross and the offspring are "partially fertile". If you just want a "spicy bell pepper", there are over 6,000 varieties of pepper and there may be one already existing that fits your bill. For eg the Rocoto is thick fleshed and bell shaped and is plenty spicy. There are probably many others.

Guess I just learned something myself. Sorry didn't mean to give bad info. I was just going by what I remembered from high school biology. I'll have to brush up on my perfect flowers.. We're all learning throughout life.

Thank you brien. I figured there where already hot bell peppers but i love the challenge !! Monk we all learn something new every day.

Yeah we are, but it's nice to hear it from others.. Never like being the uneducated guy in the forum.

Hi brandenthehot.

You may find the link below of interest.

Rick

Here is a link that might be useful: Fatalii.net - pepper breeding how-to

Thats a perfect link for what i want THANK YOU!!!

Great link.

Be sure to use an unopened, but close-to-opening flower for your female. It lessens the chance of accidentally transferring pollen from and contaminating the pistil or trying to fertilize and already fertilized flower.

Mexi Bell and Fajita Bell are mild
This looks interesting:
http://www.chileplants.com/search.asp?ProductCode=CHICAY

I've got seeds for a Scotch Bonnet X Bell so chinense and Annum do at least sometimes produce viable seeds.
Plant is outside growing right now.

Thank you for all the advice and links. CANTINA YELLOW hmm those do look interesting but not exactly what I want. Awesome news Smokemaster. Atleast i know now that it for sure can be done :). I'll be doing 2 full bell pepper plants 1 crossed with hab's other one with ghost peppers. It will be alil work to get every flower but im sure i will get a few good seeds that way. Any pictures Smokemaster? Ill keep track of my progress and let you know how it goes, hell if it work i might have seeds to trade in a year or so :)

Ok so i got another thought/question. If i want the bell pepper size and look but the hot pepper taste (hab, ghost) Which plant should i make the mother the bell or the hot peppers?

seeds for bonnet bell-2nd from the bottom

Here is a link that might be useful: bonnet bel X

Awesome!!!!! Still going to do the work my sself but hey if i get a few extra bucks i might buy those for next year!

Maybe try using the bonnet bells as a go between to crossing other peppers.

Either way it will take many growouts.

If you are after BIG bells that are hab hot you'll have to cross the plants successfully then use the biggest and hottest pods seeds(most desirablely traited pods) to re grow and cross those with each other until you get the plant that makes bell sized habs.

I know a guy who has been crossing peppers to get a 4 inch + hab.
He's been crossing stuff for years and is still on his quest.
Google Demon Habanero on the fiery foods site(I think it was).see his Scotch Bonnet too.

Saved ya the google time.See link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: SBS's garden

I believe I've crossed a habanero with a cayenne. This plant looks like a habanero yet. Is growing an sprouting peppers like a cayenne. The peppers area thick like ahead yet long like a cay anyone ever done this before?

Wow, I'm really late to this party (ok, post) but thought I'd submit the following links for those interested in crosses, genetics, etc.

If I Plant A Habanero Next To My Banana Pepper Will I Get A Hot Banana Pepper?

Tomato (or Pepper or Egg Plant - same family) Gene Basics

FWIW

Bill

im going to cross a pimento with a poblano and see what i get, i figured since there both capsicum annuum sp. it will work

I had my Jalapenos next to bell peppers last year. It appears that the seeds i saved from a last year Jalapeno pod are producing a Jalapeno/Bell cross this year.

I imagine its possible for Habanero and Bell to cross also. Im growing 27 kinds of Pepper plants this year and im curious to see what kind of strange mixes ill get next year.

Happy Growing
Jim

here is a link to pepper varieties that will cross.

See FAQ link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pepper cross chart

For anyone who likes the Bell Pepper taste I would highly recommend tasting a Manzano. I personally found it to have a better flavor than the Bell, and it also has just a kiss of heat.
The cross breed mutant will not be as big as a Bell cross, but if flavor is important ....

My $.2
Rudy

You must be eating different Manzanos or Rocoto than I grow.
There are 3 kinds of Caspacin.
Manzanos/Rocotos have all three.
Different forms hit different receptors in your mouth.
Usually they seem hotter than they are compared to habs etc.
They are far from being a mild or a sweet pepper.
Some are at least Habanero hot.
They taste totally different than any other pepper.
Very fruity,nothing like a bell pepper.
Fresh off the plant they are very crunchy with a slow build up of heat.
In Peru they seed them and then boil them before using them to cook with to get rid of some of the heat.
Boiling does take away some of the heat but I've never had one that was anywhere near a bell in mildness.
I grow Yellow,Orange,brown , peach , white and red rocotos from Peru seed stock and Manzanos from Mexican and U.S. grown commercial pods or nursery plants.
C. Pubescens won't cross with most other pepper varieties-see link above.

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Here is a link that might be useful: