Rocoto

[mayz]

Hello!

First trial with Rocotoand this species seems to be well adapted for NW Europe. Others experiences ?

[keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)]

No never grown Capsicum pubescens before, but it sounds very interesting. Interesting that they do not cross.

I've seen peppers with purple flowers before, never thought they might be an exotic species...

[diane]

I bought 8 kinds in 2015 from Semillas La Palma and grew one of each in pots in my greenhouse.

I didn't get any peppers.

I should try again.

[taihaku]

Jul 21, 2017 8:07:55 GMT -5 mayz said:

Hello!

First trial with Rocotoand this species seems to be well adapted for NW Europe. Others experiences ?

I've found them to be excellent the second year but very slow in the first year from seed. I grew the variety Turbo Pube from Fatallii in finland; really good. Not sure they'll ever replace chinenses and annums for me though I like to have one going.

[swamper]

I've had a few plants of mini rocoto and others the last few years. They seem to tolerate partial shade and dry soil, though not greenhouse heat. I've had some fruit but the flavors aren't as complex as chinense or annuums.

[mayz]

Thanks for those experiences! I will give news when mature.

[ericbernhard]

Here in Hamm, Germany I have been growing Rocoto peppers for the past three years. I grow them in 10 Liter food grade buckets that I get for free from a local hospital cafeteria. The buckets are a bit too small for the plant which means I have to keep on top of the watering and fertilizing but I m nonetheless able to get a very respectable crop from them. Due to the late blossoming they tend to ripen their fruit very late in the season, sometimes even in November. This year tends to be the exception though. I didn't prune the plant back in the fall as I had done in the previous years and I think that may have helped it to begin flowering earlier. As long as they are kept frost free they can survive near freezing temps with ease. During hard freezes I keep them in the basement. Otherwise they spend the whole of the winter outside.
Up to now I have only grown two varieties but have the following issues and thoughts:
-when the peppers are cooked or dried they tend to take on a bitter taste which I haven't found to be present in the fresh fruits. En masse it is a bit overpowering but when the peppers are used as an accent in a mix of peppers for a hot sauce for example they make a good contribution. I found the peppers really when finely chopped raw with garlic and onions and with a little salt and vinegar added.
-the heat has a different quality than c. annuum. The initial burn has a punch to it but subsides very quickly.
-due to the adaption to the northern European climate I ask myself why there hasn't been any breeding work to make it more palatable for the European market. The first step would be to remove the heat as has been done with capsicum annuum. This would then make it suitable as a snack pepper or for breakfast or dinner. Then, a larger size would make it a good alternative to a bell pepper. And finally, earlier flowering and ripening would make it agronomically more attractive. I would also be interested to see how well the pepper is suited for a high tunnel production system.
-One of my difficulties has been the small size of and fragility of the flowers. I have not yet made a successful cross because I keep breaking the flowers when trying to emmasculate them.

On a side note, I have had very good success this year with c. annuum landraces from high altitude sites in New Mexico. The first peppers are starting to ripen on the most promising variety which is growing in a 10 Liter bucket in my back yard. I am more than happy to share seeds at the end of the season. Just send a PM.

[mayz]

Coming again with my rocotos . This is the second harvest from my outdoor rocoto plant. I grew a total of 16 mature fruits during the first year. The plant was growing in field without protection.

Eric, thanks for sharing your experience with this pepper. Effectively, a milder version will be better for european palate.

[ericbernhard]

Hey that is really impressive. My rocotos haven't ripened yet, even though they should have had a head start since I was able to get the plant through last winter with only minimal pruning. Apparently the plant doesn't appreciate being confined to a pot. I assume I will get the first ripe peppers in October.
Congrats on your success!

[diane]

The 8 kinds I bought from Semillas La Palma were all medium hot, except for mildly hot Canario.

Of course, since none fruited for me, I didn't get to check the taste.

[steev]

So you really have no idea how hot they were? My only experience of rocoto was damned hot.

[mayz]

Sept 14, 2017 2:13:06 GMT -5 steev said:

So you really have no idea how hot they were? My only experience of rocoto was damned hot.

i tried rocoto relleno with one of these peppers and it was really very hot especially on lips and tongue. In fact, impossible for me to eat all the pepper and i needed two cups of milk to extinct the fire...


concerning cultivation, my first idea was to keep it in pot but during april the pepper started to grow very quickly and began to blossom at the end of the month so i decided to plant it outdoor.

[raymondo]

Sept 14, 2017 14:19:50 GMT -5 mayz said:

Sept 14, 2017 2:13:06 GMT -5 steev said:

So you really have no idea how hot they were? My only experience of rocoto was damned hot.

i tried rocoto relleno with one of these peppers and it was really very hot especially on lips and tongue. In fact, impossible for me to eat all the pepper and i needed two cups of milk to extinct the fire...


concerning cultivation, my first idea was to keep it in pot but during april the pepper started to grow very quickly and began to blossom at the end of the month so i decided to plant it outdoor.

What temps do get to outdoors in winter? I'd love a chilli that would overwinter. We get to -5 C regularly over winter and very occasionally, not even every year, it will drop below -10 C.

[mayz]

What temps do get to outdoors in winter? I'd love a chilli that would overwinter. We get to -5 C regularly over winter and very occasionally, not even every year, it will drop below -10 C.

rocotos don't withstand moderate frost they should be overwintered indoors

[diane]

This year I am growing three of the eight kinds I bought.

They are in big pots which I have just moved into my unheated greenhouse.

Mini has lots of green fruit.
Yellow has been overwhelmed by several plants of mini, so hasn't grown much at all.
Canario plants are short, the leaves are furry, and it hasn't flowered yet.

Next year I will try the rest of them.