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annuum Let's talk trash about Serranos

So a little while back, when I had thought I was done starting seeds for 2018, someone posted a "what's your favorite pepper?" thread and I was surprised to see how many THPers claimed Serranos as their favorite. I'd grown Hot Rod Serranos (fwiu an F1 hybrid) last year, and I used to grow piles of Serranos at work, and I always liked'm, so I figured "why not?" I ordered seeds real quick, got them started, and now I've got a bunch of pods hanging on 9 plants ...

Now, i have no legit gripe against the Hot Rods, and I'm growing 3 of those, but F1 hybrids aren't necessarily my style, such as it is, so I wanted to dick around with other Serranos as well.

So, I'm growing 3 generic, plane Jane Serranos, 3 Serrano Tampiqueños, and the 3 Hot Rods. So far, I've only gotten ripe Hot Rods, but I've got some initial impression of the things...

The Hot Rods are supposed to be extra early and quite productive. So far, they are living up to those expectations. All 3 plants have as many pods on it as they can support... They were the first to set pods, and their pods were first to ripen. But, they are the least fuzzy plants by far, and the plant structure is pretty much generic annuum...

The generic Serranos are, by far, the fuzziest. They grew tall, but also bushy. One of these has a bunch of pods on it, one had a respectable amount, and the third is the biggest plant but is lagging far behind the other two in terms of production.

The Tampiqueños are pretty fuzzy, but not so fuzzy as the other Serranos. They grew fairly short, but ridiculously bushy. They basically started out extra leggy and grew almost gorizontally, but then several branches shot up from the main stem and each plant looks like a little Grove made up of several plants. I love the plants' structure. However, they are lagging far behind the other two...

Of course, once I get to sample a bright red pod of each, I'll probably decide based on that. (Actually, I have enough seeds in reservem Ethan I'll have another year or 2 growing all three before I have to make my mind up...)

But, as of right now, I like the Hot Rods for their productivity, the Tampique of for the way the plant itsekf grows, but I'd crown the generic jawns as King b/c, seemingly, they are the best of both worlds. But... We gotta wait til I eat these things...
 
I've grown a bunch of different varieties and really enjoyed the Hot Rod, enough that I made a few crosses with it that I continue to grow out.
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Very interesting! You may be interested in Sinahuisa. It is much like a Serrano in shape, size, and heat, but I think the walls are a little thicker and it is juicier. I have grown both side by side and Sinahuisa was more productive. It comes from Sonora, Mexico.

I am growing a couple of plants this year, but I dont have ripe pods yet. I used green pods in a fresh salsa/Pico de Gallo thing last week. Not too much heat so everyone could handle it.

Bycycle, you describe your plants as fuzzy , but Im not sure what you mean. Plant shape or hairs on the stems? One of the things I like about Sinahuisa is the short hairs on the stems that give the plant a fuzzy/downy appearance.
 
kentishman said:
Very interesting! You may be interested in Sinahuisa. It is much like a Serrano in shape, size, and heat, but I think the walls are a little thicker and it is juicier. I have grown both side by side and Sinahuisa was more productive. It comes from Sonora, Mexico.

I am growing a couple of plants this year, but I dont have ripe pods yet. I used green pods in a fresh salsa/Pico de Gallo thing last week. Not too much heat so everyone could handle it.

Bycycle, you describe your plants as fuzzy , but Im not sure what you mean. Plant shape or hairs on the stems? One of the things I like about Sinahuisa is the short hairs on the stems that give the plant a fuzzy/downy appearance.
Totally down to try Sinahuisa next year. Thanks; I REALLY needed another variety to eff with lol... Seriously, that DOES sound like a rad variety..

And yeah, but "fuzzy" refers to short, Downy fur on the stems of the Serrano stems and such. Fuzzy as hell.
 
hogleg said:
I joined this sight in search of a yellow true (not crossed) Serrano. I'm still looking, I know they turn up in the field in Mexico every once in a while.
Good plan but what do you think of the established red cultivars? An I missing any?
 
Masher said:
What's the cross farmers jalapeno?

Those look really cool. I see jam, cowboy candy and pickling for those.
The one;s pictured are just Hot Rod serrano no cross. I crossed them with a yellow and chocolate BBG , maui purple and a jalapeno. When I have a minute I'll post some of the crosses. Cheers 
 
hogleg said:
Muchas gracias.

Also, hot dang! Those do look alluring. I hope they are legit, though... Maybe they got a tight Serrano game, but the main thing I remember about Tradewinds is that their Scotch Bonnets are the worst joke in the biz... http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/scotch-bonnet-jamaica-yellow-pepper-seeds

But thanks for the lead. I'll be buying a packet of those, and facing them off against whoever wins my 2018 showdown....
 
Here is a list and link of most of the serrano types I can find on the interwebs. And a vid of a Mexican hausteco serrano seed producer  :cheers:  :metal:
 
 
http://www.thechileman.org/results.php?chile=1&find=serrano&heat=Any&origin=Any&genus=Any
 
 
 
  • Serrano 237
  • Serrano 3036
  • Serrano Balin
  • Serrano del Sol F1
  • Serrano Huasteco
  • Serrano Purple
  • Serrano Seco
  • Serrano Seco de Yucatán
  • Serrano Tampiqueño
  • Serrano Vera Cruz
 
https://youtu.be/hOfvWgNifEI
 
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