Peppers can cross pollinate with each other but not tomatoes and peppers. Genetically it is impossible. If those scientists would quit cloning sheep and find a way to cross these two then we could have fresh rotel in the garden!
Some think that tomatoes and Peppers both a part of the Nightshade family but don’t share the same genus or species. Consequently, they are unable to produce a hybrid through cross-pollination . To better understand why it is impossible, we first have to take a closer look at how pollination works.
Do peppers cross pollinate?
The fruit depends entirely on the genetics of the plant producing the fruit, not where the pollen came from to pollinate the flowers. Although peppers are self-pollinating and generally do not cross , sweet peppers and hot peppers belong to the same species and can cross with one another.
You could be wondering “Can you cross pollinate peppers?”
Some think that maybe this hasn’t crossed your mind (pun intended). But it’s a real possibility. If you grow peppers in your own garden , this might have already happened to you on accident.
You could be thinking “Can you cross-pollinate peppers?”
Growing peppers in your home garden gives you access to sweet and hot pepper varieties you might not see in your local grocery store or farmers market. If you grow several types of peppers and hope to collect the seeds at the end of the growing season for use the next year, you may be concerned about the effects of cross-pollination.
That is why it is encouraged to grow plants you *don’t* want cross pollinated far apart. This can reduce the chances that the bee with pollen from one plant won’t fly to another. Pepper plants are actually self pollinating. They don’t need the help of bees . A gentle breeze that rustles the plant is all they need.
While writing we ran into the inquiry “Should I be concerned about cross pollination in pepper plants?”.
If you grow several types of peppers and hope to collect isolated pepper seeds at the end of the growing season for use the next year, you may be concerned about the effects of cross-pollination .
There is some disagreement about the proper distance for separating pepper varieties to avoid cross-pollination. Commercial pepper producers often separate sweet peppers from hot peppers by at least a mile.
Can sweet peppers cross-pollinate with hot peppers?
Although peppers are self-pollinating and generally do not cross, sweet peppers and hot peppers belong to the same species and can cross with one another. If pollen from a hot pepper fertilizes the flower of a sweet pepper, all of the hot pepper genes from the father plant go into the embryo and the seed.
While I was reading we ran into the query “Do Peppers need pollination to produce fruit?”.
We discovered pepper plants need to be pollinated to produce fruit. However, it is important to remember that the flowers of pepper plants are perfect. This is not my biased opinion on pepper flowers – it is actually a scientific term. A perfect flower contains both male and female parts.
In other words, if a flower of a sweet pepper is pollinated by a hot pepper plant, it absolutely, positively will not make the sweet pepper hot. Now, if you plant the seeds inside that sweet pepper then you will see the effect of the male parent’s genes.
Bees can easily fly long distances. That is why it is encouraged to grow plants you *don’t* want cross pollinated far apart. This can reduce the chances that the bee with pollen from one plant won’t fly to another. Pepper plants are actually self pollinating . They don’t need the help of bees. A gentle breeze that rustles the plant is all they need.
What are some examples of cross pollinated plants?
One of the few examples is Triticale (Triticosecale), a type of wheat that was bred in laboratories; it’s a hybrid of wheat (Triticum) and rye (Secale). So generally, only plants from the same genus and species tend to cross-pollinate.
How to save cross pollinated pepper seeds for next season?
Now let’s discuss how to properly save cross pollinated seeds for next season. Saving pepper seeds is incredibly simple . All you have to do is collect peppers from your best producing plant. Wait until the peppers are ripe, maybe even a little wrinkly. Many peppers will turn red when they ripen, as you can see in the picture.