RuHappy69
Senior Member
Posts: 129
Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2010 2:17 pm
Location: NorthWest NJ

Ghost Peppers - Anyone heard of them?

My friend at work (he prowls around here as well) gave me some seeds and some directions from where he got them from (mail). They said for the 1st 2 weeks 24 hours of light close up, plus soil needs to be 80-87 degrees no more no less.. I think that's nuts? If I plant them 'old school' in the mini green house windowsill style planters it should be fine right?

wordwiz
Green Thumb
Posts: 331
Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2010 4:44 pm
Location: Cincinnati

No! At least 8 out of ten times. Superhot pepper seeds need to be germinated in a moist potting mix with an average temp of 85 degrees. They will sprout at lower temps, but take more time.

They do not need light to germinate - no peppers, tomatoes, eggplants or other members of the same family do.

Keeping them under lights 24/7 once they germinate, at least for the first two months, will give you larger plants that will not take as many days to produce mature pods. I don't have the numbers for Growing Degree Days but I can tell you, from experience, that it takes about 150 days from germination in normal spring/summer temps to get pods. The 24/7 light treatment may, may, get that number down to 100-120. I'm in Cincinnati and the first year I tried them, sowing them in mid-February, I started to get pods that were getting ripe when the killing frost hit in early October. I now start these types of peppers in late December and start getting mature pods in mid-late August.

Use a fert such as Tomato-tone for the seedlings, once they develop a couple set of true leaves. This will encourage a great root system.

I also recommend either wearing gloves or using tools to sow the seeds. Don't let them sit in your hand, or use your fingers to sow them, then urinate, at least if you are a male!

Mike

gumbo2176
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3065
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 2:01 am
Location: New Orleans

RuHappy69 wrote:My friend at work (he prowls around here as well) gave me some seeds and some directions from where he got them from (mail). They said for the 1st 2 weeks 24 hours of light close up, plus soil needs to be 80-87 degrees no more no less.. I think that's nuts? If I plant them 'old school' in the mini green house windowsill style planters it should be fine right?

I only know about them from what I've witnessed on TV shows about peppers and from some U-tube videos of folks insane enough to actually eat these peppers.

The Ghost Pepper is recognized as the hottest pepper known to man. I'm not sure of the numbers because it's been a while since I saw that show about them. If I recall correctly, a jalapeno pepper hits the Scoville scale at around 10K Scoville Units. The Bhut Jalokia (Ghost Pepper) is over 1,000,000 on the Scoville Scale. That is one hot pepper.

Like Wordwiz states, it is recommended you wear protective gear when handling the pepper in any state of growth or pay dearly for not doing so. That said, it has no place in my garden, even as a novelty.

User avatar
bg
Cool Member
Posts: 84
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2010 5:45 pm
Location: Houston Area

I just bought a couple of small seedlings, so that I can grow them. I love hot peppers, and I hope these will be good. The habaneros I get from wal mart don't seem to be hot enough for me lol, but I doubt they're as hot as they can be. I did however get a couple of the seeds I saved from them to sprout, so I'll be growing some of those myself this year too.

What peppers I have grown myself have been hotter than store bought ones though, so I'm looking forward to when I can get some ;d

csvd87
Senior Member
Posts: 282
Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:12 pm
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada

I had mine sprout in my Jiffy mini heated greenhouse thinger in about 5 or 6 days, except my Chocolate Bhut Jolokia... The Red, Yellow and Bhut Carbon were pretty quick. Good Luck.

User avatar
Halfway
Green Thumb
Posts: 600
Joined: Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:48 am
Location: Northern Rockies

Caribbean Red I believe are #2 on the hot list, Bhut Julokia being the hottest. It depends on the seed variety as well.

Check out the pepper institute on facebook. Fun. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Chil ... 121?ref=ts

I have Reds and Scotch Bonnets with their first true leaves already up!.

User avatar
ThePepperSeed
Cool Member
Posts: 64
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 12:26 pm
Location: Midwest

there are a few varieties hotter than the bhut jolokia (ghost pepper)...some 7 pods and the Trinidad scorpion. growing them all this year so I'll get to personally verify!

garden5
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3062
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:40 pm
Location: ohio

I tried the ghost peppers last year and they do take a while to sprout. I only got a small taste of one since I left them out too long and the plants got hit by a frost and the peppers all rotted.

However, I'm going to give it a go again this year, so I hope to have a better experience. For best germination, you will want to keep the soil temperature at least 75 degrees F.

TPS, I've heard that the 7 pods are hotter, but is that really true?

Also, are you going to be trying the naga viper? That is supposedly a cross between a bhut jolokias, a Trinidad scorpion, and a naga morich.

User avatar
BrianSkilton
Green Thumb
Posts: 547
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:59 pm
Location: South Dakota

I grew some ghost chilies, not sure why, lol. All you need is a food aluminum tray from a retail store (as with all peppers). Place a heating pad (for your back etc, one that doesn't shut off) under the tray put in your cups of dirt with the seeds water the cups very well. Place the plastic lid with a hole on the tray and they'll come up in no time.

User avatar
ThePepperSeed
Cool Member
Posts: 64
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 12:26 pm
Location: Midwest

garden5 wrote:
TPS, I've heard that the 7 pods are hotter, but is that really true?

Also, are you going to be trying the naga viper? That is supposedly a cross between a bhut jolokias, a Trinidad scorpion, and a naga morich.
7 pods...I had a 7 pod douglah last year and without a doubt it was the hottest pepper I have ever tried. I just had the one and am growing more from seed this year for a larger sampling 8)

If I can get my hands on a naga viper I'll try it although not interested in growing them. It's far from stable so I don't know that anyone will be able to reproduce it this year but we shall see...

Have to say my favorite is the chocolate bhut jolokia (aka ghost pepper). Screaming hot with a great smokey bhut flavor. Yum :D

garden5
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3062
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:40 pm
Location: ohio

I'm going to have to try one of those 7pods.

You've grown them before, I take it (ghost peppers)?

I'm hearing that the viper will be tough to duplicate, but I guess you could just keep growing the same plant year over year and eventually clone it from cuttings.

wordwiz
Green Thumb
Posts: 331
Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2010 4:44 pm
Location: Cincinnati

Garden,

I grew the 7-pod last year. Not sure it was from "pure" seed, a buddy sent me a few. However, it was BY FAR, the tallest plant in the garden. We had the worst growing season I can ever remember and while most everything else was a complete failure, it produced a lot of pods. I saved enough seeds to last me for years. I'm hoping that between a few bell and fewer banana, with the rest being hot peppers, to grow about 250 plants this year:
Hungarian Hot Wax (fantastic hot pickled pepper)
Jalapeno (Chipotle)
Bhut Jolokia
7-pod
Cayenne
Scotch Bonnets
Jamaican Chocolate
Habenero
Tabasco

My garden is a couple hundred feet from several large companies where many of the employees are Hispanics and I'm planning on setting up a roadside stand a day or two a week to sell peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, Chard, onions, peas, beans, cucumbers, broccoli, etc.

Mike

User avatar
ThePepperSeed
Cool Member
Posts: 64
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 12:26 pm
Location: Midwest

garden5 wrote:
You've grown them before, I take it (ghost peppers)?
Yes, have been growing them for the past few years and have about 2 - 3 dozen sprouted already for this season. It's one of my favorites...love the heat and love the flavor.

If you don't find one before I would be happy to send you a few of the 7 pods I'm growing this year. I should have PLENTY of extras but I'm still 4 or more months away from a harvest.

garden5
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3062
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:40 pm
Location: ohio

Thanks for the offer.

I'm going to have more peppers than I will space if all goes well this year, so I'm going have to resist the temptation to add more :lol:.

csvd87
Senior Member
Posts: 282
Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:12 pm
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada

I hear ya G5. Unless I manage to kill off a few more by means of overwatering.

User avatar
Halfway
Green Thumb
Posts: 600
Joined: Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:48 am
Location: Northern Rockies

ThePepperSeed wrote:
garden5 wrote:
You've grown them before, I take it (ghost peppers)?
Yes, have been growing them for the past few years and have about 2 - 3 dozen sprouted already for this season. It's one of my favorites...love the heat and love the flavor.

If you don't find one before I would be happy to send you a few of the 7 pods I'm growing this year. I should have PLENTY of extras but I'm still 4 or more months away from a harvest.
Would love to see some pics of these TPS. The 7 pod and scorpion as well.

User avatar
ThePepperSeed
Cool Member
Posts: 64
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 12:26 pm
Location: Midwest

Here are my plants right now. I have about 70 plants total spread across a dozen or so types. Some will be given away but I'm going to keep as many as I can.

[img]https://thepepperseed.com/wp-content/gallery/peppers/img_4127.jpg[/img]

Here are some of my bhut jolokias (ghost peppers) from last year:

[img]https://thepepperseed.com/wp-content/gallery/peppers/img_3263.jpg[/img]

[img]https://thepepperseed.com/wp-content/gallery/peppers/img_3333.jpg[/img]



Return to “Vegetable Gardening Forum”