How Many Peppers will Habanero and Ghost Pepper Produce?

[edreed20]

I'm growing 2 habaneros (1 scorpion trinidad, and a yellow trinidad) plus a Ghost pepper this year, it's my first year growing these and I'm wondering how many peppers each plant will produce.

[stella1751]

I've never grown the Ghost, but I've grown a quite a few Habaneros. Their production is dependent upon your season length and warmth. Last year, we had a cold spring and a cool June. Habaneros need hot days, so I suppose I got only two or three dozen mature peppers per plant by the end of October.

In past years, when they got more of those hot days that they love, I suppose I got as many as five dozen mature peppers per plant. I'll bet gardeners in hot, long-season climates get much, much more. I don't know what it's like in Baltimore, but Wyoming's growing season can be pretty short.

I'm trying them again this year. There was a great thread in this forum last year about making chili powder. I tried it and blew it, so I want to try it again

[nosta]

I havent grown the Ghost....yet. I usually get around 50-60 peppers per habanero plant per season. I usually dry half of them in a food dehydrator to grind into powder, make hot sauce with the other half.

[soil]

I grew one habanero plant 2 seasons ago. I still have 4 bags of peppers frozen. the 2ft tall plant had to produce at least 200 of the little devils.

[ThePepperSeed]

I'm growing 2 habaneros (1 scorpion trinidad, and a yellow trinidad) plus a Ghost pepper this year, it's my first year growing these and I'm wondering how many peppers each plant will produce.

Depends on how you are growing the plants - location, start date, weather, nutes, etc, etc. I grow my bhut jolokias (ghost peppers) in the ground in raised beds. Last year the plants topped 5 feet and produced - I'm estimating here - 125 pods per plant.

My hab (scorpions are not really habs) plants went crazy and I bet produced 300+ pods each. I have more orange hab powder than I can use in the balance of my life

[stella1751]

I have more orange hab powder than I can use in the balance of my life

PepperSeed, how do you use your "Hab powder"? Do you use it like chili powder or in lesser quantities? The thing I liked most about the chili powder thread last year was that you could mix peppers, developing your own special blend. I am, well, I will be growing two varieties this year, a big Anaheim type and the Habaneros. I thought it would be fun to mix the two powders and see what happens.

Straight Habanero powder would be awfully potent, right?

[ThePepperSeed]

PepperSeed, how do you use your "Hab powder"? Do you use it like chili powder or in lesser quantities? The thing I liked most about the chili powder thread last year was that you could mix peppers, developing your own special blend. I am, well, I will be growing two varieties this year, a big Anaheim type and the Habaneros. I thought it would be fun to mix the two powders and see what happens.

Straight Habanero powder would be awfully potent, right?

I make mixtures of different types of peppers and just keep some pure too. I use them on just about everything and pick the one with the right taste and heat level to match the food. Pizza, chili, eggs, popcorn, tacos, burgers, homemade potato chips...you name it and at my house it includes some pepper powder mixes:D Here's a few shakers I whipped up a few months back:

[img]https://thepepperseed.com/wp-content/gallery/peppers/img_4003.jpg[/img]

Each one is a blend of 2 - 4 different kinds of peppers except for the big one top, that's all straight orange hab powder. The one on the left is a mix of apple smoke dried orange hab and apple smoke dried Caribbean red. Second from the left has both of those + some red bhut jolokia and chocolate hab.

And yes straight hab is potent but it's nothing compared to straight bhut jolokia.

[soil]

how are you drying your peppers?

[ThePepperSeed]

how are you drying your peppers?

Food dehydrator.

[stella1751]

I don't have a food dehydrator, more's the pity. I sliced mine open, scooped out the seeds, and hung them all over the house. (This was in November.) When they seemed pretty dry, I laid them on heating pads beneath my fluorescent lights. I got the ugliest black mold or fungus growing on the inside: thick, black, and fuzzy. Gross.

I was pretty disappointed. I had big scarlet Hybrid Big Chili II's; gorgeous yellow, peach, chocolate, and red Habaneros; and some attractive red Fish and Super Chilies. Even if it hadn't tasted all that great, it would have been the prettiest chili powder in the state of Wyoming

This year, I will have a better year. This year, I will have mature Habaneros and Hybrid Big Chili II's by the end of July. Maybe some Super Chilies, too. Then I can dry them in the sun.

It seems like such a fun project. I can't wait to try it again!

[TZ -OH6]

"I got the ugliest black mold or fungus growing on the inside: thick, black, and fuzzy. Gross."


Alternaria fungus travels into the seed cavity through the flower stigma. It hits a lot of my C chinensis peppers, but leaves most of the others alone. It doesn't bother the more solid ones like Peruvian white or cumari, but the puffy habs are often full of it.

[edreed20]

a couple dozen peppers is great news, cause ive seen a few places/people say they were lucky to get 1 dozen, and that had me a little worried.

I do have another question for you experienced hot pepper growers. Right now I have my plants under a flourescent shop light in my basement and I want to know when to put them outside. The ghost pepper is about 6" tall and the 2 trinidads are about 3.5"-4" tall. Are they tall enough to be put outside? Plus I've read that they like to be put outside further after the last frost date then say tomatoes which I've already put out. The weather forcast for the next 10 days has the high temp dropping a few everyday. It's going to be 80 sun and mon but it goes all the way down to 67 on friday and the lows are between 52 and 62. With the size of the plants and the upcoming temps what do you guys think I should do?

[Spicy Chicken]

edreed20

Queustion for you?

Are you planting in the ground or containers maybe raised beds?

SC

[edreed20]

^^^ in the ground

[Spicy Chicken]

In the ground is one of my fortes. Ground temperature is one of the most important aspects of planting peppers in the dirt. If possible cover the area you are going to plant in black plastic, this will help heat the soil and also help hold the heat in on colder nights. My black plastic goes down 2 weeks before planting (last week in May) some garden pics here.

[url]https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34682[/url]

You should consider starting to harden off your plants about 2 weeks before planting. They are already big enough to plant now, I personally do not plant anything over 6 inches myself, the bigger the plant the bigger the transplant shock. This year I will be planting over 3,000 pepper plants, and expect (god willing) to harvest 250 to 350 thousand peppers, Woohoo!! Should be enough powder to last me till Christmas anyway.

I do not pay much attention to outside temperature; Mother Nature is going to do her own thing.
Just make sure you are past the last frost date, many times after I plant the temp will go down to 40, not the best thing but it won't kill them, never has for me! they will adapt.

[stella1751]

"I got the ugliest black mold or fungus growing on the inside: thick, black, and fuzzy. Gross."


Alternaria fungus travels into the seed cavity through the flower stigma. It hits a lot of my C chinensis peppers, but leaves most of the others alone. It doesn't bother the more solid ones like Peruvian white or cumari, but the puffy habs are often full of it.

That's interesting. The spores had to be in the house. None of my live peppers had it. They only developed it when I brought them indoors and prepped them for drying. I looked alternaria fungus up, and it is a common indoor fungi. I definitely must dry them outside this year!

To Spicey Chicken and your 3,000 pepper plants: Wow. I will plant perhaps three dozen this year. It depends on how well the Super Chile seedlings fare.

[TZ -OH6]

It might be something else then. It enters during flowering and will be developed in the pepper by the time you harvest (I cut up my peppers for dehydrating). Many of the peppers will be deformed, and seeds will often be discolored even if there isn't a lot of black mold.

[garden5]

SpicyChicken............I just saw your pictures and must say that they are incredible! I'd love to be able to plant so many peppers and have them all produce so well for me.

You're in WI, so your summer time temps should be close to mine. I planted 3 bhut jolokia's last year and only got 3 peppers and that was in October. I understand that they require a long growing period, but I'd expect them to do a little better than that.

Anyway, you seem to get a TON of production from your pepper plants, something I've been struggling with. So....if you don't mind my asking.....what's your secret? Do you fertilize?

Also, in your picks, the plants seemed pretty close together in their rows, how far apart are they?

How big are your transplants when you put them out? I'm thinking that mine were maybe too small. They were about 3 in. tall, had 2-3 sets of true-leaves.

How do you start your seedlings?

I'm sorry about all of the questions, and if I'm taking this thread way off-topic. Thanks for any answers.

Oh, and these questions are open to everyone .

[stella1751]

It might be something else then. It enters during flowering and will be developed in the pepper by the time you harvest (I cut up my peppers for dehydrating). Many of the peppers will be deformed, and seeds will often be discolored even if there isn't a lot of black mold.

No, I think you are on to something here, TZ. I know you have mentioned this fungus before, including the "discolored seeds" as a symptom. On occasion, I will have a pepper with discolored seeds, but I decided I didn't have this fungus, because I never had the thick, black, fuzzy, gross stuff. As for deformity, well, yeah, I do get some deformed peppers on occasion, but generally the cause can be attributed to the environment: early hail damage, spiders, positioning, and so on.

I think it's interesting that I moved my peppers into the house to play with them, and all of a sudden the crud manifested itself. I'm betting the fungus was somehow prevented from thriving outdoors, and its rapid, unchecked growth has something to do with a lack ventilation or the indoor temperatures. I could have had this fungus all along, but the conditions just weren't conducive for it to fully develop.

You are making me think. Thanks!

[Spicy Chicken]

SpicyChicken............I just saw your pictures and must say that they are incredible! I'd love to be able to plant so many peppers and have them all produce so well for me.

You're in WI, so your summer time temps should be close to mine. I planted 3 bhut jolokia's last year and only got 3 peppers and that was in October. I understand that they require a long growing period, but I'd expect them to do a little better than that.

Anyway, you seem to get a TON of production from your pepper plants, something I've been struggling with. So....if you don't mind my asking.....what's your secret? Do you fertilize?

Also, in your picks, the plants seemed pretty close together in their rows, how far apart are they?

How big are your transplants when you put them out? I'm thinking that mine were maybe too small. They were about 3 in. tall, had 2-3 sets of true-leaves.

How do you start your seedlings?

I'm sorry about all of the questions, and if I'm taking this thread way off-topic. Thanks for any answers.

Oh, and these questions are open to everyone .

G5, Thanks
Sorry it took so long to reply, really busy right now!
The spacing on the plants is 20 inches, they look close; but those plants are almost 3 ft across already and its only half way through the season.

I see that you are a very experienced gardener, so I doubt that I could tell you anything you don't already know but will tell you how I do it and what's important in my opinion and for the beginners here will try to put it in layman’s terms, so don't be offended when I point out the obvious. LOL
The things that help me: for what it's worth!

Black plastic to heat the soil 2 to 3 weeks before planting.

2 table spoons of bone meal and one Epsom salt at planting.

I Plant no larger than 6 inch plants to keep transplant shock to a minimum.

Pinch as many buds off as possible for the first 4 to 6 weeks allowing the plant to grow.

Deluded liquid fish emulsion to feed every time not feast or famine.

Cutting Nitrogen intake half way through the season and pour the potassium to em.

I use a hedge trimmer to prune of 25 % of the leaves 3 weeks before harvest.

Water with 70 + degree water to eliminate shock value.

Stake them for fruit load, cutting down on stem stress.

Tenting the long gestation period peppers to extend their growing season.

Picking the ripe, when ripe; transferring the energy into the ones that are not. Once thru the garden can yield 10 to 20 thousand peppers for me, so it tends to be a chore really! Usually 4 to 5 times before ripping and lynching.

I welcome any ?’s on the above tips, if you want to call them that!
Here is a link to the pics for those who may have not seen them.
[url]https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34682&sid=6ad18ce31a1ee8a340a048b6e9a83b96[/url]

How do I start my seedlings?
This Pic was taken this morning, in 3 days I will transplant into 3X3’s; than 4 weeks till garden planting, they should be around 3 to 5 inches tall. I do it this way at this time every year.

Cheers, Spicy Chicken

[img]https://driedhotpeppers.com/images/Pics_for_The_Hot_Pepper/7pod_with_Lady_bugs.jpg[/img]

[garden5]

Thanks a lot for your reply SP!

You gave me a lot of good tips. I watered with well water, so cold shock may not have been too good for them. Also, you said that you gave them fish emulsion with every watering. Also, you gave them bone meal at planting.

Hmmm...these are things I never do. My soil isn't all that rich yet, either. Perhaps they aren't getting enough nutrients?

I also tend to plant them wayyyy too close.

You've given me a lot of ideas as to what may be the cause of my lower yields.

When are your last/first frost dates? Mine are Mid May/Mid Oct.

[Spicy Chicken]

G5
Frost;
Subtract 2 weeks in both directions, the important one is spring! I keep a real close eye on the 10 day forecast hoping I can jump the gun, very costly mistake if I miscalculate!

One more thing I did not mention is that I aerate the water just prior to watering, very important especially if your soil is denser. (The importance of root oxygen) is widely over looked by even highly experienced gardeners, you should Google it!

link and hundreds more like it.

[url]https://hydroponics-gardening-information.com/Oxygen.html[/url]

Cheer, Jeff

[garden5]

Spicy, really interesting info about aerating the water..I never heard of that .

You start a massive amount of seedlings. Do you grow them under lights or in a greenhouse?

How do you sow them. It looks like you just scatter them over the soil and mix them in.

[bg]

Curious, since I don't know, what would grow from the seeds of a bhut jolokia pepper? They cross to get this type of plant right, so would it revert or still be a bhut jolokia?

[garden5]

Curious, since I don't know, what would grow from the seeds of a bhut jolokia pepper? They cross to get this type of plant right, so would it revert or still be a bhut jolokia?

The bhut jolokia is what's called a naturalized hybrid. Which basically means that it is a cross, but it's been grow out so many times in nature that it acts like a standard OP variety.

So, if it did not cross with another pepper, the seeds should produce more jolokias.

[bg]

Curious, since I don't know, what would grow from the seeds of a bhut jolokia pepper? They cross to get this type of plant right, so would it revert or still be a bhut jolokia?

The bhut jolokia is what's called a naturalized hybrid. Which basically means that it is a cross, but it's been grow out so many times in nature that it acts like a standard OP variety.

So, if it did not cross with another pepper, the seeds should produce more jolokias.

Ok, thanks. I was hoping it would be so.