growing hot peppers

[cummins05]

ok folks I basically have no green thumb and would like to successfully grow some hot peppers. I purchased some seeds online for the basically 3 hottest peppers in the world right now. I am growing them for a few guys I work with just because they say they like HOTT stuff. I bought the seed starter kit from chinamart and added the required amount of water to each pod. I am wondering how long I can keep each of the pods under the same cover before they may cross with each other and possibly become one pepper. just looking for some good advice.

[DougGuy]

Hot pepper seeds are generally VERY difficult to germinate. Most need to be kept between 65° and 85° for upwards of a month to maybe 6 weeks to germinate. I put mine in a paper towel and wet the towel, then stick it in the fridge overnight to get the cold to spark the seed to life, then set each seed in a biscuit of the Jiffy greenhouse starter kit and set the whole thing over a heating pad separated with oven racks so the temps stay constant.

The best way to get and grow peppers is to go to the state farmer's market or a place that sells bedding plants and see what they have. I find it MUCH easier to set out plants in a pot or raised garden bed to grow than starting them from seed. If you are going to start them from seed, you need to start in late January/early February trying to germinate the seeds, then grow them in starter pots until after the last frost date in your area before setting them outside.

As far as cross polinating, that can't happen with the current generation of seeds. That can only happen after your seeds grow into a pepper plant and produce blooms which contain pollen, then the plants can possibly cross pollintate and the resulting seeds will be the hybrid.

[tinhorn97062]

I've grown Habaneros in Oregon. DougGuy is correct on all points.

I started mine from seed and kept them inside until they were about 6" tall or so. By that time, it was warm enough outside (even at night) to let them be out in the air. What I found though was that, once mature, they would flower like crazy, but never go into "fruit mode". I determined that it was dropping too low in temperature at night for them to fruit, so I brought the mature plant back inside. Within a couple days, the flowers started to turn into little peppers and I ended up have a crazy amount of peppers that year. I learned kind of backwards that they really need to have their soil temperature kept up...otherwise, no fruit.

[koehn,jim]

I agree with the other 2 posters. I have raised plants from seed and do not find it that hard if you have good seeds. I start mine by early Feb. if you want peppers that year. I have also found that you can buy started plants from several supply houses and get them USPS in good shape. I have about 20 plants of different types and have not had a problem with cross pollination. I am currently growing some Carolina Reapers. Go on line and get some good tips on watering and sun exposure. Too much water is as bad as not enough. Good luck.

[cummins05]

ok so basically I am probably starting a little too late however I am in Texas and it will be plenty war here for quite some time. probably long into November. I have the seeds in the starter peat pods right now with the clear cover on and then wrapped in some plastic wrap to keep the moisture up. also they are in my garage right now with a plant light shining on top. it also is at least 90* in there during the day and does not cool off much over night.

[cummins05]

I agree with the other 2 posters. I have raised plants from seed and do not find it that hard if you have good seeds. I start mine by early Feb. if you want peppers that year. I have also found that you can buy started plants from several supply houses and get them USPS in good shape. I have about 20 plants of different types and have not had a problem with cross pollination. I am currently growing some Carolina Reapers. Go on line and get some good tips on watering and sun exposure. Too much water is as bad as not enough. Good luck.

I also have some reapers that I am starting as well as the Bhut jolokia and the Trinidad moruga scorpion.

if need be I will finish them indoors I have a perfect room for the cause.

[rancher1913]

peppers like to be warm, and they need to suffer to make their pods hot. most years we have about 400 pepper plants in the garden that we start from seed in January. with the wood stove our house stays at 80 most all winter so they really take off, then when we move them to the garden they slow until the summer heat kicks in. if you want hot, hot peppers don't water to much. if you want sweet peppers like banana or bell you need to water regularly.

[waksupi]

Keep in mind you can bring peppers inside, and winter them over. I have some that are four years old.

[Oreo]

I got 6 out of 10 Carolina Reaper seeds to germinate with no trouble at all. I used the little peat pod seed starters available at walmart. I kept the peat moist in a window for a few weeks and they started growing like crazy.

Make up your potting soil with some care. Pepper plants like well draining sandy soil and if you provide that you can water them plenty without trouble. So, I use a good potting soil, add in a little blood meal, a little bone meal, a little manure, some sand, and a lot of pearlite. Mix well. This creates a nutrient rich, light weight, well draining soil that fosters pepper plant root growth really well. Good roots = happy plant.

If anyone is in the Baltimore area I could give away a few of my reaper seedlings. They're ready to pot and I have more then I need. Culling will begin soon if no one wants them.

[johnson1942]

this year i planted my peppers in a large round metal livestock watering tank. it had a rusted out spot on the bottom. i filled it with straw and then on top of that a bunch of compost. i put 25 peppers in it and they have gone nuts. if i can keep the hail away im going to get a bumper crop. ive never seen such well developed pepper plants. no rabbits, or bugs. no weeds. just peppers. now i filled a cattle feed tub with water and blood meal, miracle grow fertilizer, and epson salts. will feed my tomatoes and peppers once a week with a deluted mix of this. also the rubarb will get some. i bought the plants at the local green house and they didnt cost much and were well developed plants. going to get another rusted out water tank for raspberries for next year. every thing im growing in containers this year is growing much much better than the ones in the soil.

[GoodOlBoy]

One, don't keep different strains close to each other in the same soil. IE if they are in the ground (not in pots) separate them. And two don't put ANY mild peppers close to them. The one year I planted half a row of jalapenos and half a row of sweet banana peppers end to end I wound up with about 1/3 of my sweet banana peppers being so dad blammed hot you couldn't eat them, and I like hot peppers. I mean these things were just about toxic with how hot they were. I don't eat many jalapenos anymore, but I eat a TON of cayenne, and these things had cayenne beat hands down. Now these were not just hot banana peppers mixed in, I have grown hot banana peppers and they wouldn't melt glass like these things would. Looking back I should have saved the seeds and seen if I couldn't have won some kind of award or contract for nuclear meltdown banana peppers.....

Other than that I agree they like warm weather, good sun, etc.

GoodOlBoy

[oneokie]

One, don't keep different strains close to each other in the same soil. IE if they are in the ground (not in pots) separate them. And two don't put ANY mild peppers close to them. The one year I planted half a row of jalapenos and half a row of sweet banana peppers end to end I wound up with about 1/3 of my sweet banana peppers being so dad blammed hot you couldn't eat them, and I like hot peppers. I mean these things were just about toxic with how hot they were. I don't eat many jalapenos anymore, but I eat a TON of cayenne, and these things had cayenne beat hands down. Now these were not just hot banana peppers mixed in, I have grown hot banana peppers and they wouldn't melt glass like these things would. Looking back I should have saved the seeds and seen if I couldn't have won some kind of award or contract for nuclear meltdown banana peppers.....

Other than that I agree they like warm weather, good sun, etc.

GoodOlBoy

Sounds like you either got some contaminated/mixed seed or if those were plants, they had cross pollinated the previous year/s.

[GoodOlBoy]

No idea what happened, all I know is I never let it happen again :p

Ain't nothin' like homegrown peppers, and even better is picklin' 'em yourself or makin' your own peppersauce.

GoodOlBoy

[wills]

Try some Black Pearl.

http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/gardens/8-great-plants/black-pearl-ornamental-pepper

[nagantguy]

Most advice I would give being a pepper junkie has already been given, used coffee grounds and fish juice are like pepper steroids! They do like it hot to germinate and remember to water from the bottom if in pots/containers cause they are very susceptible to damp off.

[Rustyleee]

There is a Hardware store in St.Augustine,Fl that sells Datil pepper plants. when I asked them if they sold seeds they told me that in Fla you have to demonstrate a certain percentage of germination in any seed you sell and they can't do that with a Datil because they're so hard to germinate, and that's coming from a pro.FWIW

[DLCTEX]

My wife cries over peppers that are very mild to me so I planted some TAM mild jalepeno plants this year and she loves them. Pepper poppers with good pepper flavor and little fire. I prefer more heat. I have these in the plastic tubs that molasses supplements for cattle come in, using good Sandy soil. Three plants are making all the peppers we can use.

[johnson1942]

i have over 20 of those molassas tubs in my garden. i fill them with straw and grass for one year then top them off with good compost. you ought to see my tomatoes in them. they have gone nuts. the only thing im going to grow in my dirt garden from now on will be corn and winter squash starting next year. the rabbits cant get in my containers and very very few bugs do. i also have three old cattle water tanks and one is full of onions and the other peppers. the peppers are the best ive ever seen. they love the heat in their and not bugs or rabbits. the third tanks is getting ready for raspberries for next spring planting. i have a huge tractor tire filled with compost and the straw berries i planted their this spring look like a jungle and are in bloom. if you live in a area like i and DLCTEX do start collecting these cattle feed tubs and fill them with good compost and man will you have a garden. i take my 45 long colt out in the garden when i get new onesblow a hole in the bottom of each one so they dont collect water and dont drain. they still says moist but the soil and water in them wont go stagnent. the guy who runs the dump has my phone number and when they come in he calls me. my first two blew off a truck into my yard a couple of years ago. the best thing that ever happened. i put them to use and have been collecting them ever since. i can never get okra to grow in my dirt garden because of rabbits and bugs so next year im going to do about 5 tubs of them and i know okra will grow in them real good.

[JWFilips]

I'm growing The alleppo Chille from Serbia this season, Crowned to be the most tasty of the chilles with medium heat. Out of 20 seeds I got 18 plants. Started March 10th under lights: However we have good wet weather we don't have the heat they need My fingers are crossed!

[cummins05]

^^^^ u want to sell a few seeds when you get some grown I would like to try some

[dragon813gt]

However we have good wet weather we don't have the heat they need My fingers are crossed!

You aren't kidding. All my plants are taller than normal. But they haven't been setting any flowers. I'm glad I planted them in raised rows this year. Normally I don't raise them but I'm trying to keep the soil as warm as possible.

[JWFilips]

If anyone is interested in Aleppo Chili Pepper seeds PM me. Seeds fresh from last years crop
Jim

[w5pv]

Remember that peppers from bellpeppers to the hottest like an acid type soil and not much nitrogen.Epsom salt is good to use.I love peppers with a little heat but don't have to prove to any one including my self how hot of pepper I can eat,and use different favors for different foods.I mostly use jalapeño,Tabasco and Cheyenne, for my pepper sauce needs.We have other peppers but this is the main one that we use.