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Growing ghost peppers is similar to growing other varieties. A great, bizarre look in the garden, and perfect for making extra-spicy foods. Once again, we had relatively early ripening from these plants. Note: This is the spiciest ghost pepper color variety we have tried to date! The chocolate, or brown bhut jolokia pepper is a monster! This ghost pepper has a much more sinister look, and a truly scorching heat level. However, darker colored pods are usually hotter, while lighter colors are less spicy. Bhut Jolokia peppers are always super spicy. There are ghost peppers of all different colors and sizes. One of the great things about modern plant breeding is the resulting variety. The ghost pepper is still an extremely spicy pepper variety, and will give almost anyone a run for their money! Since it has been dethroned, the ghost pepper seems tame compared to the newcomers. This was enough to hold the Guinness World Record for the world’s hottest chili pepper for about 4 years from 2007 to 2011. Put simply, the ghost pepper comes in at approximately 1,000,000 SHUs on the Scoville Scale. When compared to a common hot pepper, say a jalapeno, it isn’t even close.ġ ghost pepper is equivalent in spiciness to about 125 jalapeno peppers. Where does the ghost pepper stack up on the Scoville Scale? Many gardening centers cater to the local demand, so if you call asking, they might grow them next year!Ī common question regarding the ghost chili is how spicy it is. Try calling your local nurseries to see if they sell ghost pepper plant starts. Ghost pepper plants are not a huge demand, so you likely won’t find them at Home Depot or Lowe’s. If you want to grow ghost peppers at home, you can either start from seed, or you can simply buy live plants online. Given enough soil, light and fertilizer, ghost peppers will grow to about 2-3 feet tall in a single season. Ghost pepper plants plants typically take 100+ days after transplanting to produce ripened pepper pods!
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All ghost varieties are slow to mature, so we recommend starting seeds very early indoors. Pruning is optional for ghost pepper plants, though we recommend at least bottom pruning to protect against soil borne pathogens. Ghost pepper plants are also highly productive under ideal growing conditions. Flowers are small to medium in size, and are white.
#Ghost pepper full
Ghost Pepper Plant FeaturesĪll ghost pepper plant varieties have large, broad leaves and a full canopy. However, there are ways to buy live plants as well. We recommend buying seeds online and growing them yourself. Like most pepper varieties, ghost pepper plants are fairly easy to grow and the pods are highly resistant to pests. We are happy that the pepper was discovered and seeds are now widely available across the globe for home growers! Many ghost pepper varieties are named after Nagaland, India, where the peppers grow naturally. Though the exact origins are unknown, this is the most likely course of events for the ghost pepper.įun fact: Naga means ‘Serpent’ in Sanskrit. In India, the ghost pepper was cultivated by local hands and still grows naturally in Northeastern India. Eventually, it made its way to Assam and Nagaland, India by way of travel or by local plant breeding. The ghost pepper is thought to have origins in Trinidad where many of the world’s hottest peppers are found. One of the oldest peppers was found over 6,000 years ago, fully preserved in a cave in Peru. Where Is The Ghost Pepper From?Īll capsicum chinense varieties originated in South America and across the West Indies. It is now well known for its intense heat and unique, wrinkly shape.
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It is thought to be a capsicum chinense variety that was at some point likely crossed with a capsicum frutescens variety. The ghost pepper, or bhut jolokia, is a pepper variety discovered in India.
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