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To germinate properly, ghost pepper plants require moderately moist soil between 75 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit and full sun. The plants require regular watering; soil should never dry out entirely or become soggy. The germination process for ghost pepper plants can last as long as 35 days. That is a long time to wait for them to pop up and out of the soil, so do not become inpatient. Digging them up to look at them will not speed up the process.
Since I live at 7,000 feet elevation in Colorado, I must start the peppers indoors. So here is how I do it.
- Germinate the seeds by placing them in individual small cups.
- I place them near a window that gets great sun exposure.
- Keep them moist, but not dry
- Once the seeds germinate and pop out of the soil, I prepare a larger container for each one that starts.
- I continue to do this until they are about 4 inches tall.
- I then start bringing them outside into my mini-green house to get them acclimated.
- Once they are acclimated (Hardened) and the temperature is stable we plant them in the garden.
When they grow up, Ghost pepper plants range in height from 17 inches to 4 feet. The peppers alone are between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 inches, with widths of about 1 inch when ripe. The peppers are bright red and conical to subconical in shape. The skin of the peppers is particularly thin, with a dented and rough texture. The stems and foliage are green in color; the leaves are approximately 4 to 5 inches long.
At one time, the Ghost Pepper Seeds were considered dangerous. In 2007 the Guiness Book of World Records claimed this as THE Worlds Hottest Pepper!
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As the Guinness Book of Worlds Record holder in 2007, as the hottest chili pepper plant on the planet, this thumb-sized pepper was named “ghost pepper” due to the fact that, upon consumption, they might easily end up as an apparition due to the immense heat of their flavor.
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The Guinness Book of World Records certified that ghost peppers are over 401 times hotter than one of the most popular hot Tabasco sauces, at more than one million Scoville units — the system used to measure chili peppers. Jalapeno Peppers by comparison, range from about 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville units.
The Ghost pepper has been a common food staple in India for centuries, but are also found in Sri Lanka. Apart from food, Ghost Peppers have also been used to help with stomach aches and to help people cool off.
I do not know how that would work for me, unless the stomach pain was worse than the stomach ache so you forgot about it. As for working to cool you down, it would probably be from sweating profusely while the air rushing around you as you walk evaporates the moisture. That would act like your own perpetual swamp cooler. That is until your body finished processing the pepper.
Organic Gardening and Organic Farming is fun and enjoyable, especially when you know what you are doing or have friends that will help you when you have questions. I have always enjoyed the relationships that farming and gardening have provided. Everyone likes food, just some of us do not care for the real HOT stuff.
As you find new challenges and want to know how to grow something that you have never tried to before, you can usually find the answer here at hisfarm.org. It I have not written about it yet, ask me, and if it is new to me, I am sure to know someone who has the expertise. The great thing about farming and gardening is that it has been around for thousands of years.
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Turning your dreams into the Life of Your Dreams.
Chris Downs ———– The Caretaker
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