Carolina Reaper is an easy-to-grow, low- maintenance plant. It is the hottest pepper in the world with a Scoville heat measurement of 2 million. It can be grown in containers, provided they receive enough sunlight and water.
FUN FACT: Carolina Reaper chili is 400 times spicier than the tasty Jalapeno peppers you can get on pizza, which only rates a chilly 3500 on the Scoville scale.
If proper care is taken, the Carolina reaper plant will continue to grow & produce fruits for the next 3-5 years.
Trusted source to buy seeds: Buying good quality seeds from trusted sources is very important quality seed makes a difference in how well your new plants will take off.
To start the seeds take a small pot with some holes at the bottom for drainage. Cover holes with small stones. Covering drainage holes in pots keeps the soil in the planter and still allows water to drain.
To start your pepper seeds use any seed starting mix or you can make your soil mix at home by mixing.
SOIL MIX: 50% GARDEN SOIL+ 30% COMPOST+ 20% COCOPEAT/PEATMOS.
Fill the pot with the soil mix. Break up any large clumps. Push the soil mix down with your hand to remove any air gaps. These soil should be watered right before adding the seeds.
Drop individual seeds on top of the soil mix, about 1-2 inches apart.
SEED SOWING TIME: DURING SUMMER AND RAINY SEASON.
Cover them lightly with more soil mix. Gently firm the soil mix to get good seed-to-soil contact. Lightly spray/mist the covering with water.
Now put a cover on top of your pot, use kitchen wrap/cling film to cover it, helping trap in some humidity, Which keeps your growing medium nice and moist.
Typically, Carolina Reaper seeds should germinate in 10-15 days, depending on soil and environmental conditions. At this stage remove the wrap so that the seedling can grow further.
Check moisture by touching the soil mix with your fingers. If the soil feels dry to the touch then add more water otherwise leave it as it is.
Now to protect delicate seedlings from insects and extremely hot temperatures. We will keep this pot and we will cover that pot with kitchen wrap to keep the moisture level intact.
Stretch plastic wrap over the surface of the seed-planting potato to maintain high moisture.
Never let the soil completely dry out. Soil should be moist, but not extremely wet during the growth stages.
Once your seedlings have reached about 3-5 inches and have 4-6 true leaves, transfer them to a larger pot.
For a single plant, choose a container that is around 10-12 inches wide and deep for a good harvest of Carolina reaper peppers. Make sure your container has some holes at the bottom for drainage. Look for high-quality potting soil, If you want, you can make your potting soil by mixing. (50% GARDEN SOIL, 30% COMPOST, 20% RIVER SAND).
Gently lift them from the pot and separate each plant. Keep the stem at the game height it was at in its previous pot. Otherwise, it may rot. Use your hand to make a hole in the center and slide the plant’s roots in. Cover the bottom of the plant and press it in with your hands so that your soil is lightly compacted. Make sure to water the seedlings properly.
After every transplant keep the pot in partial sun for 2-3 days and make sure to keep the soil evenly moist during this phase.
After 51 days, Your seedling gets established it needs to be fertilized regularly so that it can continue growing well and at this phase keep the pot in full sun where the plant can get 5-7 hours of direct sunlight.
Add a handful of cattle manure or leaf mold to the pot. Spread it evenly over the soil surface and work it into the soil. Such addition of an extra dose of organic manure to vegetable plants is called top dressing. Top Dressing helps in the formation of robust and healthy vegetable plants in pots. Water immediately after adding fertilizer to the soil this will prevent your plant from burning and this will also help in activating the fertilizer. Keep soil evenly moist but not soggy. Feed the plant with a liquid fertilizer such as fish emulsion, seaweed extract, or Epsom salt. For sea weed extract mix 2-3 ml per little water. Mix well and add 250-350 ml per plant, Repeat after every 15-18 days as soon as buds start to appear.
After 83 days, Your plant is established and stable and it’s just a matter of time before your plants fully bloom with incredibly beautiful hot peppers of your own.
After 92 days, If you notice yellowing leaves on your pepper plant, applying a quick feed of liquid nutrients is the fastest way to correct the problem. Water soluble fertilizer is great for feeding plants that are showing signs of a nutrient deficiency.
After 116 days, At this stage, you’ll notice lots of buds that will blossom into cute little white flowers. The flowers will continue to grow for 7-8 days, then fall off, From then on, you’ll see baby peppers growing in their place.
Continue fertilizing your pepper plant with cattle manure or leaf mold for good health.
If the soil mix looks dry apply more water but not too much, if the mix looks too wet allow it to evaporate. Not too much, not too little is the key.
After 128 days, This is the most exciting stage, Finally, after months of care reapers are finally beginning to form. During this phase make sure your pepper plants are getting enough water. When they are under-wanted they get stressed and stressed plants will drop their fruit.
If you live in a very hot climate, your plants may benefit from some afternoon Shade in mid-summer. This is the time of day when sunlight is most intense.
After 144 days, Peppers will slowly change their color from green to red as they ripen. Wait until the fruits are a good size before cutting them off with shears or scissors with some stems attached.
You can pick your Carolina Reapers while they are green, but you will get more heat and flavor from them if you wait for them to ripen. Reapers will turn bright red when they are ripe.
The plant takes 100 to 150 days to maturity and to produce ripe peppers after transplanting.
As a general rule, only harvest Carolina reapers after they have turned red. Unripe reapers are edible, but you’ll get the most heat and flavor with just-turned-red pods.
Like most peppers, Carolina Reapers do best in warm weather but have little tolerance for weather above 90 F / 32 C.
While harvesting, be careful not to break the skin of the peppers. Any opening leads to spicy juices getting on your hands. Which can lead to a skin burn. You can wear gloves, or carefully harvest by the stem, not by the fruit.
A mature Carolina reaper will produce between 20 to 30 chilies per plant at any given moment if the growth circumstances are ideal and the plant is properly cared for a season, you may expect an output of 50 to 60 chilies.
If proper care is taken, the Carolina reaper plant will continue to grow & produce fruits for the next 3-5 years.
