Anyone grow Boonie Peppers from Guam?

12 years ago

For 3 years I have been trying to grow boonies for my husband's finedeni.

First I tried commercial trays in the garage in summer in AZ. Ambient temp about 98F. I experimented with watering, some were kept moist, some allowed to dry between water. 3 months, no sprouts.

Also tried on a heating pad in the kitchen later that year.Several months went by but still nothing. I tried covering some with a plastic tent, but a mold/mildew grew so I threw them out. The uncovered ones did not grow anything.

In all cases seeds were just barely covered.

Subsequent attemepts have been pretty similiar but with fresher seeds. Still nothing.

What am I doing wrong? They grow wild in Guam, how can it be this hard?! Aaargh!

What can I do to improve germination? Has anyone else had any success with these peppers? I am open to suggestions!

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Comments (16)

fiedlermeister
12 years ago
I grew it in 2004 and didn't notice anything unusual about germination

This year I received seeds that were brought from Guam by someone stationed there and 4 out of 4 germinated. I grow them like all the other peppers I grow. Do you have trouble with other varieties?

John
fleethart
Original Author
12 years ago
Beautiful, Feidlermeister! Once I grew Corno Di Toro and they came up and gave me lovely chiles. That year I also grew Brandywine tomato and Princess Borgess (I think) paste tom. and they did fine. Never hot chiles. Maybe its my seeds. I always had to save them from relatives or friends who were going to eat them. Someone on eBay has chiles w/18 seeds inside for $4.99. If your seeds are good and they all germinate it must be my seeds. Guess its time to invest in new stock :) I knew it wasn't me, lol!
How long do your take to germinate?
Do you cover them or press into soil?
Do you set them on a heating pad?
Thanks!
Tauna
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fiedlermeister
12 years ago
I start all my seeds in a soiless mix-just barely covered-keep them moist ( but not sopping) and covered on a heat mat until they germinate. These germinated in 7.8.9.and 10 days. If they do well I will save you seeds for next year.
scott_atk
12 years ago
Fleethart,
I germinated my boonie peppers last year in the jiffy pellets. I currently have 8 huge boonie plants that have been producing peppers since around last July. I am fortunate that it stays warm enough here that the only problem posed by winter was a reduction in pepper size and quantity.

When I germinated them to grow in my yard in Guam, I used the coffee filter method (with a paper towel). I found that it worked very well. It made it easy to decide when to put them in dirt because I could see the root growth.

As for seeds: I can't find the baggie that has my original boonie seeds from Guam in it, but I've got TONS of peppers with seeds that were grown here in Texas. The only differences I have seen are in plant size and it takes longer for the peppers to ripen here than it did in Guam.

Send me an email and I will happily send you seeds for free. There is no reason for you to have to buy them.

Scott
fleethart
Original Author
12 years ago
Hmmm, a cone-type coffee filter? Just heat and moisture until you see a root start from the seed? Then pot? Do you worry about the delicate root? I am such a klutz I'm sure I would break it. At this point I was so desperate I was considering using a chicken to aid germination. Once through the gut of a bird they are said to germinate easily. That's how the seeds are spread hence the name bird pepper.
Maybe I could try coffee filter and soilless medium, see which works for me. Will Email you soon, Scott!
Glad to know i am not alone with these tropical treats! What do you use them for besides finedeni? We like marinade, and my husband subs Tabasco on nearly everything.
Cheers,
Tauna
scott_atk
12 years ago
I used a regular basket-type coffee filter this year. I planted them with tweezers once the root had grown. It has been a very successful way to do it. I like it because it allowed me to use some H2O2 in my water and know that it was working to keep the mold from growing.

We make finadene, kelaguan and even boonie pepper jelly this year. Culin Pica is another favorite, as is Adobo, but we'll pretty much eat them on anything. (Or I will, at least) We marinade with them sometimes, but I've never noticed any detectable difference between marinating with them vs. without. We use the soy, lemon, brown sugar, onion marinade ALL the time. Great stuff!! We've been stationed in Guam twice now and it has been our absolute favorite place to live.

I'll get those peppers out to you right away. Make sure you keep them in pots, it probably won't be until Oct timeframe before you get ripe peppers. A friend of mine is just now getting peppers on the two plants I gave him last year, but his weren't in full sun.

Scott
smvsmv
9 years ago
Got my Boonies growing like crazy. Couple over 8' tall. Problem is whenever a blossom starts to grow. After a few days the bud turns black and falls off. Haven't had one open yet. The plants are about 14 months old now and are direct descendants (second generation) from peppers I personally collected in the jungle on Guam.

Any ideas how to keep them from killing off their blossoms?
miktan_mora_yahoo_com
9 years ago
This looks like an old thread, but going to try anyway. Looking for some boonie pepper seeds. We ordered through Reimer Seeds Company but the seeds don't seem to be germinating.
steffenqueen
9 years ago
I've grown boonie peppers for 2 years now with no problems. I would be happy to send you some seeds if you want. I just planted them in potting mix in a large pot and kept the best seedlings in smaller pots till they were big enough to plant in the ground. Two pants gave me more peppers than I could ever use as I make boonie pepper jelly with them. Send me your address and I will gladly share.
Elizabeth Steffen steffenqueen@fuse.net
rickmystic
7 years ago
Boonie peppers (Donie Sali) can be purchased online at ebay by doing a search. Most are just for the seeds. For those that want to use for making kelaguen or finadene right away, you can purchase high quality washed and dried boonie peppers from "Aiko's Red Hot" sold on ebay in a 2 oz. vacuum pack. These peppers can also be opened for the seed to be planted. The feedback from these sellers is excellent and 100% positive. Shipping is very fast. Peppers are hot, hot, hot so don't let your kids play with them.
HauckRealty
6 years ago
Hi. Thank you all for your posts about growing boonie peppers from Guam. I was stationed there from 1996 to 2000 and really like those peppers. Do you have any of the seeds?

David Hauck
214-641-5032
drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
6 years ago
I'm growing a similar looking pepper the Zimbabwe Birds Eye Chili.
I'm also growing a Uyababa Pepper which looks like the cayenne but is supposed to be hotter. I got both from Seeds For Africa. Anybody want to trade for Boonie or other Guam peppers let me know (email). You need a long season to grow these. I also have from Portugal the Malagueta. It is a smaller plant and more manageable. Uyababa can grow to 7 feet tall. I only have a few seeds till I grow out these types. Hard to find! Google name for recipes for famous sauces and pastes using these peppers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bird's eye

This post was edited by Drew51 on Tue, Mar 18, 14 at 19:55
grinhead24
6 years ago
Thanks rickmystic! I just placed my order.
Jlcarreon1
6 years ago
Been growing these peppers for the past 3yrs had great success in every pepper harvest. I've gotten so good at germinating and growing these plants I am now selling live plants online. if you have any questions about growing these plants drop me a line. Jorge

https://www.etsy.com/listing/174459601/donne-sali-guam-boonie-pepper-live?ref=shop_home_feat_1

Here is a link that might be useful: Guam Boonie pepper
northernmich
6 years ago
In Guam far from home getting seeds...
DMForcier
6 years ago
Cool !

Oh wait. It's rather warm there, isn't it?

Hmmmm

I know where you can get rid of some seeds...

Anyone grow Boonie Peppers from Guam?

Comments (16)

fleethartOriginal Author

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