Cheers Josh... :-)

new to this but if the peppers are red with a little white on them does that mean they are old and should just be tossed? I just bought the plant so they came that way.

Hi everyone. I am in the UK, bought these seeds online under the impression they are Bhut Jolokia.

Had a tough time getting it to grow, first mistake was completely overlooking pollination! (Lesson learned) so this is the only chilli that has grown. It's been green fora few months now and has started going orange only this past week.

Does anyone one have any advice on how to replant the seeds once the fruit is ripe?

Thanks, Demi.

Demi, once the pod is fully colored, you can actually plant the fresh seeds straight from the pod. Or you can remove the seeds, dry them on a paper towel, et cetera, and store them dry until you are ready to plant.

Josh

Josh is right, but I would question whether or not you really are growing a Bhut Jolokia. That doesn't look right to me.

Demi, Bruce is quite right...that is not a Bhut Jolokia.

Josh

Picked a few more Bhut Jolokias this afternoon.

I am incredibly happy with these pods. They're finally big!

Wow, those are some nice big pods. So, what will you do with them. I would say that about the right amount for a Turkey Sandwich tonight. :)

How come know one seems to know about my white mottled peppers?

Sorry Bonnie. A picture would have probably got you better feedback. But, I am going to go out on a limb here and say, NO, the pepper is probably fine as long as the white area isn't getting soft or mushy.

But, if you peppers are already RED, they are as ripe as they will get and eventually they will begin to soften and die off. If you intend to use them at all, don't leave them on the plant any longer.

Post a photo of the pods in question.

Planted outside last november here in Phoenix,AZ. lost all hope by spring with no growth. left for summer, 105 degrees for fifty days this year. Came back a week ago and damn.. it was only thing growing. . Now, how long do i have to wait til red? can anyone verify that these are ghost

Are these ghost chilis anyone know?

They are close but not quite right imo. But it hard to tell how mature and how big they are for sure. Do you have any close to being ripe/full size?

The shape is a bit off, but they probably do have some Ghost genetics in there.

Josh

I agree, they almost look like big Aji Limon or something like that. But it is hard to tell how big they actually are for sure. The color looks yellowish on the one in the back ground as well, but that is probably the camera and lighting.

Here's a better pic ..about 3" long

Camera keep distorting pic

I find that kind of holding my hand behind the pepper helps while taking pictures. It gives the pepper a good solid background and something for the camera to focus on.

Wow. This thread is from 2012, and has been dormant for a year, so I hope it's okay to resurrect it!

I've read it from start to finish - have definite chili envy, but hope someone can help as there seem to be some very knowledgeable people in here!

Does anyone have any ideas what these could be? They are supposed to be Bhut's - but don't look anything like many of your photos,

They've been growing here in a typically dreadful British Summer.

Probably about 40 peppers in total, and as many flowers again that look like they are about to fruit, but its September.

I'm worried they wont make it in time for the frost. Should i cut the flowers off to let the plant concentrate on the fruit it has already?

Thanks in advance. :)

The bumps on the surface he's usually a Telltale sign that it's a ghost pepper. But your last photo leads me to believe that it definitely is a ghost pepper. Awfully big plant you got there LOL if you're going to get frost tent it with a sheet of plastic or a bed sheet. They still seem awfully young but when they're ready to ripen they will start to turn yellow and quickly turn red. Once it starts to turn red it only takes a few days. However you can hold them in the ground for as long as possible and then pull them and bring them inside and let them ripen. Sadly though I've heard this technique turns a far lesser hot pepper. But I'm no expert and I'm sure there's other guys on here we've been growing them a lot longer than I. This year I tried growing one plant and I lost all the pedals and didn't get a single ghost pepper out of my plan. But I did grow a Trinidad Scorpion pepper plant and I got a few of those. Good luck!

Jon, I'm sorry to say, but none of your pods look to be actual Ghost Peppers (Bhut Jolokia). They may be hybrids of Ghost or Naga, but they're certainly not pure strains.

Josh

I would vote on the side of Josh here. Maybe a cross with a ghost, but not pure. Probably still very hot and likely tasty, if you care to eat one.

Thanks Tony!

Thats awesome to know! :)

Yes, the plant is huge! It got too big for the house.

From humble seeds a triffid has grown. it's now around 6ft tall.

Im sure sensible pruning would have kept it a more manageable size, which in turn would have meant less peppers growing better - but alas, I've had no idea what i was doing and planted them last year and got nothing - kept them over winter and repotted this year, and then put it outside. Now i have this one-tree-forest in the garden.

Your advice confirms that I should leave the plant as long as possible outside as it is, but keep an eye on the temperature. If I can i'll move the entire plant inside instead of pulling the peppers when the frost comes, and hope that it will ripen hotter that way. thanks!

Glad to know they look like ghosts! the other ones in this thread look a lot more aggressive.

I am sorry to hear that you didnt have any ghosts of your own this year, but great that you have the trinidad scorpions! How were they?

Thanks again for the advice.

ah well... easy come, easy go...!

Thanks Josh & esox. I grew them next to Carolina reapers (which definitely look like carolina reapers) perhaps there is there a chance that they crossed with those, or I got duff seeds.

I have eaten a thin slither of one, and it packed a punch, so whatever the triffid is making, they're full of heat and flavour!

I also think you should leave the plant be until the weather gets too cold. When that happens, you can then prune a lot of pod-less branches and bring it inside by a window to ripen what's on there.

Whatever cultivar or cross you have there, it's quite a nice plant!

I agree with Isgen. If you want to prolong the growing season for the plant, bring it in when it gets too cold out. Just don't leave it out a day past "too cold". If the temps are getting much below 40 at night, either prune it back then and bring it in or at least move the plant to a place that it will be protected until it warms back up. You don't want the plant to suffer damage before you rescue it.

thanks a lot isgen and esox! ill keep an eye out and its still in a pot so can prune back/put inside and see what happens.

Ill get it outside sooner next year!

fingers crossed!

Hola, esox. I bring them in when it gets below 50° F.

Ah i didn't even think of a cross pollination. Makes a whole lot of sense.

I have a ghost pepper plant growing and flowering, but no peppers are forming. Any idea why? gets enough sun. should i try a specific fertilizer or nutrient to get them form?

Is it outside or inside? If it is inside, make sure there is a fan on it so it can pollinate itself. What fertilizer do you use now?

When mine were inside with no real chance of pollination, they flowered and dropped off a lot for month. eventually a pepper formed. (for almost a year!)

I tried using a q-tip/cotton bud to get more to form and it certainly worked. Shaking the plant as some suggest I think did very little to get the plants to pollenate, probably just annoyed the plant.

The best for me for yield was moving outside to let mother nature to its work, weather permitting of course!

My understanding is the higher concentrate of liquid fertilisers etc are actually to help increase growth/yield - rather than as a catalyst for formation (assuming soil is fairly balanced) so get added once flowers change to peppers - but I'm sure one of the pros here will answer with more accurate answers. :)

All the best!

outside, live in calif central valley. use a powdered miracle grow generic fertilizer, 2 scoops per gallon, feed every 2 weeks. Lots of flowers, but not real peppers... should i water it more overhead, like with a spray sprinkler?

Only water the soil. No need for the leaves to get wet - IMO. What is the make-up of your generic fertilizer? 24-8-16? 18-18-21? Something else? Are your leaves crinkly or are they flat? I also use a CalMag fertilizer in my pepper soil.

What are your daytime temps like lately? I am unfamiliar with your climate, but heat in the 90's and up will many times limit blooms setting fruit. My peppers seem to flower best when my day time temps are around 80 and night time temps are around 60. Mid summer when the temps start pushing 90, I get lots of blossom drop.

I use MG powdered ferts as well and only fertilized mine I think three or four times this whole summer from late may to now. Your initial potting soil likely came loaded with a few months of built in ferts as well. Over fertilizing is typically worse than under fertilizing. I would probably hold off for a while on adding any nutrients.

Flower drop probable causes:

1. Day temp too high >95F
2. Night temp too low 3. Too much nitrogen fertilizer
4. Too much water
5. Low light levels (reduces fertility).
6. Very low humidity (reduces fertility)
7. Poor air circulation (air circulation contributes to pollination).
8. Lack of pollinating insects.
9. Size of pot
10. Too much mineral in feedwater.
11. Too much grower attention.

we are on long island new york.. i bought '1' ghost pepper this spring, and have about 15/18 peppers at the moment... but not one has turned.. they are all pale green... they are def hot, just not turning color yet... it looks like at least another 7/10days of mid 70's, so we will let them grow on... meantime my 2year old reaper's which i bring into my greenhouse room in the winter are producing like they are on steriods ...i'm picking 1/2 dozen from each plant every day... these i am giving away mostly to my local mexican rest. the reapers are over the top HOT... no taste... nothing but razors on the tongue...

These are the ones that werent quite ready yet, but had to be harvested early so the plant would fit inside. There are about the same again on the plant that I am hoping will prefer the warmer indoor temperatures.

Thanks everyone for the help! and if anyone knows what on earth i have now theyve changed colour i'd be interested to know what the mystery seeds i bought were. :)

It depends on when you plant them.. I planted mine around June and I got lots of ghosts peppers all summer until now. They mature and turn ripe pretty fast.

Anyone on here have Wiri Wiri pepper seeds to trade for any of my seeds. I have about 12 to 15 species to trade.

Thank you,

Alicia.

My ghost pepper plants. I live in the Philippines and these have been growing for 14 weeks. I don't use chemicals. I only use the caribou's excrement for fertilizer. The plant on the right has over 100 buds to flower and 14 in fruiting stage. The 2 on the right are now producing buds to flower. My brother sent me the seeds from the States. I still have about 30 more seeds. Fingers crossed for a kickin harvest. Mabuhay at kampay!

Anyone else had their pepper not be as thin and nasty looking... I’ve had several look more plump and with smooth skin.

stop growing ghosts last season, and now growing carolina reapers - they seem to be somewhat hotter.... but i think the ghosts r tastier

May the devil have horns.

Hi, im from wales uk. ive grown this chilli which i think is a ghost but not sure as the leaves seem a bit small to me from photos ive seen. can anyone shed some light for me please.

Definitely not a pure Ghost, but it could have some Ghost genetics if its a cross.

Cheers greenman 👍

Seems to almost grow in a cork screw patten with a very clear split of two halfs when starting to grow. very weird.

Very odd!