Hello Jamie! I just wanted to let you know that I got the seeds in today. I am so excited to give them a try. I would like to thank you again for the excellent customer service and your generosity!
Take Care,
Reid
Aloha Reid,
My pleasure. If you need any help, please give me a call.
Aloha Friends, Today I will write about coal ash. It is a subject that gets little attention and is not well know to the general public. Approximately 48% of our energy needs comes from coal burning power plants. And believe me, this is not clean energy. Coal ash is the very dangerous by-product from this burning process. AND, even though the dangers of coal combustion, and coal ash waste control well know, they are NOT under federal regulation. Laws vary from state to state with various types of disposal and varying degrees of safety. The contaminated ash goes into surface ponds, abandoned mines, and impoundments. With more than 600 storage sites in the USA, federal regulations are needed until we shut these plants down which will be in a very, very long time if ever.
On December 22, 2008, there was a huge coal ash disaster in Harriman, Tennessee. A dike that was holding decades worth of coal ash failed and flooded the surrounding residential area with more than one billion gallons of toxic coal ash. Coal ash contains lead, mercury, arsenic, selenium, cadmium, aluminum, thallium, chromium, and more. The coal ash deposited by this dike failure was estimated to cover 3,000 acres and one foot deep. Local bodies of water were tested and the results were dire. One report showed levels of arsenic 149 times higher than the allowable limit.
So, recognizing that coal burning power plants will be around, what can we do? Federal regulation is needed to make sure that coal ash disposal does not pose any safety hazard to the people, wildlife, or the environment. Please write your local representatives, your state and federal representatives, President Obama, and the EPA.
Mahalo, and Aloha,
Jamie
Question:
Hi Jamie-
I was wanting to know if you could give me any tips on how to grow your seeds and how to keep weeds out of my garden organically.
–Cody
Answer:
Hi Cody,
The info is available online for growing tips. As far as weeds go, use organic mulch which slows down or stops the photosynthetic process. The mulch will also hold more moisture in the soil which will allow you to water less frequently.
Cheers,
Jamie
Question:
I am interested in purchasing ghost pepper seeds. How long will the seeds be able to sit and not germinate? I am giving them as a birthday present for a friend on October 15. I do not think he will plant the seeds immediately. Do they have to be planted immediately?
Thanks,
Stan
Answer:
Aloha Stan,
Our pepper seeds are good for about 5 years.
Thanks for your inquiry,
Jamie
Question:
Hi. My name is Morgan i live in Orange County, California. I really want to start trying to grow my own bhut jolokia’s but i’m afraid of messing up, and it all going to go to waste. I read everything there is to read on your site but i still have questions like, Should i make a small greenhouse for when the plants are big enough? Should I use heat lamps or ultraviolet lights? I have a 20″ aquarium that I don’t use and I was thinking about lining it with aluminum foil and adding a heat lamp to get them started. Do you think that would work well? I’ve noticed that alot of people use an Aeroponic system to start the plant growing, do you think thats a bad idea? I’m sorry I just so many questions and I could keep asking questions all day but i think you got the idea. By the way, I’m going to be placing an order with you guys soon because of all the testimonials and just seeing your Bhut compared to all the others; they are beautiful!
Thank you so much,
Morgan Cho
Answer:
Aloha Morgan,
Thank you for writing. Please don’t over think this thing, it’s just a pepper. You live in a great place to grow the Bhuts and they will do very, very well. I don’t believe in growing with artificial lights although I might feel differently if I lived in a cold climate or in a place with a short growing season. But, I live in Hawaii and we can grow just about anything all year round. Even lettuce and cool season crops like broccoli. We just grow them beneath other taller plants, or use shade cloth.
But, as I said, you live in a great place to grow the Bhut Jolokia peppers. The most important thing that you can do is to prepare the soil well. Bhuts like a loamy soil, that is a soil with not too much clay, and not too much sand. They like soil with a lot of organic amendments–well composted fruits and vegetables, leaves, etc. I don’t use chemical fertilizers, only well rotted horse manure (no salt like cow manure), fish emulsion, and kelp. Make sure the soil doesn’t have many rocks, and no clumps of clay. If your existing soil is a deep, dark brown, you should be OK. Add plenty of organic amendments and if you need to, use Miracle Grow “organic” soil or similar to amend your soil.
I have written many blogs on the growing of this pepper and they can be found on my site. Be sure to soak the seeds in water overnight before germinating and make sure you protect the young plants until they are at least 8″ tall.
Good luck and thanks for writing,
Jamie
Follow-up Question:
Thank you so much for reply and all of your info. How would you protect them in my area? Like I said earlier I was thinking about using an aquarium as a greenhouse for them until they mature.
morgan
Follow-up Answer:
Aloha Morgan,
No need. When the Bhuts are young, protect them by surrounding the small Bhut with a plastic pot. Cut the bottom out of this small pot (1 gallon or smaller), and insert into the ground an inch. This will protect the Bhut from cutworms, and the like until it is big enough, and tough enough. This will be when your Bhut is 8-10″ tall. Then carefully remove the plastic pot. Like I said last night, don’t over think this. Once your Bhuts are established, they will kick butt. Then you will only have to worry about fruit flies, and white flies, and this can be remedied by organic neem oil. Remember, these peppers when grown correctly will grow to more than 6 feet tall which takes the aquarium scenario out of the picture.
Cheers,
Jamie
Aloha Pepper Heads! I have just returned from China. Again! And, I have to go back in another 4 weeks. In a few of our companies, we are manufacturers of outdoor/backyard products–backyardxscapes.com and bambooandtikis.com. This requires me to go to China, the Philippines, etc. a few times per year. This year however, I have been to China 3 times. With each new trip comes a new adventure. I cannot say enough about the Chinese people They are so hospitable and are warm, and caring. They have a very tight knit family structure and are very hard workers. I have a good friends there now as I have been visiting for many, many years. They have many deep-seated customs that go back thousands of years and one of them is their gracious hospitality. After they get to know you, you become one of the family and form a long-lasting and trusting relationship. So, for those of you that think The Republic of China is a cold, and hostile place should visit China and see for yourselves. Sure, their government has a track record of civil abuses, and there still is censorship, but things are definitely getting better. And the quality of their products is top notch. It just takes visits from people like me to make sure that the lines of communication remain open to ensure quality manufacturing. We certainly cannot compete with their labor costs, and whether we like it or not (and we sure do like those low, low retail prices) China is here is stay and is a force to be reckoned with. And the great thing about their government is, when they want to do something—THEY DO IT! There doesn’t have to be years of dialog, and log jams in Congress. Case in point is their solar industry–#1 in the world and growing leaps and bounds and is only a few years old. Here in the USA, we EXPORTED our solar technology to Germany with AMERICAN technology (we couldn’t get a guaranteed ROI from the government). So our American company went to Germany, was guaranteed the ROI, and this American company has been manufacturing in Germany for several years growing by 50 times. Back to China, yeah they have their environmental problems, but I have no doubt that they will do whatever it takes to fix them (or at least I hope so)– 1.3 billion people is a lot of people to clean up after. Let’ s keep our fingers crossed… But let us not cast the first stone–48% of our energy in the USA is produced by dirty, polluting coal. Anyway Friends, I am back home and ready to answer your questions again.
Hello Jamie,
Thank you for keeping me updated on my order. I hope your trip to China was enjoyable. I am looking forward to trying my hands at this incredible pepper. Thank you again for the great customer service and the tips on starting the Bhut Jolokia.
Reid Kaneshiro
Question:
I was told they were ‘extremely hard’ to grow especially in the Midwest (this was a challenge for me) so I wanted to try for myself. They are not hard to grow but are very delicate in the beginning so you leave them indoors until they are at least 8 inches tall with a good root system and then only put them outside if the temps are above 60. I discovered they LOVE Hot temps and seem to thrive in it. I also discovered they need more ‘time’ & ‘patience’ to develop than their cousins with LOTS of full sun throughout the entire day – so I placed them on the bank by the lake! I also watered mostly with the Lake water…. Occasionally I would use the tap water when mixing Miracle Grow. I have a very healthy plant with lots of Ghost Peppers. The birds don’t even peck at these things like the other vegetables I grow in the garden. The Chipmunks & squirrels stay away from them also. A few garden variety bugs have tried to eat the leaves of this demon plant but….to their demise! Now I sit looking at these beauties but not brave enough to try them. Was thinking of using in a Fresh Salsa BUT one would have to make a couple gallons for just a half of the pepper and even then I bet the kick would be something else? Do you have any suggestions or recipes?
Again ~ I read to use extreme caution when handling these super hot peppers ~ GLOVES – MASK OVER MOUTH & NOSE – GOGGLES. I’d use long sleeves also in case a juicy one were to squirt a bit. Better to have a hole in my garment than a painful burn on my skin.
Thank You for your time,
Diane
Answer:
Hi Diane,
Great looks Bhuts! You are correct. The Bhuts are very fragile when young, but when they get going, they kick butt!! They love the sun and love a loamy soil with lots of water. So, my advice to you is to dry your peppers, grind them up and use the flakes/powder very sparingly at first until you get the feel for an appropriate amount. Use can also use the flakes/powder as a rub for fish and meat which works very, very well. Fresh is also good, but I have ruined several meals/salsa/guacamole by putting too much in and I couldn’t even eat it. And my guests wouldn’t even get close to it.
Nice job!!
Jamie
Follow-up from Diane:
That sounds wonderful! Thanks for your advice… Mine are just starting to turn red….but very healthy. At any rate, when you say dry my peppers out…how? Do you let them air dry or do you place them in the oven? This is all very new to me. I will wear gloves when I wash the grinder…
Thank You,
Diane
Jamie’s Response:
Aloha Diane,
You can dry the peppers in the sun for a full day or you can use a dehydrator. If you buy one, get one that doesn’t go over about 120 degrees. I have found that drying them slower is better. Never soak your peppers before drying, simply rinse off (hopefully you are growing organically) and set on a towel to absorb the water from rinsing. Always wear gloves and a respirator (unless you like sneezing–BTW they are great, deep, sneezes). Pick your peppers in the early AM or in the late PM, and at the peak of the red color–the more red the hotter.
Have fun and be careful!
Aloha,
Jamie