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 Gang,
You ask em and I post em. One thing I want to make certain when you purchase seeds from me is that you’re learning everything you possibly can so that you have a bountiful harvest of hot hot peppers. Sometimes it takes a little luck, a little patience, a little tender love & care and just knowing what to do. Here’s another great question about the Bhut Jolokias and looking at possible leaf problems.

Q: Hello my name is Bob  and I have started growing my Jolokias.  They are  decent size plants now. The trouble I’m having is that the new leaves on the plant are turning white.  Are my Jolokias a lost cause or  is there anything i can do to save them? Should I throw the plants out and start over?  Please help me out with this,  Thanks!
~Bob

A: Aloha Bob. Have you recently moved your peppers outside? If so, they may not have acclimated to outside yet.  You may need to take more time to harden them off.   If  this isn’t the case, can you see white flies on them? Are the leaves curling?

Don’t give up and throw them out just yet. They will recover even if you cut the plant way back.  To help with white flies, wash your plants with water, then spray with organic neem oil every 7 -10 days.

Q2: The leaves look like they are dried out and they have some curling to them. I have just started to place them out side. I noticed there where little red bugs all over them.  I live in Virginia where the temperature during the days have been in the high 70s to low 80s.  I was wondering to if it might be the tap water I’m using, as it is city water. I grew Habanero’s, Cayenne and hot peppers last year and ended up with real big plants. The one Habanero plant I had ended up with over 100 pods from it.  I have noticed new leaf growth on them. They didn’t start to turn white till I moved them outside. I will try and leave them out for just a few hours each day and wash the leafs. I will keep you posted on how they are doing. Thanks for the help.
Bob

A2: You need to harden them off more slowly. Don’t rush the process. They need time to adjust to the sun. Dot worry, they will be OK.