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
