Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: purplejaguar on March 11, 2011, 08:11

Title: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: purplejaguar on March 11, 2011, 08:11
Hiya,

Has anyone on here ever grown Bhut Jolokia Peppers before (very HOT Chili)? I have just aquired some seeds and potted them and put them in the airing cupboard for germination, I know they need alot of heat. Hints and tips about growing them in the UK would be greatly appreciated :).
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: bigben on March 11, 2011, 10:45
I got a pack with just 4 seeds in and tried to grow them on my windowsill over a radiator- I did not have a propagator and did not use a plastic bag - nothing even came up!

I had managed to grow a fair selection of other chillis without but not these!

I have since got a propagator and use bags as well so they might have come up if I had followed the instructions to the letter.
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: Jabberwock on March 11, 2011, 10:47
Hi I grew Bhut Jolokia from seed last year and have successfully overwintered the plants, they have now been re-potted in larger pots with fresh compost and they are now starting to bud.
As for germination I sowed 6 seeds and 6 germinated in fact I was really surprised at how quickly they appeared all were showing within 12 days. Like yourself I put mine in the warm airing cupboard to germinate so I can't foresee any problems.
A word of caution, these are a truly formidable chilli and need to be treated with respect I only use a tiny bit when I'm cooking with them as they are so over-powering, even my little parrot who adores chillies and thinks nothing of stripping a chilli plant in seconds (when my back is turned!!) tends to avoid these  :ohmy:
I keep my chillies as house plants and they live on a large south facing window sill and as far as I'm concerned these are one of the easiest and fastest growing varieties I've grown.
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: jjbull on March 11, 2011, 13:26
ive grown these and a few other extreme varieties first lot took nearly 4 weeks to come up, but after that i chitted them on damp tissue and only took about a week to show signs of life
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: purplejaguar on March 11, 2011, 13:31
Very interesting, thanks for your input. I will keep you posted as to what happens with mine :).
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: Dan78 on March 12, 2011, 00:19
I planted a couple of these seeds about 2 weeks ago and nothing happening as of yet :(

On a warm windowsill covered in cling film
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: purplejaguar on March 12, 2011, 10:02
Good luck with them Dan78 :)
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: roller on March 12, 2011, 11:52
I attempted growing these last year, very unsuccessfully I might add, I like to think I can grow just about anything but Jolokias defeated me, saying that I grew mine outside as I don't have a greenhouse, only a few seeds germinated [indoor propagator] the chills that did form were very numerous but very very small [as you'd expect growing outside I guess] but they were very very hot.

If anyone does and I see they have manage to grow the these chillies successfully I'd suggest you harvest and use them green, that's how the Bangladeshi's   use them, they never use them red,  like most chillies the will freeze well.

Bangladeshi's eat the chilli raw, little nibbles with curry and rice, usually fish or prawn, lentils and a vegetable dish
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: purplejaguar on March 12, 2011, 16:35
Thanks for that roller, it seems they are extremely hard to grow, I will try though :).
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: Dan78 on March 12, 2011, 21:22
Thanks for that roller, it seems they are extremely hard to grow, I will try though :).

Best of luck to you too then!  :)
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: mickeyboy on March 12, 2011, 21:40
I attempted growing these last year, very unsuccessfully I might add, I like to think I can grow just about anything but Jolokias defeated me, saying that I grew mine outside as I don't have a greenhouse, only a few seeds germinated [indoor propagator] the chills that did form were very numerous but very very small [as you'd expect growing outside I guess] but they were very very hot.

If anyone does and I see they have manage to grow the these chillies successfully I'd suggest you harvest and use them green, that's how the Bangladeshi's   use them, they never use them red,  like most chillies the will freeze well.

Bangladeshi's eat the chilli raw, little nibbles with curry and rice, usually fish or prawn, lentils and a vegetable dish
This only happened because you planted them late if you would have sown 4-6 weeks earlier you would not have had a problem...
Ive grown these outdoors in my raised beds for the last 2 years very succesfully and still have loads of big juicy red ones in the freezer.
They just didnt have time to ripen and grow before it became cold
I sow mine around Christmas in heated prop then transfer to 3" pot on windowcill.. If you do manage a succesful grow you can dig them up and overwinter in 4" pots..
Out of 7 bhut jolokia i overwinted 6 survived.... not bad.......
Hope you have more luck in future ;)
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: purplejaguar on March 13, 2011, 18:34
More useful info, thanks :)

Do you think I have sown mine a bit too late?
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: mickeyboy on March 13, 2011, 21:24
More useful info, thanks :)

Do you think I have sown mine a bit too late?

should just about be ok,, plant in the sunniest position you can find when the weather warms up, u may need to cover the small plants when first outside wuth glass cloches to ensure a higher temp...
Nxt year when Christmas decoration out its chilli seeds in...... Not so essential with the not so hot varieties but roccoto red need a long season :) :)
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: purplejaguar on March 14, 2011, 12:38
Thats good news then, we have a nice sunny garden so will try that :).
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: Dan78 on March 19, 2011, 00:05
My seeds still have not germinated :(
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: purplejaguar on April 26, 2011, 08:17
An update on my Chilli plats...
Out of nine seeds 5 germinated but at slightly different times? Two are bigger, then two smaller ones and a small one. They are thriving so far, they are on a hot window sill with full sun most of the day :).
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: Dan78 on April 27, 2011, 01:18
I now have 1 small but very healthy plant growing on the kitchen windowsill and another slightly bigger in the conservatory.. im feeling i should have started these a little earlier!
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: purplejaguar on June 09, 2011, 08:27
How are yours doing Dan? Mine are still looking good and have got their first flowers on now :).
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: purplejaguar on June 15, 2011, 18:33
We now have our first chillies developing  :D.
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: Dan78 on June 16, 2011, 00:21
wow nice! Well the plant i had inside has MASSIVE healthy green leaves and is about a foot and a half tall.. can see a couple of flowers forming.. no side shoots at all

the one left in the conservatory has a lot smaller leaves and oads of side shoots.. its a little smaller and doesnt look as strong.. few flowers forming there too! Wonder which will do best!

Ill have to take some pics. its quite funny how they look so different!
Title: Re: Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Post by: purplejaguar on June 16, 2011, 08:03
Mine don't seem to have much in the way of sideshoots yet either? All 5 plants are in the same place, and I have been using a small paint brush to tickle the flowers on each with and it seems to be working. I think its gloves from now on though lol as two of the chillies are about an inch long :blink:... I will get some pics as well :).