Plant Library

Other Names:  Chili Pepper, Ghost Pepper

Group/Class:  Hot Habanero

Description:

Extremely hot and not for the faint at heart, this variety produces small fruits which emerge green and mature to a wrinkled red when ripe; good performer in containers or gardens; mature fruit is great for pickling, hot sauces and drying for seasonings

Edible Qualities

Bhut Jolokia Hot Pepper is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces green pointy peppers (which are technically 'berries') which are typically harvested when mature. The fruit will often fade to red over time. The peppers have a fiery taste with a crisp texture and a spicy fragrance.

The peppers are most often used in the following ways:

• Cooking
• Drying
• Seasoning
• Sauces

Planting & Growing

Bhut Jolokia Hot Pepper will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 24 inches apart. This vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.

This plant is typically grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and it is considered by many to be an heirloom variety. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Bhut Jolokia Hot Pepper is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.