Carolina Reaper is one of the hottest peppers on record at an alarming 1.5 million SHUs (it has peaked at 2.2 million). The small peppers mature from green to fire engine red and are gnarled and bumpy with a distinctive pointed tip called "the stinger. This species of pepper can be grown as a perennial in warmer climates (or heated greenhouses) or brought inside over winter. They are somewhat challenging to grow and will need protection to increase heat and lengthen the growing season in most regions.
Super-hot peppers can be somewhat challenging to grow. The seeds can be difficult to germinate, and they need a long, hot season to produce fruit. Start indoors early and use bottom heat and seedling domes to create the warm, humid conditions they need to germinate. Be patient as germination may take 21-28 days or longer, even under ideal conditions.
Please use extreme caution when handling the seeds and fruits!
Matures 120 days
West Coast Seeds Hot Carolina Reaper Pepper-Hot Seeds, Per Package
Starting
Sow indoors 5mm-1cm (¼-½”) deep. Keep soil as warm as possible. Seedling heating mats speed germination. Try to keep seedlings at 18-24°C (64-75°F) in the day, and 16-18°C (61-64°F) at night. Before they become root-bound, transplant them into 8cm (3″) pots. For greatest possible flower set, try to keep them for 4 weeks at night, about 12°C (55°F). Then transplant them into 15cm (6″) pots, bringing them into a warm room at night, about 21°C (70°F).
Timing
Peppers need plenty of time to mature before they will bloom and set fruit. Start indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date, and grow under bright lights. Transplant only when weather has really warmed up. Night time low temperatures should be consistently above 12°C (55°F) before hardening off pepper plants and transplanting outdoors. Soil temperature for germination: 25-29°C (78-85°F). Seeds should sprout in 10 – 21 days.
Harvest
Fruit can be picked once it is firm and has reached desired size, however, sweetness can increase dramatically as the fruit ripens. If you pick the peppers when they are still young/green, the plant will keep producing more fruit. Fruit that sets after late August will not usually develop or ripen. Pull out the entire bush just before the first frost and hang it upside down in a warm, dry place to ripen hot peppers.
