2024 Scottish Superhot trial ........

Hi Guy's

Here in Scotland we have .....let's face it.....shitty weather.... lots of cloud and often wet, cold summers however some of us have the chilli bug and feel compelled to grow these beautiful jewels of nature. Particularly when we were lucky enough to grow up in the middle East raised on spicy food and a Grand father born and raised in Kerala India in the 1920's spice is in my families very DNA

Spicey food has always played an important part in our family over the last few year's I've strived to find varieties that will grow in my particular wee Scottish greenhouse............ First was the Ring of fire cayenne which is a perfect substitute for Indian green chillies only hotter a ridiculous early tasty variety.

I've managed to find a couple of Scotch bonnet types that grow well in my wee Scottish greenhouse and taste superb I'm a happy boy.

However my search for a "superhot" that performs well in my wee Scottish greenhouse and tastes excellent continues........the Dorset Naga is pretty close and while I like the flavour and heat the aesthetics are lacking......to smooth and not gnarly enough !

My search continues...........in the past the only superhot I've grown are Dorset Naga and Bengle Naga both selections from seaspring seeds in Devon.....personally I find the "Bengle" naga which is infact a variation of bhut jolokia more aromatic, tasty and certainly more aesthetically pleasingly than the Dorset naga a variation of Naga Morich but not quite as hot but at 700,000 to 900,000 shu but not too shabby !

I highly recommend seaspring seeds "Bengle naga" a variety I see little mention of but highly rate in flavour, heat and aroma

Anyway back to my 2024 superhot trial...........


Here in Scotland I find starting early best in heated propergater and I use a home made light box to stop seedlings going "Leggy" this season I believe I started my superhot seeds Approx 04/12/23

This season I used rock wool in a ice cube tray in a box in my propergater which I highly recommend as germination is very quickly observed and seedlings either put in soil of transferred to a kratky hydroponic set up less time wasted

Light box does wonders to stop Leggy seedlings, I use a simply homemade set up a reptile bulb in a homemade set up 7 cm pot's of soil and a few mini kratky hydroponics.


Fast forward to March 2024 hydroponics seedlings plus soil seedlings have been in my light box, window ledge and transferred and hardened off into my unheated greenhouse and have been out there for approx a month being covered with x2 layers of horticultural fleece ( which i highly recommend) temps have been down to a bit less than 2 oC ! With no ill effects.

Dorset Naga in 5 litre kratky set up while I'm not huge fan of the aesthetics, my pods were very smooth the flavour and heat are excellent, this season I used the last of my original seeds in had from seaspring seeds hoping for my gnarly pod's than I had before......

The "Bengle" naga (aka improved bhut jolokia ) very tasty, a smaller plant than my Dorset but hopefully it will catch up, delicious and much underestimated in my opinion

Death spiral I have high hope's for this chilli pepper variety a strong healthy plant in 5 litre soil trial pot

Super bhut jolokia jw the weakest/smallest .......i may give this to a friend to grow on in their greenhouse to free up space plus I feel/think it's not going to be hot enough ...... just a big bhut

This was a Mustard Naga I grew last year from Black King Naga seed I'm not sure if its a variation or hybrid ? Very prolific hot and tasty........give it a go ........strong healthy plant

Fatallii gourmet jigsaw ( sh*t name) the last of my seed from Mr Fatallii himself hopefully more gnarly than last seasons which was damaged by aphids and not as gnarly as I've seen.

Devils Nagabrain red an F4 cross from Justin at White Hot peppers I've had alot of luck with Justin's seeds so will give this a fair go .................

Primotalii this plant is a month or more younger than the rest but has caught up nicely I have high hopes for this one .........

Hurt berry apparently it's an early maturing variety.....? Hope so being a British variety I would hope so to make the most of our short cold wet season

My 7 pot primo seems to be a big hardy plant again I have high hope's ..........

My Trinidad moruga scorpion is also a big hardy plant no idea if I will like the flavour........

7 pot Barrackpore a big besty of a plant ..........Apparently big pod's and big heat ........

7 pot Brainstrain yellow another highly recommend variety I feel I must grow............

I'm pretty sure my 2024 superhot trial will find me a variety my grows well and tastes good in my wee Scottish greenhouse, last season the 7 pot Douglah blew me away with it's huge insanely hot pod's however I didn't like the after taste ......

the search continues...............


Stephen

 

[MarcV]

Think of the yellow 7pot brainstrain as a very hot scotch bonnet

 

[Englander]

Hi Guy's

A little up date in my 2024 Scottish superhot trial.............


When I'm wrong I'm wrong and happy to admit it and learn from it and hopefully not repeat it ! And if it helps other not make the same one even better.

My cunning plan for 2024 was germinate early, move to light box, 7 cm square pot's, like square pot's simply makes sense for trays and ease of moving lots of wee plants.

As they grew potted to 9 cm and as they romped away to 11cm square pot cunning plan all going well

Meanwhile as I'm normally finished work by 1pm it let's me get plants out of the spare room and a few hours out in the greenhouse idea being to harden them off abit get them used to cooler temperatures. The other year I'd experimented with cull plants and found them very tolerant of temps down to 2 oC so plan was to get them out into there final 5 litre pot's ASAP !

5 litres pot's may seem small for a chillie trial but it was a tip from my mate in Wales simply let's you fit more varieties in our wee greenhouse and there for experience more varieties at one time. I used this last season with my scotch bonnet trial and it proved very useful.

However this is where it all went pear-shaped everything going well plants out in the greenhouse even through temps at night were dropping low all was well.
Another part of the cunning plan was to possibly identify varieties or individual plants that were abit more tolerate to low temperatures.

However unfortunately my next move was going to be a big mistake ! I went straight from 11cm square pot's to 5 litre round pot's idea being the root's could do there thing without being disturbed again hopefully giving them a head start.

A combination of factors conspired against me now simultaneously ! firstly the ill-fated move from 11cm to 5 litre, secondly a good top watering in each plant, followed by a crash in night and day temperatures meaning my plants that had been growing well in there 11cm pot's were now surrounded by a large amount of cold wet soil

The result was a stall in growth followed by some varieties beginning to look very unhappy indeed leaves going a lighter green while other's seemed to handle it better staying a nice dark green but not really growing.

After week or so dawned on me what a pillock I'd been ! and some emergency down potting was the only way to hopefully save the day

My Mustard naga wasn't happy and required emergency down potting however the in the background the Trinidad moruga scorpion, Brainstrain yellow and 7 pot primo seemed OK and stayed in their 5 litre pot's.

Likewise the Fatallii gourmet jigsaw was another unhappy variety

Devils nagabrains red and Hurt berry another two not impressed by my 5 litre pot up .......however the 7 pot Barrackpore , Death spiral, Habenero Chocolate were another 3 that seemed to be ok.

I'd already culled my super bhut jolokia jw by cull I mean given to a friend so i can free up some space and still see how it does

Now this was about second week of April.........................

 

[PaulG]

Keep up the good work in Scotland. Hats off for
undertaking s superhot grow in a cold, wet climate!

 

[Englander]

Hi Guy's

At the time the penny dropped about the excessive cold wet soil that was causing my plant's problems I noticed some plant's still in their original 5 litre pot's were producing side shoots like mad !

I decided to trim off the older large leaves to allow as much light as possible onto the new growth........... about the end of April

My 7 Pot Primo with the older big leaves removed .

Death spiral big leaves removed

Trinidad moruga scorpion after the same trimming

My Kratky Dorset Naga also had a trim like wise the Habenero Chocolate and 7 Pot Barrackpore in the background.

I know the Habenero Chocolate is not a superhot but last year all my Chocolate Habenero from multiple sources were terrible ! I'm giving the variety one last go with seeds from whp

 

[Englander]

Hi Guy's

Fast forward today Scotland has been basking in bright sunshine and highs in the light to mid 20oC area ! 21oC -24oC absolutely baking for us after what feels like a very cold and extremely wet start to 2024. Everyone seems to haveca skip in there step and a smile on their face duecto blue skys on sunshine

Obviously all my plants are loving it I've been hardening off all my outdoor chilli varieties to the uv all week as I'm off currently playing nurse maid as my wife's just had an operation.

Few photos from this morning hopefully you can see the results of the leaf trimming and the biggest strongest plant's I've potted up to 35cm milano pot's about 18 litres....all my over superhots are now back in 5 litre pot's minimum as they have recovered from the cold damp soil after being down potted.

The other day I noticed that two had forked Trinidad moruga scorpion and the Death spiral with the 7 pot primo seriously thinking about it and in fact today it has the Brainstrain yellow and 7 Pot barrackpore are just about there too.

Everything else is growing well except my kratky Bengle naga appears very sluggish compared to the kratky Dorset ...... which I find strange as I have always found the Bengle faster to grow mature and fruit ! Maybe just a poor specimen? Infact a later sown soil Bengle naga appears to have caught up and over taken its kratky siblings.

There is also another a few more runners in the race i very late started Tiberius mauler red and Peach, Reaper x Naga, Reaper x moruga and Reaper x srtsl .....most are in mini kratky hydroponics but the Tiberius mauler red is a beast out growing all the others so moved it to a larger kratky set up.

I've also got Andys king BOC and Peach ghost jami in small kratky set ups both are showing remarkable vigour! Watch this space...........

Trinidad moruga scorpion side growth coming on well tiny buds and you can clearly see the fork

Death spiral forked and growing strongly

7 Pot primo a nice strong plant

Brainstrain yellow the last currently in 35cm pot's....please excuse the perky litte Sutherland kale seedlings that were in my sieved worm compost vigorous litte buggers I shall be pulling them out for weeks!

The 7 Pot barrackpore I shall probably leave in it's 5 litre pot a nice strong healthy plant but not sure its as hot as the first 4 varieties and I want to prioritise the super super hots.

The Fatallii gourmet jigsaw I've never found particularly vigorous but it's extremely hot and I do like the flavour......but again probably staying in 5 litre pot.

Primotalii while later sown and set back by the cold damp soil its coming on well and back in 5 litre pot but may very well go into the 35cm milano pot.

The Hurt Berry has the most work to do to catch up but that's on me and my soggy cold soil caper .......

Tiberius mauler red and beast !! Be interesting to see where this one goes.........

The Dorset naga slow and steady but about to take off in its kratky set up i feel.

Don't know what's going on with th8s Bengle naga.........?

This extremely late sown Bengle naga appears to be far more vigorous......

 

[MarcV]

I want to see you eat some of those super super hots when they are ready!