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Carolina Reapers - Not So Hot?

I have two aerogardens set up in different locations. I am growing Carolina Reapers and Bhut Jolokia's in both.

I have some good pod development on both plants but have some questions:

1) The Carolina reapers from one garden to the next look very different. There is a possibility that I mislabeled a Carolina Reaper as a Bhut Jolokia and vice versa. See the pictures below and let me know what you think?

http://puu.sh/2EZKb

http://puu.sh/2EZHM

2) How long does it usually take before the peppers start to ripen and turn red? They are about 2 weeks old now and they are still green. I have eaten some of the green peppers and they are not hot at all.

Thanks
 
Pic #1 definitely looks like a Bhut to me...

Patience on the color change... The more light (sun) and warmth they get will help speed up the color change. And if you are using ferts, take it easy easy on the N.

Plants look good.
 
Both plants took around 4 months before I started getting any pods. Now I got the pods, but looks like it may be another 1-2months before they ripen up to the heat I am looking for. I stopped using fertilizer about 1-2 months ago and the leaves seam healthier.

As mentioned above, I ate one of the peppers that looked like a bhut at its current ripeness and it tasted nice but there was zero heat at this time...
 
From my personal experience, you do not get any real heat until you start getting color in those bad boys. Don't fret, when they turn color, you will get PLENTY of heat.
 
Neither pod looks like a Carolina Reaper. Reapers have a very pimply texture and most wind up with a stinger at the bottom. Here's a few examples:

http://thehotpepper....640#entry813721

http://thehotpepper....600#entry804229

The top pic looks like a bhut, but still somewhat smooth for a typical bhut texture, while the bottom is more of a habanero shape.

And yes, the heat won't be near as high on a green pod. Peak capsaicin production happens just before the pod is fully ripened. After that, the capsaicin starts to be converted to sugars.
 
I'm fairly sure those arent reapers. There seems to be a bit of variation through the reaper pods but not like that.
My reapers are all pimply and crazily hot.

 
The seeds were from Pepper Joes. I will be pissed if they are not reapers as I have already invested 5 months of growing. Are the reapers "pimply" right from the very beginning.

Here is another picture of the Carolina Reaper with the stinger coming out of the bottom. Is this an indication that it is in fact a reaper?

http://puu.sh/2F6eZ.JPG

Super David - your reaper plant looks awesome! How long before you starting getting pods? How long did it take them to ripen? What climate are you in? How tall is the plant?
 
God I hate to say it but I agree with one of the above posters...the second pic looks like a habanero ..nothing like a reaper. The first pic doesn't really look like a bhut either... it resembles a bhut ..kind of..but its smooth and doesn't really have any ridges or twisting to the pod walls.

JMO of course and I feel for ya but on pic #1 I bet bhut cross and on pic #2 def a habanero of some sort (appearance wise)

Concerning the bhut pod ...variation can happen though so maybe the other pods will look more on point?

Edited: we crossed posted ...third pic is definitely habanero type..that's not what is reffered to as a "stinger"
 
I was hoping to take cuttings and plants some of these in my garden for the summer, but it looks like I might have to start from scratch. Does anyone have any reaper or ghost seeds they would be able to send me? I don't know how the trading/barter system works here (this is my first go at growing hot). I only have about 4-5 good months of outdoor growing in my Toronto, Ontario climate and if I have to start from scratch I better get some seeds germinating asap.

I also added another pic to my post above showing another angle of the so called "reaper".
 
The seeds were from Pepper Joes. I will be pissed if they are not reapers as I have already invested 5 months of growing. Are the reapers "pimply" right from the very beginning.

Here is another picture of the Carolina Reaper with the stinger coming out of the bottom. Is this an indication that it is in fact a reaper?

http://puu.sh/2F6eZ.JPG

Super David - your reaper plant looks awesome! How long before you starting getting pods? How long did it take them to ripen? What climate are you in? How tall is the plant?

Yeah that's not the stinger we are referring to. The stinger is actually part of the pepper itself. What you have hanging off is part of the flower called the "pistil". See the pics I posted in my first reply. That should give you an idea of what the "stinger" should look like.
 
Pic #1 is definitely not a Bhut. Even the Naga Morich, which is the less bumpy variant of that family, still has a ton of pimpling and bumpiness right from the get-go. That does look like any number of tapered C.Chinense, couldn't tell you any more than that, though. Bhuts tend to have a 3-lobed concavity to them, while Naga Morich tends to be more cone shaped. Both have a ton of bumps, as I said, which your #1 does not look like at all.

Pic #2 is most definitely any of a given C.Chinense very close to Habanero, if not Habanero itself. C.Chinense has a lot of variants which look like Habaneros, but with different colors, and different genetics, etc., to differentiate them.

Neither of your pics look anything like Carolina Reapers, which to me, look virtually identical to 7-Pot Primos anyway. Digression aside, they still have the bumpy, stinger-ended shape right from the time they are pretty small, and still green. Sorry about the disappointment, my friend, you can always try again next year.
 
Pic #1 is definitely not a Bhut. Even the Naga Morich, which is the less bumpy variant of that family, still has a ton of pimpling and bumpiness right from the get-go. That does look like any number of tapered C.Chinense, couldn't tell you any more than that, though. Bhuts tend to have a 3-lobed concavity to them, while Naga Morich tends to be more cone shaped. Both have a ton of bumps, as I said, which your #1 does not look like at all.

Pic #2 is most definitely any of a given C.Chinense very close to Habanero, if not Habanero itself. C.Chinense has a lot of variants which look like Habaneros, but with different colors, and different genetics, etc., to differentiate them.

Neither of your pics look anything like Carolina Reapers, which to me, look virtually identical to 7-Pot Primos anyway. Digression aside, they still have the bumpy, stinger-ended shape right from the time they are pretty small, and still green. Sorry about the disappointment, my friend, you can always try again next year.

I have to disagree with you on pic #1 not being a Bhut. Some of my Bhuts looked exactly like that.
 
The seeds were from Pepper Joes. I will be pissed if they are not reapers as I have already invested 5 months of growing. Are the reapers "pimply" right from the very beginning.

Here is another picture of the Carolina Reaper with the stinger coming out of the bottom. Is this an indication that it is in fact a reaper?

http://puu.sh/2F6eZ.JPG

Super David - your reaper plant looks awesome! How long before you starting getting pods? How long did it take them to ripen? What climate are you in? How tall is the plant?
that plant was actually alot bigger than it is, it split 4 ways at the base so there were 4 of what you see now, but The other four stems cracked in the wind and rotted away. I've since given it some support and dug away the expanded clay from the base.
While all my other chilies running off the same reservoir were pumping out the pods the reaper was dropping flowers for months after it actually started producing flowers. But then not much changed other than the weather cooled down a bit and now its converting almost every single flower into a pod.
Thats my small reaper...my indoor reaper is much much bigger but wont hang onto any flowers. I think it maybe a nutrient problem...not sure, can't figure it out.

 
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