seeds Bhut Jolokia germination

[Cleveland Pepper Lover]

I know that this topic has been recently discussed but I was curious about the specifics of germinating the Bhut Jolokia. What should I know about the following:

-Heat pad: What temp should this be kept at?
-grow light: Is this absolutely necessary? What are the best lamps for these peppers?(I'm not sure what questions to ask here--any info is appreciated)
-Hot house/homemade greenhouse: Can someone please explain this to me? What does it do? How can you make one(a simple one).
-Soaking seeds: How long should Bhut Jolokia seeds be soaked in water? How exactly should this be done?
-Are there any other tips that are helpful when germinating/growing Bhut Jolokia peppers?
-Where is the best place(online) to buy Bhut Jolokia seeds?

I'll be growing these next season, so I was just curious.

 

[jolokia_jas]

First off

Secondly you can get them here plus a thousand other places. depending on how handy you are with you're hands I would suggest just buying a mini geen house they are reasonably cheap to buy. you can soak seeds if you like I have done once and it made no difference in germination rates from a previous attempt so I don't bother with it. some people soak in tea some people soak in a bleach/water solution.
This is all I have time for at them moment I'll get back to ya later.



Jas

 

[Hot Pooper]

Lets see...temp....about 85 in your germination tray should get 'er done.
As far as lights go, size depends on how many peppers you're gonna grow. Some stick with a few desk lamps with flouro 6500 series bulbs. Others use the bigger lights.
You can easily make a homemade greenhouse. Again, it all depends on how many plants you'll be growing. You can get a Jiffy Starter tray that will grow 72 plants for like maybe $10. (Just a guess.) Anything more than that and you'll hafta get creative. The main thing you need to worry about is keeping moisture IN, and keeping it the same temp 24/7 until they germinate. When they germinate, pull them out and stick them under a light.
Some people soak, some dont. I personally do. I soak over night in room temp water with a hint of chamomille. Not everyone does it, so experiment. Try some soaked, and some not.
Best place to buy seeds...there are a few good places. Give TheHippySeedCo a call. AWESOME service, and Neil is an AWESOME dude. Just try to stay away from Ebay. Its a lottery when you buy seeds there.
As far as tips...there are a few things you should know. Just because someone tells you one thing doesnt always make it right for YOU. Try stuff out. See what works for YOU. What works for ME may not work for YOU. Chilli's are fairly easy to grow. Starting them is the hardest thing. Try germinating some in soil, some in peat pellets. Like I said, just experiment. If something gets messed up, its all good. There are also lots of people on here that know a LOT, and just as many that may even send you some plants and seeds!
Hope this helps! Good luck!!

Sean

 

[Cleveland Pepper Lover]

First off

Thanks, I love it here. Loads of info.

Secondly you can get them here plus a thousand other places. depending on how handy you are with you're hands I would suggest just buying a mini geen house they are reasonably cheap to buy. you can soak seeds if you like I have done once and it made no difference in germination rates from a previous attempt so I don't bother with it. some people soak in tea some people soak in a bleach/water solution.
This is all I have time for at them moment I'll get back to ya later.

Okay, cool. I'll look into a mini green house. I thought about doing it myself but I'm just a novice, so maybe I should just spend some money and buy one.

Lets see...temp....about 85 in your germination tray should get 'er done.
As far as lights go, size depends on how many peppers you're gonna grow. Some stick with a few desk lamps with flouro 6500 series bulbs. Others use the bigger lights.

Where can I buy those bulbs? Is that something I could pick up at home depot or is this an online only type of thing?

You can easily make a homemade greenhouse. Again, it all depends on how many plants you'll be growing. You can get a Jiffy Starter tray that will grow 72 plants for like maybe $10. (Just a guess.) Anything more than that and you'll hafta get creative. The main thing you need to worry about is keeping moisture IN, and keeping it the same temp 24/7 until they germinate. When they germinate, pull them out and stick them under a light.

How about this-- I have an old fish tank(about 40 gallons) that I'm not using. Since I'm going going to be growing <10 plants or so, what if I just set the fish tank upside down over the plants? Has this been done before?

Some people soak, some dont. I personally do. I soak over night in room temp water with a hint of chamomille. Not everyone does it, so experiment. Try some soaked, and some not.
Best place to buy seeds...there are a few good places. Give TheHippySeedCo a call. AWESOME service, and Neil is an AWESOME dude. Just try to stay away from Ebay. Its a lottery when you buy seeds there.
As far as tips...there are a few things you should know. Just because someone tells you one thing doesnt always make it right for YOU. Try stuff out. See what works for YOU. What works for ME may not work for YOU. Chilli's are fairly easy to grow. Starting them is the hardest thing. Try germinating some in soil, some in peat pellets. Like I said, just experiment. If something gets messed up, its all good. There are also lots of people on here that know a LOT, and just as many that may even send you some plants and seeds!
Hope this helps! Good luck!!

Sean

Thanks, awesome info. I fully understand that some of this might work for me, and that some wont. As you said, this coming spring will be one big experiment for me.

Thanks for all the great tip guys, these forums are great.

 

[The Medicinal Pepper]

CLP, I think HP got it right to say that what works for some may not for others. Here is what I do:

1. I germinate my seeds by placing them in a moist paper towel and then place the towel inside a sealed plastic baggy all at ambient temp but at least 71°F. Check these frequently, every other day or so because you do not want the seeds getting to far along before you transplant them. I transplant at the first sign of germination; when the root (radicle) first emerges. If you wait longer the radicle will form root hairs which embed into the towel making removal difficult. If this happens just tear the paper towel around the radicle and transplant sprout and towel.

2. As far as a hot house, mine is very simple. I take a medium packing box (20" X 30", or whatever suits your needs), line it with Al foil by using spray adhesive. Cut holes large enough to accommodate in the top and sides compact fluorescent bulbs (100 W equivalents) usually 3 on top and 2 on each side. Note that the top of the box will be on of the sides because you will want to lay it on the long side. Also it should have a door. For details check out this site. My box is a modified version of that in the site. Even though the CFB's are more efficient than incandescent bulbs they still produce enough heat to make the environment conducive for Bhut evelopment (temp being a function of the number of bulbs).

3.You can certainly trust the chile pepper institute for Bhut seeds, click here for link. Paul Bosland is the director there and is well known chile researcher. In addition to the seeds, that site has a lot of research pubs on peppers.

 

[Hot Pooper]

I wouldnt use the upsie down fishtank. Even though you need need something to be fairly moisture tight, they still need oxygen to live. I even went as far as poking a couple of holes in my little greenhouse. You can get the little greenhouse at Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart, etc. As well as the light set ups. If you are gonna grow less than 10 plants, I would DEFINATELY buy one of the little Jiffy Greenhouses, buy a heating mat, and some lights. (The greenhouses are under $10.) Walmart sells clip on desk lamps for like $7, and a 2 pack of light bulbs will run you about the same. I use a Daylight 6500 series. Well, I did. Im gonna be growing more next year, so Im gonna have to think a little bigger. But that set up worked for me AWESOME. You just have to make sure you keep the distance between the lights and the plants constant. I usually try to keep them 6"-10" away. Again, trial and error.