If you think red-hot chili white pepper are the spice of spirit , growing " Trinidad Scorpion " ( genus Capsicum chinensis " Trinidad Scorpion " ) may be just your cup of sass - scorching tea leaf . Whether in gardens or container , " Scorpions " production loads of igneous - red fruit within 14 weeks of planting .

If you believe red-hot chili con carne capsicum pepper plant are the spice of life , growing " Trinidad Scorpion " ( Capsicum chinensis " Trinidad Scorpion " ) may be just your cup of mouth - scorching tea . Whether in garden or container , " Scorpio " production cargo of ardent - red yield within 14 week of planting . With a poke to rival its color , the yield has an mediocre 1.03 million Scoville heat units , among the earth ’s highest . Handle its capsaicin - loaded seeds and membrane with care .

They Like It Hot

rigid " Trinidad Scorpions " out when your spring temperature are consistently above 60 arcdegree Fahrenheit and your soil has warmed to 65 F. Give them six or more hour of morning and late good afternoon sun and well - draining , acidic or inert soil with a pH between 6.2 and 7.0 . To improve your soil ’s drainage , add a 3- to 5 - inch stratum of well - age compost to each planting hole . The compost also eat the capsicum , so fertilizing is n’t require .

Watering Garden Plants

While your garden pepper are establishing , water supply as necessary to keep the soil moist . Once you see new growth , have it soil dry out slightly to the touch before plume the root zones to a depth of 4 feet . To test the moisture level , insert the lower two - third gear of pointed , 6 - metrical foot wooden joggle into the ground . If wet land clings to the entire 4 - foot length when you take away it , you ’ve watered enough .

“Trinidad Scorpion” in Containers

A wine barrelful cut in one-half or traditional pot measuring 16 to 18 inches abstruse and 2 feet across holds a mature , 2- to 3 - foot " Scorpion . " If necessary , drill drain holes in the container ’s al-Qaeda with a 3/4- to 1 - column inch recitation bit . Before replete it with a mixture of three parts commercial potting grease to one part well - aged compost , place the container in its permanent location with six or more hour of day-by-day sunshine interrupted by afternoon tincture .

Container Plant Maintenance

To at the same time run and water container pepper , dissolve 2 cups of water - soluble , 10 - 20 - 10 plant food in 1 congius of water . Then mix 2 tablespoon of this dressed ore in a second gal of water and rain cats and dogs it around a plant . The University of Florida Extension advises checking potted pepper daily and watering with the diluted farm solution as needed to keep the medium moist . To leach prejudicious common salt from the containers , supervene upon the solution with regular tap H2O once a week . Do not let the black pepper sit down in soggy medium .

Pest Control

Sap - stealing aphid and whiteflies attack the Piper nigrum ' stems and foliage . Green tomato hornworms , wedge - shaped leafhoppers , striped Colorado white potato beetles and black flea beetle devour their leave . Cutworms may jaw through vernal seedlings . Remove by hand and drown hornworms , cutworm and mallet in soapy piss . To reject aphids , leafhoppers and whiteflies , spray the capsicum until they drip with ready - to - use insecticidal soap when the temperature is below 90 degree F. Wear protective wear and eyewear and follow the recording label ’s directions when treat the soap .

Disease Management

Properly watered peppers jib tooth root and collar rot and fungous or bacterial wilt . If one of yours has crisp , mosaic - model leaves and stunted growth , baccy or cucumber mosaic virus is the likely culprit . Remove the peppercorn for burning or disposal in a sealed bag . launder your hands thoroughly and disinfect your putz in a answer of one part bleach to nine persona water before working with your healthy plants .

References

Capsicum frutescens