How to Grow Carolina Reapers from Seed to Spicy Harvest! 

Do I need to cover them up in the beginning?

How do I stop flowers dropping?

What editing program do you use?

What pot size is best for the chillis? Is 10 litres ok or would you prefer more? 15 litres or 20?

the only Confusion is that you OBVIOUSLY LIE TO PEOPLE WITH THIS " POTTING MIX / SOIL MIXTURE " IT DOESNT WORK LIKE THAT IM DOING HYDROPONICS NEVER USE PERLITE !!!

Sure, but I never forget their true nature.

Thanks! What do you think sets my content apart from others?

Thanks for watching and the kind words Tricia! I don't eat them, just think they look awesome. It's going to be a great growing season!

Hi David, thanks for the kind words! More hot pepper content to come hopefully

Thank you, welcome to the channel!!

Thanks mate, appreciate the like!

Thanks!

Thanks Erika! 😀

Much appreciated, David. Tell your friends!

Thank you! I got these seeds from Baker Creek!

Thanks buddy!

If you’re not getting solid direct light, you’ll need artificial lighting. Heat mat is not critical but it does enhance germination!

I'm having the same issue with one I got from home Depot lol. Think my leaves are mostly fine but I had probably 20 flowers at one point but they all ended up falling off. It's also been 100f+ here lately so it might be just been thay

Too much water? They like to dry out between waterings

No. If you have intense natural light during the day grow lights are unnecessary.

Thanks! No pruning.

Congrats!!! Here's to a 2024 full of Reaper pods!

The heat mat is just for germination. Remove it after most of your seeds have sprouted. Lights on 12-14hr/day.

@@lucasgrowsbestyt thanks, gonna try it with a heat mat next season. Didn’t have one, but still 4/10 seeds germinated. Thanks a lot for your help

@@twitch_not_olli5599 Sounds great, best of luck with the four Reapers!!!

What you see is what you get. One plant will make all the hot sauce you need.

@@lucasgrowsbestyt I am looking at this as an option. For a batch though, I need about 5lbs of raw peppers.

I just grow them during the spring/summer.

Thanks Nicolas! Cold night temps will kill/damage Reapers, so I would bring them indoors. You could also just start them from seed every growing season.

@@lucasgrowsbestyt Got it, thanks man.

I got them from lee valley years ago, but you can get similar ones from Amazon or your local garden center

Thanks Alexander, the algorithm remains a mystery to me!

Thanks so much! :)

I actually am the person that doesn’t like that random high pitched screaming and low talking mix. BUT great to follow and a lot of great knowledge of the process

It's helpful. Plant people care about info on digital foot prints

People are scared of these plants, I have a friend who tried to sell them at a farmers market and very few were willing to try.

I agree, good stuff subscribed.

Not sure what the best is. But I use Miracle Gro 15-30-15 typically and just follow the directions.

Never had that issue! What stage of growth are you referring to?

Low 50s is probably pushing it. I’d wait till it gets warmer more consistently!

Fertilizer once a week as per package directions. Water whenever the soil starts drying out a bit.

For fluorescents I put them about an inch or two above the tops of the plants. For LEDs around 6" above.

If the leaves start curling, lights are too close. And if the seedling grows tall and leggy they are too far. Water them when the entire soil is almost dry (not just on the surface)

12 hours

Yeah you definitely can for all hot peppers!

Yeah!

Not worth $50 I can guarantee that!

Depends where you live!

You are most welcome.

Reapers can be finnicky. Give 'em another week and see what happens. Sometimes they need two.

@@lucasgrowsbestyt ok sounds good im just getting a lil' impatient cz my tomatoes already germinated and have their true leaf coming out and then these guys havent even started growing yet

@@lucasgrowsbestyt I got them to germinate after I got home from school I saw something poking out of the roots

@@beat_2008 Nice, congratulations!!!

@@lucasgrowsbestyt thank you! cant wait to grow and make hot sauce with them

Thanks! www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/planting/propagation/seed-starting/45511-deep-root-seed-starters

Fresh seeds will work too!

Hahahaha I just grow them for ornamental purposes!

That’s strange.. email a photo of it to lucasgrowsbest@gmail.com and I’ll take a look!

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--_f3zeouQq8.htmlsi=vrg4hfgPdo6vzBAg

Once the pods are ripe. You don’t have to let them dry out and fresh seeds will germinate just fine!

@@lucasgrowsbestyt Ty- for the reply, I asked because other peppers I have go green to red than harvest, do Reapers start green than turn red? I have 5 growing.

Yes, if you can find store bought Reapers. You can plant the seeds fresh or dry them out first. Grow lights are necessary unless you happen to be lucky enough to have a strong natural source of light.

Great question. I have noticed this to happen with the odd Carolina Reaper. Just a deformity I guess. Whether or not it will affect your results, I don't know. Personally I prefer to use the standard, non-deformed ones. Wish I had a better answer for you. Yellow seedlings are typically caused by a lack of light or nutrients. Can you give me some details on your lighting setup?

Maybe 🤔

@@lucasgrowsbestyt If so consider doing an in the kitchen video, making kool-aid pickles!! Yes, I'm from the South.

@@tiffany7023 Green kool-aid???

@@lucasgrowsbestyt Any flavor!! Cherry, blue raspberry, pink lemonade, sour apple, limeade, the possibilities are endless. 😋 If you're looking for a flavor that's more available in the U.S. consider a temporary PO box and I'll send some fun flavors.

The paper towel method definitely works but it’s inefficient. I think you’ll see some success with your new setup! :)

They take a long time to produce fruit, so just be patient and give them the proper fertilization and water they need. In a warm climate, you can just keep growing them.

Sorry for the late response. Yes, they typically take a while to bloom, but giving them what they need (sun, good soil/growing space, high phosphorus fertilizer, etc.). How did things work out?

2 feet is typically fine

No topping here! :)

I have been saving my Reaper seeds for years and the plants look the same (classic Reaper shape) as the first year when I grew them from purchased seeds.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZKRTRq7o76M.html

You’re welcome Ruby! What kinds of peppers are you growing this season?

Most probably aphids!

It's hard to know for sure. It could be a nutrient or lighting issue. Poor drainage may also have this effect. Personally I have found reapers can be a little finnicky but they usually start taking off.

@Grown Best Gardening I think they are healthy, they are growing their true leaves. Just very slowly. Probably because the cotelydons are not photosynthesizing very well. I'm sure once the true leaves get bigger it'll take off much faster.

Believe me I've done that before and it's not fun! Character building, though.

Really? Don't know if I'd go that far but thanks!!!

Hi, could you provide some more detail? Is it being grown in a pot or ground? How big is the plant? Is it receiving full sun (i.e. 8-10 hrs / day)? How are you fertilizing? What soil mix are you using? Typically Reapers take about 4 months from planting out to harvest.

@@lucasgrowsbestyt Hey! thanks for replying! It's potted, the plant's grown up to around 2-3 feet tall form the base. It gets good sun and the leaves were big and healthy looking. Although I think I may have noticed some curling up on the edges on the bigger leaves. I got some mulch I believe from our local hardware store when I transferred the seedling from plastic cup to bigger pot. It grew fairly well for the next few weeks since transplanting but then I had to move to a temporary apartment since our house had to be renovated. During that 6 months away from home, it had a bit of trouble. I think either didn't get enough or got too much sun from the only place I could put it at the apartment place. Also picked up some pests from neighbor's plants that I had to regularly clean off. When I got back to the house, it finally grew big and I got excited to start seeing the flower buds popping out. The flowers bloomed, but then just fell off. Plant still looked healthy for the most part save for some yellowing in a couple of leaves. I'd also put in some powdered eggshells at the recommendation of my aunt who gave me the seedling and was able to grow her own plant. As for sun, the most direct sun it can get is at high noon since our yard has high walls facing the rising and setting sun. So I guess most of its sun time is indirect/ambient(if that makes sense).

@@yllare Hmm, pests and the sunlight issue could definitely set the plant back. Curling of leaves could indicate a pest or nutrient deficiency (ex. calcium, magnesium) problem. The fact that you mention the leaves are big and healthy tells me you may have excessive nitrogen, which promotes leaf growth at the expense of fruiting. You may wish to try a high phosphorus liquid feed like a 15-30-15 bloom booster or anything where the first number is lower (i.e. n-P-K OR n-P-k). Feel free to send a photo of the plant to my IG @lucasgrowsbest

@@lucasgrowsbestyt wow thanks for the insight. I hadn't realized there was such a thing as too much nitrogen that prevented fruiting. alas the plant has been set back even further. my dogs somehow thought it was a chew toy and all but nearly plucked out its leaves and nearly killed the plant. It's still alive altho nearly bald of leaves. I'll try to nurse it back to health first. at the same time I'll look into the liquid feeds you mentioned for bloom boosting.

Could be a number of factors- temperature, nutrients, water, light, etc. Can you provide some more detail of your grow setup?

Decoration pretty much :)

Around 30-40 depends how well the plant does

Yeah but for better germination I recommend 80-85F

Canada!

They are wicked pods for sure!