Scotch Bonnet Hot Pepper Plant

Scotch Bonnet Hot Pepper Plant Care

Capsicum Chinense 'scotch Bonnet'

Other names: Chili Pepper 'scotch Bonnet' , Caribbean Red Pepper, Capsicum Chinense 'scotch Bonnet', Scotch Bonnet Hot Pepper

What is the plant

Scotch bonnet, also known as bonney peppers, or Caribbean red peppers, is a variety of chili pepper named for its resemblance to a tam o' shanter hat. It is ubiquitous in West Africa. Most Scotch bonnets have a heat rating of 100,000–350,000 Scoville units. For comparison, most jalapeño peppers have a heat rating of 2,500 to 8,000 on the Scoville scale. However, completely sweet varieties of Scotch bonnet called cachucha peppers are grown on some of the Caribbean islands. These peppers are used to flavor many different dishes and cuisines worldwide and are often used in hot sauces and condiments. The Scotch bonnet has a sweeter flavor and stouter shape, distinct from its habanero relative with which it is often confused, and gives jerk dishes (pork/chicken) and other Caribbean dishes their unique flavor. Fresh, ripe Scotch bonnets can change from green to yellow to scarlet red; some varieties of this pepper can ripen to orange, yellow, peach, or even a chocolate brown.

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Humidity

Normal

Lighting

Full Sun

Hardiness zone

9 - 11

Difficulty

Medium

Hibernation

Cold Period

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Hot peppers need to dry out between waterings, but make sure they get at least 1 inch of water each week. They will drop their flowers if allowed to become drought-stressed. A good layer of mulch around the base of the plant will help conserve soil moisture.
Pruning
Trim back all non-essential branches a few weeks before the first frost. As the season draws to an end, trim back all the parts of the pepper plant that don't already have maturing fruit on them. Remove branches with flowers and any peppers unlikely to ripen before the frost.
Fertilizer
Overfeeding will result in leafy plants with few peppers. Add some organic matter before planting to ensure good drainage as well as provide nutrients. You can also give them a dose of balanced fertilizer at planting time and again when the first flowers appear. Many gardeners add a small handful of Epsom salts to the soil at planting time as a magnesium boost.

Disease diagnosis

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Temperature
Ideal temperature conditions for the plant are between 75 and 95 degrees. If it becomes too hot, the plant will drop blooms and fruit.
Container
For growing chili peppers in containers, choose a container that has sufficient drainage holes (You can also use grow bags).
Additional
A perennial, these pepper plants produce small, glossy fruit that ranges in color from red orange to yellow when mature. The fruit is prized for the smoky, fruity notes it imparts along with its heat. The Scotch Bonnet 'Sweet' is not really sweet but rather sweetly hot, hot, hot.