Ghost pepper
Capsicum chinense
Also known as: Bhut Jolokia, Naga Jolokia, Naga king chili, U-morok, Bih Jolokia
Quick facts
- Category
- fruiting
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Days to harvest
- 110 to 130 days
- Harvest type
- continuous production over weeks or months
- Spacing
- 60 cm between plants
Environment
- Temperature
- 22–32°C
- pH
- 5.8 to 6.8
- EC (hydroponic)
- 2 to 3 mS/cm
- Daily light
- 25 to 35 mol/m²/day (strict, will fail outside this range)
Climate and zones
- USDA zones
- 9 to 13 (winter low around -7°C or warmer)
- Frost tolerance
- frost sensitive (dies at first frost)
- Season
- warm (summer crops, frost-sensitive)
Viable growing environments:
- outdoor in growing season (annual)
- unheated greenhouse / hoop house
- heated greenhouse
- indoor (heated home)
- indoor hydroponics under grow lights
USDA zone bounds reflect outdoor year-round survival. Anywhere outside the bounded zone range, this crop still grows as an annual in the warm months (outdoor_seasonal), under cover (greenhouse), or indoors under lights.
Growing systems
Ghost pepper works in:
- drip / Dutch buckets
- media bed (ebb and flow)
- soil bed
Growing media
The substrate the roots sit in. Choice depends on the system (clay pebbles don't fit NFT channels; rockwool isn't used in media beds) and the crop (ghost pepper works in the media listed below).
| Medium | pH effect | Water retention | Bacterial surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expanded clay pebbles (LECA) | neutral / inert | low | high |
| Coco coir (Coconut coir) | slightly acidic | high | moderate |
| Perlite (Expanded volcanic glass) | neutral / inert | very low | low |
| Rockwool (Mineral wool) | alkaline until pre-soaked | very high | low |
| Soil-based mix (Potting soil) | varies by source | high | high |
Bacterial surface area matters for aquaponics: clay pebbles, lava rock, and pumice double as biofilter substrate. Low-surface media (rockwool, perlite, pea gravel) work in hydroponics but need a separate biofilter in aquaponics.
Nutrient demand by stage
NPK ratios are relative weights at each growth stage; the nutrient mix calculator scales them to absolute grams or ml. EC targets shift through the plant's life: seedlings need a much lighter solution than fruiting adults.
| Stage | N | P | K | EC target (mS/cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seedling | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.2 |
| vegetative | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| flowering | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2.6 |
| fruiting | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2.8 |
Companion-growing notes
- Heavy uptake of potassium, calcium. Co-grown crops with the same demand will end up deficient even at "correct" EC. Plan around this in shared reservoirs.
Aquaponics suitability
Compatible with typical aquaponics nutrient profiles. Fish waste provides enough nitrogen for healthy growth; supplemental potassium, calcium, and iron may still be needed depending on fish stocking density.
Care notes
Culture is standard for Capsicum chinense superhots. EC 2.0-3.0 mS/cm. pH 5.5-6.5. Temperature: 24–32°C (demands sustained warmth; growth is poor below 20°C). Very high light (DLI 20-28 mol/m2/day). Long season: 100-130 days from transplant to ripe fruit, one of the longest among commonly grown peppers. Plants are medium to large (60–100 cm) and benefit from staking. DWC, Dutch bucket, or drip systems work. Hand-pollination improves fruit set indoors. Calcium supplementation during fruiting prevents blossom end rot. Handle with nitrile gloves; at this heat level, capsaicin can cause skin burns and severe eye/respiratory irritation. Each plant produces 20-40 fruits. Ghost peppers dry well: dehydrate at 55–65°C until brittle, then grind for powder. The dried powder is used in hot sauces, spice rubs, and as a heat-additive. A single plant produces more peppers than most households can consume in a year, given the extreme heat.
Notable varieties
A starting shortlist of cultivars worth knowing about. Not exhaustive: the seed catalogs list hundreds of named varieties. These are the ones home growers commonly choose between.
| Cultivar | Type | Days | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Bhut Jolokia | open-pollinated | 120 | The original Assamese cultivar, deep red at ripeness, 855,000-1,041,000 Scoville. The 'real' ghost pepper genetically. |
| Chocolate Bhut Jolokia | open-pollinated | 125 | Dark brown at ripeness, slightly slower-ripening. Tested similar Scoville to red but with a smokier flavor note. |
| White Bhut Jolokia | open-pollinated | 130 | Cream-white at ripeness, the rarest form, slower-growing and lower-yielding. Hobby variety. |
| Yellow Bhut Jolokia | open-pollinated | 125 | Bright yellow-orange at ripeness. Generally slightly milder than red (still 700,000+ Scoville). Hobby variety. |
Plan a setup with Ghost pepper
Verified against: chile-pepper-institute-nmsu, indian-council-of-agricultural-research, defence-research-laboratory-india. Last reviewed 2026-05-15.