Edible plant · fruiting

Trinidad Scorpion

Capsicum chinense

Also known asTrinidad Moruga Scorpion · Scorpion pepper · Trinidad Scorpion Butch T

intermediate warm-season frost-sensitive hydroponic-ready aquaponic-ready continuous

Use in garden planner Calculate nutrients

Days to harvest

100–120

Yield / plant

0.4kg

Spacing

60 cm

Daily light

25–35DLI

Environment

The bounded range this crop tolerates. Strict on light; outside the DLI band, yields drop sharply.

Temperature

5152535

22–32°C

45.578.5

5.8–6.8

EC (hydro)

01234

2–3 mS/cm

Daily light

5152535

25–35 mol/m²/d

!Light strict; fails outside DLI band

✓Continuous harvest

Climate and zones

USDA zones: 9–13 (winter low around -7°C)
Frost: frost sensitive (dies at first frost)
Season: warm (summer, frost-sensitive)

·Outdoor year-round (in zone)

✓Outdoor in growing season

✓Unheated greenhouse / hoop

✓Heated greenhouse

✓Indoor (heated home)

✓Indoor hydroponics + grow lights

Growing systems

Root mass: moderate.

·Deep water culture (rafts)

·NFT channels

·Vertical / aeroponic tower

✓Drip / Dutch buckets

✓Media bed (ebb and flow)

·Wicking bed

✓Soil bed

Growing media

Medium	pH effect	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	high	high

Nutrient demand by stage

NPK ratios are relative weights. EC targets shift through the plant's life.

Stage	N	P	K	EC (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.

Aquaponics suitability

Compatible

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 C. chinense superhots (see the habanero and ghost pepper entries). EC 2.0-3.0 mS/cm. pH 5.8-6.8. Temperature: 24–32°C. Very high light (DLI 25-35 mol/m2/day). Long season: 100-120 days. Plants are medium to large (60–100 cm), each producing 20-40 fruits. Handle with nitrile gloves; at around 2 million SHU the capsaicin is concentrated enough to cause chemical burns on skin and severe respiratory irritation from fumes. The main use is hot sauce, blended with vinegar, garlic and tropical fruit for extreme heat plus the characteristic C. chinense fruitiness, and the dried, ground powder is used as a heat additive in extreme sauces and spice challenges. A single plant produces more heat than most people consume in a year.

Notable varieties

Cultivar	Type	Origin	Days	Notes
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion	open pollinated		110	From the Moruga region of Trinidad, the variant that briefly held the Guinness record in 2012. Average 1.2 million Scoville, peak tests 2 million. Red, walnut-sized.
Trinidad Scorpion Butch T	open pollinated	Butch Taylor	105	Stable named strain, held the world record briefly before Moruga. 1.4 million Scoville average.
Yellow Trinidad Scorpion	open pollinated		110	Yellow at ripeness, slightly milder than red (still 800,000+ Scoville), brighter citrus note. Hobby variety.
Chocolate Trinidad Scorpion	open pollinated		115	Dark brown at ripeness, sometimes called '7 Pot Douglah' depending on strain. Among the hottest peppers in average testing (1.85 million Scoville).