Bhut Jolokia requires soil temperatures to be between 80 and 90 degrees F for proper germination. You may need to supply bottom heat with the aid of a propagation mat. We recommend any fine seedling starter mix, we use Metro Mix 300 seedling starter. Soil must be kept moderately moist, never being allowed to completely dry out and never allowed to become soggy. This will destroy the embryo in the seed and they will not germinate.

The Bhut Jolokia can take up to 36 days just to germinate and sometimes germinate 70 days after planting and have a very long growing period, up to 160 days after transplanting before any harvest.

The Bhut Jolokia is an interspecific hybrid, meaning it is a cross between two species, due to this it has a very hard time self-pollinating. For better pod development grow a habanero plant next to the Bhut Jolokia, if your plants are indoors you will have to manually transfer pollen with a soft paint brush. It is typical for the first set of flowers to drop from the plant and not produce any pods, be patient, pods will eventually start to develop.

The Bhut Jolokia is extremely hard to grow and we do not recommend it for the novice grower/gardener.