Pepper Carolina Reaper

There is one variety of pepper that is so famous that in 2013 it was entered in the Guinness Book of Records as the hottest pepper in the world. Until now, its Scoville pungency, reaching 1,500,000-2,200,000 units, has not been surpassed by any other such product. We are talking about hot pepper Carolina Reaper, which means "Carolina reaper".

This amazing hot pepper variety was bred by Ed Curry, a gardener and breeder, owner of the Pucker Butt Pepper company (Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA). The culture was obtained by breeding the common varieties of red habanero and Naja Viper pepper. In 2013, he was awarded the first place in the lists of many famous pungent varieties, and he has retained this leadership to this day. It is worth saying that up to this point, Trinidad Scorpio pepper was the champion in pungency, taking second place today.

Carolina Reaper - the pepper is so hot that you can only touch the fruit with gloves. According to connoisseurs of the product, it has a fruity taste, and notes of cinnamon, and even chocolate. But just to make sure whether this is so, it will be extremely difficult. It is forbidden to eat it raw, as it can cause severe burns and even lead to injuries to the digestive system. Pepper's incredible pungency is attributed to its high capsaicin content. Carolina Reaper belongs to perennial crops: if you follow all the nuances of agricultural technology, fruiting will last up to 4-5 years (this is for home conditions). And also the culture is distinguished by high seed germination.

The bushes of this variety are distinguished by their high growth, strong stems. Their length reaches 130 cm. Plants are spreading, in diameter they can take up to 1-1.2 m. The fruits of the Carolina Reaper hot pepper are small. The pod can be no more than three to five centimeters. average weight - 5-10 g.

Fruit color can be as follows: bright red, poisonous raspberry, chocolate cherry. In any case, this bright catchy color only confirms how burning the fruit is. The shape of the pepper is unusual: round and flattened. It is plump, and the surface is bumpy, as if rumpled. A characteristic feature is the so-called scorpion tail (long pointed tail at the top of the pod).

It is impossible to verify all descriptions of the taste and gastronomic qualities of this pepper, such as a sweetish taste, a subtle shade of citrus fruits, and so on. After all, it is impossible to eat fruits in its pure form, it is unsafe. However, sauces, marinades, which are prepared with the addition of this product, have a completely unique aroma. When cooking with this type of pepper, you need to protect yourself by wearing gloves, as well as a mask and even a special suit. But not only in the kitchen is Carolina Reaper used. Capsaicin, extracted from pepper, is used in medicine, and also a unique product is involved in the production of tear gas.

It takes 120 days from germination of seeds of Carolina Reaper to the beginning of fruiting.

Up to 40 fruits can develop on 1 bush at the same time. In a year, Carolina Reaper brings 0.3-0.42 kg of pods from one plant.

Carolina Reaper seeds are sown in pots of 2 pcs. in one landing hole. When they sprout, they leave the strongest sprout. The acidity of the substrate should be in the range of 5.6-7 pH. The seeds are buried 0.5 cm deep. So that they germinate, cover the planting with film or glass.

For the full cultivation of hot pepper Carolina Reaper, it is important to provide a temperature regime suitable for this culture (from 15 to 35 ° C), watering (moderate) and excellent sunlight.

It is very important to consider here that the hottest peppers in the world require quite a lot of space for the development of the root system. If you plan to grow the variety in a container (in a greenhouse or at home), the container should be spacious, at least 20 liters.

If you plan to grow peppers outdoors, be sure to harden them. To do this, they are first taken out on the terrace or balcony for 15 minutes, gradually this time increases. At the end, you can leave them outdoors for 6-8 hours.

When cultivating Carolina Reaper pepper in a house / apartment, care should be taken to maintain permanent heat at 23-26 degrees, as well as light (at least 14-15 hours).

Additional tips:

• transplanting seedlings is carried out when 2 pairs of true leaves have appeared;
• when the seedlings reach a growth of 10-12 cm, the bushes are transplanted to a permanent place in the greenhouse or to a solar garden, protected from the wind;
• Carolina Reaper pepper must be fed with a large amount of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers both during flowering and during fruiting;
• harvesting of fruits occurs only upon reaching technical ripeness.