A Beginners Guide to Growing Naga Chillies
A post by request…..
This is in response to a number of requests I have received via the blog and e mail for a straight forward guide to growing the world’s hottest chillies. It has proved to be an incredibly popular subject even if some of you are bored to death by it by now!
Note: This is based on my experiences of growing chillies, this is not an ‘expert guide’ rather how I managed to grow several hundred chillies of many varieties in an English climate.
1. Sow the chilli Seeds: If you can get your hands on a specialist chilli germinating solution then so much the better, if not, don’t worry. Take a standard seed cell tray and fill with a mixture of good quality seed compost and a handful of fine vermiculite to aid drainage. Moisten with water and place in a propagator to warm the soil. Note: If you live in a cold climate you will need an electric propagator as you will have to sow the seeds in late January. Chillies need a long growing season, you cannot wait for the weather to change. Sow the seeds one per cell, cover with compost and keep moist, ensure a regular temperature is maintained.
2. What to do when the chilli seeds have germinated: This is an important time, if the chilli seeds germinate too quickly,i.e ’shoot up’ with a long thin stem then you might be in trouble. Too much heat and not enough height can be problomatic. Make sure the seedlings have plenty of natural light where possible, use alternative heat lamps if need be. If the seedlings seem to be straining towards the light then turn them around and try and expose them to more light, they should grow straight and true. To avoid ‘bolting’ decrease the heat during the day and increase during the night as the temperature drops, but try and maintain an even temperature.
3. Potting the seedlings on: Don’t be in a rush to transplant the young seedlings into a larger pot, they’ve got months of growing ahead of them so wait until they are well established in their individual cells. Repeat the process with the warm soil and vermiculite mixture, don’t shock the tender seedlings by putting them into cold compost. Use a 7″ plant pot or similar, keep the light source constant and watch out for sudden fluctuations in temperature. If you have a warm greenhouse/conservatory then so much the better. Leave these in their pots for at leat another month or until the roots just begin to show at the bottom of the pot. Keep moist but do not overwater.
4. Potting chillies into their final growing position: Hopefully you will now have healthy chilli plants in small pots. Now is the time to transfer them into their final growing place. This depend upon your circumstance, it might be a large pot, growbag, polytunnel or outside if you live in a hot climate. Wherever you are the plants need heat, if you live in a cool climate such as England then you will have to grow them under glass. If you live in a country with six months of fine sunshine then plant them outside.
Jolokia plants like to be kept moist but not over-watered. Spray the plants with a fine spray of room temperature water to encourage the plants to flower. Feed with a chilli or tomato feed once a week. Use a cane to support the plants as they grow.
5. How to Pollinate Chillies by hand: Place a bowl of water by the plants and leave to come to temperature. Take a fine paintbrush and dip in the warm water. Gently dab the flowering heads with the brush to aid pollination, the jolokia’s need this more than other chilli varieties, particularly if you are growing under glass.
6. Feeding chilli plants: Gradually increase the feeding to twice a week as the plants grow, don’t worry if the plants dry out a little in between watering. Rough, hot conditions suit the hotter strains of chilli and the strength of the chilli heat will be affected by this. Basically, mother them until they are in their final growing place and then treat them a bit rough. Damp your greenhouse and/or plants down during hot spells.
7. Harvesting your chilli plants: If you want to increase the yield of your plants then pick some whilst still green, use scissors and cut them cleanly. Leave the rest to mature on the plant, the heat increases with the maturity of the fruit, if the climate is right they will continue to ripen into the winter months.
Hope this is of some use, if you manage to get through the cold spell trouble free then you should be in for a ‘home run’. Chillies are fun to grow and rarely prove troublesome.
Once you go through one season, does the process start all over again? I have ripe Jolokias and I brought the plant indoors for the winter (I live in Minnesota, USA). I am picking the last of the ripe fruit for the season and am wondering if they will just start flowering again? If so, how long will it be and what decides when they flower again?
November 13, 2008 @ 12:28 am
Justin,
Welcome to the site and thanks for the comment. You can try overwintering them, I haven’t tried it as I usually start the process all over again each year. Some varieties of chilli will overwinter but I honestly don’t know about the naga.
Give it a go anyway, I’d be interested to know how you get on.
Kind regards
Miles
November 13, 2008 @ 7:19 am
i have been growing nagas for a very long time and i always over winter them, i live in england and have had no promlems, i have a naga plant which is three years old and has got nagas on it as well, if you over winter them they do produce nagas but fewer, in winter time i bring them indoors and place them in areas where they can get a bit of heat and light e.g kitchen, bathroom and in the living room next to the t.v, i water them every 2 weeks so the soil does not completely dry out, there are other tips that my grandfather showed me which i will tell later, as i said i have my 3 year old naga which now looks like a little tree, i come from the land where naga originated from (bagladesh) and i have never ever managed to eat a whole naga.
August 30, 2009 @ 8:16 pm
Khalid,
Welcome to the site and thank you for your comment. That’s a brilliant tip, thanks very much. I know a lot of people will find this very useful. I have certainly learnt something today.
Hope you return again soon.
Kind regards
Miles
August 30, 2009 @ 10:42 pm
G’Day Miles,
I live in a beachside suberb of Victoria Australia & I too, like Justin brought my Naga’s in for the winter.I have just harvested the last of the fruit that has been “vine ripening” all season long.
There is plenty of foliage & new growth, however they tend to be a bit “precious” & like the Basil herb, they dont take kindly to being touched let alone knocked. As we have just entered Spring” here, I’m wondering how they will take to “pruning” and if so, is there any special tricks to it !!?? And why they appear to dislike “Seasol” an organic marine based fertiliser !?
Any Ideas Miles ?! or maybe Khalid can help?
Cheers Fellas !
September 8, 2009 @ 9:59 am
Susanna,
Welcome to the site and thanks for your comment, even if I envy your beachside location!!
I’ve never overwintered chilli plants to be honest because I have always condsidered it a waste of time in an English winter.
It may be worth pruning it Susanna, I would hope that it would give you a stronger plant in the long run. I’ve never heard of Seasol before, I use a dedicated chilli feed from a UK supplier but in the past I used nothing more than a regular tomato plant feed.
If I can find anymore information on pruning and over wintering I’ll come back to you.
I wish you luck.
Kind regards
Miles
September 8, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
Hi Miles,
I’ve recently been experimenting with growing different varieties of chillis for the same reason as any food/chilli lover really, the satisfaction and fresh chillies! One of the varieties I’m currently growing are the Dorset Naga’s and I have 4 plants at about 3″ tall all in seperate pots. They were late going in, with regards to the normal recommended but hoping I can get them through the year with light and heat indoors. My real query is on the current leaf size on the plants. As mentioned they are currently about 3″ tall but a couple of the plants have leaves that are c.2″ and about 2″ across which I wasn’t sure if this was normal for the plants? My other chilli plants have much smaller leaves for the stage in the growth and was unsure how normal this was for the plant? They are very nice and straight and growing well but I suppose a bit “top heavy” with the larger leaves at the top level of the plant and secondary leaves underneath. A rather large and long description there but was hoping to paint a good picture
Hope you can help,
Regards,
Ross, Hertfordshire
September 8, 2009 @ 2:08 pm
Ross,
Welcome to the site, glad you found us. The leaves do sound a bit on the large side to be honest and could hinder the development of the fruit. The key, I believe is in the initial growing stage when the shoots begin to appear. Too leggy and they will be weak but you seem to have the opposite. Have a look at some of my photos of naga/jolokia’s (click on link below) to give you an idea of what they look like at varying stages of their growing life and compare it to your own plants. It could well be that you’ve planted them too late but time will tell.
I wish you well with them.
kind regards
Miles
http://www.milescollins.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=364
September 8, 2009 @ 9:15 pm
Hi, Miles!
I’m in Toronto, Canada. My Jolokia is just starting to produce; the fruits are still green. I have the following questions:
1. When is the proper time to harvest them?
2. I expect to get about 20 fruits. What are some ways to keep them? Could I freeze them, dry them, pickle them, etc. and how?
3. What are some good ways to eat them? Do you mind sharing some tried-and-true recipes?
Many thanks!
Al
September 20, 2009 @ 3:48 am
Al,
Welcome to the site and thanks for stopping by. Glad to hear that you’ve grown some jolokia, congratulations-they’re not easy to grow.
The time to harvest them is when they have turned red and are fully ripe. I dried all of mine-see link below on drying chillies:
http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/drying-fresh-chillies
You could certainly pickle them:
http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/pickled-chillies
I personally wouldn’t try and freeze them but it may be worth trying one or two as an experiment.
As far as eating them is concerned I don’t have a specific recipe as they are simply too hot to use in any quantity. There will be recipes out there but I would suggest you use them a. very sparingly and b. as the heat source behind other ingredients. If you are making a chilli paste for example you could use milder chilies for the main and use a little jolokia to give you the heat and fruit flavour.
That’s the best I can suggest Al, they are seriously hot.
Good luck, I hope you return again soon.
kind regards
Miles
September 20, 2009 @ 8:17 am
Hi, Miles!
Thanks!
I went to considerable lengths to grow those peppers and it would be a shame not to taste them.
In honour of your good efforts in hosting this forum, I dedicate this recipe (as yet untested) to you.
MILES-HIGH MACHO BEEF (To be served only with appropriate warnings, disclaimers and/or signed releases.)
Cube and marinated beef. Dice one’s choice of veggies such as bell peppers, celery, carrots, onion and what have you. Finely chop 1/5 of one Nagar Jolokia pepper and mix in.
On low heat, saute the beef for no more than 30 seconds and when cool, lightly dust with flour.
Fry some raw cashews or peanunts and crush when cool, and use as topping later.
On the highest temp setting, flash fry several Szechuan peppers, peppercorns and a few green onion inchlings. Then toss in the veggies, tossing and turning with vigor and even fanfare. Add salt and a teeny bit so surgar to taste. Perhaps even some MSG or chicken essence.
Splash in some rum and a few drops of seasme oil.
Garnish with the nut bits. Voila!
As all can see, I ain’t no cook, but I sure like my dishes hot!
Al
September 20, 2009 @ 4:35 pm
Oops! Perchance one asks ‘Where’s the beef,’ it goes in right after the Szechuan peppers!
Al
September 20, 2009 @ 4:41 pm
Al,
That sounds great!! I love anything with Sechuan pepper in it so I’ll give it a go. Many thanks, good luck eating those chillies
Miles
September 20, 2009 @ 7:56 pm
Wow a site of jolokia lovers!!!
I’ve been trying to grow them from seed. One pot outside and one inside. It’s been more than 2 weeks now but no signs of germination 
.
So i spoke to the friend who gave me the chillies and found out he had them in the fridge before he collected the seeds!
Does having them in the fridge kill the seeds? Is there any seed CPR out there!
December 20, 2009 @ 7:08 am
GP,
Welcome to the site. I don’t know which country/climate you live in so it’s difficult to help. The chillies should be dried first before planting. I’m not saying they won’t work but you’d be better off with dried. Just make sure tehy get sufficient heat and light but it all depends on where you live at this time of the year.
Good luck!
Miles
December 20, 2009 @ 10:07 am
Miles! Thanks.. hope is alive! i’m in india.. its winter.. but still quite sunny and shouldnt get colder than 8 C on a cold night.
Thanks again!
December 20, 2009 @ 2:00 pm
This guide comes very handy as I am trying to grow Dorset Naga and Bhut Jolokia. The Bhut Jolokia seeds are from a very dry chili. They look rather brownish. Do you think they will germinate?
January 1, 2010 @ 8:31 am
Pro Bono,
Welcome to the site. I don’t see why they shouldn’t germinate given the right conditions. They will require a lot of care and attention in the first few weeks so good luck with it.
Kind regards
Miles
January 1, 2010 @ 9:48 am
Hi folks,
I live in the northern suburbs of Melbourne…its do nice to find some like people…with the same interest…Dorset Naga’s.
We have a Naga that’s two years old in a pot…which is fruiting nicely…but has been slow to bind blossom to fruit…have used a cotton bud to pollinate
.
This year I also planted two Naga’s hydroponically…these plants have gone absolutely nuts in growth…we are also growing, Ringo, Long Joe Cayenne and Hungarian Hot Wax hydroponically…all which are going “gang busters”.
I have found that to promote growth and to minimise blossom drop…and to bind fruit on in ground plants…I used some Potash Powder that purchased from Bunnings.
Other than that, as previously suggested…we have all our plants in “full” sun light…no shade…and yes we slightly abuse our two year old potted Naga.
At the end of summer we plan to transfer the hydroponic Naga’s into our Atrium, which will provide heat and protection from the elements until next summer.
For those experiencing that growing Naga’s is like mating elephants – sometimes just about impossible…be patient they do grow. We have always germainted our seeds on a heat mat in a ventilated germination box…inside the house, beside the Atrium to allow nature light to hit the seedlings as soon a they raise their heads for the first time…this minimises lanky, spindly plants…all our plants are look like thick shrubs.
I hope by sharing our experiences…might make it easier for others to enjoy the joys of Naga’s.
By the way I’ve only ever once eaten a Naga whole…I don’t think I’ll do that again in a hurry
Cheers,
Uncle Artie
February 14, 2010 @ 11:26 am
Uncle Artie,
Welcome to the site and thanks for a great comment. Plenty of sound advice there which I am sure will be appreciated.
Good luck with the growing, Long Joe’s are great, one of my all time favourites.
Kind regards
Miles
February 14, 2010 @ 3:24 pm
Hi Miles,
I have an almost 2 year old Naga chilli plant that continues to flower, but never seems to fruit. Would that mean I need to manually pollinate it??
March 17, 2010 @ 9:09 am
Rebecca,
Welcome to the site, I would give the hand pollinating a go, not sure where you live but it might be worth trying to source a specialist chilli plant feed.
Here’s some more info on hand pollinating….
http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/hand-pollinating-the-bhut-jolokia
Good luck!
Miles
March 17, 2010 @ 9:42 am
hi Miles,
So happy that i fell on to your site. I am from the Toronto, Canada area and I am taking my first attempt at growing Naga’s. I have been very successful in the past with growing Cayennes and I am hoping to have the same success here. I started the seeds back on March 1st and most are doing well. I have since transfered a couple to the ground in an area that gets about 8+ hours of full sun each day. I will also be putting a couple in black pots so that I can hopefully save a few over the winter months.
My question to you is, is there anything i should do for the ones in the garden to keep them ‘warmer’ so they grow stronger?
Also, when i transfer the potted ones inside at the end of the season, how can i keep them aphid free?
Thanks
JD
May 18, 2010 @ 3:14 pm
JD,
Welcome to the site, I’m glad you found us!
If you’ve grown Cayennes outside before then your naga’ should be ok, personally I believe the success to growing naga’s is to give them plenty of heat and sunlight. I don’t know what your climate is really like JD but it has to be better than mine! If you can grow them under glass then all the better in my opinion because I feel you should try and replicate the heat source which they are traditionally grown in. If you haven’t got a greenhouse then you may be able to find a smaller version which has a protective cover which will help keep the warmth in overnight.
As for keeping them indoors I woud suggest you find a space which you can keep clean and dust free, please don’t take that the wrong way but the room should be well ventilated becasue dry air attracts red spider mite and other pests. Keep the plants well fed and a sprinkle of potash around the border wouldn’t hurt. You can spray them of course but that depends on your point of view regarding organic growing.
Hope that helps, I wish you luck.
Miles
May 18, 2010 @ 9:17 pm
Hi Miles, good article and some great comments!
I live in the channel islands (same climate as uk) and have been growing chillies for about 4 years. I grew Nagas for the first time last year and they turned out well - really really hot! I’ve also grown various habaneros, jalepenos, prarie fire, numex suave and cayennes.
Regarding overwintering, you are missing out BIG TIME. When i plant a chilli plant now, my main aim is to get it nice and strong for the second year. If i get some fruit, great, but year 2 and 3 is what it is all about. Year two you can expect 10 x more fruit than year one and you will get fruit earlier too.
I have tried a couple of techniques including hard pruning at the end of the season and light pruning in Jan/Feb. The second works better IMO. I just trimmed the ends of some of the branches that dried out which seemed to prompt loads of new growth. The plant then goes nuts and by April you should have a really healthy, sturdy plant with loads of leaves.
Take a look at these photos. The last one is a habanero plant in the first year, the four before last are the same plant in the second year. The difference is massive!
Sam’s photos
Also, freezing chillies is actually a great way of preserving them. Depending on what you want to use them for. I’m still using last seasons. They go soft after being defrosted but don’t lose heat or flavour. Absolutely fine for cooking.
You’re probably on this already but for a massive source of info, go here (i am a member):
chillisgalore.co.uk
I HIGHLY recommend the Naga Daddy Sauce recipe in the recipes section, an amazing way of using them.
Sam.
June 4, 2010 @ 11:36 am
Sam,
Welcome to the blog and thanks for a great comment. That’s really useful information Sam which will come in handy for many people. I get hundreds and hundreds of visitors on this one thread alone.
I don’t overwinter chillies personally, I have such a glut of dried ones it’s not really worth it but that’s great advice nonetheless.
The photos are superb, great work.
Thanks again, hope you return again soon.
Kind regards
Miles
June 4, 2010 @ 7:17 pm
Hi Miles,
Thanks for the comments! I’ll be looking around at your articles.
Great blog!
Sam.
June 7, 2010 @ 9:05 am
Sam,
Many thanks, you’re welcome back anytime.
Kind regards
Miles
June 7, 2010 @ 10:08 am
Great article my friend!! I just wished I had found it a week ago as I planted some naga morich (southern Spanish hybrid) seeds in tubs on my patio. I live in Spain and its hot all day(37 degrees) and cool at night.
Have I just planted them at the wrong time of year? They are taking ages to germinate, I have them in small tubs with soil.
Kind regards,
Jimmy.
July 18, 2010 @ 7:24 pm
Jimmy,
Welcome to the site, glad you found me! They do take a while to germinate but also require a fairly long growing time, that said your climate will suit them better than mine so they should continue to ripen in October. Germination can be slow, just keep the temperature as regular as possible, they don’t like fluctuations, so treat them kind!
Good luck Jimmy,
best wishes
Miles
July 18, 2010 @ 10:07 pm
My chilie plants are around 3 foot tall and covered in flower,any idea why after a few days the flower and stem just drop off.this is my first attempt at growing chilies so am probably doing something wrong,having read your site it may be over watering,i water most days as they are in a greenhouse so i water them same time as tomms and cucumber,i feed twice a week with tomm food and miricle grow…any help would be great thanks
July 27, 2010 @ 4:26 pm
Steve,
Welcome to the site. It sounds to me like they are being over watered. You can afford to treat them a bit mean from time to time, after all they are used to a dry climate. Don’t let them dry out but depending on the amount of light and heat they are getting adjsut your watering accordingly.
Use a spray bottle to moisten the flowering heads and I’d probably only feed once per week.
Good luck!
Miles
July 27, 2010 @ 9:44 pm
Hi Steve,
I’m pretty sure your problem will be the amount of feed you are giving them.
Tomato feed is too strong for chillies until they start to bear fruit. Even then, you should give them 1/2 strength at most once a week.
“Chilli focus” is perfect for the plants while they grow, then switch to the half strength tom feed when then fruit.
One thing to remember though, there are many other reasons why the flowers will drop off, so too much water, not enough humidity, no insects to pollinate (or a breeze for self pollination) will all contribute.
So…. cut the feed right down for now, don’t water them so much and spray some water on the leaves with a mist spray thing from time to time. They should start growing in a week or two. Remember, it is normal to lose some flowers.
July 28, 2010 @ 5:06 pm
Hello there
This is my 1st ever post on a Naga site - lol.
I have to say I love my plant! I bought it for 99p off ebay some 10 months ago and have mothered it since. It is now 3 foot tall and 3 foot wide. At the present moment I have approx 10 Naga’s ready to cut off - yum yum.
My question being - My plant is situated in the Conservatory which is south facing ( I live in the UK). I’m wondering what to do around teh month of October as the temperatures drop dramitically. I believe you give the plant a good chop and then move some where warm while they hibernate for the cooler winter months. How low do you cut them back?
A recipe I use for the Naga…….
Bombay mix
tomato - chopped small
cucumber - chopped small
Red onion - chopped small
2 tbl spoons of Naga from bottled “Mr Naga”
1 full Naga bulb chopped finely.
A full plant of corriander
1 full lemon
Bootiful and hot!
August 10, 2010 @ 4:30 pm
Daz,
Welcome to the site and thanks for stopping by. Glad to hear you’ve had success with the plant. Keep it somewhere warm and where the temperature doesn’t fluctuate too much. I would give it a light prune to begin with, nothing too dramatic. Take out any stems which haven’t produced fruit and look at a harder pruning the following year.
Your recipe sounds great..you’re a brave man!
Thanks again Daz,
Kind regards
Miles
August 10, 2010 @ 5:09 pm
Hi Daz,
I agree with Miles, just a light prune will be fine. I just take the very tips off and then leave it on a windowsill inside.
I don’t prune mine until about december though, usually get a second crop of smaller chillies that ripen about then.
You do need to water it but much less frequently. Basically just don’t let it dry out completely but don’t leave it soggy.
Then some time in Jan you’ll get growth starting again. The plant will grow bigger and stronger in the second year and you will get more chillies!
Enjoy!
August 11, 2010 @ 8:11 am
What is the best way to preserve the naga aftr its been removed from the plant?
Tips needed please…….
Cheers
August 20, 2010 @ 5:52 pm
Daz,
I dried mine in the airing cupboard but you could pickle them as well. Personally I prefer to dry chillies, it’s down to your own personal taste.
Cheers
Miles
August 20, 2010 @ 7:05 pm
Daz,
It depends on what you intend using them for.
If you want to make chilli flakes or powder you need to dry them. But if you want to make a sauce or paste, you can freeze them. I’ve got Nagas in my freezer that have been in there for a year now and they are still perfectly fine. They will be mushy when they defrost but for a sauce, this doesn’t matter.
If using fresh, they will keep in the fridge for about 3 weeks.
S.
August 24, 2010 @ 9:10 am
Hi, I’m so glad I came upon your website looking for info on the Dorset Naga pepper. I bought my plant back in May with 1 stem and a couple of leaves. I live in Toronto and the plant has been on the belcony facing south so I get the sun 3/4 of the day. I now have 20 peppers on it and only 2 are red (small little ones) all the rest are about 4 inchs long and are green. Will they turn red? and at what point do I pick them? what do I do with them? I’m new to all this and am looking forward to making my own hot sauce! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
Fiona
September 4, 2010 @ 4:55 pm
Fiona,
Welcome to the site and congratulations on your harvest! Leave them on the vine to ripen to a deep red and then pick them, it’s a bit early yet.
You can easily dry them for use throughout the year Fiona. I would use them very sparingly as an addition to a standard salsa recipe using a fraction of the amount of ‘normal’ chillies required. Have a look at the links below for some more info:
http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/pickled-chillies
http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/drying-fresh-chillies
Kind regards
Miles
September 4, 2010 @ 8:01 pm
Hi,
Great site , just brought a dorset naga off ebay , came in a cd case and is about 2 inches tall , planted it and gave it some water , it’s come up ok but has wilted a bit today so I’ve popped a plastic bag over it to keep some heat in , its on a window sill facing south and the room temperate is around 20c in the day time.
I read from this site that I should water about one a week , is it ok to keep bagging the plant over night to keep the temperature and humidity in?
October 17, 2010 @ 10:16 pm
Greg,
Welcome to the site, glad you like it. As long as the plant gets as much light and heat during the day and the nightime temperature doesn’t drop too much then you should be fine and not need to cover it. This depends where you live Greg, if you are in the UK then really you’ve missed the boat because they should be ripening by now.
Miles
October 17, 2010 @ 10:49 pm
Hi Miles
I’m growing Naga Morich (19 so far from 24 seeds). It’s been unseasonally cool on Queensland’s Gold Coast but hopefully it’ll warm up soon. They seem to be pretty happy in their mini hot-house seed thingy and some are just starting to get their second set of leaves.
Apparently they like potassium but no so much nitrogen, so I have a question about that. I thought that mulched banana peels would be good once they’re in pots (I intend their final home to be individual 250mm pots with herb and tomato potting mix). As most of the question has been telegraphed by the preface, I’m just left with “Is that a good idea?”…
Also, any other tips to successfully burning my arse with a good Naga Morich Express Vindaloo?
Thanks
Jeff
December 11, 2010 @ 8:45 am
Jeff,
Welcome to the site, trust me you’re better off on the Gold Coast than the east coast of England where I am! The tomato mix should be fine, to be honest Jeff I never bothered with too much of the science and simply fed them a chilli and/or tomato feed in basic potting compost. I managed to gow them during an ordinary English summer (under glass obviously) where temperatures will be nothing like yours. Don’t get too bogged down with it Jeff, they grow in very harsh conditions in Naga so you’ll be fine.
As for the culinary side I would avoid using them in pastes and just add a couple of slices to the dish at a later stage, they are mind blowingly hot so be careful. If a recipe calls for three to four hot chillies then try a quater of one naga…that should give you an idea.
Good luck
Miles
December 11, 2010 @ 9:31 am
Thanks for your advice, Miles.
On the culinary side, I’m not exactly what you’d consider normal. I made a batch of Lamb Vindaloo with 50 orange Habaneros (12½ per serving) and survived quite nicely. I’ll tread carefully with the Naga, however, and hit the same recipe with just 15 of them to try them out.
I’ve warned my neighbours that just 2½ grams of Naga is around the same heat as a kilogram of Jalapenos. They’ve bolted their doors and I haven’t heard from them since…
I actually had a burning sensation on my top lip after planting the seeds. I must have wiped my lip or something equally harmless under normal circumstances, and I glowed for about 15 minutes. They came from an eBay seller, so at least I confirmed that they’re the real deal!
I’ll let you know how they turn out. They should be pretty damn good!!
Jeff
December 11, 2010 @ 9:51 am
Jeff,
You’re brave!! Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on with them.
Cheers
Miles
December 11, 2010 @ 7:28 pm
Hey quality site . My naga got some bugs on it and clever me put it outside in the winter for a night to kill them off now that worked . However my plant is left with little stumps all over it were the bugs ate everything .and just a few leaves were a bit of frost hit it . Is my plant now a lost cause ? Many thanks for helping if you can Russell from Hampshire England .
February 14, 2011 @ 4:13 am
Russell,
Welcome to the site, sorry to hear about your plant. To be honest I’d stick with it, scrape the flesh ofthe stem and see if the colour is still vibrant or not-that should give you more of an idea. Give it plenty of warmth and TLC but don’t overwater. It could well come good again.
Good luck
Kind regards
Miles
February 14, 2011 @ 2:37 pm
hi, i’m from singapore, and i’m wondering if the nagas could grow in my climate. avg temp is around 25-31 degrees celcius, humidity is 70-80%. i’m no chilli genius, but i like to grow stuff. also, step by step key points on growing these nagas would be great.
Thanks.
June 13, 2011 @ 9:17 am
Hi Miles
I just bought a Dorset naga off the net and the tree is only about 3 inches tall with about 5 decent sized leaves on it. Will this be too late for teh growing season to get a harvest off it?
It’s sat in my london office by a window and has optimal light and temperature, but I’m wondering if it will have enough time to catch up before the seasons pass.
Cheers
Jeff
June 15, 2011 @ 2:37 pm
Hi Jeff,
Welcome to the site. I think it’s a little late but you never know. If it is to fruit this year then it needs some serious light and warmth. They will ripen until the end of September so you might be in luck. I hope so.
Kind regards
Miles
June 15, 2011 @ 4:02 pm
i have just stumbled across this site, which is rather good by the way! i have just planted some naga seeds has this been a waste of time for me? by the sounds of it they will not grow at all now, i live in the uk cheers
June 29, 2011 @ 10:57 pm
Ryan,
Welcome to the site, thank you for your kind words. To be honest planting should have started in late February but stick with it and hopefully the plants will fruit next year.
Best of luck
Miles
June 30, 2011 @ 7:13 am
Ryan, if you keep them alive over winter you will be miles ahead next year.
2nd year plants always do better than 1st.
Sam.
July 1, 2011 @ 12:45 pm
Miles Great site.
Just grown six Bhut plants from seed in England Seeds from chilli pepper pete in Brighton
Now got all plants producing. My tips. Be very patient. Flower drop is a lot but wait and it happens Germinated in the boiler cupboard in wet tissue paper and then in porch was fine despite the poor summer. Reckon I have 30 fruit on the way. 2 harvested and very red t
( they were early) and now the rest fruiting from flower
Horrendous greenfly but treatment sorted it
Just staring at the first two fruit wondering how hot they are.
Find out this weekend !! Well chuffed as first attempt at these
September 1, 2011 @ 7:40 pm
Gareth,
Many thanks and welcome to the site. Great advice there and I’m delighted they’ve worked out alright. It’s a great feeling isn’t it?
Go easy on the taste test though mate, they’re something else, really are.
All the best
Miles
September 1, 2011 @ 8:49 pm
I planted my seeds in early August, was this pointless? I live in the UK and now have 10 plants in small pots on the kitchen windowsill. I have never grown chilli plants before and would love some basic advice.
Thank you
September 8, 2011 @ 8:29 pm
Dan,
Welcome to the site. To be honest you’ve missed the boat in my opinion. They need a long growing season so are best started in late February/early March. Keep them warm and moist and they should be fine, as we are both in England they are best grown under glass to give them extra warmth. Once the seedlings have grown strong but not leggy pot them on into slightly larger pots and then into larger pots as soon as they are well established.
Keep the plants moist but not soaking and feed once a week.
Best of luck
Miles
September 8, 2011 @ 10:47 pm
ok thanks miles i will do all that and hopefully next year i will have some chillis
September 14, 2011 @ 6:38 pm
Hi Miles. I just unwittingly purchased some Dorset Naga seeds without realising there was a season. Will my seeds keep until February and if so what is the best way to store them? I have purchased a heated propogator and will invest in some lights. Are the LED panel lights I’ve seen advertised any use? I am in wet and windy Wales so plan on growing indoors mostly! Also is there a strain of cjhili i could try this time of year just to get my hand in so to speak?
Many thanks. Jon
September 23, 2011 @ 10:07 pm
Jon,
Welcome to the site. Afraid to say you’ve missed the boat there mate but don’t worry, the seeds will be fine for next year, keep them in an envelope or something similar and in a cool, dry place (kitchen cupboard) and they’ll be fine.
I grew mine indoors in wet and windy Lincolnshire, use your propogator to get them going but as long as you have plenty of sunlight in your growing position then I wouldn’t bother with the lights etc. The plants are going to come on in the summer months so you don’t need it.
My theory is this, they’re from the Naga region of India. Obviously it’s a lot hotter than the UK but they have day and night too. The Naga people aren’t feeding them with tomato or chilli feed, I did at the begining but stopped to be honest. Don’t get too bogged down with the science, get them going, look after them in February and March when it’s still cold and then leave them be.
Best of luck
Miles
September 24, 2011 @ 10:08 am
Many thanks for the advice Miles. I will do as you suggest! Love those chillis! Thanks again.
September 24, 2011 @ 4:31 pm
I agree about the lights bit. Unless you are ready to spend some pretty serious cash, the lights probably wouldn’t give you enough.
However, I have heard of people using some basic lights to help get the plants growing well early season before they start getting lots of sun. If you plant in January and let them have some extra light (as Miles said, dark is important too), you will be in really good shape for the summer and will yield many more chillies.
Regarding the feeding. I’m quite lazy with this and don’t feed as often as I should but I am convinced that plants do a LOT better when fed regularly (twice a week with half strength tomato food when flowering and chilli focus before).
Miles please remove this if you don’t want me linking but the have so much info on this and are a really friendly bunch. If you want to progress with the lights, this is the place to look.
Sam.
September 26, 2011 @ 9:18 am
EDIT: Looks like I messed up my link….. Monday mornings!
I agree about the lights bit. Unless you are ready to spend some pretty serious cash, the lights probably wouldn’t give you enough.
However, I have heard of people using some basic lights to help get the plants growing well early season before they start getting lots of sun. If you plant in January and let them have some extra light (as Miles said, dark is important too), you will be in really good shape for the summer and will yield many more chillies.
Regarding the feeding. I’m quite lazy with this and don’t feed as often as I should but I am convinced that plants do a LOT better when fed regularly (twice a week with half strength tomato food when flowering and chilli focus before).
Miles please remove this if you don’t want me linking but the Chillis Galore Forums have so much info on this and are a really friendly bunch. If you want to progress with the lights, this is the place to look.
Sam.
September 26, 2011 @ 9:19 am
Sam,
Nice one, always appreciate your input in these subjects thanks
Miles
September 27, 2011 @ 8:16 pm
Hiya! This site is amazing…. Lots of useful tips - which is great as I’m a first-time grower!
I do have a question though… My boyfriend and are are growing 2 Dorset Nagas, and as it’s coming up to winter (and we live in a built up area with no real garden area) we’ve got them indoors. They seem to be doing pretty well for first year plants, as they’re quite tall anf leafy with lots of flowers and we’ve got quite a few fruits (yay!) but I was wondering how long they should take to turn red and ripen? They mostly just seem to be sitting there not changing, and they’ve been there quite a while now… Should we wait until they ripen on the bush? Or will they wither after a while or something?
If it helps, we live in the UK so the climate is fairly temperate although we’re coming into what’s supposedly going to be a harsh winter. We also occasionally feed the plants with a food designed for fruit and veg…. Should we increase he often we feed them?
Thanks!!
October 18, 2011 @ 7:17 pm
Steffi,
Hiya!! Welcome to the site. To be honest they should have ripened by now, are they getting plenty of sunlight? I’d leave it a couple of weeks and then think about pruning it ready for next year and hopefully they will fruit again.
I don’t bother overwintering my chilli plants to be honest so not sure how well they would do.
All depends when you started growing your chillies Steffi, they really need starting at the end of February.
Good luck but I think you need to look at next year now.
Kind regards
Miles
October 18, 2011 @ 11:47 pm
Might butt in again Miles!
I overwinter my chillies and over the years have found that the best way is to do nothing in terms of pruning. I pruned a few times but found unless you use wax on the cut stems, they dry out and die and can kill the whole plant.
If you wax them, they obviously won’t grow from that cut next season and the plant ends up smaller than it should be.
I’d just leave them in the sunniest windowsill you have, make sure they don’t dry out (they don’t need as much water in the winter though) and no need to feed them. They will probably lose most leaves and look quite sad but don’t panic!
In Jan/Feb, I’d then re-pot them with fresh compost and start to feed them chilli focus as per the bottle guide. They will start to grow loads more leaves and soon you’ll have a much bigger plant than the first year that will yield many more chillies. Once they start flowering again, use half strength tomato food instead of chilli focus.
If your windowsill is sunny, you should expect to pick the first ripe fruit in about June and they’ll carry on until November ish. Typically I’d get about 8 or 9 chilies in year one in a sunny-ish windowsill, but 40 to 50 in year two.
The chillies you’ve got on the plant will ripen, probably next month when it starts to get really cold. They do take a long time though so just be patient.
October 19, 2011 @ 10:37 am
Thanks for the quick replies and all the advice! I cant remember exactly when we started the plants…. Im pretty sure it was in the spring! I guess I’ll have to be patient for a little while longer!
Thanks again!
October 19, 2011 @ 8:08 pm
What a wonderful site! I am begining to understand that my Bhuts and Nagas can be very precious when it comes to setting fruit in a windowsill. My Butch T Scorpions are setting fruit like crazy. I’ve learned a lot of practical tips on pollination which I’ll try going forward.
If you’re serious about growing these things, invest in a 400 watt HPS light system like the cannabis growers use. They come bigger and smaller but that’s a handy size for about 25 SF of space. The plants love the light on a 12/12 schedule and will really take off until you can move them outdoors or back indoors to finish. I live in Colorado at about 6,500′ elevation and the seasons are short and intense and just too nippy for these heat loving beauties. You can pick up a light system on Ebay or even find them used on some local website like Craigslist or equivalent depending on your culture. Nothing fancy required, but go for the digital ballast. More economical to run and silent.
Thank you for this very interesting forum.
October 19, 2011 @ 10:06 pm
Mark,
Welcome to the site and thank you for your kind comment. To be honest it’s guys like yourself and your helpful comments which give these posts/topics their importance, growing these plants is obviously different dependant on where you live-I live in North East England so somewhat differnt to Colorado! Great info you’ve given there Mark, thanks a lot, it will be read with a lot of interest.
Kind regards
Miles
October 20, 2011 @ 8:45 am
Sam,
No problem, appreiate the help!!!! Great coment thanks Sam
Best
Miles
October 20, 2011 @ 8:45 am
I’ve considered lights a couple of times. Great for getting the early part of the season sorted. Are they expensive to run though?
How do you like the scorpions? I find mine are hotter than my Nagas by quite a way.
October 20, 2011 @ 10:56 am
Sam and Miles,
My experience with HPS lights began only this year so I may lack credability as an expert but my peppers certainly relished those wavelengths and the delicious warmth through the Spring. Tomatoes and eggplant also became luxuriant under a 12/12 light/dark cycle. I should have have mentioned that those grow light systems frequently include a metal halide bulb which is used in the flowering and fruiting periods in the Autumn and Winter to extend the season. That light has a very golden color and the plants will cease vegetative growth and put all their energy into ripening the fruit. I don’t find HPS lights to be expensive to run. Certainly well under US$10 per month and you only need to run them a few months out of the year. Of course, if you choose to run them year round, your peppers will be very grateful and productive. I would take HPS lights in preference to a greenhouse in my climate because it gets so very cold and the growing season so short. It’s my first year growing Scorpions in addition to Naga’s and Bhut’s. I have to say that they seem to fruit much more readily. I have never tasted one and I confess to being a little afraid of them. They may be more suitable as a bear spray (which I also need) than as a condiment.
Miles, thank you again for hosting this website. Great people with many useful ideas.
Mark
October 21, 2011 @ 12:46 am
Mark,
A great and very useful comment, thank you for helping us on this thread, it’s a big help.
Kind regards
Miles
October 21, 2011 @ 8:14 pm
Im living in thailand and a complete newbie to growing anything, but i just love chillies, so i bought 50 naga jolokia seeds.
I started by placing 15 of the seeds in a couple of pieces of damp kitchen paper, and waited to see if they would germinate. 8 days later i had 10 seeds that had little tails that were protruding from the seed husk.
I tried to find some vermiculite to mix with the bag of soil that i bought in tesco, but couldn’t find any. So i proceeded to place the seeds on top of some of the soil that i had filled into little plastic party cups, then put a light covering (around 1/4 of an inch) of the same soil on top of the germinated seeds.
I put the 10 plastic cups with the seeds in them into a large clear plastic tupper wear box, gave them a couple of sprays of water, and placed the plastic lid on the tupper wear box.
I live in a very hot climate here in thailand, and so i usually leave the tupper wear box out on my balcony for most of the day, and in the evening take it indoors and place it on top of the fridge to keep the heat up.
But after almost 3 weeks now there is still no sign of anything sprouting from the soil.
Am i too eager to wait, or have i done something wrong?
The soil is lightly moist, never wet, never dry.
The heat the seeds are getting is always constant, never cold.
Should i keep waiting. Or should i try again with different approach?
November 26, 2011 @ 7:51 pm
Steve,
Welcome to the site, hmmm…not sure why they wouldn’t come through. Living in Thailand certainly gives you the heads up over us in the UK. I would give it another week but leave the lid off-I’ve been to Thailand a few times and I would think it’s hot enough without the need for a lid. I know December and January is a particularly hot period over there so if you need to start again then at least you don’t have the time and weather constraints we have. To be honest I don’t think you’re doing anything fundamentally wrong.
Best of luck
Miles
November 27, 2011 @ 10:47 am
Yep, you should do well over there Steve.
The ideal chilli germination temp is about 30 C so you should be good over there. But, these chilli types can take a lot longer than the Thai cousins and I have certainly heard of 3 - 4 weeks before.
The fact that the seeds started germinating before you planted is good. They are viable so they should be poking up soon!
I envy you over there, you’ll have a large bush full of chillies in no time. I had a plant in the garden where i was staying in Thailand that was taller than me!
Sam.
November 29, 2011 @ 9:49 am
I just love this site, and chili to
for years i`ve been trying to grow chilis and to be honest i suck at it. Only once did i succeed in growing just a small chili, hot though. But i am not giving in no sir. We, my wife and i live in denmark oh yes cold, rainy and not at weather for growing chilis at all. Here the ol`greenhouse come in handy.. But no, not in my life it is not still no chilis the wheater is to cold, or to little sun or what ever. This summer i`ll try once more… And i got some Naga seeds . For the first time i tasted the Naga chili and i was hooked, it was like a drug to me i ate 3 of`em… What a rush, the strength of it just grew stronger, and stronger and oh yes stronger.. And at the same time the sweetest taste of fresh fruit, like peach or mango or maybe like melon the strength of the Naga was almost to much but the “pain” was like your tastebuds having s..
So this summer… I am going to grow me a chili plant, if it is the last thing i am doing in this chili-plant-free life of mine.
And i am sorry for the broken english, i was thinking of chilis during english classes. (and math… )
Love to you all.
Jan
January 10, 2012 @ 7:53 pm
Jan,
Welcome and thank you for a great comment. I admire your determination to grow chillies, I am sure you will grow some this year…2012 will be the year of the chilli for you
They are great to eat, I love eating them-naga chillies are a bit too hot for me though!
I wish you luck Jan, please let us all know how you get on, I’m glad you like the site and your English is excellent-far better than my Danish!!
Kind regards
Miles
January 10, 2012 @ 8:06 pm
Jan,
Your best bet for getting chillies this year is to start planting soon. Most of the super hot chillies (Chinese varieties) take a long time to fruit and ripen.
I will be planting my new ones in the next week or so and for Nagas, would expect to pick my first chilies in June/July.
A couple of things to remember though:
- Chillies like heat and humidity when germinating - I use a heated town rail under my seed tray to get them warm (ideally 30C). Also, keep the lid on the tray to keep the humidity in.
- Plant more than you need, that way you can keep the strongest.
- Be patient, they can sometimes take 3 weeks to germinate.
- Until they have germinated, they don’t need light, so you could use an airing cupboard.
- Once germinated, they need as much natural light as possible or they will grow too tall and thin (leggy) and will eventually break. Put them in the sunniest windowsill you have.
- Make sure they do not get too cold, a frost will kill them.
- Once you put them in their new pots, you can feed them “chili focus” as directed on the bottle. Once they start to fruit, give them half strength tomato food.
- Only put them outside (in a greenhouse) when the temperatures increase or they will grow very slowly.
I always find that the plants second year is much better than the first, many many more chillies. My oldest plant is about 5 years old and is still producing lots of chillies. So keep them alive over winter by keeping them in a windowsill and away from frost or too cold temperatures. They will start to grow leaves again in Jan or Feb and you will have a massive head start!
Good luck!
P.S. If you like the heat of the Nagas, look up Trinidad Scorpions…. very very hot! If you want something with a bit less heat but amazing flavours, habaneros are good (still very hot though).
Sam.
January 11, 2012 @ 12:04 pm
Ive been growing a naga plant, but the chilies are not hot at all, although the seeds came from a very hot chilli.
Any reason why this is so?
Will they get hot next season?
I’ve been told you need the right seeds… whatever that means, they came from a hot chilli what else is there to it?
cheers
Dave
January 16, 2012 @ 1:17 pm
Did they ripen to red Dave?
Chillies often grow all the way to full size before they start to get hot at all. They will then ripen and get hotter as they do so.
If you’re picking them green, you have to know they are about to change to red otherwise they just taste of plant, with little or no heat.
Also, the amount of sunlight and stress a plant encounters is supposed to increase the heat although if you are even getting chillies on a naga, it suggests there is plenty of sun!
Apparently if you leave the plants to wilt before watering they react by producing more heat in the fruit. I can’t comment on how true this is, but i often forget to water mine until they are pretty droopy and they are very hot!
January 17, 2012 @ 12:38 pm
Hi Miles, i live in south africa and its good sunny weather over here. I planted 20 dorset naga seeds about 5 weeks ago and 16 sprouted. 4 died since and the others looks good. I keep the plants in the lapa which is shaded. Should i instead put them in the sun during the day and in the lapa overnight. Im not sure if the sun will kill them.
January 26, 2012 @ 10:17 am
Dirk,
Welcome to the site, I gave mine plenty of sun but was careful not to let them grow too quickly and develop a long stem so keep an eye on that, Keep them warm overnight, I do think your climate should help produce a great chilli though.
Best of luck.
Miles
January 26, 2012 @ 11:01 am
Dirk, sun is a chillies best friend, the more the better.
Apparently Nagas take 100 days of sun to ripen.
As long as you are feeding them (ideally chilli focus, if not, half strength tomato feed), they should grow strong and healthy very quickly in good sunlight.
I’m jealous of the climate, you should have a very good season!
January 26, 2012 @ 12:19 pm