Bhut Jolokia Pollination

Question

I live in New Jersey and have been growing Bhut Jolokia “Ghost Pepper” plants in my house since last May and have had great success in that the plants are all about a foot tall and several are over 2 feet tall and have dozens of flowers. Because they are inside, none of these flowers have turned into peppers and I am wondering what I can do to change this.

Answer 1

This is probably due to a lack of pollination since the plants have remained indoors. If you can place them outdoors, on a patio or balcony, etc., pollinating insects would have a chance to do their job. However, if this is not an option, you could opt for hand pollinating yourself. This article should help you with that: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/pollinate-tomatoes.htm (the steps for pollinating your peppers would be the same) Also, you may need to fertilize the plants with a low-nitrogen fertilizer (as this produces more foliage growth and less flowering–needed for pollination to occur). This article can help you with that: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/pepper/pepper-fertilizer.htm