The Trinidad Scorpion pepper is hot, hot, hot -- so hot, that it has made its way into the Guinness Book. While this member of the Solanaceae family is a Trinidad native, rising popularity has resulted in attempts by other countries to claim the pepper as their own. If you want in, you can grow Trinidad Scorpion peppers yourself from seed. Trinidad Scorpion peppers will be ready to spice up your dishes approximately 90 to 120 days after transplanting.

Instructions

Seed Germination

1.Fill the cells of a seed starter tray three-quarters full with damp organic potting soil. Press four Trinidad Scorpion pepper seeds 1/8 inch into the soil of each cell. Don't expect all these seeds to germinate.

2.Place the clear plastic lid over the seed tray. Slide a heating pad under the tray to keep the seeds warm during germination, and set the heating pad to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Trinidad Scorpion pepper seeds are of the C. chinense species, which require warm temperatures to sprout.

3.Set the seed tray and heating pad in a window or on a shelf or table that receives bright, filtered light. Check the soil for moisture every few days, spraying the soil with warm water from a spray bottle if it feels dry. Watch for germination, which should take place within 14 days.

4.Detach the lid once sprouts break the surface of the soil. Maintain light, heat and moist soil as the hot pepper plants grow. Weed out the weakest plants when they develop their second set of leaves, leaving only one plant behind in each cell.

Transplanting

5.Prepare the soil for outdoor transplanting when the temperatures remain at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Work the soil with a garden fork, breaking large chunks into fine planting material. Check the acidity of the broken soil with a soil pH test kit.

6.Add peat moss to the soil if the pH reading is above 5.8, and add agricultural lime if the reading is below 5.3. These pepper species prefer soil in the 5.3 to 5.8--pH range. Refer to the peat moss or agricultural lime's packaging label for allocation amounts and methods of application.

7.Remove the Trinidad Scorpion pepper plants from the seed tray, and transplant them in the soil. Space each plant approximately 18 inches from the next in holes that match their root ball size.

8.Water the peppers generously using a garden hose, and maintain a soil moisture level of at least 1 inch at all times. Watering several times a week in lieu of rain should be sufficient.

9.Slip on a pair of disposable gloves and harvest the hot peppers when they turn from green to bright red. Throw the gloves in the trash immediately afterward.