How to Grow Black Jalapeno Peppers
Black jalapeno peppers are developed from either an ornamental edible jalapeno plant or from the natural aging process while jalapeno peppers remain on the vine. Whether a black ornamental pepper plant or typical green jalapeno pepper plant, the chili peppers are flavorful and edible during all stages of growth. A black ornamental plant produces a jalapeno that starts out black and then ages to a maroon or bright red. A typical green jalapeno plant produces a green jalapeno that ages to a deeper green, then to black and lastly to red. Grow the plant from seed indoors, beginning in winter for a spring harvest. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Seed tray with lid
- Sterile potting soil
- Jalapeno seeds
- Planting pots no more than 3 inches wide
- Shovel
- Organic compost
- Plant fertilizer
Instructions
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1
Fill seed trays about 3/4 full with a sterile potting soil. Sterile potting soil is free of bacterial and fungal pathogens that can infect plant roots.
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2
Drop one to three seeds into each container. Cover them with a light layer of sterile potting soil. Moisten the soil and place the lid on the tray.
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3
Place the seed tray in a location that receives 16 hours of indirect sunlight a day. Keep the soil moist and leave them in this location until sprouts appear.
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4
Remove the lid from the seed tray when sprouts appear. Place them on a south-facing window sill and water the soil regularly to keep it moist. Turn the tray every other day, encouraging the plants to grow upright.
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5
Carefully separate and repot the seedlings once they have formed two to four leaves. Plant each one in a sterile potting mix in a pot no wider than 3 inches. Plant it deep enough so the soil is nearly touching the leaves.
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Harden the plants off to condition them to an outdoor environment. On the first day, place the seedlings outdoors in a protected area with no direct sunlight for about an hour. Consecutively increase the amount of time the plant spends outside until they are outside all day.
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Choose a location that receives six hours of full sunlight per day to plant the jalapenos. Mix an organic compost into the soil.
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Dig holes 16 to 18 inches apart and allow 2 to 3 feet between rows. Place the plants into the holes and gently cover with soil. Feed the plants with a plant fertilizer and give them about 1 inch of water per week, keeping the soil moist.
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Tips & Warnings
Begin growing the seeds indoors during winter. The best time to plant them outdoors is two to three weeks after the last frost, when the soil temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove and throw away any peppers with small, dry, sunken black areas near the ends. This is a condition known as blossom-end rot, which is caused by drought, pruning roots through improper cultivation or uneven water availability.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
