How to Start a Boonie Peppers Plant From Seed

The Boonie pepper (Capsicum frutescens) is a hot red chili pepper native to Guam, a United States territory in the western Pacific Ocean. The plant reaches 6 feet in height and bears 1-inch long, ½-inch wide peppers that start out green. During a transition period, they turn orange until developing the red color that signals they are ripe. It takes about 120 days from planting the seed to picking mature Boonie peppers. Start the seeds in flats if your growing season is short.

Flat with drainage holes
Seed-starter mix
Spray bottle
Shallow tray (optional)
Seed-propagation mat

Instructions

- 1
  Fill the flat with seed-starter mix. Leave ¼ inch between the surface and the container's rim.
- 2
  Make 1/4-inch deep holes in the soil. Space them 1 inch from each other.
- 3
  Sow one seed per hole. Cover each seed with a thin layer of seed-starter mix.
- 4
  Irrigate the soil with a spray bottle to prevent strong jets of water from dislodging the seeds. Alternatively, place the flat in a shallow tray of water. The soil absorbs the moisture through the drainage holes. Keep refilling the tray as needed until water reaches the surface.
- 5
  Move the flat to indirect light. Place it on an electric seed-propagation mat with the thermostat set to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the minimum temperature at which hot pepper seeds germinate.
- 6
  Continue to water the seeds whenever the soil surface dries. Germination occurs within two to four weeks. Transplant seedlings that are 4 ½ to 6 inches tall outside when the day temperature holds between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

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