Growing Carolina Reaper from Seed: A Quick Guide
 
Growing the world's hottest pepper, the Carolina Reaper, from seed requires warmth and patience.  Start the process indoors 8-10 weeks before the last frost.  To aid germination, you can pre-soak the seeds overnight in lukewarm water.
 
1)  Plant the seeds about 0.5cm deep in a sterile, well-draining seed-starting mix.
 
2)  The key to success is providing consistent heat.
 
3)  Maintain a soil temperature of 26-32°C using a heat mat, which is essential for these peppers.
 
4)  Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged.  Germination can be slow, often taking 1-3 weeks, so be patient.  Once the seedlings have a few sets of true leaves, they can be transplanted into larger pots.
 
5)  Ensure they get at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily and avoid over-fertilizing with nitrogen, which can lead to bushy plants with little fruit.
 
10 Seeds per pack
 
The Carolina Reaper record now stands at an average of 1,641,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), a measure of spiciness, 71,000 SHU higher than it’s previous record, making it that much harder to beat.  This “thing” called the Carolina Reaper (AKA HP22B) is better described as the demon pepper child that was invented by man.
 
There is nothing normal about this pepper because it was bred for heat and that it is. Oddly enough, this pepper has excellent flavour as well.
Despite the Carolina Reaper being “officially” ranked as #1 by Guinness, there have been recent reports of a Dragon’s Breath Pepper testing even higher at 2,483,584 SHU.
 
Normally superheats have bitter chemical-like undertones as if you can actually taste the capsaicin, but that’s not the case here.  The Carolina Reaper pepper has a sweet and fruity flavour, that is right before the heat kicks in.