Description
Red Cayenne Pepper Plant
MEG’s Red Cayenne Pepper Plant produces 5-6” peppers which are excellent dried and used as “crushed red peppers”. Bonus tip: smoke them to add extra flavor.
5 Useful Points:
- 5-6” green peppers. Ripen to red
- Expected yield: 30-50+ per plant
- SHU rating: 50,000
- Full sun preferred
- Won’t tolerate frost. Prefers low temperatures above 50F for best performance
When to expect ripe fruit
Fruit may begin to ripen as early as late July-early August depending on weather. This plant will continue to flower and fruit up until the first frost in the fall. Peppers start out green and will ripen until they’re red. Expect at least 30-50+ peppers per plant.
Growth habit
Meg’s Red Cayenne Pepper Plants look and grow like mini trees. They’ll typically have a strong central stem with multiple flowering branches. These flowers will result in cayenne peppers after successful pollination. The plant typically grows to an average height of 3’.
Basic care information for Red Cayenne Pepper Plant plants
Thoroughly saturate the grow bag with water in the morning before the heat of the day arrives. If daytime highs are consistently above 70F, your plant will need to be watered daily. If below 70F, check the grow bag frequently by using the finger method described on the bag tag. Apply water to the base of the plant and avoid splashing water onto any part of the leaves.
Stake or brace your red cayenne pepper plant before it begins to set fruit. Strong winds (or gravity!) may damage the plant due to the weight of the peppers if not braced or securely staked.
Apply supplemental fertilizer after the first round of peppers are harvested. Any balanced fertilizers labelled for fruits and vegetables will be sufficient.
Easily move the grow bag indoors if there’s a threat of frost or freezing temperatures overnight. Mature (but not ripened) fruits may be harvested and ripened inside.
More Information
Check out MEG’s Edible Knowledge Base for more information on cayenne pepper plants.
