A Good Fertilizer for Bhut Jolokia

Soil Testing

• The fall before planting your garden, have a soil test performed by your university extension. For a nominal fee, you will receive a report of the specific nutrients available in your soil, as well as important information like the soil's pH. Applying fertilizer haphazardly wastes money and resources, and even after drenching the soil with amendments, you may not have managed to balance the nutrition of the soil. If an extension test isn't an option, use a private lab or buy a home test kit at a garden supply store.

Complete Fertilizer

• For the home gardener with only a few Bhut Jolokia plants, a liquid fertilizer should be sufficient. Unless your garden's soil is unusually deficient, 5-10-5 or 12-12-12 fertilizer applied monthly will provide ample nutrition for all pepper plants, including Bhut Jolokia. Mulch Bhut Jolokia to help them retain moisture since the plants stress easily. Plant it alongside a habanero plant to encourage fruit set.

Nitrogen

• Chiles can be overfertilized with nitrogen; do not apply it indiscriminately to crops since it can reduce fruit production. However, if your soil test indicates that the plot where you intend to plant bhut jolokia has less than 20 parts per million of nitrate, a preplanting application of nitrogen may be necessary. Broadcast 20 to 30 pounds per acre of nitrogen and work it into the soil with a rototiller to cure this deficiency.

Other Nutrients

• Chiles can be heavy feeders, so make sure to amend with a high, but balanced, level of nutrients. The most important nutrients besides nitrogen are phosphorus, potassium, calcium and the micro nutrients. If you intend to save pepper seeds, correct levels of phosphorus and potassium are vital. Both are required for healthy seed formation.