Medusa Pepper – 5 Seeds

Medusa pepper is a type of sweet, ornamental chili pepper which grows upright, brightly colored fruit, which is long and thin, producing a “hair of snakes” look akin to that attributed to Medusa in Greek mythology. The fruit is sweet, unusual for ornamental pepper, and goes from green through yellow and orange, to become red when fully ripe. These are ideal container plants!

This plant is part of the Capsicum genus and is a Chili pepper variety. Its scientific name is Capsicum annuum longum group ‘Medusa’. This variety typically produces fruit in the following colors:Cadmium red and Pastel yellow. The leaves of this particular variety normally show as Cadmium green color.

A prolific producer! Plant Height Up to 60cm. Mexico is believed to be where it originates from.

Growing Medusa Pepper

Indoor Sowing: Mid Winter, Late Winter and Early Spring.

Direct Sowing: Not Recommended.

• Peppers take a long time to grow large enough from seeds to produce mature fruit, and they require a fairly long growing season.
• The best way to get a good crop is by planting the seeds indoors 8-12 weeks before your average last frost date.
• Soak your seeds overnight in warm water to help them germinate faster.
• Sow the Pepper Seeds about 1/4-inch deep in a moist sterile potting mixture.
• Mist the potting mix with water daily so it stays moist, or seal the pots in plastic bags so they don’t dry out.
• For best germination, keep the soil between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius.
• The pots won’t require light until the seeds sprout.
• Peppers typically require 14 days to germinate, but they may take as few as seven or as many as 30 days or longer to sprout.
• After the seeds have germinated, place the pot on a light windowsill or in a heated greenhouse.
• When they are 2.5cm tall prick out seedlings, moving each into their own 10cm pot. Make sure the roots are well covered and the leaves are just above the surface of the compost.
• Water and place in a light spot indoors.
• While plants are still growing indoors, move into 13cm pots filled with general purpose compost when roots begin to show through the drainage holes in the base.
• When plants are about 20cm tall, or before if they start to lean, stake with a stick.
• Pinch out the tops of peppers when they are about 30cm tall to encourage lots of branches.
• Plants are ready to go when all danger of frost has passed.
• Either plant directly into the ground, spacing them 45cm apart or transfer them to 22cm pots to give them plenty of space to grow.
• Make sure you water regularly, especially in hot weather and feed every two weeks with a general purpose liquid fertilizer. Feeding should start when the flowers first appear and should continue until the fruit have been harvested.