Pequin Chili Seeds

Information: The pequin or piquin pepper is the cultivated form of the wild chiltepin or tepin pepper, producing small, elongated fruits. The variety also comes from Central America (Mexico) and is sometimes called the “bird pepper”, as birds are very fond of eating the plant’s fruits. Birds are immune to the capsaicin contained in chili peppers and are therefore the main propagators of this plant’s seeds.

The clearly ramified pequin plant using bears between 100 and 200 peppers, creating a decorative eye-catcher on your terrace or in your living room. Just like the tepin chili plant, it is well worth cutting this plant back and keeping it over the winter. The approximately 4cm long peppers ripen from green to red and grow upright from the plant, just like tabasco chillies. They are full of flavour and can either be dried or used in stews, salsas or sauces.

Care: Germination temperature is between 24°C  and 30°C (germination period: 10-26 days); it is therefore recommended to use a greenhouse and a heating mat. The plants need fresh, well-fertilised, permeable soil, and do not tolerate waterlogging. They should be planted in a sunny, protected place with at least 6 hours of sunlight - preferably more. As the plants have a particularly long maturation period, it is recommended to grow them in a pot, so that you can easily bring the plant inside when the temperature falls below 12°C during the day, allowing all the fruits to ripen. To keep the plant over the winter, cut it back by 20cm after harvesting and place in a light place where it is at least 15°C.

You can find plenty of useful tips for successfully growing chili plants in our Chili Cultivation Instructions and in the Chili Diary.