Guyanese Wiri Wiri Live Hot Pepper Plants

Grow a favorite of Guyanese cooking right outside your kitchen. Wiri Wiri pepper plants produce small, round, cherry-like fruits with bold heat and a fruity, slightly smoky flavor. Pick them ripe and red to bring lively flavor to homemade pepper sauce, marinades, meats, and rice dishes.

Small Fruits, Big Flavor

• Pepper: Wiri Wiri, a variety prized in Guyanese cuisine.
• Botanical name: Capsicum chinense.
• Fruit: Small, round peppers that ripen from green to red.
• Heat: Very hot; add sparingly and adjust to taste.
• Growing habit: Compact plants suitable for garden beds and large containers.
• Harvest timing: Approximately 90 days from transplant under suitable conditions; timing varies with climate and care.

What You Receive

This listing is for live pepper plants, not seeds or harvested peppers. Choose the available 1-plant, 3-plant, or 10-plant option to suit your growing space.

Planting and Acclimation

Gradually introduce plants to outdoor sun and wind before transplanting. Choose a warm, full-sun position with fertile, well-drained soil, and work compost into the planting area. For container growing, use a pot with drainage holes; a 5-gallon container provides room for roots to develop.

Protect plants from cold. Move containers indoors during cold snaps or when nighttime temperatures fall below 55°F.

Watering and Feeding

Water thoroughly as needed to maintain even moisture without leaving roots in waterlogged soil. Check containers more often in hot weather. Apply a light mulch to help retain moisture, keeping it away from the stem. Feed with a fertilizer suitable for vegetable plants according to its label instructions.

Harvesting and Kitchen Use

Harvest when fruits turn fully red, using clean garden scissors to snip peppers without pulling on the branches. Pick regularly as fruits ripen. Start with a small amount in Guyanese-style pepper sauce, marinades, or rice dishes, then increase to your preferred heat level.

Hot Pepper Handling

Wear gloves when cutting or processing peppers. Avoid touching your eyes and face, and wash hands, utensils, and work surfaces thoroughly after handling. Keep hot peppers out of reach of children and pets.