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James H. Schutte
Solanaceae
CAPSICUM annuum 'Guajillo'
An heirloom pepper from Mexico, 'Guajillo' produces long, slender, medium-hot fruits that are ideal for salsas and pickles.
First cultivated and selected by Native Americans thousands of years ago, peppers are bushy, brittle-stemmed annual vegetables with thin oval leaves and small five-petaled flowers. The dull-white blooms of 'Guajillo' are followed by pendent, narrowly conical, 5-inch (13-cm) fruits with thin, pungently flavored, translucent flesh that ripens from green to brilliant red. The hollow, chambered interior of each fruit is divided by spongy ribbing that holds many small, flattened, rounded seeds, which are spicier than its flesh. Fruits may be harvested green or allowed to mature to full color and flavor.
Full sun, warmth, ample spacing, and fertile well-drained soil are required for peppers to grow and produce well. Harvest of red-ripe 'Guajillo' peppers begins about 85 days after seedlings are planted out, but peppers can be harvested green about 15 days earlier. Use freshly picked green fruits for salads, sandwiches, or pickles. Red-ripe 'Guajillo' peppers are excellent fresh or dried in salsas, stews, and vinegars. Harvest continues until hard frost, or into winter in frost-free conditions. Vascular wilts and fungal diseases can be a problem in subpar conditions.
Pinch off early flower buds to encourage stronger branching and roots. Heavily fruiting plants may break apart under the weight if not staked for support. Harvest ripe fruit daily to encourage new blossoms to form.
Hot peppers get their heat from the compound capsaicin – the higher its concentration, the hotter the pepper. Capsaicin concentration is measured and expressed in Scoville units. The Scoville rating of 'Guajillo' is 2500 to 5000 units, equivalent to a mild to moderately hot jalapeno. For more information about the Scoville Scale see http://www.chilliworld.com/FactFile/Scoville_Scale.asp
12 - 1
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Vegetable
Full Sun
18"-24" / 45.7cm - 61.0cm
Spring, Summer, Fall, Indeterminate
Mexico, Central America, South America
Acidic, Neutral
Well Drained
Loam
Fast
Average Water
Upright/Erect
Spring, Summer, Fall
Insignificant
White, Ivory
Red, Green, Orange Red
Dark Green
Dark Green, Black
Green
No
Yes
Single
Medium
Glossy
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border, Tropical
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